The Devil's Advocate is one of Edinburgh's better-known "hidden" bars and restaurants, tucked away…read morein Advocate's Close. It has a distinctly fashionable, whisky-and-cocktails vibe that is a bit trendy, but the atmospheric stone and brick interior is beautiful and atmospheric. If you're in on the shortcut, you can bypass the notorious Stairs of Mordor to the Royal Mile and reduce the mandatory Buns of Steel session by at least half. In the daylight there is a classic framed view of the Scott Monument looking down the Close from the Royal Mile.

Great ambience with historic brick features Bar service was…read moregreat - old fashioned highly recommended Charcuterie is a good choice

Just off the beaten path...this little pub is tucked into a courtyard off Lawnmarket. There are…read moreother shops there; you must go down the steps on the left to get in. For those who can't handle the steps, they have a designated seating area in the courtyard. Once inside, it's definitely a small proper pub - in a basement with stone walls and timber beams. The bartenders are great! I wanted the Perry, but was warned that it might be too funky. After sampling it I knew the bartender was right, and I settled on the suggested traditional dry apple cider instead. Our group also enjoyed Jamison & ginger beer, a recommended English hopped bitter and a stout. All delicious!

This place is so overrated! Cozy, historic pub with real character -- but if you're a tourist,…read moredon't expect good service (or just any service where you feel welcomed). We walked in, stood there while the folks behind the bar continued their conversation. They had little patience for us not knowing what was available to order. Great for locals, apparently invisible to everyone else. There was another set of tourists that came in after us. Skip it unless you're already a regular.

I had lunch here before heading to the Holyrood palace. A friend recommended this place to me…read more I didn't have reservations and the place was packed. I was able to sit near the bar where there was a 'table' top along the wall. Not very comfortable seating. I ordered the steak and ale pie which I loved. The meat was so tender and vegetables cooked perfectly. It was topped with a puff pastry that had a golden brown color. On the side was some gravy. With my lunch, I had a glass of red wine. It went well with the meat. I recommend this place, but be sure to make reservations.

The World's End is THE spot on the Royal Mile. If you're tempted to bypass everything because it's…read more"touristy," don't overlook this place. It's solid pub grub in a cozy interior with an ultra-stocked bar, plenty on tap, and all the classic dishes you'd hope for. After beasting my way up Arthur's Seat, I was in need of something more substantial than café fare. I popped in a bit later than the lunch rush and managed to squeeze in at the bar. And yeah, expect it to be packed--but for good reason. All the classics are on offer here, including fish and chips and sausage and mash. After much deliberation, I landed on the sausage and mash, and it absolutely delivered. Hearty, stick-to-your-ribs food that was exactly what I needed. Delicious! All the other dishes passing by looked and smelled nearly as good. Great meal, great price, an even better location, and friendly staff. If I'd stayed longer in Edinburgh, I absolutely would have eaten here again!

Some good to know facts. A nice stroll from campus, and in a good neighborhood. A block away from…read morea major bus route. A lively and friendly crowd, and as busy as they were I still received excellent service. I came in during pub trivia and just had a couple of drinks so I cannot write on the subject of food. But there are plenty of options to choose from in the vicinity. A great place to bring your friends for a fun evening out!

A proper Edinburgh pub. Was recommend by a friend and didn't disappoint…read more Got the Tennents on draft. Crisp , light and an excellent Scottish Lager. Tried the Balvenie double wood single malt that was so smooth. Under $10 USD for a double shot of Single Malt?! Unheard of! They also have an area where they show films. Food is limited though and they didn't have any when I visited Sunday evening- all about the spirits here! Great vibe and decent service.

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.

We had a brief stop in The Bow Bar on our last night in Edinburgh to night-cap the evening and the…read morecity, based on a recommendation from staff at the Whisky shop across the street. It's towards the bottom of the famous "Victoria Street" as it turns into Bow Street. They have a fantastic selection of whisky along with a knowledgeable staff who can guide you through a choice if, like us, you're not exactly sure what you want. I wonder how many times tourists wander into the bars of Scotland begging earnestly for whisky guidance. We certainly did it a number of times on this trip. We were well served here and enjoyed the Scapa dram which we were given. It's easily walked to from anywhere in Old Town, just a few steps up from Grassmarket or a couple of minutes from the top of Victoria Street. If whisky is your destination, The Bow Bar will serve you well.

Heard about this on reddit. Got place to try out some scotch…read more Great selection of scotch here. Long list and I hadn't heard about most of them . Reasonable prices. 10-20 per dram generally Knowledgeable staff provided great recommendations. I ended up loving one so much picked up a bottle from a nearby store.

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.

The Last Drop was probably the restaurant I returned to the most when visiting Edinburgh! Food was…read morereally good but I loved their sticky toffee pudding. Their sticky toffee pudding is served with a bourbon vanilla ice cream and it was incredible! We probably ordered it 3 times. I just wish the bathrooms were cleaner. It is a pub and busy. So I understand.

We were so lucky to have literally stumbled upon this little gem in the heart of Grassmarket…read more Small pub with an even smaller seating area for eating in and we were lucky to score a table right away so our visit was truly meant to be! Lively atmosphere with live traditional music during our visit which was a specal treat. Traditional pub food, reasonably priced drinks and great service. Highly recommended!

LOVELY everyone was so friendly and helpful! I am part of a flight crew and we had just flown in. 2…read moremembers of the crew were checking in with family and staff came over and offered to place the order early for me to make sure they got their food. It was so nice and thank goodness they did! I had the steak pie and holy moly I could have cried of happiness. Albeit I was also starving at the time but it was amazing. The potatoes and mostly the gravy well the pie crust and steak was all just amazing. I also had the corresponding cask ale and it was perfect. Very cool homey pub vibe. Small but deceiving so. I feel that they use their space quiet well and it doesn't feel cramped

Charming location. Tables too close together. Fish and chips were good but the fish pie was not…read moregood. Mostly mashed potatoes. No crust or other vegetables. Mashed peas tasted canned

Came here on our first night in town on the strength of the Yelp reviews and were not disappointed…read more We enjoyed a fantastic Sunday roast including a delicious pavlova for dessert. The kids meal of mac and cheese and fries was perfect for our picky little eater, though big enough for at least two!

Sunday Roast was fantastic! It was a fun atmosphere and FELT like we were in another country...in a…read moregood way!! Service was fine, but I don't remember our server's name.