The Rail Bridge Bistro

I visited this bistro for the first time over the weekend. As my first time in South Queensferry, despite our arrival in the dark the town itself (and subsequently this restaurant) is quite lovely! Featuring an absolutely fantastic view of the Forth Rail Bridge, a tiny replica of the bridge with a moving wee train inside, a nice toasty fireplace, and some historic information hanging from the walls, you’ve got a lot of lovely things to look at here.
For me though, the food was just good. Nothing too mind-​blowing or life-​changing, and considering the price, you kind of hope for that sort of experience. I would bump up my review to a solid 3.5 though based on the my dessert of a fantastic sticky toffee pudding, another first for me in the U.K. It was positively decadent.
On the whole, I’d recommend this place maybe more so for a hot drink and a dessert just to enjoy the lovely view and keep the costs down. But if you’re looking for a decent meal and don’t mind the price, it’s certainly worth checking out!

Just had lunch here. Very accommodating space for 4 adults and 2 high chairs. Good baby changing/​WC facilities.
I ordered a pulled pork baguette which came with chips. The portion was huge and chips were nice as they were done in a traditional pub lunch sort of way (if u know what I mean). Sadly the pulled pork was as dry as a bone, albeit tasty, and was in desperate need of some more sauce as it came with only a drizzle of what looked and tasted a bit like thousand island dressing. This was not unpleasant, but a bit odd. My preference is for BBQ sauce, but an apple sauce and slaw would also be nice. The meal came to £44 for the four of us — not bad value if you consider portion sizes. We all had baguettes and chips and soft drinks.

Well it appears South Queensferry is a right wee source of buried treasure.
Already a fan of the Hawes Inn, I might never have discovered the Raild Bridge had Jennie and her folks not recommended it to me.
Its glass front looks out onto a tremendous view of the Forth and its Bridges. A good start… and it only gets better from there.
As happenstance had it, we chose a rather inopportune weekend to hit Queensferry as there were all manner of fundraising activities on the go down at the waterfront. This subsequently meant that finding a parking spot would be a feat worthy of fundraising in itself.
Not wanting to spend all our time searching be for nought, I ran in to see if there were any tables available. Not only did the gentleman inside confirm he had space for us, he would also hold onto the table until we found a space. Legend.
From our table on the upper floor we were gifted a grand view of the restaurant via its impressively wide balcony area. The artwork and Rail Bridge memorabilia all over the place were a constant source of conversation and entertainment, my particular favourite being the illustration on the wall depicting John Fowler and Benjamin Baker demonstrating the cantilever system.
The food was gorgeous. I started with the Stornoway Black Pudding and Chorizo Salad (see the photo, that’s an order!) although the term ‘salad’ seemed to be a formality. What I was presented with was the best cut of chorizo I’ve ever had from a restaurant. The dish was a work of art, combining two of my favourite foods and tasted as good as it looked. For mains I chose the Railbridge Burger, 100% Scottish beef topped with MacSween’s haggis and melted cheddar, served in a ciabatta bun and with chips and slaw. Oh wow. The bun was brilliantly soft and the burger, so tasty. Not often I eat a meal slowly because I don’t want it to end… certainly not a burger.
Staff were flawless in their courtesy. It seemed as if everyone who worked there was a personal acquaintance of the owner and didn’t want to disappoint.
All reasonably priced, all reasonably excellent!

The is a decent spot to go for a drink or a bite to eat in South Queensferry. The food is reasonably good and the service is pleasant and attentive. But the real magic is in the view out the front: straight across the Forth to Fife and — most dramatically — right between the rail bridge and the road bridge. If weather permits one can drift out to the very pleasant terrace and enjoy the view all the more.
This is not necessarily a place to make a massive fuss about, in, or around. It’s decent, it has a steady reputation, and it caters for a number of different tastes quite nicely.

