The staff were crazy friendly, and greeted everyone coming in with a genuine welcome. The atmosphere is perfectly and authentically Scottish right down to the music, warm lighting, and plaid upholstery. The food is wonderful, along with the service . We will definitely plan a return visit to Tolbooth Tavern read more

Delightful first night in Edinburgh. Just a few steps from our accommodation, we were lucky to grab a same-night reservation. Several classic Scottish dishes to choose from - all good - and our vegetarian daughter thoroughly enjoyed the mac and cheese. Good cold beers. Very pleased. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Cullen and skink, with a side of haggis. Plus a beer. Yum. - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Old world atmosphere, great whiskey flights and a taste tour of Scottish food including hagis. Service was good.

The smoked salmon starter was my favorite. A plate of build-your-own which I like because I like to control how much of the cheese goes on the oat cracker. The oat cracker was thick but not too crunchy, a really nice consistency. Husband loved the chicken bacon avocado salad. The mushrooms on toast was quite tasty and vegetarian. One less star because we felt rushed out. And the table service in the beginning when we arrived was not that great. Same guy walked past our table several times for 10 min before asking us if we wanted to order anything. They finally picked up the pace after we ordered food. Good traditional Scottish food and music. I am still waiting to see this ghost everyone keeps talking about! Booga booga!!!! read more

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This review is for the pub only, we did not eat here. Cool pub at the end of the Royal Mile, cool staff. It's still touristy, but it's a bit off of the worst of the tourist zone. It's said to be haunted and has a dark history. No hauntings while we were there, but we had a good time. read more

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The food here was absolutely delightful. I had the steak pie which was delicious and I really enjoyed the puff pastry. Service was excellent and everyone who stopped by our table was so polite and enjoyable to talk to. We chose this place for the laid back vibes after a long day of walking around Edinburgh and it was the perfect environment to relax with food a nice flight of whisky. read more

The Cullen skink was excellent despite its name. Nice thick consistency and not fishy. Great service, atmosphere, drink menu, and desserts (cranachan, brownie)! read more

Fish and chips, chicken balmoral and haggis burger were all tasty. Great service and atmosphere. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Chicken Balmoral - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Good vibes, good location - slightly quieter spot further down the mile. Recommend a reservation, staff was attentive and quick. Had a good, solid meal with some cider. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Pub. - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Ambience here is great. What a cool place! The food was okay and the server was aloof. Had fish & chips and a whisky flight. read more

A friend had suggested Gord and I go to Tolbooth Tavern on the Royal Mile so we checked it out Wednesday evening for supper. I ordered Freshly Landed Scottish Fish & Chips (hand-battered haddock fillet served with thick cut chips & tartare sauce) and Gord likes to eat local so ordered Cullen Skink (traditional smoked haddock soup, with potato, onion & cream; served with bread & butter) and Haggis Bon-Bons with sweet chilli sauce. All were good. read more

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This place is supposed to be VERY haunted, even by Edinburgh standards. A plaque by the outside door gives you a brief synopsis of this location's dark and grisly history. All that aside, having this place host the first lunch of my 50s was a great experience. They didn't know they were hosting anything, truth be told - it was our little secret. This place is not in the main tourist area of the Royal Mile so you can find more locals here who know where to find a good meal. The staff took great care of us and were very attentive. I ordered the haggis, neeps, and tatties. - a local traditional dish of haggis with mashed potatoes and parsnips. DELICIOUS. My hungry woman had herself an order of fish and chips which she raved about. She said that their chips may have even been the tops of the trip both in Edinburgh and London. That is a huge compliment considering her love of chips (fries). We had a wonderful meal here and would come back in a heartbeat. read more

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Wonderful Pub, friendly staff (Rosie). Great first night location for a drink in Edinburgh. On the Royal Mile but safely out on f the tourist zone. read more

Delicious pub menu. Traditional setting. Good service. Convenient to royal mile but not overwhelming

Our family's favorite on a recent trip to Edinburgh. Liked it so much the first time, we were back 2 days later. Chicken Balmoral, Haggis with Neeps and Tatties, Fish & Chips, Burgers, and Chicken Sandwiches were all great. Nice selection of whiskey and beer as well. Great vibe and layout. Really nice waitstaff too. Given the location and history, this place could probably mail it in and still do fine, but they were top notch. read more

Have been coming here since 2017 on business. I now live here and have brought family & friends several times. Two of the three male servers absolutely suck. Rude. Uncommunicative. It almost pains them to engage. If you hate your job, or the customer so much, why bother working here at all? Food is awesome. Beers are great. Service sucks. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

This was our first meal in Edinburgh and it lived up to the hype. The building itself is very old but in good condition. The staff were welcoming and spent time telling us a little history and interesting stories. The food was actually great. I had the fish and chips and they were delicious. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - This is where the ghost lady sits - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Wonderful pub, with lots of character. Not in the most touristy area either, which was great. The food was amazing, great value for money. Super friendly staff as well! read more

