We spent a lovely 3 days in Edinburgh before boarding our NatGeo Expedition ship. Tiles has the…read morelook of a locals place & indeed, it showed why that was an earned status. Friendly wait staff helped us secure a table that wasn't easily seen from the entrance. Nice selection of beer choices. Dinner was an easy choice once we saw what the 'neighbors' had delivered to their table. The server was patient & very friendly to us 'tour-ons'. We returned for a beer the next afternoon. Highly recommend Tiles and if you're lucky enough to snag a window seat you've got drink, food & entertainment covered!

While walking around Edinburgh, I was looking for a place to stop in and have a pint of local beer…read moreand traditional fish and chips and Tiles hit the spot. Right on the corner of the park and a bit away from the tourist nightmare that is the area near Edinburgh Castle, it was a great place to take a lunch break. Tiles has plenty of local beer options on tap. The IPA and lagers were both good. I also tried the fish and chips...battered, not breaded and they were also quite good. They use haddock which tends to be a thicker fish and it wasn't overwhelmed by the batter at all. Similarly, the chips were full of potato and perfectly fried. The staff were also all quite friendly and happy to suggest an ideal beer. I would be happy to return to Tiles

I recently went to Cuckoo's for a private function on a Friday night. The upstairs pub environment…read moreappeared very cozy and inviting. It's quite a small place and of such there was not much space left when I arrived around 8pm. This place was packed with people enjoying a drink and an evening meal. I can recommend the upstairs pub for a date! The drink prices are not cheap so. I got a small Irun bru can for £1.80. Alcohol prices are dearer as you can imagine. They also have seating downstairs. You can book the room for any private function. There is £50 deposit required for the room hire, but if there is no damage, you can get the money back. My friend also expected a barman to be in attendance downstairs, but sadly this was a miss as the poor barman called in sick. There was no replacement. It was not much hassle to go upstairs for a drink and at the same time, if you hire this room for a party, you might expect a bit of privacy and service. Even the room was reserved for a private function, we had people in attendance that we did not know. The other downside was that the toilet is also downstairs and people from upstairs will be passing through all the time. On a good note you have a chance to use the disco equipment downstairs and maybe hire a DJ :-) Would I book the downstairs room for a private function? Most likely not, but it should not hold you back!

We came here because the reviews were good and it was my husband's birthday. They apparently have…read morefree dinner for your birthday. 3 of us arrived on a Tuesday evening and took a seat. We sat for 10 minutes and no one acknowledged us. There was one person working behind the bar but everyone seemed like they were served as she was out of the bar talking with seemed to be friends since they didn't have food. When I went to the bar to ask if anyone was working, the woman said she was with another customer. She then said I was supposed to order from the bar. Had no idea since I was a traveler as I'm sure a lot of people are in Edinburgh. Very disappointed with the place.

Came here on my last night out in Scotland. Friend noticed that they had Scotch whiskey on the wall…read moreso we had to try some. 12 year Glenkichie - very aromatic and extremely smooth taste 10 year Laphroic - eye watering from the scent. Strong peat taste. Glenkichie was definitely my favorite since I loved that the scent is overwhelming while it goes down extremely smooth.

I used to live above here, it's a rather horrible street as it's just the boring side of the King's…read moreTheatre and a couple of footba' casual pubs at the other end. I'm not going to sugarcoat anything, it's a pub, with a pub quiz and a couple of beers on draft. Being so easily-missable actually works in Burlington Bertie's favour. People would poor out the theatre like packs of wolves hunting wine and lurch straight into whatever the ever-changing bar was on the corner. the exterior hides a cosy, welcoming inside. It seems to be 1980's cheap and 1980's conversations because the regulars and locals have opinions and stand at the bar too long there'll be forced upon you but that's up to you to do the usual British politeness and excuse yourself. It's always got a small place in my heart.

Nice pub to have a bite to eat and some pints. The workers here are very nice and friendly. It was…read morea bit crowded during late afternoon but we were able to grab a booth. Tried the lamb shank pie- it was awesome! It's a large portion so the 2 of us shared. The lamb was very tender and fall-off-the-bone soft. Very flavorful. If you come here and want to get some food, order this! We got a side of neeps and tatties too- came with haggis which was nice and moist. The drinks are priced for the Rose St. tourist area we were in but wasn't outrageous. Recommend!