The Railbridge Bistro looked like it would offer more than it did. Large open fire, big comfy couches, huge windows overlooking a stunning Forth Railway Bridge, even a cute Thomas the Tank Engine train pootling above the open plan restaurant.
Now, after we sat down, staff were super efficient about taking orders. We pulled in a couple of soft drinks, but I ordered a glass of wine to go with the meal. Our first course appeared — a super rich cullen skink with giant massive lumps of smoked fish, and a potato soup — without wine. We asked again, and watched the staff serve up drink after drink. Just before the main course arrived, my glass of wine finally made an entrance. Too slow, despite asking more than once where it was. OVerall, it was felt by the both of us that service was pretty sporadic, and lacked consistency.
It looks like The Railbridge does look to serve a heavily seafood oriented menu, but we opted both for burgers (Halloumi, you get me every time), with the SR dining out on the Railbridge burger, a beast of a burger served up with a haggis topping. With a portion of onion rings on the side, he had his work cut out to finish a generous meal. Everything looked freshly made, but the onion rings were positively dripping in oil, so not so pleasant.
I had the halloumi and vegetable burger — which was perfectly pleasant, but not exactly the most memorable meal I have had, but absolutely groaning by the end, having to abandon ship on the meal before the plate was cleared.
Once we were done, there was no space for dessert — despite their appealing layout by the til. So, time for a not insignificant bill, and home. Neither of us really were struck by The Railbridge, despite it’s attractions. The food was OK, the location stunning, the prices, pricey. South Queensferry isn’t close, and the Railbridge hasn’t encouraged us to want to race back any time soon.

had my brother’s birthday lunch here on monday and it was amazing, best meal i’ve had in a long time, used to live in queensferry and get the ice cream from here all the time, amazing, forgot how good it was now that i’ve reminded myself will definately be going more often!

I’ve passed this place in the summer and it has always been busy. So busy that I’ve never ventured in before now.
I was there as part of a large group that included children raging from 2 to 5. We were made to feel very welcome by the staff and the menus were handed out very promptly. The drinks order was taken very quickly and the drinks arrived soon after.
There was a sign saying something along the lines of We don’t do fast food, we do good food as fast as possible, please be patient so I was expecting a wait, however the food arrived quickly and it was tasty in good sized portions.
the deserts are tasty, sweet and again large portions.
I’ll certainly go back as it was a very pleasant lunch in a lovely setting.
I’d recommend booking if possible as it does get busy.

One of my fave restaurants in South Queensferry. Great views over the Firth. Laid back atmosphere and fantastic food.
If it looks full downstairs, there is more seating upstairs, just go in and ask!
Full review with photos please visit my blog which can be found on my profile.

Lovely venue for meals or to grab an ice cream. The mini train goes around the top of the room. Today we popped in to buy yummy saville orange marmalade and a large jar of ginger curd. The quality and customer service is so high.

On the main running into the old town of South Queensferry, the Rail Bridge Bistro sits perfectly, overlooking the Firth of Forth and the coastal towns of the Kingdom of Fife.
The Bistro is a great place to pop in and have your breakfast or lunch, or even just for a quick bite to eat with a coffee! For breakfast one can have a full Scottish cooked breakfast or even go continental with French toast! Prices are quite reasonable with a cooked breakfast costing less than seven pounds. The lunch menu is dominated by the bistro’s locality, with seafood dishes offered throughout the menu. The Bistro was quite busy when I paid it a visit and seemed very popular with tourists!
After you’re fed and watered, one can pay the wee gift shop a visit, however, a warning to all, this shop is heavily stocked with your usual tacky tourist gifts!
Try the Bistro and least and try and pass by the gift shop!

Quite busy here when myself and friends popped in on the way back from this years’s Rock Ness festival but we managed to get a table at the window and so had the pleasant view across to Fife whilst we ordered and ate. No-​one had any complaints about the food (Haggis, Neeps & Tatties, Cajun Salmon) and the service was friendly and as quick as could be expected given the time of day and amount of other customers. I’d have no reservations about going back. Made it back here last night for a quick pint and opted to share the cheese board which turned out to be let down by a lack of chutney to accompany it (depite the fact that they sell jars of the stuff in the attached shop). They were unable to serve filter coffee either. Schoolboy error on someone’s part but service & the cheeses themselves were fine.