Located on the Royal Mike in Edinburgh, we stopped here one day after hiking up Arthur's Seat. The menu was appealing and the atmosphere made it better. We were quickly seated and ordered drinks. Looking around this place, I thoroughly enjoyed the gargoyle (or dog heads?) overlooking the restrooms. I also enjoyed being seated in what looked like a church pew made into a throne. I had the tomato, vegetable, and white bean casserole (£8.25). The sauce is yogurt based and spiced with chili and coriander. The dish comes served with fresh bread. It was absolutely delicious. My wife had the fish and chips (£11.25). Our server was fast and efficient. The history behind this place is also fascinating. I would definitely recommend stopping in here if you ever find yourself in need of food or drink while walking the Royal Mile. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Tomato, vegetable, and white bean casserole - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

We stumbled upon this on the Main Street after looking at shops and exploring. Walking in, the bar is right there and if you want to have dinner - you just walk to the back and up to the dining area. It's definitely authentic Scottish with tartan rugs and old medieval style furniture. We were the second table there and only one server for all the tables. I ordered the Warlock Pie and the server nodded in approval. It came out in good time and it was delicious! The meat was flavored really well. The crust of the pie was so flakey. I ate the whole thing! The service was a little slow server but he was so nice. He was into chatting with certain tables that left most of us waiting. I'm glad we stumbled upon this place! read more

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Stopped here as part of a tour Nice looking place, but food doesn't match the looks. Had the fish and chips, must have been a baby fish, I got 8 chips and undercooked peas. My wife's carrots with the steak pie were basically raw. read more

The food was ok. I was not impressed. It was adequate at best. If you're checking it out have a beer!

Excellent hot toddys, sticky toffee pudding, decent apple pie. Friendly old town pub, great whiskies and ales selection (as is the norm in this area), good food, great atmosphere and staff, even dog friendly. A go-to hangout. read more

Very authentic pub .. super traditional, nice menu and bar options awesome .. love the ambiance .. 1820 construction . Amazing

Great spot for lunch on the Royal mile. Food was tasty and service great. Wonderful selection of local beers and amazing fish and chips!

We had lunch here today. We ordered the Fish and Chips and the Warlock Pie. Both were decent. The service here was very friendly and fast. The presentation of both dishes was amazing. We felt the pieces of beef in the Warlock Pie could have been more tender. Some were tender, others were a bit gristly. The Fish was good but could have cooked another 60 seconds. The fish itself was done and I ate it all, but the batter next to the fish was just short of being fully done. My wife had the Coast to Coast Ale and I had a Guinness. Both yummy. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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As an American traveling to Edinburgh for the first time- we saw this cute place on the Mile and thought we'd give it a try! We fell in love with the charm and the two brothers (one was a bartender and the other waiter) were soooooo great!! Teased and friendly banter- I wanted to try Haggis! If you want to try-this is the place to go in Edinburgh!! Oh my goodness! I was hesitant and nervous-but oh so good!! We learned so much about the locals and he just chatted and talked to us about our time- he gave a can of the IRN BRU to try and told us how they are banned in America- Americans wanting a fun experience- this was great for lunch and a dram of whiskey!!! The only suggestion would be to change the music in the eating area- still worth the 5 read more

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We were staying at an AirBnb maybe 25 meters from the tavern and stopped in for a quick beer (no food) in the evening. A small atmospheric pub with friendly service, perfect way to end the evening. Although on the Royal Mile, it is at the far end closer to Parliament and the building, constructed in 1591, most certainly did not have a tourist feel. While enjoying our beers we tried to imagine what it might have been like in the day... read more

Wonderful place to stop for lunch and a pint on the Royal Mile. Great food, excellent and friendly service in a historical setting. Highly recommended! read more

Love Tolbooth. What a fun place with tons of character. Go on quiz night. Cold beer and scotch whisky. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

It is a classic tavern. Drinks are reasonable, food was good, and ambiance was great! read more

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We wandered in after a day strolling around the Royal Mile and Edinburgh's city center. We were attracted by the exterior and learned that this building and location has great history, which definitely appealed to us. The pints of ale were refreshing. We had a light snack - we split an appetizer (Scottish salmon) and an order of Haggis, neeps & tatties since it IS the national dish of Scotland and we were visiting from the states. The haggis was tasty, but didn't have anything to benchmark it against. While a resident ghost is said to knock things off the walls, we didn't have a paranormal experience but I did taste the haggis for the remainder of the day (as it kept repeating on me). read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Cool building & history - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Good beer and good service. The Cullen skink and beef and sausage pie were bland and disappointing. We would not go back for the food.

Try the Tolbooth Burger. Definitely the most delicious item on their menu! Beef patty topped with bacon, haggis and black pudding... What more could you want??? Next time I visit Scotland I will definitely be coming back! read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Tolbooth burger and chips and steak and ale pie (: - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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What a great spot to stop in as we walked the Royal mile. And the history of the place is really mind blowing.

