McLarens on the Corner

First time in here for me! Booked through first table as we use it at my work and never tried it before, can’t have had a better first experience, food was outstanding with amazing service from matt despite a slight food wait time due to a large booking upstairs. Drinks and wine selection perfect and a nice atmosphere to go with it all. Will be back again for the braised beef asap!

McLaren's on the Corner is, surely, an icon of the area. On Holy Corner, I see it as the gateway to Morningside as I approach from the city centre. Expect good food and drinks over two floors, and with outside seating. I've only ever been upstairs while part of a private booking and I suspect it only opens for those. Staff have been excellent reach time. Once a bank, the building puts a large bar at the exit and if you don't book a seat then this is where you'll end up. Otherwise, if you book in advance (and booking is recommended) you will end up in a more spacious area and perhaps even by a fancy modern fire pit. The food is good. I usually go for one of the burgers and have never been let down. I'd recommend the chicken burger or G.O.A.T. The chips are a little scarce, but tasty, and adding a side like Mac Cheese is entirely justified. Dessert is a little bit more of a gamble, it's generally good but I've been disappointed that lush treats like Knickerbocker glories have erred on the conservative side. As McLarens on the Corner is excellent for large groups, you might want to have second thoughts if you don't like large groups. I've been surrounded by men in kilts on two separate occasions and make of that what you will.

We recently visited McLarens on the Corner for an evening meeting and meal. There were twenty of us, all first-time visitors, and we were very pleased with our evening. The decor and atmosphere of McLarens is lovely, which enhanced our visit, and the food was very nice with a good selection available. The most important aspect, however, was the excellent service we received! Throughout our visit all the staff were welcoming, friendly and cheerful. This made a huge difference to our guests who, because it was our first visit, weren’t entirely sure of the layout of the premises, facilities, menus, payment, etc. All our requests and questions were answered most helpfully and courteously. In particular Matthew and Lexie looked after us superbly well, as did the Duty Manager. We were so impressed with McLarens on the Corner we have already booked to visit them again next month!

Lovely place for quick drink before cinema. Only criticism was the spicy paloma. A wee bit too spicy - needs to be balanced out with bit more sweet. I like my drinks spicy but was struggling with it. Otherwise all good and staff were very friendly.

The food was absolutely delicious and the warm, inviting atmosphere made it the perfect spot to relax and unwind after a day of exploring. I would definitely recommend it!

We were there at 11am on the 7th of March 2026. The day that saw Scotland achieve a stunning victory over the French rugby team!! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿❤️) A party of 12 having breakfast and drinks. Despite being absolutely crammed with pretty much every table full, they dealt with getting the food and drinks out with great aplomb and good humour. I had the Croque Madam which was very tasty and filling with a Bloody Mary which was delicious and refreshing. Everyone was very pleased with the food and portion sizes. The decor and furnishings are lovely and comfortable and the overall atmosphere is relaxed and welcoming.

Ioved this restaurant from the moment we walked through the doors. Very friendly staff who attended every need. Food was absolutely delicious. I strongly recommend the fish and chips the batter was light and crispy, we asked if we could have some salad instead of mushy peas. Staff couldn't be more attentive. The dessert were huge and delicious. The creme' brulee was delicious. I highly recommend this restaurant and will definitely be back soon.

My brother was curious this place for while. That brought us inside. Interior is exceptional. I loved paintings, and bit of info about Duncan McLarens opposite the bar. Service is very helpful and chatty. They have one of my fav. Cold Town beer grapefruit IPA. We took that. I had little hunger, so ordered mac and cheese with becon added. Flatbread with carrot hummus for young one. Sticky toffe for my mom. She wanted fresh squizeed juice, but its served till 3pm. Everything Mouthwatering!

