Truly a rustic pub with delicious food and live music that doesn't drown out your conversation. Not only is the food delicious but the portions sizes are large as well as their drinks. The staff is exceptionally helpful and friendly. We paid around £10-12 each, which for the area is pretty decent. Honestly, I could have stayed and hung out all night. Enjoy! read more

3.5/5 Service was slow and not super friendly. My husband tried to order a whisky but got extreme sass from the barman so we cancelled that order. Food was quite good! The best vegetarian traditional Scottish food we've had yet. I would have ordered more but didn't want to give them more money due to our ordering experience. read more

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A charming little pub on the Royal Mile. It's cozy, comfortable, and full of character. The atmosphere is warm and inviting, and the staff are friendly and attentive. The food is classic pub fare, but done very well. I had the bangers and mash, which were so good they left me wanting more. A great spot to stop for a tasty bite along the Royal Mile. read more

A pub with a lot of personality. Just far enough down the Royal Mile so that it's not mobbed. The pub food menu has all the greatest hits and they're made with some style. Halloumi Fries: A great pub snack. Salty and fatty; crispy and squeaky. Goes great with a nice beer. Also, a few bits of green leaves to make you fool yourself into thinking you're being healthy. Haggis, Neeps and Tatties: Perhaps the fanciest preparation of haggis I've ever seen. The multi-color tower felt like some haute couture French dish. I liked how the mash had a few lumps for texture. The whiskey sauce added a lot of flavor. The haggis itself reminded me of American meatloaf, though a bit softer. It didn't taste nasty like I've been led to believe. Though it is very rich and sits heavy in your stomach; I felt full for hours after. Classic Fish and Chips: Standard. Big fish, with crispy skin. Lots of crispy chips with potato-y center. It was nice to see actual peas, instead of that mushy stuff. read more

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Service was great, our waitress was personable and quick! Multiple staff members checked in to make sure we were all set. The food was delicious, I got the bangers and mash and my husband got the macaroni and cheese. Atmosphere was excellent. The crowd was great, not too crowded and not empty. Will definitely be back! read more

GREAT food, gracious service, and energetic ambiance. I will be back, indeed. There's an adorable garden a short walk nearby. It's called Dunbars Close. Perfect place for an after meal walk. read more

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This place was ok. I enjoyed the ambience and the wait staff were great. I had the fish and chips and I just could not cut into the fish, the batter was so thick that there was more batter than fish. The chips were not the best I've had but the peas were very good though read more

If you ever go to Scotland and are looking for a local place to eat then go here. The food and atmosphere were really great. They have some of the best chips I've ever tasted. From the fish n chips to the bangers and mash it was delicious. Service was good as well. read more

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First timer. I was part of a 3-hour Food Tasting Tour in Edinburgh, Scotland (secretfoodtours.com). One of our stops was this place and we had the Tower of haggis, beeps, and tatties. This haggis contain heart, lung, and stomachs of a goat (if I recall or was it sheep?). Sounds weird but in reality is good. You can not taste any of the Body parts.,It was a nice experience. read more

We stayed above Canon's Gait and what a treat! I highly recommend the steak and Ale pie and fish n' ships delicious!! Great place for a bite and a cold drink. read more

Great place for a lunch or pint and food ! Stumbled here based on convenience and size ... small cute , not crowded. Loved the chocolate orange beer and lamb burger and chips, curious to try others! Nice friendly staff, good food ! WiFi a bit spotty , but worked! read more

Canon's Gait - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Popped in here one evening, drawn by the sound of some live traditional Scottish folk music, which turned out to be coming from a group of about 20 elderly musicians at the rear. Good old-fashioned reels and airs, nothing too radical, but very pleasant to listen to as I sat at the bar with my pint. I was delighted to find such a huge range of Scottish craft ales on offer, which made choosing one somewhat difficult, but on the plus side there are plenty more to try on future visits. Haven't tried the food yet, but the menu looks promising so I might give that a shot another time. read more

After walking by places that were either closed or could not fit 6 people we found this place. All of us chose a starter from the menu for lunch. Between 6 people we only picked two items from the menu :) the pork belly and mini fish n chips. I had the fish n chips and I particularly liked that they offered it as a starter as most fish n chips dishes tends to be too much for me. Good selection of beers. read more

Canon's Gait - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I was in Edinburgh for the marathon festival and to run the Half Marathon. I came in here partly looking to carb load and I found the perfect meal. I had French toast with berries. (See picture) I mixed it all up and it was out of this world good. I paired it with black coffee. Speed was perfect. Service was perfect. Food was excellent and as I had hoped... and I set a PB in the half marathon so the plan worked. read more

Canon's Gait - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Best steak in town, get yourself there if you visit edinburgh.

