Foresters Guild in Edinburgh, City of

Great pub with quite fancy menu

Food was tasty but portions were fairly small for the price. Wouldn't be an issue but we got the roast and the gravy portion was genuinely a thimble full. Asked if we could have a bit more and the waiter sheepishly informed us more gravy was £3 per portion. Absolutely nuts to charge that much for what would cost them pennies, definitely a disappointment after a decent meal.

Generous portion sizes, incredible food, and genuinely helpful and friendly staff. Highly recommend to all

Always good to see a busy pub! Friendly staff and cosy atmosphere. Dog friendly which is a huge bonus. Will be visiting regularly!

Amazing good. Fun place. Would definitely go back if I return to Scotland.

Amazing staff, food is plentiful.

Fabulous food, very helpful and friendly service. Lovely welcoming atmosphere. Highly recommended

Meals are large enough to fill you up for quite a while, with a good choice of meals available.

Very nice meal visitors up from Nottingham loved it and the beach huts in the beer garden cheers

Hadn't been here for years but a really good atmosphere with lovely seaside beach huts with heaters in the garden. Will try the food the next time as it looked good.

Food service was slow initially, then less than 3 minutes between starter and main, felt rushed to finish and clear the table.

Didn't have food but I could see it looked lovely. Was only in for a late last minute drink and was served promptly with a lovely bar staff.

Our Sunday roast was delicious although one of our party had a couple very grisly and largely inedible pieces of beef. This was really unfortunate as the rest of our meals were lovely. The staff listened to the complaint and offered an alternative which was accepted and appreciated. All in all, once this issue was resolved, it was a very enjoyable experience although we had to wait a long time for coffees at the end of the meal.

Always great food and brilliant service from a friendly team!

Nice outdoor pods to sit in the back garden however the prices are very high at £9.50 for a 200ml Prosecco. We were disappointed to have to choose another drink given the price of Prosecco.

No effort to seat us even though there was room

The staff went put of their way to ensure I felt safe and was able to enjoy a meal. With various food allergies it can be an anxious experience to eat out. There was no fuss, ingreiends were all check and fantastic alternatives found when they discovered an ingredient would react to. As well as the dish being delicious, I left with no anxiety having had a lovely time. Thank you!

I recently visited Guild of Foresters and had an overall pleasant experience. The service was wonderful—everyone was lovely and attentive, which made for a welcoming atmosphere.We decided to try a few different items from the menu. The popcorn chicken was decent, but the portion size felt a bit small for the price. While the taste was nice, the size was a bit of a letdown. We also tried the beef and fish tacos. Both were enjoyable, though I felt they could have been a bit more flavorful. That said, they were still a nice addition to our meal. The highlight of the evening was definitely the dessert. The white chocolate mousse with whiskey was absolutely delicious—a perfect way to end the meal. The drinks we had were also great, especially the mocktail, adding to the overall experience. Having been here before, I know the food is usually decent, and this visit was no exception. I'll definitely be back to try more from the menu!

Nice bar/ restaurant, quaintly decorated which gives a good atmosphere. The chicken burger however was very dry. It was made with plain chicken breast which is very healthy but was a bit bland. There wasn't enough in the way of sauces on burger or taste variety. Was told fish and chips was very nice though. Wasn't a great variety on the menu. Desserts were good ! All in all , the food wasn't up to it's price tag, Also if you're looking for a family meal whereby you can have a chat this place is not place to go, soo noisy, especially when the live music comes on.

Fish and chips were terrific. Lovely chunky chips and delicious battered fish. Always enjoy coming here for dinner. My friend had a burger which he said was very tasty.

We had an amazing brunch here. Really great food with a good range on the menu and lots of choices for gluten free as well. Service was quick and friendly, will be returning!

Quiet tonight but it is midweek. Staff arr lovely

Friendly service. Delicious food.

Ambiance très chaleureuse, service charmant. Bonne cuisine. Nous y sommes allés deux fois pendant notre séjour à Édimbourg.

Very friendly staff, great food, a place where everyone meets

Great weekend brunch with a nice wee deal making it all the more palatable. Washed down with a cheeky espresso martini, a lovely start to the weekend!

We had a delicious meal sitting outside this lovely bar in the sunshine. The muscles were absolute perfection washed down with a very chilled and crisp Pinot Grigio. Quirky decor inside and also dog friendly in some areas. Nice menu a little on the expensive side but we loved the food .

