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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Gary Armstrong

Diner slams Edinburgh's Number One at The Balmoral restaurant after being told to remove hat

The prestigious Number One at The Balmoral restaurant has been slammed after a diner was asked to remove their hat by staff.

In a scathing review of a recent visit to the prestigious Edinburgh eatery, the customer claimed they'd had a 'better experience with street food', with the iconic capital hotel having to issue a response.

Giving the meal a two out of five rating on TripAdvisor, the guest claimed they were served 'five star food with zero customer services', while commenting on the 'strict dress code'.

READ MORE: Popular Edinburgh restaurant makes 'painful' decision to close after 18 years

The review reads: We chose to have the three course tasting menu due to time constraints.

"It seems they have strict dress code.

"Mr Kirk approached to come to ask if we ready to order without an explanation and didn't even asked if we’ve dined there before.

"When I asked if I needed to choose, he just said 'of course you need to choose, it's a three-course menu'.

An example of the 'five star food' you can find at The Balmoral (Instagram @numberoneedin)

"For this kind of restaurant I'm expecting more of a customer oriented service experience. It's totally ruined the whole experience, although the food is good."

Responding to the customer, and specifically addressing the complaint about the dress code, staff at The Balmoral Hotel said: "It was our pleasure to provide our shorter three course menu as requested.

"Our dress code is quite relaxed; smart casual with no sportswear preferred, we kindly asked your guest to remove their outdoor hat in the restaurant.

"We were very saddened to read your review as providing the highest standards of care and attention for all our guests is our utmost priority. We sincerely apologise if something we said has been misunderstood in any way."

Despite the unusual criticisms labelled at Number One in the recent review, the restaurant generally garners favourable feedback from its customers.

It is one of the highest ranked restaurant in the capital, scoring an average 5 star rating on TripAdvisor. The exclusive eatery held a Michelin Star for many years, before losing the sought-after accolade earlier this year.

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