Such a lovely meal today on Christmas Eve . Place looked beautiful , food gorgeous but what really made it was the amazing staff ! Hope you all have a lovely Christmas break x

Stopped in for an afternoon snack while walking around the city - so glad we did! Bea was absolutely delightful and fully attentive to everything we needed. Our chili cheese toastie with fig jam was so delicious, as was the mocha Bea made for us. Charming surrounding, happy vibe, and wonderful service!!

We had our choir Christmas party last Friday. The food was absolutely lovely and great service, especially from Callum and Emma. Highly recommended ❤️

Has a lovely Xmas lunch here. Service was efficient and friendly - and both the turkey and apple crumble were delicious! Overall a first rate experience!

We rented out the function room and bar for my Nana's 80th birthday and Rowan made sure we had everything we needed all night. Brilliant service

10 of us (6 teenagers, 4 adults) went for lunch before rugby. Perfect food and drink and location for a walk then to Murrayfield. Great service

Fantastic place and absolutely fantastic food. Everyone is super nice. It was a pleasure to go there and to have a wonderull evening.

Grateful to Finn and Luke for sorting us out with great tables for a group of four adults with a baby even at a very busy time, they couldn’t have been more helpful and it made such a difference to our evening. Great cocktails and lovely food too!

Great service and atmosphere. They do champagne by the glass too which is always a winner. Jude was our waiter and knowledgeable about the drinks.

Great service, all staff are very polite and attentive. Food very nice pub type food. Recommended for a relaxed meal & drink. Plus to watch the rugby

Brilliant service from Rowan on the bar, lovely manager Matthew very hospitable! Lovely atmosphere inside and outside! The terrace / fanzine looks great for the 6 nations!!

Christmas Choir Social. The whole event was planned and organised so well. Ever last minute change was accounted for. We were shown the room before hand as we popped in. Food was great and the staff went out of their way to make our event flawless. Particular shout out to Calum who was at our service all evening he even joined in a wee karaoke song and let us get one last song in at the end. He was an absolute pleasure. The whole team were. Thank you. We will be back!

Lovely visit to McLarens on the Corner for Sunday roast. Friendly and knowledgeable staff who go that extra mile for the customers. Special mention to Jude who was superb ! Well done to everyone

Booked to eat on New Year’s Day. Restaurant was warm and inviting and very Christmassy. Unfortunately some of the food was not hot - cold burger and cold chips. Also veg was cold. Waitress staff were brilliant - quickly replaced the meals and recompensed by offering a round of drinks and later removed the meals from the bill. The hot food was great and the service staff very professional and courteous - the issue was dealt with well. We will definitely be back.

First time I’d been; visited mid week evening for tea with family. Service from staff was great, efficient and friendly. Food was good - standard quality; above “pub grub” - but that’s just what we were looking for; nothing pretentious and decent portion sizes. As it was run up to Xmas a lot of groups in and as a result was fairly loud but, again to be expected.

Nice place but a few things would make me think twice about going back. The area of the restaurant we were in was really loud compared to front and on the high tables it can be hard to speak as a group of 6. The chips were far too salty. I like salty chips but these were far too salty and a few of us couldn't finish them. The steak pie was really rich. Too rich to finish. Service was OK but beware they add 10% to your bill as standard.

Nice decor. Food ok( Burgers) Steak awful had to send back. Tough and not tasting right. No problem changing. Service lovely.

My wife, daughter and I went here for a late lunch a few months back. It was middle of the week so it was quiet. It’s a large spacious restaurant that is attractively designed and quite a relaxed atmosphere. The staff were friendly and quite prompt. They have a good variety on the menu. We both decided to get a burger each with loaded fries. I went with the spicy chicken burger with the salt and pepper fries. My wife went with the bacon cheeseburger and the Scotsman fries. The burgers were tasty. Mines had a very large crispy chicken in a nice bun so the portion was substantial. The salt and pepper fries were very large but I remember the bottom fries being almost inedible as they were overly seasoned. My wife enjoyed both her burger and fries. Overall a nice place for lunch, I’d imagine it would be busy in the evenings. We did think it was a little on the pricey side with it being over £40 for 2 burgers and fries.

