Tolbooth Tavern

Two of us had reservations here after doing a night tour. There weren't many people in the restaurant, so we were seated promptly. The food was fantastic. I got the steak & ale pie, and I think about that particular dish almost every day. If you go here, be sure to get it - you won't regret it!

The food and whisky are amazing!! Delicious meal. Beautiful restaurant. Super friendly team. This was one of our favorite restaurants in Edinburgh. We’d recommend it to anyone looking for a delicious meal. I loved the whisky, but they also have a wide variety of other great beverage options!

Fellow travelers, when in Edinburgh, please have a meal at Tolbooth Tavern. It has a very authentic Scottish feel, from the ambiance, to the menu, to the fantastic service. During our visit, we had the following: - Haggis, Neeps and Tatties - Steak Pie - Trio of Desserts including Chocolate Brownie, Cranachan, and assorted fruits. - House White Wine - House Rosé - House Lager (half pint) The service was fantastic, our servers had a friendly and humorous demeanor. Tolbooth Tavern certainly offers the best kind of Scottish hospitality in Dunedin.

My colleague and I had dinner at Tolbooth Tavern and we couldn’t be happier. Very good traditional Scottish food, great service and what a variety of Whiskies! Steve is amazing and made us feel super comfortable. Thanks Steve and the Team for a good dinner and experience. Highly recommended. Cintia & Priscilla

Visited in early October. Solo visit to Edinburgh. Walked by looked nice decided to go inside. So glad I did. Nice vibe, staff very kind welcoming and patient. Food was amazing. Had the Veggie Haggis. So good came.back for dinner the same day. The Cullen Skink was the best. Would highly recommend this place for sure.

A great tavern, food was really good. We had the steak pie, homemade and full of meat with veg and plenty of chips on the side. The whisky choice was plentiful and you could choose a tasting menu of whiskies. We didn't try them but if you like whisky it's a great way to try different types. I had the apple pie too which was good. Staff were really friendly and attentive even though it was busy. Thoroughly recommend.

The food was outstanding! The Steak Pie is a total “must”. The staff is very polite and helpful. You won’t regret the visit :))

Solid food experience with a good whiskey list and efficient service. They were very busy when we visited with a reservation at 6:30 in the evening, so there wasn't time for chatting. The salad was fresh, which always bodes well for overall quality. There weren't any ghost-y experiences while we were there, but the ambiance was spot on. Recommend reservations.

True Scottish hospitality! Tolbooth made our last night in Scotland feel magical. We opted for the Scottish smoked salmon to start, then a haggis burger for me and the steak and haggis pie for my partner. We also couldn't go past cranachan for pudding. All dishes were served promptly by a really friendly team of staff, and tasted delicious. We polished off the lot. The bar boasts a huge whisky selection and the bar staff were very knowledgeable and good with recommendations. My partner really enjoyed talking whisky with the barman! Booking is absolutely essential as they were turning people away. We managed to get a table a couple of hours ahead of time though!

+3

Was a wet, January mid week lunch. Found initially on a Google search. To start the review I think this place deserves a little better than (at the time of writing) its 4.5 This was a meal for four friends. The starter meals were excellent. Cullen skink, haggis Bon Bon’s and warmed black pudding salad were excellent. The bread on the side of the soup only slight disappointment. Mains of chicken stuffed with pancetta and haggis, steak pie and the traditional haggis and mash again excellent. Shared dessert delicious. It wasn’t busy so couldn’t rate atmosphere. However the bar staff / waiting staff very friendly and attentive. Good range of beers, wines and about a million whiskey choices :-) Deffo highly recommended 👍🏻

Absoluty 5 star experience. Ducked in to get out of the rain, the pub was busy but the staff were so accommodating, it was busy but the atmosphere was great and only added to the cosy feel. We were seated within around 10mins for food, but in the meantime was made to feel welcomed by getting drinks sorted. The staff were polite and friendly. The food was exceptional. I had the salmon starter accompanied with some chips to make a main as I was not over hungry, the food was delicious and fresh, my partner had the haggis starter and fish and chip main. The batter on the fish was light and fresh the fish was cooked to perfection. I also had the honeycomb cheesecake. All in all for a traditional welcoming pub with fantastic food I cant recommend enough. Great experience thank you.