My first meal in Edinburgh, and you set the bar fairly high. We had gotten in fairly late, so we traveled into Edinburgh just to walk around and get food. This was one of the food places we looked at, and agreed that there was definitely items on the menu worth eating. I had the Venison Casserole, along with a Scottish ale (No.3 I think ... it was part of the UK beer festival occurring at so many bars during this trip). It was tender, and it wasn't gamey at all. My friend had the Scottish Salmon Taglietelle, which I tried and was quite impressed by, as Salmon is not one of favorite fishes, unless smoked or as sushi. Wish I had known about the Record player there ... love Vinyl, and would've played one of the records. I would go back again if I'm here. Good food and good staff will always bring people back. read more

Canon's Gait - Back: Venison Casserole. Front: Salmon Tagliatelle. Photo courtesy of my friend Erik who was on this trip as well - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Went here today for a late lunch and had a truly great experience. I had the haggis which was delicious. It was served with a whiskey cream sauce which went very nicely with the neeps and tatties as well. The service was also very friendly. Our waitress was eager to help us decide on what to drink and what to order. Overall a very nice pub experience right along the royal mile! read more

Canon's Gait - Haggis with neeps and tatties - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

WARNING: false advertising. They do not accept the Yelp check in. Manager refused the coupon :( Great food and beer! Steak and ale dish and lamb burger were delicious. read more

Canon's Gait - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Canon's Gait is toward the Holyrood end of the Royal Mile and has gone through a bit of a refurb recently. There's a pretty good selection of beers, mainly from Stewarts brewery and the food looks good too although I didn't try it. During the Fringe it is a venue for PBH's Free Fringe where they run quite a good process of getting a token to get entry to the next show which means you don't have to spend time queueing to guarantee your entry. Once you are downstairs though it is pretty hot and sweaty. read more

Canon's Gait - Quite a smart token entry for the free shows #FringeSurvival - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Wow, what can I say about Canons' Gait? I work near this pub and every time we go for lunch, we have never thought about coming in here once for food. I have been here quite a few times for lunch now, but it is only now that I have decided to review this place so that more people can come here and try the food. This pub has the best pub food I have ever eaten so far in Edinburgh. It is reasonably priced for Royal Mile and you have a very friendly service. My colleagues and I usually go to our usual restaurants for lunch but since the end of last year, we found this gem and we have been here nearly every week for lunch. Lunch time is usually quieter so we have more space and the food comes out quick. I have tried nearly all of the mains, but the best ones are the fish & chips, pork belly, sea bass with gnocchi and the risotto. I urge you to give this place a try. For what you pay, it is extremely value for money and you will keep thinking about the food every day for lunch. I have uploaded pictures of the food. Looking at them just make me want to go back tomorrow. Nom nom nom nom.... read more

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From the outside, this pub looks touristy and nearly identical to dozens of other pubs just steps away. We wandered in on a whim after being handed a leaflet for traditional Scottish music and storytelling going on inside - and I'm really glad we chose to attend, because it was really quite lovely. There's a cozy, cavern-like basement space where they do the aforementioned singing and storytelling, as well as more music and comedy during the Fringe. Another night, they were the only pub in the area to accommodate our fairly large student group, and we got to listen to (and participate in) an open mic night with a kindly man singing ballads. Canons Gait definitely has a quieter, mellower atmosphere than most pubs in the area, so if you're looking for a low-key evening (and a ballad or two) come on by. read more

I went here for a 50p Comedy show once. The show was held in the basement which was a little dark and dingy. As you can imagine a 50p comedy show wasn't exactly fantastic. The upper bar area is a lot nicer and quite spacious. The bar was a little empty which didn't compliment the large space. It was a Monday night though, so it might pick up on other nights. I probably wouldn't go out my way to come here as the staff weren't particularly great and the drinks weren't cheap, but if you are in the area then ideal for a quick drink. read more

Canon's Gait - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The beer was okay. The decor was okay. The service was okay. The atmosphere... okay. All around an okay experience. Contrary to a previous review, there is not a record player, but that's okay. read more

Very welcoming place in a beautiful area of the city of Edinburg. The staff is kind, the food is good and a various selection of beers. I tried the haggis with the whisky creamy sauce: absolutely delicious! read more

Canon's Gait - Haggis with a whisky creamy sauce - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I had the haggis tower here. I didn't think I would like haggis, but it actually tastes really good. I would say it's like finely chopped beef. It also come with neeps and tatties which are basically mashed up turnips and potatoes. If your in Scotland, you really must try haggis and this place will give you a good experience. read more

The crew was trying to work around a private party, an early closure, and an influx of damp and hungry clients. They were great. We had a shared appetizer and a couple pints. We just dropped in here but will go again read more

