Athletic Arms — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Diggers (The Athletic Arms) is an Edinburgh institution regarding pubs.

It is best known by its nickname of the Diggers which comes from the fact that it was a popular haunt of the gravediggers from the nearby cemetery many, many years ago.  It has also been known for people, not from Edinburgh, to become confused when meeting someone at Diggers as there is nothing of that name outside. 😅

It is also well known for its 80 shilling beer or “heavy”.  It has a good selection of other beers and an impressive selection of whiskies.

The decor is very much traditional and often seen as an old man's pub.  There are a large number of beer related mirrors on the walls and also several TVs for watching sports.

A sign also proclaims the pub's pies were pie of the year a while back.  Unfortunately we did not find this still to be the case, especially as they had obviously been heated in a microwave (the pastry was soft) and were not fully heated.

The staff were friendly.

Definitely...

I was introduced to the Diggers by my partner who is a regular there on match days. Being from the opposing support, I wasn’t sure what my welcome would be, however, I need not have worried as the welcome was as warm as you would expect from an Edinburgh institution, both from the folk in drinking and the bar staff team. On match days it’s certainly busy before and after the game but everyone I’ve encountered have been chatty and good fun. After the last year and a half of visiting the pub, I would now never consider going to that side of town without heading in for a drink at the very least, and often meet my friends from that area in the Diggers as you know it’s going to be a great night in a fantastic atmosphere. The pies and toasties are also banging. Highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area, have a taste for great whisky and making the trip...

Transport links - check. Range of shops - check. Coffee shops - of course - they are as ubiquitous as barbers in the UK. Decent pubs - alert, alert! There are only two pubs on Dalry road and they're pretty dire. Thank Lordy then for the Athletic Arms, a beacon of hope in the 'hood. Shall I list the virtues? Spacious, friendly staff, buzzy atmosphere, good beer range, tea, coffee, snacks, top pie menu, clean loos, board games, quiz, music events and an amazing array of malts. A couple of crits? Ok - too bright lighting and no outside space. But many Edinburgh boozers suffer from those - pub runners take note! On balance, I recently recommend the 20 minute stroll from Haymarket for a spot of good cheer at the Diggers as it it is locally known (graveyards nearby). Rojiblanco fans from Bilbao - worth the trip for the Instagram photo...