The people who work here are the best. They were friendly, nice and helpful. the atmosphere was cozy and very comfortable to take a nice long, relaxing lunch. The food and drink were also tasty. read more

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Great atmosphere, great staff. Wish there had actually been steak in my steak pie. Get there early as they were running out of menu items by 6:30. read more

An amazing pub in a great location right in City Center! Went twice during our two weeks in Scotland and the Steak and Ale pie was one of the best I ate during the entire trip. The atmosphere was awesome, too, and yet the service was truly awful. Sad that with great food and the beautiful decor that a lack of hospitality could taint the place! Hope to return one day and for the food please check it out! read more

The Conan Doyle - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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It's a nice-looking pub with an interesting bit of history. The atmosphere is lively and it seems to be a fairly popular place. Oddly enough for a pub, the beer selection is somewhat limited; people must come for the food or for its name, because there are plenty of places with better prices, better beer, and friendlier service. read more

Great food here. Not a large menu but, what they had was good. It was also a good feeling inside. Service was good and friendly. Not bad at all. read more

Seriously poor service or just attitude. Just don't go to this pub. I was here and felt as it was just too much trouble to provide any type of service. The bartender (she) said food service would take over 45 minutes. I'm sure she just didn't want to serve food in the bar. read more

The place has a great location, but the service was slow and the beer selection was modest.

If you are a Sherlock Holmes fan you must stop. But, even if you are not, I'm sure you will love the history and charm of this establishment Established in 1873. It still has a lot of its original charm. Stop in for just a drink if you like. Cute leather seated cubbyholes on one side. There are pages of beers, whiskies and cocktails to choose from. I must recommend the Strawberry Lime cider. Sweet without being over the top. Very easy drink. read more

The Conan Doyle - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Really enjoyed this Pub/restaurant. Very busy, good crowd and cold beer. Service was reasonably fast, and they were short-handed. This place is split into the pub on the ground floor and restaurant downstairs. I had the fish and chips and my wife had the beet stew. Both were great. I had a cold Guinness to finish the evening. Good place for a good time. read more

The Conan Doyle is one of the Nicholson pubs, which makes the offerings here pretty standard. What I like about the Nicholson pubs family is that you know what you're getting when you walk in. Cold draft beers and your typical pub food. What's not to like? read more

The Conan Doyle - Beers - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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This wonderful pub was located right around the corner from out hotel. The first night we tried it it was very busy, after being seated we realized why. The menu has wide range of options from their "pies". My favorite became the Nicholson's Pale Ale Pie. This has a generous amount of steak in a flaky crust & Garlic Chicken Schnitzel. We knew we would be going back. The Ocean Fish & Chips didn't disappoint nor did the Beef Brisket Burger. They have a good selection of beer on tap and whiskeys served by the dram. The people are friendly and no matter how busy they are, you don't feel rushed. Ss you enter the pub, make note of all the Sherlock Holmes trivia in the cases and while you are sitting in the pub. read more

First time eating here when in Edinburgh - it was near our hotel. It was strange; they were hesitant about whether they were still serving food, at 7.30pm but they seated us. (Maybe because my wife is American!). We saw them refuse some and let in others!! Still serving food over an hour later. The kid serving us was fast but not very polite: "would you like something", "are you done, do you want the bill" like he couldn't wait to be rid of us. He eventually stayed away and a nicer waiter took care of us at the end. Food okay but not spectacular; the kid took an order for Steak Pie and served us Chicken pie; my Chicken Balmoral was okay but didn't have a lot of flavor. I loved the pub feel and the decor etc but some of the people would make me hesitate going there tomorrow for lunch! read more

