Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Red Squirrel

    4.0 (97 reviews)
    ModeratePubs, Gastropubs
    Open 9:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

    Red Squirrel Photos

    RED SQUIRREL ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Red Squirrel

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    None-alcoholic drink
    Lidia G.

    Stopped to have dinner at this place, enjoyed the menu variety,, ordered couple of appetizers: highland fish cakes and fiery fried halloumi. Both were good. Although the highland fish cakes are more of a local delicacy and acquired taste.

    Bob M.

    Stopped in for brunch and got the full Scott breakfast. It did not disappoint. Everything tasted great. A nice way to try haggis for the first time. They had a nice selection of local beers as well.

    Chicken and waffles
    Hector B.

    Let's start by saying this is one of the top 20% restaurants in Edinburgh (1,021 of 5,412 places to eat)! I laughed. But... Service: Good. It was busy, and they were unstaffed. Thanks for working hard. Food: I got chicken and waffles. It was sweet. I swear there was toffee pieces, but the menus were gone. Drinks: decent bloody Mary with a slightly spicy edge.

    Chicken and waffles with Maple syrup.
    Eric W. M.

    Cozy restaurant/bar. They serve an all-day breakfast. Unfortunately for my friend and I, on the day we arrived, they had not received their egg shipment that morning. So we decided to choose the chicken and waffles for breakfast The chicken was perfectly cooked. Seared and then flash fried to get a brilliant crispy edge. The waffles were full, crsp with a hint of mix spice and bits of toffee. The bloody Mary was surprisingly spicey for Scottish cuisine. But very enjoyable. I really loved the cucumber garnish. Like every place else, they are lightly staffed. But they are very friendly and professional. My only disappointment was the run-on eggs.

    Steff D.

    Stopped in for dinner on a rainy weekday night around 8pm and found the place to ourselves; the staff were nice enough, though pretty slow given there was no one else in the restaurant but us (we would have ordered more/stayed longer if the staff had been a little more available). We both ordered from the burger menu: my partner had the Falafel (which had beetroot, spiced yoghurt, and rocket). I ordered the Veggie Haggis (which had smoked cheddar, balsamic onion chutney, tomato, and beer mustard mayo). Mine was far better than his was: lots of bold flavors that all complemented one another -- admittedly, it fell apart quite a bit as I was eating it in, and in the end ditched most of the bread (you have ONE JOB bread, and that's to hold it all together for everyone else, sheeeeesh). His sandwich was rather dry and bland. The chips that came with our meals were very nice, but we regret not going with the parmesan and truffle ones instead. I do genuinely know we'll come back because there are quite a few vegetarian options on the menu, including breakfast choices, and overall it's got a great atmosphere!

    Red Squirrel Burger.
    Cindy Z.

    My colleagues took me out for lunch since I was working on Thanksgiving for the first time in my life. The space was pretty empty for lunch with a pub-like feel that serves food. I did notice some good lunch deals with selected dishes at only £12 for two. The risotto was included in this deal, which some of my colleagues got. If I were to come back for lunch, this is a solid pick. Instead, I opted for the Red Squirrel Burger with a drink (£12 for Early Squirrel weekdays 12-5pm). The burger itself was pretty standard with the onion chutney that stood out the most in flavor. The burger also came with fries and a house pickle, which was rather shriveled and sad. The fries were good; thin and crispy. Overall, a-okay spot for some food. The 2 for £12 lunch deal is probably what makes this place worth the visit though.

    The veggie haggis
    Brenna P.

    I read about this place in a Scotland travel guide and the Yelp reviews were also compelling. It was recommended as a good place for vegetarian haggis. We stopped in here on a Thursday afternoon around 1400. We were promptly seated and served waters. They have plenty of beer on tap here and I selected a local one. Of course I opted for the vegetarian haggis (£9.95). It comes out like a burger topped with smoked cheddar and chili jam. It was a little dry but very good. The chips were what made it though. Crisp and fresh. Yum. I would love to give this place one more star, but the server was slow and we never did get a refill of water. I probably would have ordered another beer too if he had been more attentive. Overall it's a great place and I'm sad I can't try their brunch.

    Veggie burger made with vegetarian haggis. Fell apart a little but it was filling and very tastey.
    Melissa Z.

    A fabulous gastro pub near the Edinburgh Castle. It is brighter than most pubs so it was an okay choice for lunch & definately a proper dinner spot. I love the menu here bc of the variety of omni and vegetarian options. I ordered the vegetarian haggis burger which had a tomato jam and Scottish cheese. It was delicious and very filling. My fiance ordered a steak sandwich and he said it was very good. They had several local whiskey and gin drinks to try.

    Figured since I got up late today, I'll start my day out with a beer and a burger.
    Lance N.

