Truly good food and beer. Came with my friends around 1PM and enjoyed a meal with very friendly staff! Would recommend this for a true Scotland pub feel-- it was surely an experience for us from Los Angeles. read more

Doctors has been a steady number on the Grassmarket pub scene for as long as I can remember, although I can't say I've felt compelled to enter its hostelry doors a huge amount of times. Doctors is a perfectly straightforward place to go and have a drink, what you see is what you get and all that jazz, and there is positivity in that, because at least you always know where you're at. The actual premises are fairly big, so there's quite a bit of seating room if there's a big group of you, plus the pub is really well located and convenient from a lot of angles, whether you're coming across the meadows, or up from town. I've used it as my quick go to for a handy drink when I've been short on time, and just want somewhere to go where I'm guaranteed a seat during the day. Doctors is really just your no nonsense, traditional and straightforward pub, although I do feel it's maybe a bit too plain and straight to business, which affects the overall feel of having a drink here. It is always busy at night and the weekends, so you're getting great atmospherics in that sense, and if you want to meet an Edinburgh University student or 2,000, this is the place to attend. read more

Doctors isn't is a pub I would want to spend an entire evening in, however it is a decent chain (same group as Milnes or Beehive) pub. It feels a little soulless, trying too hard to emulate a traditional pub and it is fairly popular with the student population so it can be busy. However don't discount it, it's a good starting location with filling pub grub (provided by Taylor Walker) along with a normally decent selection of real ale. The one thing I always find slightly amusing is they stock Carling and Tennent's, both fairly generic lagers... In the end though accept Doctors at face value and enjoy your food and a quick drink. read more

We stumbled upon this place upon arriving in edinburgh; the cheap food prices called to us. We were very pleasantly surprised by the food: it was the first time in scotland that we felt like we got "our money's worth", and then some. The ultimate burger cost 5 pounds for 12 ounce behemoth of a burger; I shared one with a friend and we were both full after eating half of it. The chili was also very good, as well as the nachos. The proportions were always nice and big. We ended up coming back two more times in the three days we stayed in edinburgh. The beers are reasonably priced; not the cheapest but not expensive (about 3 pounds for a pint). The pub has a nice decor and feels quite cozy. Beware the "burger night" though on wednesdays -- we had to wait quite a while to get a table. read more

Just newly renovated , I was lucky enough to win a free meal at Doctors on their reopening night. So be warned I didn't pay for the meal I had! However the food was excellent. I had a massive burger. Proper ground steak with great toppings. Chips were chunky and very well done. Other than that the menu had some great pub favourites. All priced fairly reasonably. The renovation looks good with a more "Old school Edinburgh" feel rather than the student pub feel that they were going for more recently. Seating was well laid out and the TV's hidden behind advertising signs. Which is where I hope they'll stay most of the time. I don't mind for the odd game but constant massive TV's showing every game is ridiculous and ruins atmosphere in these places. Also the soundtrack was much better than pre-refurb when club anthems and crap pop was played far too loud. No music, quiet music were the order of the day yesterday with some decent folk singers later on. It worked well. All in all the improvements are really good. recommend hitting it up for some food and beer! read more

Despite its prime location and large size, Doctors pub lacks in a lot of areas. It serves up the kind of gastro belly filing fuel you'd expect from pubs like this, and has a bar full of booze that isn't too expensive, but isn't that cheap either. I was angling to go in last time I was in Edinburgh since my rather nostalgic aunt who studied nursing through here has been keeping up with my Yelping and recommending places she used to go as a student. Apparently Doctors has always had a bit of a rep for being lecherous, s when my aunt diagnosed this place as a bit of a hovvel for Docs off the clock and on the pull, she was found to be correct! It doesn't, however, take much to deduce on a Friday night - or even on a weekday afternoon - what kind of pub this is. Filled with noisy, bombastic first years from all walks of university life, I feel a bit of sympathy towards the bar staff - their spirit has probably been hardened due to years of dealing with excitable and sometimes quarrelsome youngsters. Working in a bar does that to you if it's student orientated, believe me. And I was a student when I worked behind a bar! I remember just getting out of school and going nuts in first year. It was a lot of fun and quite often I didn't care about my surroundings. Although my taste in boze and pubs has become a bit more refined over the years, I can't even imagine my bad ass 18 year old self enjoying this place that much. It can get too overcrowded and it's the kind of place you drink to get drunk, not to actually enjoy yourself. The throng of student bodies descending on Doctors are probably here for just that reason, and thus the bar lacks a real personality, other than attracting pissheads. If it wants to shake this image, it needs an overhaul, and a swift injection of real fun rather than the hazy, booze infused lunacy. My prognosis: avoid, unless you're flying in for a cheeky pint on a pub crawl in the middle of term. read more