A wonderful old Victorian pub lovingly preserved...Jo music just the sound of people chatting and…read moreenjoying each other's company Great food - what's going to be wrong about Scottish Smoked Salmon in the actual country? Amazing hand drawn beer - mine was the Nicholson's Pale Ale Traditional pub service - you order at the bar and take your own drinks and the food is brought to your table We're in town for a few days and since this place is just a few hundred yards from our apartment, it will be hard to not return You will not be disappointed

I don't know why but I genuinely thought this was called Kay's Pub…read more As I approached Kay's pub, there was a sign that said (correct me if I am wrong) "no one under 25 allowed in" this was a good sign that it was the pub for me. My friends and I walked in to find a drop dead gorgeous bartender. He was beautiful. Like wow! But unfortunately there was not any seating for the 4 of us as it was completely packed for a Wednesday at 7pm, and he told us that we couldn't stand near the hallway. There was the main bar area which had a wonderful selection of drinks including the Guinness. And then the back area which was also packed. So we ended up leaving, but we wanted to give him a shoutout as he was really nice about it.

What a fun find! Fantastic local pub with everything you would want. Good tap list, good food,…read morewelcoming atmosphere and fun staff. We ate lunch here, the hubs loved the mince and tatties and I had the steak pie. I would go back for both. The menu is not extensive, but you will be well fed and have good drink at a great price for being in the middle of the city.

You don't get a spectacular number of students here and the average age is quite high, but this…read moreworks in this places favour, as despite being a student myself I do recognise how they change the atmosphere - take the Crags for an example. You don't get food here either, but for a beer and a chat or to watch a game it does the job and you get a more pleasant atmosphere than anything closer to town. It's not that expensive either so it's well worth a visit just so long as you're willing to be content with what it has to offer.

Swany's is an out of the way bar trying to avoid the student scene and succeeds. You won't find an…read moreitbox here or pool tables or a jukebox with the Black Eyed Peas (thank God) here but this is not what Swany's is about. This pub stays away from the limelight and the inside is just what you'd expect, quiet and relaxed. The regulars are generally quite old but they don't make you feel excluded when you come in and just carry on chatting. That is pretty much what you'd come into Swany's for, just a bit of a chat with a few drinks. The relaxed atmosphere makes it ideal for this but not much else. The beers are reasonable and averagely priced, nothing too special. There is a TV here is well, and this is when the pub livens up a little. It's an ok place to go to with a few mates to watch the footie but don't expect much more.

Such a lovely and quintessentially British pub. It's not impossible to get seating here on a…read moreweekend, which is nice.

Very cool local pub recommended to me by the lads at the Edinburg Larder nearby. It has lovely…read morestained glass windows in the front highlighting the renovated wooden bar and period ceiling. I ordered a build-you-own scotch flight with help of bartender. It was cool to enjoy it with his guidance and check out the afternoon locals - including a piper dissembling and cleaning his bagpipes.

About a 5-minute walk from the center of the Royal Mile and just off the beaten path enough to make…read moreit a local spot, The Sandy Bell's offers a fantastic whisky selection and a local music jam every night to cap off your evening in Edinburgh. Several people (locals) recommended Sandy Bell's to us for whisky and music, and we don't regret our choice. The bartender (as we found in most bars in Scotland) was very knowledgeable about the whisky and helped focus our somewhat haphazard directions into a couple of great choices for us to try. We also enjoyed the music...this kind of jam shows up all over Scotland in a dedicated area of a pub or restaurant...musicians show up and start playing together....They face each other, so invariably a group of them has their back to the patrons who came to enjoy it. It's like that everywhere and a unique music experience. You get the sense they don't really need an audience...they love making music together and for each other and themselves. The rest of us are incidental. We enjoyed it anyway. Good music. Good whisky. (and lots to choose from) Good guidance.

We were told by a tour guide to visit this place. Glad we did. Lots of scotch to choose and a few…read moregood cold beers. We got a few 1/2 pints, so we could try a bunch.