Foresters Guild — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Edit [05-2024]: After multiple visits last year we took an unintentional break and returned in April 2024. We were left very disappointed. The menu has changed, but not for the better, as most starters are now deep fried and the black pudding & scallops starter no longer exists. The burgers have also been altered and ALL burgers now come with rocket instead of lettuce. As one of us despises rocket (which is a somewhat common preference) we ordered a burger with lettuce instead. Whilst this was originally approved by our waitress, we later got word from the kitchen that they had no lettuce left. After studying the menu closer we couldn’t find an item that requires lettuce, so there is a chance that it is generally impossible to swap the rocket. Without a green leaf, the Forresters beef burger was rather boring and not worth £16. The Chicken burger has received additions such as a haggis and peppercorn sauce, and whilst this fits rather well, the sauce is runny and might burn your fingers when trying to eat. Unfortunately the chicken is no longer breaded, which was something the previous chicken burger had perfected and what made it so amazing. So again, overall a downgrade. The upgraded fries, such as haggis and peppercorn, are still worth a visit but we will be much less enthusiastic about dinner here and have decided to deduct a star.

As a side note, the breakfast menu has also been altered. It is no longer an option to choose a small or large full breakfast, as mentioned below. The only option appears to be the larger one.

Original Review: We visited the Foresters Guild after walking past many times. We certainly regret not visiting earlier. The restaurant is really nice. The booking online is generally easy although it would be helpful to see a map of the restaurant when booking, as the bar area is actually bigger than the restaurant area, however, food is served in both sections.

Our first visit to the Foresters Guild was for dinner. We had the pan seared scallops as a starter (to share), and the Spanish Chicken burger and Foresters Beef burger as the main. The food arrived quite quickly. The starter was incredible with the black pudding being really juicy. Whilst the chicken burger was the best chicken burger we’ve encountered yet, the beef burger was overwhelmed by a rather big and dry brioche bun. On a later return visit the brioche bun was much fluffier and suited the burger better. Overall, a smaller brioche, or an alternative bun such as ciabatta or pretzel might be a better fit.

The real highlight however were the Foresters Fries. We opted for the Truffle & Parmesan fries and the Haggis & Peppercorn fries. The Haggis fries were a bit messy to eat, as you can imagine, but really flavourful. The Truffle fries are good when craving something lighter and simply heavenly. We would definitely recommend trying either of these and will come back for these fries alone.

We returned for breakfast and chose the full breakfast with the option for extra pieces. The sausages and bacon were outstanding. Some of the best bacon we’ve had, and we’ve had a lot of bacon in the past. The black pudding was also very good. The Haggis on this occasion was rather dry and certainly would not have made Robert Burns’ “Ode to the Haggis” proud. But overall it was very filling, worth the price and we will definitely come back to indulge.

The restaurant is clean and the servers are nice, although nobody stood out in particular and all interactions were kept very short.

The menu also allows plenty of options for vegan and gluten free requirements, without limiting options for people without dietary requirements. One of our celiac friends thoroughly enjoyed the restaurant as well.

Overall we were very happy with our visits and will certainly return...

Oh dear, several major errors with our lunch, but no offer of rectification. Ordered the £50 steak for 2 which comes with 2 sides and 2 sauces. We ordered salmon & prawns and 2 loaded fries. On the menu, the salmon starter states it contains avocado oil, in fact it came with a thick base of avocado sauce. I am allergic to avocado (ok with oil), so I was unable to eat it after the first discovery mouthful. I have had stomach issues for a few days now. The prawns were almost raw, but tasted good. The steak came and was cooked well, however we were served an incorrect sauce. This issues previously highlighted was with the additional charges that staff failed to mention mentioned, nor are listed on the menu. The loaded fries had an additional charge of £3.50 each on the bill and the salmon starter with the unlisted avocado an additional £2. So the steak for two, was actually £59! The loaded fries were an astonishingly expensive £7.50 each and came in one of those cute little buckets. Shockingly overpriced and a miss by Foresters where they could easily have been seen to be generous at very little extra cost to themselves. Also had the baked halloumi, which was acceptable. Was very nervous of the green drizzle that this was also unexpected avocado. The pomegranate seeds looked anaemic, which gave an overall unappealing appearance. The waiter was apologetic about not asking for allergies, when queried the bill was told about the surcharges, not a nice surprise. Rather disappointing visit and not handled well...

Surprisingly good pub grub. I say surprisingly because, if its surrounding pub neighbours were anything to go by, it shouldn't be that good. We turned up around peak time on a Saturday evening, when, according to the staff, it's near impossible to get a table without booking two weeks in advance. At first we were kind of relegated to a small seated area, a throughfare for the waiters and chefs, away from all the action. The staff were, however, incredibly accommodating and placed us in a better seat in the restaurant, just as we were about to head into the beer garden (also quite nice) for a better experience. I chose muscles, chips and salad with a glass of house Merlot. My son had a burger - the size of his head - with chips and his dad had beer-battered fish and chips. My moules mariniere sauce was really tasty and well cooked and the chips were some of the best I've ever had. The only minor was that the muscles were obviously not fresh from the sea, but still tasted good. My son was happy with his head-sized burger and his Dad's fish tasted light and crispy, the way it should be. Enormous portions too. Excellent, attentive and very respectful staff made the experience a pretty good one for a last minute meal. Quite pricey for pub food though, so make sure you're prepared...