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    The Standing Order

    3.2 (90 reviews)
    InexpensivePubs
    Open 8:00 am - 1:00 AM (Next day)

    The Standing Order Photos

    THE STANDING ORDER ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Loud
    Casual
    Good for groups
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - The Standing Order

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    Farthest side room (hard to get wifi in this one!)
    Katie P.

    I'd give this 3.5 stars. This was a great find for someone like me visiting the city for a couple of weeks. In addition to cooking at my hostel, it was nice to get a cheap breakfast some day. I also had lunch and dinner here. The service was always friendly and quick, sometimes a little too quick it was questionable if my meal was for me or for someone else. Out of the six times I ate here, two times my food was cold when it came to my table. I sent it back once (that's hard for me to do) it was a cheeseburger and on a very rainy and chilly day I just couldn't eat cold food. The ambience is very nice, if you're not willing to sit out in the main hall with the hustle and bustle there's three quiet rooms to choose from-just be wary of getting stuck in a corner if people take the tables around you! If you're looking for free-wifi, stick to the rooms closer to the main hall! Ordering can be done through their app or at the bar and it's super easy through the app. The free refills on coffee was what entranced me to come back. It's £1.45 and the machines have many choices including hot chocolate. I began to miss brewed coffee (a USA staple) and came here quite a bit instead of getting lattes every day. I also enjoyed the quieter side rooms (of course they get rowdy around lunch time and dinner). Super fair prices over-all, especially if you want to save a bit of $£¥

    Haggis, neeps and tatties, with dark fruit cider
    YangHwa P.

    For a pub this former bank is pretty spacious inside. It was a bit confusing at first because we weren't sure if we should wait to be seated or just sit ourselves. Yes, we're Americans so we wanted to make sure we didn't make some stupid mistakes After standing and deciding what to do I finally asked a waitress (who must have seen us looking a bit confused, but just walked by us). At this pub you find your seating, look at the menu, go up to the bar and order by giving your table number. The table we chose still had glasses and used napkins from the previous guests. We chose the table because it was a booth where more than two people can be seated. We had to ask them to clean the table when we went up to order. Soon after another waitress came to clean, but not so friendly. Once the food came the experience actually turned pretty positive. The food was pretty good, fish batter could have been a bit less dense, but tasted good. Considering this place is in a fairly central location the prices of their food are good. A waiter came half way through our meal and asked us politely how everything is. We actually appreciated that. My husband used the pub's restroom and said it was clean enough, but he overheard female customers coming out of the women's restroom saying to their husbands the condition of the restroom was disgusting. As much as I want to give them better ratings I think it's either a 3 or 3.5 stars. Loved the interior, good price, decent food, mediocre service (maybe it is dependent on who is working), and apparently restrooms not cleaned well enough.

    Traditional fish and chips
    B L.

    We usually come here in Edinburgh as a last resort, because it's really not anything special. I mean, the building is lovely with huge high ceilings and an old safe from its bank days but it's just a glorified Wetherspoon's for Pete's sake! On Saturdays, you will never be able to get a table because it will be full of dads and grandpas catching the Rangers game while downing a pint or ten. Due to this, it always has a very rowdy atmosphere and seems very overcrowded and stressful. There are plenty of choices when it comes to seating with about 5 rooms to choose from. The staff are friendly enough but you don't really see them much as they just bring your food orders and don't actually take your order. The food is decent at best but I would honestly rather have a cheeky Nando's with the lads or one of Greggs' famous sausage rolls. They always seem to be out of fish and chips which is in my opinion the best thing on the menu. The toilets are very clean but you will have to walk down 2 flights of steps and then up a long corridor to get to them. And if you meet somebody on the stairs, it will be a bit of a tight squeeze getting past. So yeah, it's just a Wetherspoon's. A very lovely Wetherspoon's but still just a cramped, chaotic Wetherspoon's.

    Fiona H.

    The only thing keeping this place in busniess is the fact that it's part of the Wetherspoons's chain. And it's an insult to perfectly good Wetherspoon's pubs at that. I went in not so long ago, having drunk in here regularly for the past 3 years since I moved to Edinburgh, carrying a big bag. I'd just got off a train and was meeting some friends, but the manager at the door said I couldn't take my bag into the bar in case I had my own booze stashed away. What...?! It does beg the question that if I wanted to get pissed for free why wouldn't I have just met my firends back in my flat? But the manager who was supervising the door that night insisted that I leave my bag at the door with him. Despite him promising that I could get it back from him at the end of the night, come 1am I couldn't find him - or anyone else willing to help me. I naively thought I'd call back in during the week and collect it, only when I did no-one seemed to know anything about it. First of all, the manager who was working on the day that I called in tried to insist that I'd already collected it, then when it became clear that I hadn't he tried to deny that he'd ever known anything about the bag. Yes, it's a Wetherspoon's, so it's cheap. But it's by far the worst bar the you could find in Edinburgh's city centre. Even if you don't really care about my rant, I'd bet you any money you'll not even be able to find anywhere to sit after you've waited at the bar for at least 20 minutes.

    For all you Westies, it's served here!
    Carolyn M.

