The Castle Arms in Edinburgh, City of

The best pub in Edinburgh great food great seavice. A great atmosphere, we will definitely come back.

Great little spot for food and a drink. Food was very tasty and staff really friendly and helpful

Aside from the friendliness of the owner, I had by far my best lunch in Edinburgh with the slow cooked lamb. Despite the very touristy location, everything was excellent!

Having eaten here this evening I am shocked at the inefficient manager. Having waited 50 minutes for our food we enquired with a lovely young barman as to where our food was. He checked with the manager who had taken our order We were informed by the barman that the manager hadn't actually put our order through to the kitchen .He dealt with the error immediately The barman couldn't have been more apologetic I thanked him and requested I speak to the manager I felt my complaint was something he wasn't really equipped to deal with or wasn't bothered about I am not sure which The barman on the other hand was continuously checking that everything was ok with our food when it arrived We were given a free drink and 20%off our bill However the arrogant attitude of the manager and not taking responsibility of his error of something as simple as placing an order is flabbergasting Maybe the manager needs training in customer service. Well done to the barman on duty Friday 29th of November from 6pm to 8pm You could be the managers mentor perhaps? Nicola

Came here for dinner.. it was obvious that English was not the first language of the server which is fine, just made it more difficult to place our orders. We ordered the smoked salmon which according to the menu comes with a side of salad and bread. When asked if the salad came with a dressing the server did not know what we were talking about. Also ordered a lamb shank which was decent, was slightly overcooked but it wasn’t awful. When the “smoked salmon” arrived, it was very clearly not smoked salmon with a side of salad. It was a bowl full of salad with 4 small slices of RAW salmon and 2 pieces of burnt bread. I’m not sure how this is considered smoked salmon with a side of salad, but definitely did not hit the mark on that dish. The server said they would bring a dressing for the salad and did not bring dressing at all. To top it all off, we were seated and it took approximately 30-40 minutes to get our food because of a “technical” issue.

Great little place for a quick lunch/drink in between sigh seeing. Very friendly staff!

Very bad experience. The waiter was very rude and in a hurry to get rid of us the moment he saw a toddler with us. Would have loved to try out the food had I not been shown the door by the unpleasant waiter. Very very disappointed in the place entirely.

We were there and it's a cool place, nice and friendly staff... at least 2 Poles work there because they talked to us :) we recommend it!

Fun pub in Edinburgh with a large menu. I had the Lamb Shank and it was outstanding. The Yorkshire Dinner was not as pictured in the menu but still tasty .

Ball tent, service was lousy. Order yourself at the bar. Staff was unfriendly. And no food available after 8:30 PM

A great place for a quick drink.

Cozy tent. Good food. Staff work hard and are very friendly. Cozy tent

Delicious dessert as always will defo be back for a bday meal.

Ordered a £21 sirloin and my son ordered a £26 fillet. Both poor quality steaks, the sauces were not homemade and we got 1 and a half mushrooms each. Not worth the money!

Menu said a burger, fries and a pint for £15. I ordered a lamb shanks and gravy and a burger deal. I paid £1 extra for cheese on the burger. Then was slugged an ‘optional service charge’ of £4. The food was ok, but meals were small and gravy was slipped off the plate into the table. The burger also didn’t have cheese as requested and paid for. Service was terrible.

Nice place for a well-deserved little break near the castle! Fast, efficient service. The waiter even spoke a little French with us! ☺️ it was great! Recommended!

So friendly staff! Lovely location to stop off if going to/from the castle for some food and drink.

Great variety of food and cocktails. Everything was delicious. They did a great job of serving everyone in a timely manner even while the place was packed.

Very attentive staff. Food was delicious.

Nice place, good food, but you can't close the coffee machine at 8pm, it's unacceptable!

Lovely little pub with great food and great service from a very warm and attentive host 🤗

The service was very good, they accommodated us even though we arrived 10 minutes before the kitchen closed. The haggis was excellent, the chicken and fish n chips also.

Delicious meal. Perfect setting in old Edinburgh. Very pleasant staff. The young girl who took care of me that day was really very, very friendly.

Has been my go to pint spot while on my solo trip. Excellent spot to have a pint while I plan where to go next. Sit out the front for views of the cathedral across the road and also the castle peeking down the road. Some nice downstairs tables facing the other side too.

Popped in, found a table outside on the rear patio, went to order food at the bar only to be told they are not serving food outside as they were understaffed. Zero signage to stay this, menus on the table outside still, and no sorry or anything from the staff member. Needless to say that we simply went somewhere else that wanted our business. Plenty of other choices around.

Amazing lamb shank. Also the cheapest meal on our trip to the UK! Cheers!

Sat at the bar and waited to be served but seemingly invisible by the bar staff.

Visited 2nd September, the Scottish fella on the bar makes this place, he was the most welcoming, friendly and attentive guy I’ve met in a long time! The food was good, the drinks were better, the lad who seemed to be running the place was an absolute 10/10. Would definitely recommend!