The Haggis bites is a must! Absolutely loved it. We also tried the traditional Haggis main and steak with whiskey sauce 🤤 everything was 10/10

Staff where friendliest we have had the pleasure of meeting in Edinburgh, would definitely recommend it and looking forward to visiting again. Great pub

Really enjoyed the experience here for a family lunch. The atmosphere is cozy and fun, there’s some natural light in the dining area upstairs, and it was generally comfortable. Service was nice and accommodating. Prices were fine and everyone enjoyed their meals. They even had a few craft-like beers on draught. Close to the center of everything, but still seemed quieter. I would return if in Edinburgh again.

One of the best taverns in the city! Great food and beer!

We stopped in for a pint and ended up ordering food as well. A whole busload of tourists left just as we walked in, so fortunately, there were heaps of free tables to sit at. The bar staff were friendly and efficient, with a nice selection of beers and whiskies. The bar atmosphere was cosy and warm. We ordered Cullen Skink and Beef & Haggis pie, both of which were delicious and filling. The restaurant staff were also very efficient and friendly, and our food arrived promptly. I'd definitely recommend this place for drinks, or a meal while wandering the Royal Mile.

I am visiting Edinburg very often with different groups of people and this place never disappoints! Amazing service, really nice food and a beautiful restaurant to dine in! Definitely recommend to try it out!

Great atmosphere and great service! Nice selection of local beers and good food!

Great experience overall. We had the Mac & cheese and the homemade steak and haggis pie, both were wonderful! As were the desserts of brownies and sticky toffee pudding. Highly recommend this place for a cozy atmosphere coupled with hearty and delicious food!

I was very well served, the staff was gentle and the food really good. If you are in a group, reserve in advance. I was lucky there was a table available. And the great part they allow pets inside. I was sitting next to the cutest dogs.

Beautiful cozy pub on the Mile. Went in for a Christmas Eve lunch and had a lovely time. The staff are enthusiastic and service was good. We went for the Chicken Balmoral and the Chicken Burger and would recommend both. I especially liked the cozy and quiet vibe of the place making it perfect for a nice meal with the family. Would be back soon.

Our visit to Edinburgh was met with great hospitality. Tolbooth Tavern epitomized that. We were taken well care of and the food and drink were great. Cullen skink and whiskey tasting were great add ons to the meal. They accommodated a family of four, while also hosting a wedding reception. I’m certain that was a bit of off season and timing luck. It was great to feel welcomed and served a great tasting warm meal late that evening.

The waiter was more of a bartender than a waiter. He made me a fantastic drink. I like a bit bolder flavored coffee than what's usually served and, by his recommendation, ordered a Gaelic Coffee with an extra shot of espresso in it. That was the best drink I had the whole week I was in Scotland. Even my wife was a fan. The food was ok, not below or above average in the area.

My trip to Edinburgh wouldn't have been complete without a stop at the Tollbooth Tavern! The place was recommended by my hotel and was absolutely packed when I got there, but the staff went above and beyond to make a spot for me. Their hospitality was just fantastic. I finally tried haggis for the first time, and it was incredible—definitely the best I could have asked for. Paired with a great whiskey recommendation from the bartender, it was a perfect meal. The atmosphere felt so authentic, and the whole experience was exactly what I was hoping for in a traditional Scottish pub. A definite five-star experience—I highly recommend it.

A pleasant surprise - the best pub food we've had this trip. The fish and chips was better than Bertie's - the thick cut chips were crispy on the outside and fluffy inside! All the other mains were good as well (cheeseburger and ribeye steak). Service was quick and friendly and a nice copy atmosphere inside. Would definitely return!

Thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. The food was excellent but the service topped all expectations. Cheerful, friendly, efficient....totally worthwhile. I recommend the duck pate which was incredibly tasty. They even gave us extra oatcakes. They had a lot of traditional dishes on their menu too which makes a difference. Five star all around.

We spent 4 wonderful days in Edinburgh mid-December and we celebrated our last night in this pub, booked in advance to be sure we could have a nice table on a saturday. We enjoyed the food, the beers, the atmosfere... everything was so special! All the staff was so nice, and Zina, who attended our table, has been kind, smiling and very professional at the same time. Overall just the very perfect night we hoped for to say goodbye to Edinburgh...until the next trip!

Good spot for drinks and food. Seems to need reservations for tables. Bartenders and servers were very nice. We had the mackerel pate which was very good. Came with oat crackers that paired nicely. The haggis stack was delicious. The orange on the haggis is squash I think. The whisky sauce is nice with it. I tried the meat pie which was a first. It’s like stewed meat with a puff pastry. The pastry was ok. But tasted good in the meet au jus. She had the mushroom on bloomers which is toast. That was good as well.