This community dining bar has such a relaxed and cheerful vibe—it’s the perfect spot for a no-pressure meal. From the charming building to the tasty dishes, everything about our experience was amazing. The staff welcomed us with genuine warmth and provided just the right level of service—caring without being overbearing. The food was delicious and nicely presented, making for a laid-back and satisfying lunch. Since it’s near the supermarket, it’s super convenient to stop by for a bite while running errands!

+3

First time there because they had special £10.00 lunch deal. Nice outdoor area in front. Food is nice, not bad for a pub. Up market pub. I was charged extra for syrup that I did not ordered. It used to be a bank of Scotland and they kept the safe. Great for photo but would not.order the curry noodle again as it does not taste like curry at all.

It's a lovely restaurant in a great location. They have a private room to book. We went around Christmas time, so the place was busy but the service was excellent. The food could be improved, we put it down to how busy the place was.

Really nice lunch spot. Unfortunately the weather let us down a wee bit but the food was great and the staff were friendly and really helpful. Would really recommend for a wee get together. Will be booking again for a go at the evening menu.

Starters & desserts lovely but main courses underwhelming. Had to ask for prosecco offered in the incentive to book before 31 Oct & left without 10% off food in Jan/Feb. Staff said vouchers will be emailed. Would have preferred vouchers while there.

I really wanted to enjoy this meal so went in looking forward to it. We took advantage of the 'January Sale' and ordered the Sunday Roast. The beef was cold and the amount of stringy fat was incredible, it was inedible. Also the portion sizes seemed a bit on the small size so left still hungry, I would've said this was the small roast option on a big plate.It was 50% smaller and 50% cheaper. Service was good and this could not be faulted. The atmosphere was nice and liked the way it was set out, such a shame about the food.

As fairly frequent customers, and near neighbours of McLarens, I decided it was the perfect place to go for a family get-together. So a few days beforehand I booked (online) one of the tables with the fire and added that it was for a celebration. When we got there, we were put at a table at the back, and I had to point out that that wasn't the table we'd booked. (We were moved, but it seemed a bit 'couldn't care less'.) Then, when we were ready to order, I checked that we were getting the 50% January discount, but apparently I hadn't clicked on that option properly, so we were refused the discount. Why? We'd already booked days beforehand, so why not keep your customers happy by doing the decent thing? To be honest, it annoyed me so much that we didn't order half as much as we would have if they'd been more accommodating. Also....in spite of the booking system specifically noting that we were having a celebration, this was never mentioned by any if the staff. So why ask on the form? PS If you're going to charge a few pounds more for truffle and parmesan on chips.....then you could at least make them actually taste of truffle! I was very disappointed with our visit. I expected so much better.

Very good pub, great for a drink. Food menu felt style over substance. Dessert was really good (although small) but our mains left us feeling we should have ordered more. Daughter got the bangers and mash. Mash was clearly out the microwave. Service wasn’t terrific, perhaps a reflection of the culture when a service charge is already baked into the price. Place looks tremendous however sadly the food and service didn’t match

Very disappointing. Truffle & parmesan chips - about 10p worth of potato with no taste of truffle at all, for £6. Staff who obviously weren't interested and coffee that was decent in flavour but cold. Also, very draughty if you sit anywhere near the front door. Won't bother returning.

Went in for lunch at 12:20, they took our order, then said it would be 45 minutes because the kitchen was swapping over from breakfast service. Really? At 12:20, you're telling me lunch is delayed? Lunch came, I was asked if I wanted condiments, I asked for mayo, the waiter acknowledged this, but he never came back and the mayo never came. I finished the meal without it. I had the chicken burger, which was dry (not enough sauce), and the serving size of chips was tiny - not great for £17.95. Wife had the soup which was lukewarm. This place has gone really downhill, they seemed rushed and incapable of dealing with the very few customers they had.

