Orocco

The waitress who spoke Spanish was especially kind and attentive, and made us feel welcome. We had a lovely meal too, everything was delicious, full of flavour, and beautifully presented. The restaurant sits right by the pier, with stunning views, and it's such a special setting that the spot alone makes it worth visiting. We'd definitely come back.

The meal ended up costing over £150 and took hours, with dishes arriving after extreme delays. My steak was half burnt, and we were still hungry when we left. We won't be returning. We'd booked dinner for my partner's birthday and Valentine's Day, so this should have been a special occasion. Instead, it was one of our most disappointing dining experiences. We arrived on time but were told our table wasn't ready, then waited at the bar for 20 minutes. After sitting down, we ordered drinks and starters. The two scallops and three haggis bon bons took another 45 minutes to arrive. Staff had apologized before they came, but we were starving and ate them in about two minutes. Then came a wait of an hour and a half for the mains. We were close to leaving, but we'd already opened a bottle of wine and were so hungry that we stayed. When the food came, my steak was half burnt, and this time no one apologized. The slow service, poor food quality, and lack of care after things went wrong ruined what should have been a memorable birthday and Valentine's celebration. We left extremely disappointed and didn't leave a tip.

The waitress eventually noticed how many things had gone wrong. She was polite and kind, and took a couple of drinks and starters off the bill. They also offered to replace the sides, one of which had been forgotten, but by then we were starving and didn't want to wait for new ones. The sides were all we could eat while my partner's steak was cooked longer, and even then she had to leave a lot that wasn't properly well done. It had arrived fully pink, despite my asking for it well done because my wife is pregnant. I wouldn't normally order steak that way. Getting it cooked through took over an hour. This was Valentine's Day, and the service was abysmal. The food was barely average, especially for a place with orocco pier's reputation and premium positioning. We paid the bill and left at the first opportunity. The restaurant itself is the nicest part, but I don't think I'll return. I've been to amazing places that blow this out of the water, and poor places that are on this level. Customers pay a premium, and on a special occasion this wasn't good enough from start to finish. We arrived early after a mix-up with the times. I was happy to wait, but the hostess more or less told me to step aside because she had other customers to serve. While we waited, we ordered drinks and had to ask again because they took so long. After we sat down, we asked for drinks and water, then had to ask again. It felt like we'd been forgotten all evening. Our table was awkward too, at the end of a section with staff working and clutter behind us. We ordered bread and olives, but waited half an hour for cold bread with oil and balsamic, and there were no side plates. The main still hadn't arrived 30 minutes later, though we'd ordered it 10 minutes after sitting down. After asking twice, we were told the shared cut needed an hour to cook. I could understand 30 minutes, but an hour? The steak was still pink when it came, so we had to ask for it to be cooked longer. Do better. 1/5.

The prices felt very competitive for the quality. My light lunch was absolutely delicious and presented perfectly, with an amazing view of the forth road bridge. From ordering through to leaving, the staff were friendly, welcoming, and the service was great. I absolutely loved the place.