+1

Service was great, absolutely loved the atmosphere of the pub. The staff were so gracious and very helpful to us as my mum uses a walking frame. The food was ok... Nothing wonderful, but not bad all the same.

Dinner was wonderfully delicious here! Stone bass and steak were seasoned perfectly and cooked to perfection! Sticky toffee pudding was good also, but could have used alittle bigger scoop of ice cream! Highly recommend!

Nice place, the food was tasty, and the service was quick. We had homemade steak pie – super delicious – and steak. The only thing we didn’t like were the chips; they were bland and underdone.

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!!!!

Very nice old pub, 200 years old! Nice food and the service was great 👍🏼

The history of this place makes it pretty cool in itself. I'm sure if it's not too crowded someone there will fill you in on the tolbooth. It doesn't mean a creepy Toll Booth like in America, but it was the place you had to literally pay to get in and out of the city. Some people couldn't afford to get back in, so they literally lived the rest of their life outside, thereby creating the areas of expansion outside Edinburgh. There are more devious stories with the Tolbooth though. The atmosphere is especially cool for Americans, because it's just so different. There are few places with this level of energy and ambiance. Maybe if you are from Scotland you'd think it's a dive, but it's very cool for Americans. I wouldn't go here and expect a delicious espresso martini, but for beer, and basic liquor, it's great. The food is ok, but the draw is to enjoy the atmosphere. The staff is extremely nice, and they genuinely care about your experience. I like it a lot.

Great place. Feels like a spot only the locals know. It's location just a little too far from the commercial centre for the average tourist give this place its charm. It's very old character is what you're probably looking for when searching for a proper Scottish pub. The vibe is chill and friendly. The same can be said for the staff: efficient, charismatic, friendly and very knowledgeable about their menu. They have a nice option on their drink menu to choose between a few whisky-tasting selections. They pre-picked a selection in a number of themed tastings, ideal to broaden your palette or just an accessible way to ease into the world of whisky. For a good drink in a nice atmosphere away from tourist masses, try this place.

We had high hopes for this place based on the reviews and the history associated with it. The bar would be a great place to spend an hour or two, but I'd recommend skipping the restaurant in favor of other places on or off the Royal Mile. Service was fine, but there's really no ambiance at all to the upstairs area. And the food was just fine. Lacking in flavor, it just missed the mark. In the end, we were left confused about the high ratings this place has, and wished we'd ended up elsewhere.

4 star for Scotland in food. I'm cajun this would 2.5 for us. It's pretty good for scotland. The place was cute, nice vibes. Service was really slow. Our waiter looked like he was not having a good day. It was busy when we first got there.

+6

Quaint, old pub. The historical plaque on the outside of the building does a good job explaining its history. It seemed like there were only 4 guys running the place and they were literally running all over to try to serve everyone. They did a good job! The food was marginal which was disappointing. Lacked flavor!

+2

Charming old building with a nice atmosphere. We ordered the Cullen Skink, which was very good, while the apple salad was not particularly fresh. Overall, it was decent for a tavern, though on the pricey side.

A great spot for whiskey tastings (flights), but the desserts were a letdown—bland and too sweet.

The pub is nice and comfortable - fine for a quick bite if you don't mind the Royal Mile prices and being rushed to leave. In terms of drinks, the Guinness tasted a bit off but otherwise ok. For food, the steak pie was nice although salty, the "seasonal veg" was poor - some carrot and tenderstem broccoli that was completely tasteless, I've eaten frozen broccoli from Aldi that has more flavour (I assume the broccoli had been boiled or else steamed for too long) The only gluten free option was a portion of mashed potato which seemed very unusual for Edinburgh city centre in 2025. Then staff gave us with the bill and rushed us to leave as soon as the food was finished, even though we still had drinks. Overall pretty average - typical tourist trap experience

Overrated pub!We left very disappointed to be honest.We booked a table for two a few weeks ago for birthday.We wanted to go somewhere traditional with live Scottish music and nice traditional Scottish food.We emailed them about when they have live music but we never had a response.When we went there after we ate the food that I can say wasn’t the best,we asked about the live music and they said that they never have as it costs and that videos or reviews are only from private events.And they asked for sorry that they never came back to us telling that they don’t have live music.We left very disappointed.I recommend it only for drinks but don’t expect too much when you go there.Staff were very friendly tho.