    Needing nourishment on a late Sunday afternoon. I decided to find some good pub food. Ok may be not that exciting of a reason, but being this is my first time in Scotland and a coworker told me to eat at a pub, for lunch, I found the Red Squirrel. Since it was an odd hour (4:00pm) for lunch, there wasn't much of a crowd. I started with a smooth beer and a burger, topped it off with sweet potato fries. The beef was excellent, with its moist texture and not overly done flavor. The bacon was more like a smoked ham and not a lot of guacamole on my guacamole burger, but actually the over burger tasted good. I enjoyed it a lot. Now the fries were a bit on the soggy side, but good flavor. So overall I enjoyed my late lunch and would go again. The staff was pleasant and helpful as well. Enjoy.

    Grilled chicken burger
    Briony C.

    I wanted to love Red Squirrel as it seemed like a really good pub but it was seriously let down by slow service and slow food. I popped in for a bite to eat about 45 minutes before a meeting around the corner. I thought this was plenty of time and ordered quickly. The burger is predominantly burgers which is ok if you love burgers - I'm not a massive fan but ordered a grilled chicken burger (£10.95) The place was busy, I'll give them that, but the food took more than 30 minutes to arrive which was just a killer when I was starving hungry and needed to be somewhere else. That left me with not much time to wolf it down which meant I didn't really appreciate it, that being said it was a perfectly fine burger. I'm sure the burger I ordered was meant to have ham or bacon on it and I did notice this was missing but as I was short on time I didn't bother saying anything. It was also really hard to get a staff member to order anything - they all avoided our table and didn't come back to check up on us. None of this would put me off returning to the Red Squirrel as I'm sure it's a good pub and I liked that it's dog friendly, but if you're in a hurry you might want to head somewhere else.

    Beer and burgers

    See all

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Lidia G.
    10
    123
    119

    11 months ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 1
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Steff D.
    4989
    1255
    19984

    6 years ago

    Helpful 6
    Thanks 0
    Love this 6
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    2 years ago

    Food was excellent as was the service. And the ambiance perfect for our afternoon stop. Friendly staff and we felt right at home.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 1

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    4 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Wonderful place, service was exceptional. Food just as you would expect. Highly recommend.

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of John L.
    0
    68
    10

    3 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    6 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Briony C.
    1511
    1293
    10067

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Kyle L.
    62
    27
    8

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    7 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 5
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0

    12 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 4
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Jody B.
    1560
    664
    2831

    11 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    14 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    13 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Ale P.
    2
    13
    1

    11 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Page 1 of 3

    Review Highlights - Red Squirrel

    And if you still can't decide, they offer a 1/3 pint taster for only £1.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Pubs 1,145 times last month within 10 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    The Devil's Advocate - Smoked fish plate

    The Devil's Advocate

    (629 reviews)

    ££

    Old Town, Royal Mile

    Just an awesome, rockin' final meal in Edinburgh - fantastic food, good service and energized local…read morevibe! Absolute must to get reservations! We tried on our first week in Edinburgh and failed, but were able to make reservations 3 weeks out for our last night in Scotland, and we are glad we did. Pork cracklins were a bit hard and crunchy, but everything else was perfect. We had fresh bread and langostinis for starters, along with a smokey whiskey cocktail, the Smoked Indiscretion! For mains we enjoyed the poached Cod, and the Pork with Barley. Service was very good, and wine selection was extensive. Atmosphere was loud with music and locals' chatter in the bar below, but dark tables and heavy wood panels made it a perfect place for a couple celebrating 3 weeks of travel. Highly recommend a visit to the Devil's Advocate, if you can book a table in advance.

    The Devil's Advocate is undoubtedly a treasure to find in Old Town Edinburgh, especially if you…read moreaccidentally take the News Steps to get there, only to realize you should have simply taken the steps up Advocate's Close from Cockburn Street. But they call these lessons, "character building," apparently. No matter, the Devil's Advocate is worth the search. Located in an old Victorian pump house halfway up (or down) Advocate's Close, the Devil's Advocate is known for a killer whisky shelf of more than 300 different bottles from various distilleries across the Highlands, Lowlands, Speyside, Campbelltown, the Islands, and Islay. I finally sipped on a 15-year Tamdu that has convinced me to keep a bottle at home. Then there's the Clydeside 2024 Limited Edition Cask Strength that was wicked impressive. The bartenders are class at making and serving seasonal and regular cocktails that have their spin and character. My wife enjoyed gin-based cocktails such as the Clean Slate (with St-Germain, citrus, and sugar), Rose Garden (with Yellow Chartreuse, Cocchi Rosa, apple, lemon, and mint), and Bee's Knees (honey and lemon). I went full speed ahead with the scotch cocktails, which are essentially classics with a scotch-substituted twist. The Double Shot is an Espresso Martini with Dalmore 12 in addition to Kahlua, espresso, and demerara -- quite smooth without being too sweet. The Scotzia is a Negroni with Fettercairn 12, while the Boxcar is a Sidecar only with Aberfeldy 12. We enjoyed the bar for a few hours, watching the bartenders make magic while sipping on cocktails, while listening to 80s pop tunes. A great evening indeed.