When I arrived in Edinburgh, I asked the hotel for a recommendation on a restaurant where I could get a traditional Scottish dinner. He recommended The Conan Doyle, and it was a quick walk down the block. I really enjoyed it! It's a cozy pub atmosphere and the bartenders were friendly. I told the bartender this was my first dinner in Scotland, and he claimed they have great haggis. So I tried the Balmoral Chicken - which is chicken breast stuffed with haggis and wrapped with bacon - and I thought the haggis was tasty. But I can't back up his claim on it being the best since this was my first haggis :) It was served with a mound of yummy mashed potatoes, gravy and some sort of green vegetable. The chicken dish and mashed potatoes were good, the vegetables were mysterious to me and a little bland. I also really enjoyed the Scottish cider they offer - I am sitting here sipping my second bottle as I type this review. Overall, worth a stop if you're in town. read more

The Conan Doyle - Enjoying my first dinner in Edinburgh - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The worst service I recived while in Edinburgh. It honestly ruined my night. Very rude and miserable staff. Good luck trying to a waiter to take your order once you've sat down. And if you are luck to make it to that point, enjoy waiting over an hour for food without staff ever checking up on you. Check out the this business's response on their negative Google reviews. No need to say more. Wish I SKIPPED this place. read more

I really enjoyed the food and ambience of Conan Doyle, and it was definitely my fave place to get food while in Edinburgh. When you walk in, the bar is on the right and the seating area is to the left down some steps. It's good a library/sitting room type vibe with books on shelves and small tables near windows. We got seated fast, the waiter was friendly, and the food was tasty. What more can you ask for? We first stopped in upon arrival and wanted traditional Scottish fare. We ordered the haggis, neeps and tatties as an appetizer (8.95), salmon fillet (12.50), and beef rib pie (10.50). Let me tell ya, it was delish! I highly recommend the beef rib pie, which comes with mashed potatoes. I'd come back in a heartbeat. read more

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If you are Sherlock Holmes fan, this place is a must. The author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle grew up near by. If he had been a better doctor; we might not have Mr Holmes. The food and beverage selection is great. They have an authentic haggis as well. I had the Balmoral chicken which was a nice portion & very filling. James had one of the pies. A terrific ambience throughout and a friendly and professional staff. read more

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You always remember your first haggis! And for me that momentous occasion occurred at the Conan Doyle. I was pretty nervous at first but a pint of beer at the fun little bar here set me at ease. The bar is kinda quirky but really fun. I'm sure it is a hit with tourists due to the cute kitschy Sherlock Holmes thing they have going on, but the food is excellent too. Or as excellent as haggis can possibly be I suppose. Also, we met some of the coolest people ever here. The ambiance was jovial and we all talked and laughed over our pints and ground up sheep organs and had a wonderful time. I suspect a wonderful time can always be had here as it was packed to the gills on a Wednesday night. But don't let that deter you from popping in for a pint and some delicious Scottish cuisine! read more

OK - you want a pub experience? Here you go. Conan Doyle is a traditional-style pub worth seeing for the Sherlock Holmes themed interior. It is located on a corner overlooking a busy intersection. This place has green walls, big windows for watching the passers-by (and the falling rain - like on the day I was there) and yummy traditional pub food. The drinks aren't priced badly at all. It has the name it does due to the proximity to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's birthplace - and the whole place is themed nicely around his famous character. Check it out. And, no, we didn't have any problems with the service. It wasn't the best ever - but just a short wait - and the staff got us everything we needed. read more

Good pub! Close to Doyle's birthplace and nicely decorated. It was very busy, but the staff were professional and service was quick. Food could have been better, pretty average pub fare, bit decent for the price. read more

The Conan Doyle - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

It's probably been over a year since I visited the Conan Doyle pub and it's either improved greatly or else I just dropped-in at the wrong time when I was last in Edinburgh. My recent visit on Tuesday 8 November 2016 was very enjoyable. A sizeable crowd of people were present thus it had more vibrancy and atmosphere than previously. Everything was clean and cosy plus the tartan armchairs were extremely comfy. We ordered a bottle of Prosecco to share which was good and reasonably priced. Although I only had a drink a lot of people around me were ordering food which looked and smelled delicious. All in all a very pleasant visit after a tiring day spent sightseeing and shopping. Conan Doyle is a traditional-style pub worth seeing for the Sherlock Holmes themed interior. Deserving of a solid 3.5 stars. read more

