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The Caley Sample Room

3.8 (24 reviews)
ModeratePubs, British
Open 10:00 am - 12:00 AM (Next day)

The Caley Sample Room Photos

THE CALEY SAMPLE ROOM ATMOSPHERE

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

Recommended Reviews - The Caley Sample Room

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Reviews With Photos

Kenneth M.

Had lunch here in the actual dining area for the first time last Sunday. Our food was very nice with just the presentation of the mulled pear being a bit let down by the marscapone breaking up in the wine and brioche is not quite firm enough when toasted to make you fully confident about spreading parfait on it. The spicy Crombie's sausages they're currently serving are fantastic though. Service wasn't anymore than average. Possibly down to it being the weekend but we got sprayed twice, each time the table next to us was wiped down and they could maybe do with one or two fewer tables so as not to require staff and customers to need to shimmy carefully past them. A few apostrophes on their main chalkboard wouldn't go amiss either and I can only assume that having "terrible" as the tasting note for Deuchars (a Caledonian product) is ironic, albeit you could apply it to the price of a pint.

Jennie S.

I visited the Caley Sample rooms for brunch a year ago and had eggs Benedict, it was delicious. I returned here last weekend with Joe A. and I was pretty disappointed. It was pretty empty inside and the staff did take a while to notice us, but when they did they were very friendly and helpful, can't fault the staff. I ordered the chicken, mushroom and bacon pie, Joe ordered the lamb flank special and a side of breads and oils. The bread was very stale. I wasn't a fan of the lamb but it isn't my type of dish anyway. My pie was a little odd. It was basically a very stodgy shortcrust bowl with the filling, which was tasty, and a little puff pastry lid that looked shop bought and was cold and dry. The green beans with it were delicious and the new potatoes were OK, if a little under cooked. Overall, nice place for a drink and I might eat there again but maybe just for brunch.

The burger at the Caley is yummy!
Denise M.

Friendly staff, a welcoming atmosphere, a good drink selection and a lovely ever changing menu. What's not to like about the Caley? I visit here once or twice a month and it's definitely one of the nicest bars in the area. It's relaxed, cosy, and welcomes dogs! If you don't have the appetite for a meal, then the bar menu is worth a try, huge portions and everything is freshly hand made. I'm a big fan of the pitta bread and hummus!

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11 months ago

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7 years ago

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8 years ago

Generally not very good, food, drink and service. Expensive. This was the consensus of our group.

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15 years ago

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Review Highlights - The Caley Sample Room

Friendly staff, a welcoming atmosphere, a good drink selection and a lovely ever changing menu.

Mentioned in 3 reviews

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Tynecastle Arms

Tynecastle Arms

(8 reviews)

££

Situated literally 50 metres from Tynecastle stadium, it's an obvious hotspot with the Hearts…read moresupporters and all around the pub you will find Hearts memorabilia as well as signed Scottish football shirts and the like. The decor of the pub is pretty old, but in all honesty this is probably what gives the pub so much character I came here just before a Hearts game versus Rangers and it was very packed, but the bar staff were very fast in taking orders. The vast majority who venture into the Tynecastle Arms are Hearts supporters with away fans opting to frequent other venues. I would come back here, but only if I were going to see Hearts play.

This pub, for decade's was a great pub. When Stevie was…read morerightly removed and Sharon was hired as manager, it became a pub to avoid ( except, of course on a matchday, at Tynecastle ). She ( Sharon, the manager) is an ignorant, arrogant, condescending, disgusting individual. The pub no longer has any kind of atmosphere. She constantly slags off staff to the regular punters and other members of staff. And overall she lacks any kind of personality and has killed this once great public house. As someone who has worked and managed all over Edinburgh, from five star hotels to pubs with questionable reputations, I've never met such an ignorant individual or someone with such poor people skills. Take away her customer service skills ( or lack of ) she knows how to work a bar, that's not in question, it's her disgusting personality that's destroyed this pub.

The Diggers - What you see... is what you...