Canon's Gait - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Summary based on late afternoon stop for some drinks and snacks: --very friendly, helpful service --average prices for this area --nice selection of drinks on tap with helpful guidance and samples --decent snack food, at least, which is all we tried --locally popular Recommended in this area read more

Breeders beware! My husband and I went to this venue to see a free fringe show at 4pm in the afternoon with our 5 month old baby. When we arrived, a man (we're assuming is the manager) asked us if we were there for food, we said we came to see the show. He said we couldn't stay with a baby unless we had a meal. So, we looked and they had signs that said parents are welcome with their children until 9pm as long as they were eating. So, I asked them, ok, what constitutes a meal? Can we order fries and a beer? The other waitress said she thought that would be fine, but then the manager said No, we had to order a full meal. So, basically, he told us that we had to pay £12 to eat a full meal to attend a free fringe show, all because we had a child with us. We decided to try and go see the show anyway, but the manager comes downstairs, interrupts the show, and ask us to leave. He never once offered us a menu and asked if we wanted to order food. He just basically told us to get out. I WILL NEVER EVER EVER GO TO THIS RESTAURANT AND I WILL TELL EVERYONE WHO WILL LISTEN TO AVOID THIS RESTAURANT IF YOU HAVE CHILDREN. SHITTIEST SERVICE I HAVE EVER HAD! read more

This essentially tourist pub is located at the Canongate (hence the pun) end of the Royal Mile. Whilst it provides a fairly standard "traditional" pub feel, I think the service and atmosphere is generally pretty good (besides I don't really have a problem with tourist pubs). I first visited Canon's Gait when I went to see a Festival Fringe show in the basement function room. It's quite small but has a stage and a bar. Upstairs is the main room (and its really just one big room), where you will do most of your drinking. The bar is fine, and offers fairly predictable selections of ales and whiskies. Yes this pub isn't outstanding, and I agree with the other reviewers that it blends a bit with the other Royal Mile pubs, but I still think it does a better job than most. read more

A very quiet little pub on the Royal Mile that seems to revolve around locals and beer lovers during the Fringe season. Me and my fiancee went in here for a pint (for me, wine for the lady) before dinner. The first thing that dragged me in was all the signs in the foyer for Stewarts Brewery which in my head meant only one thing. 80 shilling. Stewarts Brewery was well advertised in the main foyer which got me excited but after going in to the bar I quickly realised that there was no Stewarts beer on offer. I was reassured that during the Fringe there is loads of it. I'm still not quite sure what I was supposed to make of that at the start of March but I took the information however. There were a couple of gents playing an acoustic set at the back of the bar which was very nice. We later (after dinner and going back for a second drink) got speaking to one of the musicians and he was a gent. After sitting down with our drinks I realised how quiet the main bar was for a Saturday, even more so for a Saturday that had Scotland rugby game live on telly. Maybe it is a little out the way for people to get to. Overall a cracking little pub if you want a couple of quiet drinks and a chat with friends or a read of the papers. Wouldn't recommend it for an entire night out, unless it's during the festival. Loses a few stars due to the advertising of Stewarts beer even though there wasn't a drop to be found but that could be me being picky. read more

Yeah, this place definitely does deserve better than 2 stars from me. It's clear someone is investing a lot in this place to make it work. They've had a massive refurb. Before it had a slightly gloomy but warm old pub feel to it, now it had a brighter, but cooler feel to it. They've gone modern in terms of tech stuff. There are plug sockets at every table by the walls, and they've got free (although limited) wifi. The sockets are a big plus point for me, but I'm not keen on the grey and white decor. The biggest plus point by some way is the big step up in food. It's gone from pretty forgettable pub grub to much more up market gastro pub style stuff. I had the mixed grilled veg and hallumi starter with the mushroom risotto. Both were well cooked, although perhaps a little over generously drizzled with pesto (if one could possibly say such a thing) which made both dishes just a teensy bit too salter for what I think they were going for. Rather than than bland though. It is worth noting that you get a free small plate/starter if you check in here. The food isn't cheap, but I think since they raised the standard it is reasonable. I got my free starter, main, and a soft drink for £13.50. Another I do like about this place is the cellar bar is free to hire out. There are various comedy shows here, and folk sessions. I think whoever is running this place really wants to make it work, but I feel there's still something a bit off about this place. It feels a little sterile and soulless to me. The walls are covered in straight out of okra corporate art, as opposed to the lovely stencils that were here before. I still wouldn't come here if it weren't for the comedy shows. There are other bars I'd sooner go to around here. On the other hand however I wouldn't veto coming here if someone suggested it. read more