The food was amazing came hot and a very fast service. Would recommend if busy wait for a table it's worth it.

Excellent location, fabulous food and good customer service! Came here twice in one week it was that nice. Quite a cosy little place for a quick bite to eat before heading to the castle. Very convenient location and great value food. Will definitely be going back!

The food was very good, but we had to wait 45’ for it to arrive, while we watched as the people who had ordered later got their plates before us. When we complained, our plates arrived after 5’ (or they had forgotten or that is the time they handle there) but 45’ for fish and chips seems excessive to me. The atmosphere is nice, clean and there is good music

Simple but not bad food. A little too much noise

Went in for drink initially but were planning on eating later too, told to sit anywhere we liked. Asked if we could sit at particular table. Advised we could. Shortly after we were asked to leave as table reserved. No evidence of reservation on table. Felt like we were being displaced for a cover of 4. Appreciate you’ve got a business to run, but didn’t appreciate being turfed out as a couple to make way for a 4 cover. Ended up taking our business elsewhere :(

We hopped into this pub one late night and the folks in the bar were very helpful while i picked my beer and drinks… a typical scotlandish pub ….

Superb grub. The Angus Burgers were lovely, the chicken, bacon and cheese in a bread sort of large ciabata were lovely. Me and the wife shared ours, thouroughly enjoyed them.

Location in the heart of the city. We had a lamb shank, a traditional Yorkshire pudding beef and a glass of wine. Excellent food, not bad wine too. We paid £43.83. The service was a little slow, but this habit seems to be widespread in the city. The staff was very kind.

Quaint pub in a great location near Edinburgh Castle, very friendly staff, very good pub food

The meat was perfectly seared and haggis is a traditional Scottish dish that’s a must try! The cheesecake had a unique taste and the icecream on it was yum!

£9.50 for a limoncello spritz in a plastic glass INSIDE the pub 😫 Everyone one else was drinking from plastic glasses inside the pub which definitely ruined the experience. It felt like being in a student union. Staff was unfriendly so I decided to finish my drink as soon as possible and leave. Service is poor.

Good atmosphere and the food looks good

Great food, service and atmosphere. Loved the balcony view. ......and the cocktails

A nice pub. Foods ok beers good. Pleasant views. Handy location. Nice staff.

Very good pub in the center of Edinburgh, right next to the castle. The meats are good and the staff is friendly. I recommend.

Great atmosphere and quick service! Did not have any food, but the beer was good! 👍

Good pint of Guinness, with decent staff.

Very tasty food and very nice service. The chocolate cake is particularly recommended.

The reason I give a 2 star is because the lamb shank was amazing! The glass of water I ordered that was tap water costed us 10 dollar CAD so 4 or 5 pounds and the beer is flat and even more expensive then the water.

Frozen food, very dry burger and overcooked. Hot chocolate was only water and powder.. Kind staff and can't comment on the alcohol

Cozy place, good food, friendly service, nice selection of beer. 10% service fee is included into the bill by default, which points the place to be a bit touristy.

The staff here was great. We were staying very near so we stopped here in the evenings for a pint. Samual, Josh and Jorge were usually who we saw when we went in. They were all friendly and provided great service. The food was standard pub fare, and was very good. I particularly liked the Yorkshire Pudding and Sausage.

I went last week with a couple friends just for a few beers. Great little pub, and we had a great time chatting with one of the staff, Jorge. Would definitely recommend!

We were with 3 children and we ate really well. A good pub to eat near the castle. Really great!

Very good atmosphere and very pleasant service, very good traditional cuisine

My niece and I had a very delicious, hearty dinner. We enjoyed the great food, the atmosphere, helpful advice and a friendly and quick service.

Nice comfortable place with a good vibe (without or without kids). I also wanted to commend the staff here, very trustworthy individuals. My daughter left her phone there and when I called up the restaurant, they kindly located it and put it aside for me to pick it up.

Stopped here for bite to eat & enjoy the sites & sounds of a local pub!! Nice atmosphere & friendly staff however the fish & chips didn’t meet expectations! Fish wasn’t fresh as the batter was thick & chewy! Almost seems like they kept it in the freezer plus the fries 🍟 were not crispy & fresh. Local beer 🍺 was okay. Recommend come give it a try!

A nice pub in the tourist section of the town. A place to have a pint and something to eat. Food was subpar. The fish and chip was OK. Fish was not as fresh. Service was not great, we had to wait a long time for our food and drinks. I do not think they are trying to be a good pub. Their location is so good, there are plenty of tourists around.

Absolutely awful. Food is not what it says on the menu and what you do receive is bland and poor quality. For one hour after getting our food we tried to get the attention of one of the servers who were all on their phones behind the bar. I had to pull apart my very bland sandwich to try get some food in before our tour of the castle and my partner could only eat the salmon from her salad which was also very poor quality and a whole tomato cut in four with huge chunks of onion and what I can only describe as grass as a salad, the chips that came with my sandwich were the only saving grace. When challenged about the food, the supervisor and waitress were so rude and unhelpful and found this all to be very funny. Absolutely a tourist trap with terrible food and even worse staff and management. Go spend your money somewhere else because this place doesn’t deserve a cent!