    To be honest, I'm starting to think all Wetherspoons are the same. I'm not necessarily saying that's a bad thing, but like Harry L said, you know what you're getting when you walk in to one. I quite like that about the chain. My guy and I were out in Edinburgh, and were seeking some tasty beverages. With about a million people wanting the same thing, we decided to duck in here for a quick pint before we hopped to the next pub. Just like most of the Wetherspoons I've been too, this one was mahoosive, very grand and packed full of all sorts of people. It almost felt like 5pm on a friday even though we were there on a saturday afternoon, as there were loads of people seemingly just out of work in a mixture of different outfits ordering a mixture of different drinks. We were able to get two drinks pretty cheaply, we enjoyed them over a bit of chat about the day thus far, finished up and made our way to the next pub. Cheap and chearful, easy peasy. If you're looking for a cheap drink or an affordable bite to eat even in an expensive city, stop in here- it's worth the go.

    Beef Chili with tortilla chips
    Scott M.

    The Witherspoon restaurants and pubs are one of my favorite places for inexpensive and delicious comfort food while visiting the United Kingdom. First you find a table, taking note of the table number. Browse the menu and either order on-line with their phone application or order from he bar. You pay for your meal when you order. Your food and drinks will be delivered to your table in about 10 minutes. This restaurant is large and has many tables located in several interesting rooms. One room even has an old bank vault door and pictures of Thomas Telford. The main entrance is on Queen Street, however there is also an alley way entrance off of Rose Street as well. #edinburghpubs #edinburghrestaurants #edinburghcheapeats

    Statue in the bar!
    Faye F.

    This place was ok. It's located on George Street, which was super busy when we stopped in. Despite being in a main shopping area, and probably a touristy area, the prices were fairly reasonable. I love the statue of the man at the back of the pub. Patrons and staff were fairly nice also. I can't complain. It's a large bar, and very busy, and noisy as a result, but I think that's to be expected when it's full of people.

    Amy G.

    This is a Wetherspoons pub so you probably know what to expect price wise and food wise. But what makes its special is that it is an old bank, with a real bank vault. Its a stunning building on the inside if you take a moment to admire the original features. However as its so huge, it really lacks atmosphere. It feels like it isn't making the best of what could be a fantastic bar. As its cheap and on George Street, no matter what night you go its going to be extremely busy. If there is a big football match on, then its going to be even busier. It gets very crowded and there isn't enough seats so you'll probably have to stand. And you will probably queue at the bar for a long time too. Its not great, but its worth having a peek to look at the impressive building.

    Eleanor M.

    A close friend of mine moved to Brazil a few years back to brush up on her Portuguese and for some reason she chose Standing Order to go for leaving drinks. She isn't a Wetherspoons kind of gal and I was shocked when I met her here as this place is as standard as a bar can get. I can only assume that she chose this as a safe bet to ensure that the big group she had invited got in. As previous reviewers have mentioned this place has absolutely no atmosphere and your feet literally stick to the floor which just isn't good especially when you've gone to the effort of putting on nice shoes. It was a Saturday night on my visit and this place was jumping, we had to queue for a good 20 minutes at the bar and we were lucky as a big group to find seats together. It wasn't particularly cheap either and there are a bunch of much nicer bars very close by so I'd recommend going anywhere but here. Heck, it's a Wetherspoons so you know what to expect - but don't panic if you get lost on your trek to the toilets, I did.

    Starter: Spicy Coated King Prawns.
    Thomas M.

    The Standing Order is a superior JD Wetherspoon pub housed in in a former bank. It has a huge main hall with an amusing figure of a banker in the left upper corner. There are also three separate rooms which are a little quieter when things are getting busy (which they usually do after 5 p.m. on weekdays and from noon on weekends). Because of its competitive prices (in an expensive city) and huge range of alcoholic drinks it naturally attracts a lot of young people and boozers, and "white trash" in general (And,yes, that's definitely a thing in the UK!). Thankfully, there are so many options where to sit or stand you can normally avoid getting into trouble. But do expect a lot of sloshed people or binge drinkers, and hen parties, after 8 p.m. While JDW frequently attracts justified criticism for providing cheap and nasty alcohol (all those rainbow-colored pitchers - Yeccchhh!) to teenagers, the chain is also a *major* advocate for British real ale, and they usually have a quickly rotating selection of cask ales (or ciders) on tap - especially at The Standing Order, where there are often 10 or more different microbrews on offer! In addition to the customary range of lagers, which is also huge. Food is streamlined at JDW, the menu is (with very minor variations) the same for all of their pubs. Of course, the ones in England don't normally offer haggis, neeps and tatties - one of the signature dishes of Scottish cuisine (offered here without whisky sauce, alas!). There are "club" days almost every day, which means that a certain part of the menu is further reduced in price, or that there are additional dishes on offer on those days only. There's a "Mexican Monday", a "Fish Friday", a Thursday "Curry Club" (particularly good!) and, of course, the traditional "Sunday Roast". The quality of the food does vary a bit between individual Wetherspoons, but if you like a certain dish at one you will almost certainly like it at any other "Spoon", too. I found the kitchen at The Standing Order to be efficient and the waiters to be friendly and helpful. Even when people complained about the quality they stayed friendly and got the customer a new dish. The bar staff are also friendlier (and less robotic/moronic) than at other Spoons. If you prefer a QUIETER place with the same range of food and drinks, consider THE ALEXANDER GRAHAM BELL towards the western end of George Street. It's also a Spoon. Not nearly as big, and attracting a slightly older (and less trashy) demographic. See my food photos of what to expect at The Standing Order (or at any other JDW).

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    The Standing Order Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - The Standing Order

    The place is set in an old bank so the decor looks super dope.

    Mentioned in 7 reviews

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    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

    The Standing Order - pubs - Updated May 2026

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