I found this pub/restaurant to be extremely cosy. I was embarassingly misled by the name for quite a while, and didn't initially realize it was a pub! I shared a pre-concert meal there with a friend, and at the time at least, they had a great offer of two main meals for £10! They serve wholesome pub food, and I really enjoyed my fish n chips meal. However, I especially recommend the baileys irish coffee, which is just the right amount of hot alcohol and sugar for my taste! I have learnt that the kitchen's closed during the busy hours they're showing "important matches":- I don't know what's important enough to suspend food for, but alas, it's the way things are. The staff are really friendly, and I'll definitely be back there! read more

Last year I used to have a flat which was located just above Doctors. And over that year I have memorised the commentary that tourists would receive on the open top buses going back... "Every day, men would flock here after a busy day and receive their daily medicine!" Perhaps amusing, but after hearing this for a year it gets boring. However, it is still true, after a hard day, many still come to this place. It is still popular with students and very popular with lecturers and tutors. The bar has a good selection of drinks and has student discount. The food can be a bit hit and miss and times but the menu is pretty extensive for a pub. The pub shows the football all year round, and is always packed out for a Champions League game. Furthermore, this pub is always very busy for its pub quiz, which is a very good laugh indeed! Worth a visit! read more

While they have a nice bog-standard house ale, and it's an all right pub, it's a bit on the spendy side (think London prices), it's far too bright and far too loud. There's nothing particularly great or bad about it. A decent boozer and central. Just wander a bit further up to St. Mary's. (Hint: see my other Edinburgh reviews...) They do get extra points for the array of Scottish cask ales, though. read more

Friendly staff who were happy to indulge my friend in a couple of free samples of ales she was interested in so that was a good start. Overall the bar is just a bar which is a good thing with sports on some screens, a couple of guys playing folk music and your usual standard of pub food. What I disliked though was the fact that it was over £12 for three simple gin and tonics! Bear in mind, this is a straight forward pub and not some style bar in George St. In similar bars in the area you can get the same drinks for a fraction of the price. And yes, whilst it is populated by students, it's quite obvious the students who drink here are not short of a few quid and you certainly need a few quid if you plan to stay here. read more

Darryl was fantastic, food was delicious, atmosphere was delightful!!! Best bar we have been to yet in Edinburgh

The fish and chips were great. The staff was extremely friendly. Would recommend to anyone!

Doctor's is my kind of pub; chilled out and made from wood. Fantastic for a quiet pint and some banter with your mates, and it's got some really nice cask ales if that's your thing. read more

Doctors was one of my favorite pubs to visit during my stay in Edinburgh. While there is not a whole lot of seating compared to other places in the city, there was always great beer on tap and the food is that perfect bar quality I was always looking for. They have deals on different days of the week, such as burger night which includes a pint of beer on tap. They also host a pub quiz which was fun, as well as host sporting events where the people it drew made the evening very enjoyable and offered a great glimpse of Edinburgh's culture. read more

it avoids getting only a one star due to its convenient proximity to the grad school. food- meh, though they do have condiments on the table, including mayo, which the HORRIBLE tron never has. drinks- same as anywhere else in terms of price and variety barstaff- HORRIBLE- ive only been three times, but everyone ive had to deal with there has the ever dreaded bitch/bad attitude/crusty look/wench feel to her- or maybe mostly only the main woman who seems to be there who, each time ive been, has stood in front of me trying to pull a customer and then minutes after ive been standing there asks me, "did you need anything?" wtf? read more

We met friends here before going to a show and I wish we had picked somewhere better. This place needs a good clean, the tables and bar were sticky and the seats were marked and grubby. We went to order food but you need to have a table before you can do this. It was busy but we managed to get a table quite quickly. There were three vegetarian options on the food menu so I thought it would be fine, however this place falls into the ignorant category here as they mark a "V" on anything that isn't meat not that has no animal products in it. So the mozzarella & pesto burger has Parmesan (contains rennet so not veggie) and the vegetable pie is in a suet pasty (not veggie) so I ended up with nachos which were ho-hum to say the least. My husband who eats anything had bangers and mash and they also got an average review. Bit on the pricey side at £4 a bottle of Peroni which is what I would expect to pay somewhere fancier but not here. With the plethora of options of nice places to go in Edinburgh, this place for me doesn't make the cut! read more

Wife and I stopped in for the fish and chips for dinner. We arrived just before the crowd. Quaint place with attentive staff. The fish and chips were excellent. The fish was done perfectly with not too much breading and was much larger than expected. My wife isn't a big eater and didn't think she'd finish. She surprised me and cleaned her plate. Loved it. read more

Located on the corner of Forest Road sits Doctors, a pub with more than its fair share of local history - you can read all about it on the outside wall, I won't bore you with the details. Inside it has all the things you would expect a slightly down market boozer to have: cheap deals on food and drink, 'traditional' decor, sticky tables and a quiz machine. It has an odd mix of clientele coming through its doors to drink their cares away; there are Edinburgh Uni students, overworked NHS staff and more than its fair share of junkies and jakeys. All of these characters combined give it a strange atmosphere and, unless you belong to one of the aforementioned groups, it might be a wise idea to get your booze fix somewhere else. read more