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Yum! Everything we ordered was delicious! The steak pie was my favorite. The Mac & cheese was so good & the dessert platter to share was almost too much, but a fun way to end a great dinner. read more

The Conan Doyle - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Stopped in Conan Doyle a while back, and I was very pleased with the warm, inviting decor. It was the perfect place to sit back a sip a single malt and watch the rain patter against bay windows. In fact, that is exactly what I did for several hours, for this pub was the perfect spot to a break from playing tourist. Most avid travelers can relate to the need to take a moment for themselves, and I'm sure Conan Doyle will serve that essential need. I found the staff to be kind and courteous, and at one point, they even informed me of an Edinburgh pub crawl that became the highlight of our trip, They also took the time to point out several regional scotches, which certainly made for a better pub crawl that night. However, although I liked this pub very much, I can see how some would find it a bit touristy with everyone and anyone who has ever read a Sherlock Holmes novel expecting to find Watson drunk in the corner (Hey, no joke a recent poll said something like 58% of Brits think that Sherlock Holmes was real with about 80% of Americans holding the same opinion) But once you get past all of that, this really is a nice little spot. Perhaps it is a little more intriguing for a tourist than a local, so a 4 star rating for locals and a 5 star rating for tourist might be more accurate. read more

We happened upon this wonder by accident and were very pleased, we had a great meal and the nicholson's ale was super. The staff were friendly and very helpful , we will definitely make the effort to return read more

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Conan Doyle was really good. My whole family enjoyed the meal. We arrived for dinner around maybe 6:30 pm and was told there would be a wait. There was a rugby match going on so the bar side of the pub was packed. They did reserve tables for patrons looking to have dinner. We waiting maybe 15 minutes before we were seated. The food seems to be typical pub food. Fried potatoes, fried fish, pies, burgers. For a table of 5 we ordered: Steak, Amber Ale, and Mushroom Pie Large Portion of Fish and Chips Wholetail Scampi Classic Burger Do note that the Scampi is not the Italian pasta dish. The Scampi on the menu is fried shrimp. Out of all the entrees ordered, I think I enjoyed the Steak, Amber Ale, and Mushroom Pie the most. Portion size was large, I thought we got a decent value for what we paid for. If I am ever in Edinburgh again and want some read more

Such a disappointment. Last Friday at 11.45pm they sold me a beer, and 10 minutes later waitress with fake smile is telling me "sorry we are closing"... but... but... earlier I've cheeked on Yelp... and on Friday should be open till 1.00am... and in this moment I've noticed little pain in my stomach, wasn't strong but squeezing my belly... like during the watching a sad movie, you see incredible unfairness, poor child is dying or... or... two lovers... and she's dying and was so pretty and innocent... and guy is screaming terribly "Nooooo! Why?!"... and you don't know why?... and you can do nothing, feeling powerless and extremely sad... your chin is starting to shake, tears are fulfilling eyes.... such a injustice... This is how I was feeling last Friday... never again!!! read more

The Conan Doyle - white or red? - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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I was relieved to see the other reviews about walking in, waiting to be seated, and then just leaving... I thought it was personal!! Tried to come here on a Sunday night. It wasn't busy at all. We chose this place because it was right around the corner from our hotel and looked halfway decent. The owner/guy who was supposed to be seating us passed us (we were a party of 2, btw, nothing unreasonable) several times without even saying he'd be back, or I'll be 5 minutes, etc. We ended up just leaving. We get it bro, you hate tourists and are a miserable person. So maybe don't go into the service industry...? read more

