Tolbooth Tavern — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

We came here to eat in December last year; It was our second visit ever. When we first ate here a few years ago, the haggis tower was an absolute hit and we instantly fell in love with it. Not only it tasted great, but it also looked amazing. The only problem is that since the owners changed a few months ago, they stopped doing it 🤷🏼‍♀️ They just serve regular haggis, neeps and tatties, like literally every other place in Edinburgh does, and theirs is the most uninspiring dish ever (you can judge by yourself from the photo attached). Overall, our visit didn’t go quite well from the very start. The moment we stepped inside, before we even had the chance to open our mouths and ask if they were still serving food and had a table available (there’s no info about food serving times online and the website is quite poor in general), we were ordered to do the track and trace thing. I understand that business are obliged to go by the rules, and I have no issues doing it, but a simple “Hello” to begin with would have been such a nicer greeting in my opinion. The table service was pretty shambolic as well. It started smoothly with a waiter taking our drinks order, talking us through different options on tap (and they have a decent selection, I must give it to them), but it went downhills from there. We waited forever for someone to bring us the menus, then we waited even more for our order to be taken… There were waiters wandering around, but they all seemed so desperate to avoid eye contact, or any kind of interaction with us in general, that we found it truly amusing. When we finally managed to attracts the attention of one of them, then came the final “no more haggis tower” blow. Our food was ok, but it was also dearly overpriced and simply nothing to write home about. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a lovely pub with a lot of character and some nice pints, but if it’s food you’re after, I’d suggest you look elsewhere....

The Tolbooth Tavern, the mere mention of its name invokes an aura of medieval Scottish charm, making you feel like William Wallace might just appear to toast freedom with you. Except he won't. And neither will the ghosts, because they're as real as unicorns and calorie-free deep-fried Mars bars.

First off, the building itself is like a time machine to 16th-century Scotland—except with electricity, plumbing, and significantly less plague. You can almost hear the clang of swords and the murmur of clandestine political discussions among the aged stones. Picture this: wall lamps casting an inviting glow, framed pictures telling silent stories of yesteryears, and a bar with enough whiskey to make a Highland cattle sing "Auld Lang Syne."

The menu is like a culinary tour of Scotland without the need for Google Maps. Haggis, neeps, and tatties? Check. Fish and chips as authentic as a Scottish loch? Check. Enough whiskey choices to confuse even a seasoned connoisseur? Double check.

Service? Imagine if your best mate from college learned impeccable manners, mastered the art of pouring the perfect pint, and decided to cater to your every food and drink whim. Yes, it's that good.

One pro tip: make sure to book a table in advance via their website!

To sum it up, whether you're a tourist, local, or someone who's just finished a 'hard day's graft,' The Tolbooth Tavern is where you want to be. But not for ghost hunting, because ghosts are like my dieting plans:...

Not sure they wanted me to stay at first as a single tourist, starter red pepper and goats cheese croquettes were delicious, sadly the mains of Steak & Haggis pie was dissapointing, steak lovely, hardly any gravy, and a slab of haggis which was tasty popped on top, but then dry old flaky pastry was on top, and small jug of gravy would be nice to go with the chunky chips (frozen ones but nice), veg was stone cold...asked for more and this time hot but raw...granted veg should be cooked al-dente but these were uncooked and hard. Unfortunately the table was still sticky and hadn't been wiped from last customers, the english waiter was lovely and tried his hardest to make everything ok, and was friendly. I felt for him as I work in a Busy Pub Restaurant and also own my own Hair Salon, so customer service, friendliness and cleanliness are top of my list in any place, amd felt he was trying to make up for the other staff. Rest of the staff not very friendly to be honest, unless your a regular.! Been 11 years since stayed in this area. And was looking for a nice old typical scottish pub, 200 year old should be wonderul I thought.....shame 1st night and sadly...