Tasty first meal in Edinburgh. It is pretty centrally located but far enough from the tourist traps up the royal mile. There is bar only seating downstairs for drinks and food service upstairs. They serve local Edinburgh beers on tap with a selection of about four along with some bottles of other kinds. I had the fish and chips for dinner. It was delicious! It came with one large piece of haddock that was cooked well. It came with fries, peas and a small salad. Service was friendly and pretty fast. Prices were fair, about £10 average for most items. It was an enjoyable meal. read more

I've only been here five days, yet I've stopped by this place three times. Why, you ask? Well first off, they serve Caledonian 80, which is my new favorite. Then there is the ambiance, which I immediately loved. Superb, awesome, old stone building. Sure it's on the Royal Mile, which itself seems to be a bunch of touristy trappings, but this place definitely had some locals chillin'; aka flava. In fact, I think I was the only American, and that's fine by me. They have Wifi. I just love the fact that a place that looks so ancient allows me to upload my snaps of Arthur's Seat to Instagram! Lastly, the location is just that, a great place to reward yourself with a pint after trekking around Holyrood Park. It's all good. read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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This spot used to be a prison. It looks like a spot Sherlock Homie would put Moriarty in, back in the day...no joke. Love the traditional pub decor. Love the music. Love the cask ales. The barkeep was funny. Love this spot on the Royal Mile. It's tough to miss so you should def hit it. I mean, if you ever make it outta NYC. Suckas. read more

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This was our first restaurant experience in Scotland (not counting the airport), and let me say, the bar has been raised very high, thanks to the Tolbooth Tavern. Let's break it down, shall we? Ambiance. The location and exterior of the tavern looks fantastic...very historic and very cool looking, especially with Old Tolbooth Wynd right next to the tavern. The tavern is right on the Royal Mile, so the location is great; not too close to the city to be bothersome, but not too far a way to require a train and a taxi to get there. The inside of the tavern looks great. A lot of history here and to me, it walks that fine line of being forced historic (too well kept) and unkept. The place is clean, mind you, but the floors creak, the windows are a little foggy, old books and dinnerware are throughout the tavern...all of which add to the fantastic ambiance. Food. This is what put the Tolbooth Tavern firmly into the 4-star range. I ordered the Haggis Burger (Tolbooth Burger), which our waiter/bartender said was a good way to break into haggis, if you've never had it before. My wife ordered the steak and ale pie, and my two boys had the fish and chips and chicken burger. The Tolbooth Burger was over the top. The bun was slightly greasy and fluffy (akin to an old '50s diner), the burger itself was perfectly cooked (medium rare), and the haggis was...well, haggis (not as bad as you think). The steak and ale pie was great, though I only had a small bite, as my wife destroyed the plate before I could get my hands on it. The fish and chips is amazingly big; the fish was about the size of my 4-year old's head and perfectly breaded and cooked. Beer. Won't spend too much time on this, but I had the Edinburgh Ale and the IPA. Both excellent beers, and the IPA was probably the finest IPA I've had in forever. I begrudgingly got used to the San Diego IPA movement where the goal is to destroy your tastebuds for at least 12 hours. The IPA in the Tolbooth Tavern (the name is escaping me), was very much an IPA, but not overwhelming like I was chewing on raw hops (I'm looking at you Stone Brewery). I could easily have 2-3 pints of the IPA in the Tolbooth if I wanted to. Service. We came a little early (5:30pm), thanks to having kids, so service wasn't an issue. Our waiter/bartender was spot on, attentive (but not overly TGI Fridays in your face attentive), nice, and great with the kids. After reading some of the other reviews about the service, we were initially hesitant about coming here, but rest assured, we had none of the issues in previous reviews. To me, the service here is what put the Tolbooth Tavern in the 5-star category. Edinburgh, I have a few more days here to sample your food and drink. The Tolbooth Tavern has set the bar very high for my expectations of food, drink, and ambiance in a Scottish Tavern. Best of luck! read more

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The Canongate is a fantastic location for a traditional pub. The old stone Gothic buildings create a real atmosphere. The Tolbooth Tavern is carved into such a row old stone buildings, with lots of wynds and closes. It's perfect for an ambient visit to the city, to get a feel for the historic Edinburgh. The cosy Tolbooth Tavern is on the site of the old Tolbooth which was basically the administrative centre for Canongate, which in the 1590s when it was built, was a separate burgh from Edinburgh. The building has been the Tavern since the early 1800s and was refurbished in the 1870s, from which its current appearance can be dated. Inside the pub has a traditional aesthetic. It's a large pub, which stretches back further than you would realise just looking at the exterior. The back of the pub is used for dining (which is pretty good quality pub food), with the bar at the front. There's also a function room which can be hired out. Quite a lot of tourists come here which is a mixed blessing, you certainly don't feel like you're intruding. Prices are average to just above average for both drink and food. As for that famous ghost, apparently its presence can be most felt at the back of the pub, so watch out while dining! read more

Tolbooth Tavern - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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