The Canon's Gait is one of a number of pubs which takes up its position at the lower end of Canongate. With a spacious sitting area on the street level and a function room below, this pub offers meals, the occasional gig (music and comedy), and drinks which are slightly on the more expensive side of the coin! However, this pub is perfectly situated for tourists who just happen to be hungry and thirsty before their excursion to the parliament. The food on offer is of a good quality, I didn't begrudge paying the little extra for my large portion of fish and chips! The pub also provides a good selection of local ales which is always a bonus! This place is good for a wee drink and a bite to eat, and is a prime spot for tourists, but to me, this pub doesn't stand out from the rest. read more

Hmm, every time I come in here there's always a funny smell. Like dirty mops or stale beer in carpet smell. I recently got a pint of Peroni and recieved my pint in a non-descript bog standard glass. Where was my fancy schooner Peroni glass?! Downstairs is actually really good though. It's a good size for functions and some live music/comedy though, both of which I've attended. If it was just about the upstairs part I'd rather go to the White Horse which is nicer but if I was going to a set downstairs, I'd be happy with that. read more

The Canon's Gait is a big, airy bar. It's modern, but done in a traditional style, and although that sounds a little odd, it works. There are some humorous writings around the wall, and an excellent old-fashioned map of the area. It's a good place to chill out, especially on a hot day. The service is very good, with pleasant staff. I like it. read more

We had a hard time finding a place we could take our daughter after 7:30PM. Kids can eat here until 9:00PM so that was perfect. My daughter loved the Chicken Supreme Pesto Penne Pasta and the Sirloin Steak is really good as well. The service is just right and the waitstaff friendly. Definitely recommend! read more

Great stop in for an afternoon pint & meal. Delicious Scottish Ale on tap, and good eats. As a classic out-of-towner, I ordered the fish & chips. The fish was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, yet not greasy at all. As a variation, I chose the Cajun chips, which were particularly good dipped in the tartar sauce. The dish also came with creamy minted peas, which (last thing I expected) were delicious! Have a go at it...you won't be disappointed. read more

Canon's Gait - Fish & (Cajun)chips - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Good service! The braised lamb and haggis with mashed potatoes was great. Tried the mac and cheese with pulled pork as well. You will not be disappointed. read more

Not particularly special in its own right, the Canons' Gait is best enjoyed on a function night. Don't get me wrong, the pub is nice enough, with its inoffensive decoration, comfortable furnishings and interesting quotes on the walls but the venue doesn't reach beyond the typical on a normal night. You see the 'soul of the pub' on a Monday or a Thursday. Two trivia obsessed quizmasters run the Monday quiz, peppering you with arcane questions about a wide spectrum of rubbish. They seem to have one mission in life, which is to drive you potty with pedantry and make you laugh till it hurts in equal measure. Everything is done with an ironic, superior air which gets endearing after a while. Thursday is 'Out of the Bedroom', a songwriters night held in the basement. A small collection of musicians and regulars gathers here to play and listen. In fact, if you don't come to perform, you might be the only one, and get roped into something like page-turning! There's a real 'family' atmosphere here - it's a friendly wee community that never leaves you isolated. I'd happily come here alone without feeling weird. read more

Canon's Gait - The Canons' Gait - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I attempted to have dinner at this restaurant with family. I first arrived and spoke with a very nice lady who said the waiting time would be about half an hour,. This was fine however we went a walk and then came back to see if any tables had freed up. This was by far the worst experience I have had in a restaurant in Edinburgh and possibly ever! My mum and myself went in to enquire about availability where we were met my an extremely rude man, who I assume the numerous other complaints are about. We said we were here for dinner to which he said "well as you see we have no tables available" in an aggressive and rude manner. We then asked if there was still a 30 minute wait to which he again aggressively addressed us saying "we don't rush people to get out of here". I don't know if he has never worked in a restaurant before but asking for a waiting time is a normal thing... We then obviously left as he was so rude. At this point the man literally followed us out onto the street, still being aggressive!! I am honestly in shock that someone would be so rude to anyone, let alone people looking to spend money in their restaurant. Will definitely not be coming back and would recommend everyone else to stay away, unless they want their night ruined by intimidating rude behaviour. Completely disgusted!! read more

For a great choice of craft beers and some excellent food, stop in to the Canon Gait. The service staff is not only friendly, but candid in food recommendations. I had the venison with tyme smashed potato's and my son had the burger, both were fabulous. The environment is clean and comfortable. Compared to the cramped restaurants with mediocre food nearer the castle, this is worth the extra walk to get to. The value for the money is great and the prices are lower than the places just a couple of blocks up the hill. This is also the first place we have found with real craft beers served at the right temperature and not spoiled by light or age. read more