Simply put. We recommend. Good food and nice staff

We were there on July 12th. The atmosphere was lively and nice, Pellegrino from the can was well chilled - everything else was a disaster. Infinitely long waits for our food. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn't find out what the soup of the day was made of. Chips sticky, peas undercooked and cold, tartar sauce hard like herb butter. Conclusion: never again.

On a dreich day we headed here instead of beach. The outdoor area is great with beach huts as booths. Staff were great and kept us all topped up with a smile🙏🏼Only had a wee nibble of my mates chips but will be back for food as it looked great.

I held my retirement drinks in this fantastic bar/restaurant, the service was excellent, the small plates of food were fantastic, great atmosphere and Hannah made sure all my guests were catered for, well done team.

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. These issues previously highlighted were 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, and when queried the bill was told about the surcharges, not a nice surprise. Rather disappointing visit and not handled well by the staff.

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 by the staff.

Lovely atmosphere & staff. Food is delicious & has lots of gluten free options.

Popped into the "beach huts"at the rear of the pub after a walk along the prom. What a lovely little suntrap. We only stayed for a quick drink but found the prices to be very reasonable.

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 in the future.

Good pub grub in a nice modern pub, perfect for a casual meal

We came in out of the rain for a drink,we had our toddler in the buggy who was sound asleep and the staff here sat us where it wasn't busy and welcomed us with open arms. We will most definitely be back here.

Nice atmosphere and excellent staff/Service. Pricey drinks but overall worth it.

What a wonderful pub. Really enjoyed the beach huts outside in the garden. Brilliant idea would be wonderful in the summer. Definitely go back to try the food it looked wonderful 😋

Had a lovely lunch with family. We all had the fish which was delicious and sticky Toffee pudding. We ate outside in one of the beach huts as inside was full being a Saturday. Lovely experience with the heater on and off to match the weather.

Fabulous food and great atmosphere for a Monday night. Recommended and definitely will go back.

Wonderful food, service was great and the atmosphere was lovely. Will b returning again.

Staff catered really well for a large group of us

Decent bar, professional and helpful staff, they made room for 6 of us without a booking on a busy Sunday afternoon, (albeit quick afternoon drink).

Decent pub in Portobello that serves great food too. Tables outside catch the afternoon sunshine.

Disgusting service on Saturday. Been going here for years.wont be back .staff ride beyond words

Kind servers always, cozy spacious pub & restaurant, good diverse menu that can do different food styles well, great chicken burger with lots of flavor and textures. Halloumi fries and regular fries are crispy and perfect, not too salty.

It was busy on a Thursday night, which was a good sign. The food was as good as the service.

Food is always lovely here and made fresh. Dogs allowed and great atmosphere

Great pub in Portobello, quick service, very polite. We did not eat food there so can't rate that but had food before and it was excellent.

Came here for the Sunday roast, which is beef rump with carrots, potatoes, broccoli and cauliflower cheese. The meat looked good but I did get quite a few unpleasant bites of sinew, and the vegetables were ok. I also had a pint of IPA which I couldn’t finish because of how flat it was. My partner had the chicken supreme. Again, it was ok, but not worth around £17 for a plain chicken breast with 3 potatoes. Probably won’t be back.

Always friendly, excellent service, amazing food!!!

Great service from Daniel, lovely hot food.

Ridiculous prices for wine. The food was mediocre Peterhead fish probably cooked from frozen. I like the pub inside and out very much but over £11 for a large wine? No, unlikely to go back.

Hadn’t been here in a few years. Tables in restaurant are well spaced out, apart from small table at entry doors they are all well positioned. I ordered black pudding / burger with chips. Waitress was very good and happy to alter order a bit as i didn’t want skinny fries. Food arrived promptly and was a good portion size. Burgers, black pudding and chips were all great. The burger bun tasted stale, was very hard. Shame as everything else was good. Would happily return as think the bun issue would be a one off.

Very efficient staff helpful and great food and drink

The food is fantastic and the service is excellent. I think it’s a real example of getting it right. Love it!

We took a walk from the city centre By the time we reached Portobello we were ready for something to eat and drink. This very unassuming place was awesome We were shown to our table by a very pleasant young lady as it was fairly busy. Good choice of food and drink. Nice cold lager and my partner opted for a white wine. There was something for everyone on the menu My partner opted for a burger which was massive and very tasty. I can't go to the seaside without having fish and chips this didn't disappoint Fresh fish with delicious crunchy batter and freshly made chips. This was an unexpected surprise Food Service Atmosphere We shall return the next time we're in the area.