I actually quite liked the Conan Doyle pub when I was in abot two months ago. It's not quite a 'young' person's pub, yet it certainly sin't an old man pub. It just has a nice, relaxed feel with cosy, although slightly dated, decor. The staff are all friendly and there seems to be a sense of community within the place, indicated by the large groups of friends crowded round tables and the constant banter between the staff and customers. The drinks are reasonably priced for the area, with most pints costing less than £3. This isn't the most vibrant or lively pub in Edinburgh, but if you're in the area and looking for a quiet drink with friends then this is the place. read more

The Conan Doyle - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Had a great meal with the family here. The restaurant was able to host our party of 10, by just calling a few hours beforehand. I recommend the fish and chips. My sister had one of their famous pies, which had it on my "next to eat" list. Lovely atmosphere, great service, and overall a wonderful dining experience. read more

They have changed the name to "Jk Rowling" in am attempt to get more tourists. But do not be fooled. It's still a Sherlock Holmes themed bar. Decent beer and friendly servers. Not a bad environment to sit and chat with friends over drinks. It's just extremely misleading. read more

Yes, the service is as lousy as everyone mentions. Walked in and.... Waited, Waited, Waited, Waited, Waited, Waited, Then Left read more

I visited the Conan Doyle for a pre show lunch back in November with my Mother in law. She had been before and liked it, plus it is right over the road from the Playhouse. We had called and prebooked a table as we knew it would be busy and had requested a window seat but told that they couldn't guarantee that but would see what they could do...anyway when we arrived we were greeted straight away a lead straight to our table right next to a window :) The food was delicious and ,though the pub was busy, we didn't have to wait too long to eat which was great because as we're had finished our meal ( and lovely bottle of prosecco) it was time to go the the Playhouse to seat for the show. I had haggis,needs and tatties. Delish. My mother in law had lamb shank pie which came recommended by the waitress and I must say it looked amazing. I was slightly jealous :) I will definitely be back here :) read more

The Conan Doyle has a prime location near the Playhouse, some hotels and not far from all the tourist attractions. I imagine they get lots of natural tourist traffic through their place, but this doesn't diminish from the experience. We were lucky to get a table quickly, and were served by an earnest young man. Even though he was super busy, he took the time to let us sample some ales before deciding on one. Great way to make a sale! The menu features some standard pub favorites as well as a few different choices. My two dining companions decided on pies, and I went for the roasted veggie tart. The food that came out was as promised: flaky pies with piping hot, savory filling. The chicken and mushroom was a bit better than the steak, just based on the meat, nut both were delicious. I seldom clean my plate, but the veg tart was so good I had to. The vegetables were firm, not mushy, hard to find in the UK, and full of flavor. The crust was flaky but not dry, and hood flavor too. We were impressed with the food. Conan Doyle seems to be a good choice for the mix and mingle crowd as well, with a fun, not stuffy atmosphere, lively chatter and attentive bartenders. Oh, and the prices were in line with what you'd expect. read more

I had a pretty sucky experience at the Conan Doyle and will never be back for a second try. An hour and twenty minute wait for food was more than enough for me to complain to the staff, who admittedly knocked off some cash for the total bill. But that is an EPIC wait without any forewarning; it wasn't until we complained that we were informed they were a staff member down and food was taking an age. If the food had been spectacular I'd probably have been less hacked off. But my pork belly was only luke warm when it came out and cost me £13 odds. Not happy. The other meals were standard "out the box" chain pub grub affairs. Pudding arrived with a lemon pip smack bang in the middle of Eton Mess. Lucky that no teeth were broken or whatnot. A free desert was duly procured. But still. Despite the 20% discount and free pudding, I'll never be back. Shame, as Conan Doyle has a nice, cozy atmosphere and staff were pleasant. Just a bit of an all round fail, unfortunately. read more

The interior had a cozy atmosphere and nicely decorated. Good pub comfort food and a nice selection of gin/tonics. read more