    The White Hart Inn

    The White Hart Inn

    (113 reviews)

    ££

    Grassmarket, Old Town

    Our first day in Edinburgh and as usual our first order of business is to ride the hop-on-hop-off…read morebus. Today when the Red route took us to old town and I saw The White Hart Inn I said to Jan let's do an early dinner there and she agreed. We continued the route and stayed on back to the stop in old town. We love Alfresco dining but it was too cold and windy today. We went inside and the restrauant was packed. It's open seating. No hostess, no sign in. We were lucky and just happened to be standing next to a table that opened. We had been there about 5 minutes. The restaurant/ pub is rich in history, established in 1516. It's small with limited bar seating and prehaps 8 to 10 tables. It is noisy from conversation, tosting and music, but we didn't have a hard time communicating. It has a great vibe. It's a fun venue and popular with the locals. The menu is not large and has several Scottish offerings. To start, Jan was cold and wanted an Irish coffee. I ordered an Innis and Gunn larger. Innis & Gunn is an acclaimed Scottish brewery founded in 2003 in Edinburgh. It had a slightly citrus flavor. Jan ordered muscles and I ordered the steak and ale pie, served with a charred Hispi cabbage wedge, buttered mash and Merlot beef dripping gravy. It was very tasty, very robust flavor. I loved the cabbage; great flavor. I had to look up hispi cabbage and it is a variety of green cabbage. The muscles were good and the broth very nice. We had a lovely time and a good meal. Our good luck at freelancing dining venues while we explore Ireland and Scotland continues.

    We chose this place for being one of the oldest establishments in Scotland dating back to the 18th…read more Century and a place where poets like Wordsworth, Burns etc gathered for a sip. The setting still looked ancient and the overall ambiance was befitting. Small place though. The food and drinks however disappointed. They could have put more efforts to turn the place into something much more than it is. Service was efficient without being really excellent.

    Queens Arms

    Queens Arms

    (114 reviews)

    ££

    New Town

    Out of all the places I've been to in Scotland, I think Queens Arms was one of my favorites…read more We had reservations for this place recently and when I took one step inside, I was already in love. I mean who doesn't love a good pub? You get great drinks and great food at an affordable price. As I write it makes me think of think of when Zidane reunites with Freya in FF9. Sometimes we don't wanna eat at fancy Michelin restaurant that has small plates but charges a premium. Sometimes we just wanna cut all the BS and just get a nice hearty meal. And thats what we got. When we sat down we found out that they were doing a Trivia night. Normally I would have told my girl to pick another spot to eat but for some reason I was cool with it. There was even a table nearby with kids(yuck). And you know what? It was fine. That's because we had been sipping on some amazing cocktails. If you also partake, Gin and Mezcal enjoyers will love the Bramble and Hibiscus Crush. What color are Luigi's overalls from Super Mario? That's such an easy question. Wait...what do you mean Luigi's overalls are blue? They are green. Look at this picture onli...Oh... One of the stars of our meal was the Haggis. This was the first time I had ever tried it and after trying it at multiple places Scotland, Queens Arms I feel has done it the best. I love the complexity of the flavors of the meat with the creamy and pepper flavors of the peppercorn sauce. If you've never had Haggis, you definitely have to try it here. The best part is that it comes with mashed potatoes too! Shoutouts to the Fish and Chips if you are also into that. One of my friends ordered that and I definitely had to go back in for multiple bites. Finally the roast. The Sunday Roast should just be an automatic order if you happen to come here on a Sunday. You get so much food and it's all so damn tasty. They'll cook a roast to whatever doneness your heart desires. We went with Medium Rare and it came out perfectly. If you didn't have enough flavors with all the extra sides it comes with, they also give you gravy to pour on anything you want. Thanksgiving basically came early this night. But as I looked around and admired all the bookshelf's and all the families have a nice dinner with their loved ones, I just thought about how happy I was. I was finally here! This was the start of my trip. Queens Arms has set a high ceiling on great experiences in Scotland. We even went back there a couple of days ago just because we knew we would be able to end the night on a good drink. But in the end I think if you are Edinburgh, you have to come to this place. It is one of my favorite experiences I've had in Scotland so far and I dream about when I can come back again.

    We got 3 reservations to split up our group of 8 adults and 2 kids, so we were all able to make…read moresure to get a table and have the Sunday roast. We shared the ultimate sharing roast and everything was delicious and so filling. It was also nice to be able to sit and watch a match while enjoying the food. The coffee was pretty good too. This is definitely a good option if you're looking for a Sunday roast in the area

    Red Squirrel - pubs - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...