Portions a bit small but very nice food! Reasonable prices and nice ambience

We ate here 3 times during our week on holiday and thoroughly enjoyed it. The staff were professional and curtious making us feel at home, the venue itself has a casual/chic feel, the food is really well prepared and to top it off a very nice selection of beers and drinks. Would recommend if you are in the area.

Best food, best drinks, best atmosphere. Highly recommend to anyone both in Edinburgh and coming to Edinburgh for a fantastic experience, Mark

Great experience from start to finish, easy online booking system and friendly atmosphere with attentive staff. I have been a few times with small and large groups and no matter the number around the table, the quality of the food is amazing. All locally sourced meat and ingredients is a really nice touch and the Sunday roast is a must have for any meat lovers!!

Good food, good service, good atmosphere. It is one of the most popular bars in Portobello for good reason.

Great food great staff!! There’s enough space for the whole family inside and we had a great time! Even a taxi was ordered for us. Happy to come again!

Had terrible service sat for an hour waiting on starters which were bread and a side of fries. When we eventually spoke to the staff they said it didn’t go through on the till. Fair enough but no hurry to get our mains. Food was ok but we were past it by the time the food came. Reviewed this on their internal system and the manger wrote to me and said he would talk to the staff about it and get back to me. 9 days later no contact. To me this was more about not getting a bad review than actual customer experience. Will not be back

Exceptionally polite and proficient staff. That's all I want from a venue.

While visiting from Canada, we enjoyed our first night there so much that we returned for dinner again the second night. The Tagliatella was spectacular! Great food! Great drink! Great service.

Ho ordinato "lamb shoulder" ed era davvero molto buono, non una porzione molto grande, ma notevole. Birra buona, peccato per il dessert, ho preso una crema di cioccolato bianco ma non era granché, anzi... agnello superconsigliato, crema no. Prezzo giusto, carino il beer garden esterno con le casette e le stufette.

This review will replace my last review in march, service impecable, quality of food terrific, ambience great, water on table food served at right temperature..this visit, couldn't fault it. I always give a restaurant another chance, and I wasn't disappointed this time, well done to the staff on duty tonight

Phenomenal. We had delicious food and drinks freshly prepared for us. Highly recommend!

Lovely lunch spot with great drinks options and really good service. You can tell the local do like it

We were four adults, two small children, one baby and a large dog having an early supper in one of the Beach Huts. The staff were amazing, looking after adults, children and dog with equal enthusiasm. The food was excellent, reasonably priced and speedily served by cheerful and enthusiastic waiting staff who really went the extra mile making a memorable experience for the children, an enjoyable one for the adults and a relaxed one for the dog. We would go back in a heartbeat.

The food used to be fantastic but the last 2 visits have been disappointing.

The servers could not have been more welcoming and very attentive to mine and my daughters needs. Good modern selection of food, that was all very reasonably priced. We did not have to wait long at all for our meals. Everything we ordered tasted great. Friendly atmosphere. We will definitely be back. Our only problem is going to be choosing what to eat. There are so many tasty dishes on the menu.

Bonne cuisine. Produits frais et bien préparés Personnel aimable, établissement agréable. Prix toutefois un peu élevés, notamment pour les desserts.

Friendly attentive staff. Hands down best cooked breakfast since I’ve lived in Edinburgh (22 years)

Great food, lovely atmosphere, friendly staff only criticism didn’t sell Chardonnay wine? What good bar doesn’t give you this choice !! With family and friends good choice of venue.apart from the wine. Very friendly staff would recommend and would revisit.

Extremely tasty food, well-prepared and served with a smile, in a nice atmosphere. What more could you want?

Great place. Great friendly atmosphere, food, drink and staff are all excellent. If you’re just in for a drink or out for food the service is always the same - brilliant!

So good. For pub atmosphere and food, it takes some beating. Staff always keen to help. Nice menu with specials. Guest beers. Wear a jacket and book a beach hut in the beer garden out back.

Great place, lovely choice of food & well cooked, much better than average pub food. Good quality food & lovely service.