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Despite plenty of young, happening groovy dudes, Edinburgh can at times feel like a very middle aged city, especially on the surface. I think that's mainly down to pubs like The Conan Doyle, which seem to make up around 50% of the businesses in the city centre, and give the false impression that all it's residents wear tweed jackets and smoke pipes. Middle of the road, with a brewery / chain pub feel. Alright but nothing special at all. read more

Came in after a large group and was told to seat myself, preferably a smaller table. Didn't argue with that, but was not given menu. 10mins ago by, another couple comes in gets menus and orders. Meanwhile the party that sat ahead of me, ordered and I still sit there. I tell myself I'm going to leave in 5. I grab my purse and the waiter comes by and asks if I had a menu and I said no. Was told to dear myself. He apologizes for the rudeness and promptly takes my order and brings my beer Mid meal he leaves, and rude bartender is back. Total meal took 3 hours and I'm not sure what the deal was. I wanted to eat. Drink. And leave, but apparently they lack the attentiveness. read more

I went here with friends on Easter Monday for lunch and really wish I could have given it another star. (Maybe next time?) The atmosphere and service were great and just what I would expect for a family pub-restaurant at lunch time in New Town. It was quiet and friendly and conversations were easily had without shouting. The drinks selection was wonderful with a decent (and delicious!) line-up of real ales - which was perfect as I'd been teetotal for Lent and was ready to break my dry spell! The food is where the missing star comes in though. (Sorry!) The menu was fairly decent and typical of a chain pub (Nicholson Pubs) and included all of the basics. My friends ordered the steak pie with mashed potatoes (looked heavenly!) and a small lunch steak with chips (looked less lovely, but edible). I ordered the "fish basket" that offered a selection of battered fish, scallops, and calamari along with chips. My meal was just shy of £12 and I think I expected a bit more on my plate. As it was, the fish was literally in a small metal basket with a small tub of tartar sauce and on the plate along side the basket was about 15 chips - some of which were very small and crispy, looking as if they had been in the fryer for several rounds before finding my plate. The fish and tartar were delicious; the chips were bland and of questionable texture. I think that I had expected more chips (like a big-ol' pile of 'em) but at least I expected a better flavour. As for the overall portion size, I wasn't left feeling hungry, but nor was I left feeling full. And for the price I paid, I'd have expected to be full before my plate was empty. To summarise: Atmosphere, service, beer: GOOD. Food quality: OK. Food quantity: Lacking. I'd go back if invited by friends, but I'd make sure it was just for drinks and would eat before my arrival. read more

Great food - had to try the Haggis as I was visiting Scotland for the first time. It was outstanding! Mom had a chicken dish that was also fantastic. Very cute pub with a lovely atmosphere. 4 stars because the wait was longer than expected with no place to stand or get out of the way. read more

I agree with Amy here, it's a good place if you're waiting on the next bus home. The only thing I have to add is that all the locks on the toilet stalls are busted. The only way to close the door is place a foot on the door, sometimes two and hope to god nobody comes in. Doing this for two minutes while sitting on the toilet, earned me entry into the Moscow State Gymnastics Team. Now the next time someone busts in on me, I can distract them with my Gold Medals. read more

The Conan Doyle - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I popped in here for a drink before seeing a movie last week. It is a sort-of-quirky, but now looks slightly commercial bar owned by the Nicholson chain. I have encountered this before at the Eagle & Child in Oxford. It is just standard pub food and typical beers on tap. I definitely think this is a tourist stop, not really a locals stop and they were out of a few beers on tap. Which is no big deal, but left few nice options for an afternoon pint. They do have the Nicholson's Pale Ale, which is good, but I don't think I would return here for a meal or another drink. Nothing wrong with it really, just isn't especially unique considering its history or potential, as it felt a bit dreary. I think I expected a bit more for some reason, but it was also mostly empty so maybe it is a nice spot to tuck in when busy. read more