The Diggers

(12 reviews)

£

They're now called The Athletic Arms, not Diggers, but you can still buy Diggers t-shirts. :-)…read more This was the only pub we've visited twice cause we liked the local vibe, assortment of drinks, and small menu of food. Service both times was friendly as well. It's a local place so nothing fancy. Just a good pub with real people. It was close to where we were staying to. I recommend if you're in the area and want a drink or just a place to chill,

I worked full time at the Diggers in 1969 under the legendary Bill Farmer. I was only 18 and had…read morejust returned from travels in India and Nepal. I was so broke I had to be repatriated by the British government, and the Diggers was my first job on my return to Edinburgh enabling me to pay back the government at £5 a week. Bill didn't let me pour a pint for a month, until I had practised bringing hot water through the pipes. And yes - it was a skill in those days. Bill was a great boss, but never tolerated any nonsense from the staff. There was Charlie, the head barman (a very miserable man), John (from Leith), and part-timers Wullie, Stewart and Jimmy. There was a cleaner who never spoke to me again after an argument. In those days there was a small 'Jug Bar', and I always wondered why it was called a Jug Bar - until one day an old lady in a shawl entered through the Jug Bar entrance carrying a ceramic quart jug. "Fill that up son" she said, and then left the pub. I remember no women were allowed in the main bar (other than the Jug Bar accompanied by a man). Singing was prohibited (no music licence). On match days at Tynecastle in the sixties pubs opened and closed at 11 am - 2-30 pm and 5 pm - 10 pm. If it was a big game the bar staff never went home - some went to the game - others just returned at 5 pm., for the big rush! Thirteen barmen were standing at the ready behind the bar while fans thumped and hammered on the door. Minutes before opening we would fill the top of the horseshoe bar with pints of heavy (the pub only had one lager tap) at least 6 deep! Then we tossed a coin between us all - the loser had the joy of opening the doors to the screaming fans!!! Allan Foster edinburghbooktour.com

Robertsons Bar

Robertsons Bar

(5 reviews)

£

I was instantly put off by this bar since they are apparently quite fascist in how they filter out…read moretheir clientele. "Home Support Only" is hardly a welcoming sign to be given when you're visiting a pub for the first time. The plan may be to eliminate violence by keeping it for Hearts fans, but it's hardly a great message for anyone else, including visiting away fans. If anyone has read Irvine Welsh or have at least seen Trainspotting, they may romanticise his visualisation of Edinburgh. They may want to go on a tour to capture the essence of the city, the place where the real people go. If that is the case, I regretably advise against visiting here. In case you're not familiar, Scottish cities are fanatical about their football, and although thousands of people can have an adult debate about it, you get those who like to frequent the football bars and would pan you in if you declare yourself a Hibs fan. There used to be a history of football casuals in Edinburgh. Some of the ideology has been carried forward from the 80s into this century, so pubs dedicated to one team should not be frequented unless you are local, love Hearts or can play clueless enough for the punters to think you're endearing. I had my eyes down in here during a week day just to see what it was like, and while I experienced no trouble it's easier for girls. I sound sexist, maybe, but it's sadly true. The clients were really nice to me but they might not be as nice to guys. As Stuart experienced it was not the same for him, and as Amy said it's best avoided unless you live around here. That's my bit of street smart education done for the day. By all means try it out - you might meet a nice local. But there are plenty other pubs up town which are more accomodating. It's right by Tynecastle so it's not a ridiculous notion that it's home support only, but even though it may be to prevent arguments from forming, it's still a bit offputting.

Although Robertsons Bar is one of many many pubs in Edinburgh, it is unique in that it maintains a…read morepretty old-fashioned premise about it. It looks like something from the 1960s, but not in an old and tatty way, in a cute wee cosy way. Robertsons sells a good selection of different beers, ales, wines and the usual standard spirits. The prices are really reasonable here with a spirit and mixer costing about £2.50 and a large glass of house wine costs about five pounds. There is limited food available, which I was pretty disappointed with as I was here drinking for several hours and was hungry and had to go to another pub to get a meal there. Robertsons pretty much just sells crisps, peanuts and pies. There is a really lovely and fun atmosphere in here and the staff are always friendly, but when it gets busy it can be really difficult to get the attention of the bar staff to get a drink. A cosy little pub which is great for a drink, but not so great for food.

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 Caley Sample Room - pubs - Updated May 2026

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