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Thomson's Bar

4.3 (19 reviews)
InexpensivePubs
Closed 4:00 pm - 11:30 PM

Thomson's Bar Photos

THOMSON'S BAR ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Good for groups
Outdoor seating

Recommended Reviews - Thomson's Bar

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Reviews With Photos

Haggis pie with mash potatoes and peas.
Kathe B.

As I had to try something Scottish, my couchsurfer's host bring me to the Thomson. I had the haggis pie with mashed potatoes and peas. You definetly have to try this Especialy if you are a stranger. Expect to have a large plate for not that much. The price is ridiculously cheap for what I had on my plate. And it was good! I recommend to stop by that place!

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1 year ago

Great local pub. One food item on the menu. Beef pie. You can have it with or without the baked beans. Delicious!

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10 years ago

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15 years ago

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10 years ago

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10 years ago

Helpful 2
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15 years ago

Helpful 2
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14 years ago

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12 years ago

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16 years ago

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12 years ago

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19 years ago

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11 years ago

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11 years ago

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15 years ago

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15 years ago

Great pub for a Friday PIE and Pint

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16 years ago

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17 years ago

nice bar with good ale

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15 years ago

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15 years ago

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Review Highlights - Thomson's Bar

This place is a little pub that you would never expect to make such good food and a great place to bring travellers as it mixes both of Edinburgh's specialties with the haggis pie; Pies is £5.

Mentioned in 2 reviews

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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

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

Dickens Lounge Bar

Dickens Lounge Bar

(5 reviews)

West End, Haymarket

I loved this spot. I also love dive bar/old bars so inevitably I would like this spot. I walked in…read moremidday, the record player stopped as I entered, not literally but figuratively (pretty sure the locals were like what the, who is this lady?). I grabbed a beer and just relaxed in a cozy corner. The thing I liked the most about this place is it is actually like a soft little teddy bear of a place. I struck up conversation with a few people at the bar. The bar keep charged my phone behind the bar since I was running out of juice and a few locals helped me find the best spot to purchase a plug adapter. Don't let the gruff look fool you. Pop in for a beer and become good friends with a few locals.

I can't really follow up what the boys have said since they have made me irreparably depressed…read more Gavin's journal entry, in the style of Bridget Jones (without the fad dieting, pink marshmallows and fluff about boys), depicts the kind of Scottish male who has been laid off (note to self - don't mention the Tories...oops) and consequently fills his time with booze and contemplative staring while a low hum of long forgotten pop music plays in the background. Jesus Christ, it is as depressing as it sounds. Such is the way of local boozers like this. It gives guys who need space for whatever reason the opportunity to get it. People often form friendships with the people helping them prop up the bar, and the barmaids supply some source of entertainment with chat to perk them all up. The booze is cheap (especially Bells whisky) and most guys are drinking ales and getting stuck in to today's paper. A place for the locals, which you will swiftly figure out when you try to get past the cloister of folks smoking right outside the door. But places like this need to exist for people who want a bit of downtime, peace and serenity. Pubs like this are pivotal to many people within that community because they supply sanity at the bottom of a pint of beer. You can't blame people for clinging to that if they've had a tough one at work and have been gasping for a pint all day, or people who are out of work and want to enjoy a few affordable whiskys with friends. And they have Sky Sports.

Thomson's Bar - pubs - Updated May 2026

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