On my third visit to Edinburgh, I was finally staying in a very fancy hotel (Quartermile Apart Hotel) which was in the meadow's (reviewing that very soon). After a long day of work, I decided to meet my friend who recently moved to Edinburgh for work. We were meeting after 5 years so the focus was not a extremely fancy place but just the conversation and company. I had spotted Doctors before while I was trying to find my hotel and it definitely was the landmark for me so I thought it would be unfair to not have at least one drink there AND it was extremely close from the hotel. We went inside and it was a very warm pub feel which is kind of what I expected. A local band was playing some live folk music too, but I have to say that they were not even close to being good as the lead singer was completely out of sync (yes even I understood that). We decided to sit by the bar as its always good to have easy access to drinks (wink). The bar staff were really friendly just like other Scottish People (they are so refreshingly friendly) and we had good banter with them. The guy at the bar was convinced that I had an American accent (I get that from some people). They had a good selection of beers and ciders which is always a plus. The music was not ridiculously loud so it was possible to have a good conversation without having to lose your voice. The pub offers what it is supposed to - good selection of alcohol, moderate pricing, clean toilets and friendly bar staff and live music (which was not that great). Verdict : Great place to catch up, I can see it must be very popular amongst students because of the generous pricing strategy! read more

Great food and excellent service! We loved it, don't hesitate to come! I had the chicken burger, haggis, and steak. So good!!!

Doctor's is on the corner of Forrest Road, opposite Middle Meadow Walk. It used to be the main meeting point for medical students (hence the name), and still bears some of the evidence, with a cabinet marked with chemical symbols at the back. It is fairly traditionally styled (my friend calls it an 'old man pub') and always serves 3 or 4 local beers which change on a regular basis. As well as beers there is also everything else you would expect; lagers, alco-pops and spirits. These are typically priced for the area, with a pint costing somewhere between £3 and £3.70 (Tenants is cheap, Staropramen a little more expensive). Food is also served, and is what you would expect of a pub meal; it is not freshly prepared but it's not bad either. There are meal deals (you can get 2 mains for £10), and there are specials written on a board behind the bar. It also shows football and rugby matches on various screens positioned around the place, and also on a larger projection if a popular match is on. Doctor's is a nice bar; its main attraction is its selection of real beer, as well as its busy but relaxed atmosphere. The medicine on sale may be the over-the-counter stuff nowadays but I find it's pretty effective! read more

This is our first visit to Edinburgh. Cool looking place. It was a nice day and there seemed to be a lot of happy pub-ogers enjoying themselves so we stopped in for a beer. After walking around the meadow's and sightseeing this really hit the spot. Friendly people and lively atmosphere. read more

Harking back to its glory days when it was permanently packed with aspiring medics, Doctors is still very much a student pub situated, as it is, right in the heart of the university area of the city and directly across the road from the union building. The fact that it is rarely quiet is testament to its vibrant atmosphere and outgoing staff. Its extensive menu of cheap food has ensured that many a student has survived the long, cold Scottish winter with tasty main courses around £5, it makes the prospect of baked beans in your flat a very unappealing choice. If you get in early enough, you might even be able to get the coveted back alcove a small snug in the traditional sense, with seating for a dozen very close friends, the range of medicine bottles and oddly-named potions lining the walls brings nineteenth-century academia gently into the twenty-first century. read more

This pub holds a special place in my heart since this is where my classmates and I always went to get a drink after class. But objectively there isn't much special about. In fact it is downright standard. read more

Ive just spent an evening at The Doctors watching Champions League football. The bar was packed (predictably Id have thought), yet there were only 2 bar staff on. They seemed friendly enough but were somewhat on the slow side. I waited, on average, 20 minutes to get served. Im always amazed when I see this in bars. With a couple of extra staff, they could have really cleaned up at the tills. To add to the ridiculousness of the situation, one of the bar staff had to spend a lot of time serving food,leaving only one person serving. Completely nuts. Ill go somewhere else next time... read more

After passing by Doctors every day on my way to work, I had to go in on my last night in Edinburgh. The crowd had died down as Fringe had ended a few days prior and the locals had returned, making for a lovely atmosphere. Great beer, delicious fish and chips, wonderful staff. I would definitely recommend stopping in. read more

This was a regular haunt when i was at university. The pub is situated directly opposite the main uni buildings and the start of the Meadows. But don't think it's just for students. The pub attracts a lively mix of characters of all ages. The pub is on a corner so there are windows all the way round, meaning it's quite picturesque in summer. They serve all usual lagers and wines, along with many fine ales which change every so often - so there's always something new to try out! It can get very busy so we had to make do with standing at the bar. Well worth a visit! read more

It's my local place. The recent renovation jazzed it up a little, though not in a spectacular way. Though most people are not wowed by it that I know, it does seem to be the case that they keep going there. It is comfortable and convenient. Nothing wrong, some things right. Good for a brunch and a chat. read more