Great food, drinks and location

We have over the years dined a bit in Foresters, but I had only ever been inside, so decided to book one of the little huts, what a hit! This was for an early birthday and fathers day dinner with the kids. The restaurant and bar was busy, but it was a lot quieter by the huts and sheltered from any rain, but we still got the sun. They have Build in heaters which can manually be switched on by diners. The selection of food is good, proper pub food and nicely cooked. I had Mac n cheese bon bons starter and a Black n Blue burger, basically beef burger with black pudding and blue cheese (although I swapped mine for cheddar). I then upgraded to Haggis and peppercorn coated chips. What a meal and I eat a lot usually, so was well chuffed when this meal arrived. Big thanks to the team, who were all really friendly and helpful 👍

Service is very, very bad. A friend and I went there a while back. There where a few people in the restaurant 10 at the most. We sat at the bar and the bar lady never acknowledged us or even said she'd be with us in a minute. After 10min waiting we got up and left I'll definitely not be back.

Brilliant Saturday lunch with family celebrating a birthday. 4 adults and 1 baby. 1 with complex food allergies was sorted no problem delivering an amazing plate of food, as was all the food. Big shout out to Kerry Ann who sorted everything out with no issues. She completely understood allowing everyone to have a great stress free meal. Deffo be back and deffo 5 stars 👍🏼 Thanks to everyone.

Assisted to our table and given a menu immediately on entry. We had booked a table for four outside in the beach huts that have electric heating inside each one. Drinks order taken and received very quickly. The menu is varied and reasonable amount of GF and vegan options. The shared charcuterie board was very tasty. The fish and chips in a light batter were excellent and so were the 2 GF options. The service throughout was excellent even though it was very busy. Highly recommend a visit.

Fab as ever ! Great atmosphere. Good sounds and burgers really juicy x

The venison was delicious! Mozzarella for a starter was amazing. Great heated outdoor seating since the inside was full & a great menu with something on it for everyone 🤗

Great busy pub with delicious food. I got the foresters burger. It was very tasty. Great atmosphere. They also have beach huts that you can hire for drinks out the back which is a wee novelty.

Amazing dog friendly pub/restaurant. During our stay we visited twice. Not far from the beach so great to have a stroll to and from. Great atmosphere, friendly and helpful staff. Food was amazing

Lovely food and very helpful friendly staff

Popped in on Sun 23rd April in the evening for a walk in of three, 2 adults 1 child, we sat out the back in the garden. Our Server was great, she was accomodating and attentive but not intrusive. Very good service and lovely food. Even managed to get the food we never managed to finish to takeaway. Our server was very good and helpful with all our requests, she seems a great asset to your team! Well done. We will definitely be back. Sticky toffee pudding and chocolate mousse was delicious along with our coffee tequila 😋. Thank you!

Very strange experience!! Visited today with a friend, we were told we couldn’t stand at the bar so approached a guy alone at a table with 3 chairs and asked if he minded if we sat there. No problem said the man..,,, chatting happily to my friend while waiting for my husband to arrive it became more apparent that the man was becoming very agitated…. Slamming his drink down and muttering under his breath … taking phone calls and swearing. Husband arrives and thankfully a table becomes free we can all sit at. By this time we were aware that another couple of woman next to us were aware what was going on and we’re shocked. Next thing man starts saying to my husband that he has an issue with us!!……at this point I go to the bar and tell staff what’s going on and that we feel threatened….. their response was that “ he’s a regular “ …. “ what started it off “ ……WALKED AWAY FEELING EMBARRASSED AND ACUSED! We will not be back. !!!!

Great pub. Food very nice and staff helpful and welcoming. Burgers were excellent

As a pretty avid traveler I would absolutely recommend Foresters to anyone. We ordered a variety of meals and a variety of desserts. Everything came to the table timely and very nicely prepared, cooked as we requested. Our servers were very polite and accommodating. The desserts were to die for. Cozy feel and fantastic food… perfect

Female staff very unfriendly. A smile would make all the difference.

Great food and great service from very friendly staff. The manageress was very accommodating giving us a cosy snug which was ideal for our grandson to have a sleep.

Good for and drinks with very friendly and attentive service.

Having eaten here many times before, was extremely disappointed to find that the quality has plummeted.... No bottled water when seated at your table (a nice touch I always thought). Service OK pleasant staff, menu choice disappointing for the prices asked. Ordered the party pulled pork cheesecake and extremely disappointed that it came to my table cold...obviously temp not checked before service... I always recommended here to friends but have decided after pointing out to the chef and not happy with response will not be recommending or visiting again..