What is with the staff at this place. Any sunny day they are all inside whilst their customers are outside. The tables are filthy. As I write this we’re sat at a table outside with dirty food plates from a previous customer. I’ve been in and asked for someone to come and clear the table, half an hour later, no change. She’s was on her personal mobile at the front greeters podium. Earpiece in… no idea what they use that for. It’s always been a disgrace when it comes to front of house service. Bar staff polite, front of house an unmitigated disaster. In this location, with that many staff (4/5 front of house on this visit) it’s unacceptable. Why has this got 4.4 star overall review. It’s manky and the staff don’t care. Get new staff. Get a front of house manager that will insist on full hands in and out of the kitchen/garden.

Very poor lunch. Two of my friend’s choices were unavailable. Once we had chosen items that were actually available it took 30 mins to appear and only then after we had queried where the food was. When it came my friend’s chicken was inedible. The chicken looked like it had been microwaved. The ‘salad’ was a few wilted leaves. My meat balls also appeared to have been microwaved. It was disappointing as we have had lunch here many times with no problem. Maybe new owners?

The worst experience I have ever had at a restaurant. We were there for my son's 21st birthday. My son in law has allergies which he gave them a note of when we arrived. 30 mins before order taken and not even water brought to table. More waiting, about an hour in by this point then told that the kitchen did not feel comfortable providing my son-in-law with anything. We eat out a lot and it is never a problem. As it was my sons 21st we decided to stay (sending my son-on-law off to the chip shop!). Another 30 mins then checked on when our food would arrive. They had cancelled our order! 1.5 hrs later, we left with no dinner - worst 21st birthday celebration ever! Staff were quite apologetic but that is just not enough. Apalling service. Every other restaurant can manage this fine so you need to review your kitchen and figure out why.

In spite of having tables booked a long time in advance with the dishes pre-ordered, we had to wait for 90 minutes to get starters. This waiting time isn’t anywhere near acceptable in the case of randomly popping in, not to mention having specific arrangements for a chosen time. The starter in the picture was listed as Bloody Mary Prawn Cocktail in the menu. Apparently it doesn’t have the Bloody Mary part of it due to some issues in the kitchen, and of course nobody would receive a note on that in advance. The only comment we received from the administrator: “The only thing I can do is to say that we’re sorry”. Wow!

My son booked a table for 6 adults and 2 kids for Mothers Day. The table was booked for 4.30pm on arrival they were taken to their seats. We arrived just after them. No menus were given and nobody came to attend to us. After 15/20 mins we had to ask for menus. After another 10/15 mins our order was taken. Drinks were brought over and the Mothers Day Prosecco was a nice touch. We asked for water but none was brought over. 5.30 came and went with no sign of food. At this point I asked about our order only to be told they had just got very busy. At no point where we advised of any delays. Surely if this was the case then we should have been advised. 5.43 a waitress came and told us our food would be exactly 4mins. 5.55pm and still no food. My son at this point went to speak to whoever was in charge and he complained at this point. He was told it was getting sorted and that they were on it! The food eventually arrived but it was apparent it had been sitting for a good while, it was cold and very uninviting. I complained at this point and explained how angry and disappointed we all were. We have three diabetics in our group and two kids who had to sit for an hour and a half for cold food. The food was rejected and we left the restaurant. A Mothers Day celebration very much spoilt. On reflection I didn’t think the food was worth the prices they were charging either. We won’t be going back and we won’t be making any recommendations

I came for my birthday and it’s my first time visiting Edinburgh - first of all they lost my booking, then the menu says the main event is roasts, they sold out and we arrived at 5:55pm on a Sunday - before we were seated they didn’t explain this. I asked for just a starter as all I wanted was a roast, as I came for a roast and I was let down, the waiter tells me they are out of the starter I wanted also. I’ve just downed my pint had some crisps as I was just put off food at this point. I then went to go to the toilet and there is no loo roll. Super dissatisfied by this place and I’ve been here 15 minutes great birthday choice.