Am letzten Tag meines Schottland-​Urlaubs ist es doch noch passiert.
Ich war gewarnt, ich ahnte, was mich erwarten würde, aber kurz vor dem Rückflug hatte ich keine Hemmungen mehr und es einfach getan.
Ich habe Haggis gegessen!
Ich habe ihn nicht nur gegessen, ich habe ihn als Teil eines original schottischen Frühstücks zu mir genommen. Haggis ist das schottische Nationalgericht, das aus einem in einem Schafsmagen über Stunden gekochten Gemisch aus durchgedrehten Schafsinnereien, Schafsnierenfett, Zwiebeln und Hafermehl besteht.
Der seifig penetrante Geschmack von Leber und Haferflocken wollte sich schon nach dem ersten Biss im gesamten Gaumen festsetzen, hatte aber keine Chance. Denn ich hatte ja noch black pudding auf meinem Teller. Die gebratene Scheibe aus Blut, Milch, Rindertalg und ebenfalls Hafermehl hielt auf sehr robuste Art geschmacklich dagegen.
Zu dem ebenfalls zugehörigen Würstchen und dem Rührei möchte ich nichts sagen, aber wer solche Frühstücke erfindet, muss vor Hunger schon halb wahnsinnig gewesen sein. Dazu passt, dass in Schottland beim Anschneiden des Haggis sogar Oden vorgetragen werden sollen.
Im The Rail Bridge ist solches nicht vorgekommen. Die freundlich-​heimelige Atmosphäre, der Blick auf die berühmte Forth Road Bridge, der flinke Service und der Genuss des zum Frühstück servierten Tees ließen die Welt langsam wieder in einem anderen Licht erscheinen, eine liebenswerte Welt ohne Blut, Leber und Haferschleim.
Warum sich die Schotten aber über Jahrhunderte gegen feindliche Übernahmen wehren mussten, ist mir endgültig ein Rätsel.

Great little bistro. Serves a damned fine breakfast and coffee. Huge cakes later in the day too. :)
Service is mostly great but can be a little snooty at the weekends unless the main staff are left to do their job.

I have been to the raqilbridge on a few occasions over the past few months and have never been disappointed. The quality of the food has been excellent every time. The service is generally quite quick and the staff are friendly. the prices wont break the bank either

Situated almost directly underneath the famous Forth road bridge — The Rail Bridge is a mid size café/​restaurant. They also have a shop at the entrance which can get a bit congested when it is busy with people browsing and also those trying to get in or out of the restaurant. They do a great range of cakes and given the choice of eating places in the town Iwould recommend here as somewhere for a coffee or a sandwich type lunch rather than a full meal

This is a very popular restaurant on the shore of South Queensferry, boasting lovely views of the Rail Bridge and the Firth of Forth.
It is filled with pictures of the Rail Bridge and even has a mini-​train going round the top of the room.
The food is lovely, the staff are friendly and it is a very child-​friendly place with high-​chairs readily available and an impressive childrens menu. It is a great place to pop into for a coffee and a huge slice of cake or for a nice meal but it can get very busy, especially in the tourist season when lots of bus trips frequent it.

only losing out on 5 stars by a missed starter (unforgivable as it was MINE!) and the sometimes slow service. this is one of the busiest places in spring/​summer as it has lots of outdoor seating and luca’s ice cream! there is a wee gift shop selling upmarket tourist tat for those of you who want a nessie piggy bank or a highland cow on an apron, and some local artists prints on cards etc… but the restaurant is popular in its own right for two reasons.1. its got a great selection of food, from sandwiches (but not as you know them) and soups to meals that make your mouth water just reading about them and a large variety of sides and desserts to choose from. let me go back to desserts… on my birthday we descended in one of those large rambling groups that must cause waiters and waitresses to shudder, took ages deciding what to have, all ordered drinks at different times and still got a smile when we asked for the dessert menu! my partner convinced me to ‘share’ the cream meringue, two huge puffs filled with an entire carton of whipped to perfection cream and covered with raspberries (which incidently were almost all i got of the share)…my son had the sticky toffee pudding with custard and i thought he would never leave, he looked in heaven… and various other members of the party had ice cream sundaes and clootie dumpling (i am not telling you what this is, you will have to try it for yourself) by train or by car, there is no excuse for not paying a visit. oh and 2. it has a train running around the ceiling!

Any visit to Edinburgh is incomplete without a visit to the Bridges. The views alone are worth the trip out of town. If you are heading out then you could do worse than a visit to the Bridges restaurant. Take your pick, lunch, dinner or just coffee this place provides a great venue. If you get the time of day (and Scottish weather) right the views are outstanding. Inside you can see a bit of the history of the rail bridge whilst enjoying you meal. The menu provides plenty of options from a light bite, to more substantial meals, with a great collection of cakes to finish.