A côté du château d'Edimbourg, un chouette endroit où on mange bien, où le service est efficace et sympa. Le tout a été "gâché" par un manager apparu en fin de service et qui s'est octroyé un pourboire de 10% de l'addition sans le demander. Je vous recommande donc cet endroit mais de ne vérifier scrupuleusement votre addition.

Lamb shank was exquisitely done. Roasted chicken was perfection as well.

Great place to pop in on a warm day for a very cold Guinness. Made new friends with Pawel and Jule, the barman and barmaid. Super friendly and took the time to be nice to a strange traveler (me). Great service and my favorite pint(s)

Had a drink here, little service for a large terrace.

Very good food, good service and excellent location

So glad I stop here today I lost my glasses and was struggling to read everything but the young man (joshua) if I'm remembering correctly was very helpful and Patient helping me with the menu and describing everything perfectly the world needs more people like this

Great service. In addition to great beers, it also has an excellent menu of dishes, especially burgers. Very tasty meat!

Loveeeeeeed the steak! We were quite lucky to find a spot here, delicious. I’d come again. The service was slow but understandable because it was super busy.

The service is very nice and attentive. Food decent

Ordered food and everyone got what they ordered, unfortunately somehow sorry got into my wife's food and it made her very sick. She had to miss out on first tour we had scheduled for after. This is even though she ordered food clearly labeled as soy free.

Nice food. Nice beer. Nice atmosphere. The place is Perfect .

This pub has a great atmosphere with very friendly employees! Would go again next time.

Typical Scottish place where you can taste their typical dishes. Friendly service, fast preparation of the order. The location is also excellent, a stone's throw from Edinburgh Castle and the Royal Mile, the shopping street

We were traveling as a group (10 people) and were looking for a nice pub to have a little something to eat and drink. We came across the Castle Arms. The lady who greeted us was extremely friendly and offered us a place in the basement due to the size of the group. That wasn't a problem for us and we accepted the offer. Everything started out great, but then unfortunately things quickly went downhill. We first had to pay for the drinks before we got them, then when ordering food the same issue with payment - "pay beforehand otherwise there will be no food!" Unfortunately, the staff was very unfriendly and seemed stressed and overworked. The food was average.

Great food! Went to an early dinner around 16:45 and was seated immediately. Very kind and attentive staff. Had the chargrilled chicken, haggis, and toffee pudding (to die for!!). Would definitely go again!

A wonderful bistro with friendly staff and amazing food. If you are staying at the Castle Rock Hostel you get 10% off. I had a full 3 courses and the price was very reasonable for what I got.

The best pub in Edinburgh to eat! I recommend the lamb and the toffie. Very well attended!!!

Typical pub in a very good location and not too expensive

Found the castle arms running parallel to the Royal mile and a 5 min walk to the castle.Had 2 Latte here late morning at £5.90 I must say as Lattes go it was nice. We came again early afternoon but it was heaving with people eating as well as drinking so went elsewhere and came back at teatime and found a table. I had grilled chicken breast with creamy mash and seasoned veg with gravy. The chicken was slightly dry so I used the thimble full of gravy on the chicken which left the mash and veg dry so I ordered more which cost me £1. The mash wasn't creamy or mashed It looked like it had been mashed with a fork but it was real. But the veg was frozen and what some would use in a throw-together stewpack.I wasnt keen on the sloppy orange slices nestled amongst the frozen stewpack It just didnt 'go' . paid £15.95 for this meal plus extra for gravy.Not worth the money to be honest but considering its location its obvious why it is pricey. Hubby said his burger was nice which came with fries and set him back for £15 but paid extra for cheese and bacon around £18.The pub itself was nice and was busy

I visited this pub two weeks ago while on vacation in Edinburgh. Normally, I plan where to eat in advance, but most places were fully booked, so we ended up here. From the outside, the ambiance seemed nice—just like any typical pub. We managed to get a table for our group, but it took over 30-40 minutes for anyone to come take our order, and that was only after I sought out a waiter. When the food finally arrived, about half of it was different from what we actually ordered, and some dishes didn’t arrive at all. While some of the food was tasty, other dishes lacked flavor entirely—no salt, no sauces as described on the menu, nothing. The waiter seemed to be having a bad day and was quite bossy, handling the issues I raised poorly. Overall, it could have been a much better experience.

I've visited many times over the years, today was the worst we ever encountered, will not be back. Staff were useless, young and no enthusiasm, young boy didn't know his beers/ciders, stated " just look on the menu". The fish cooked too quickly batter rock hard and the chips, cheap chips cooked badly. Also they had a cheek to add a service charge without my knowledge or consent. Outrageous trying to rip off tourist's. 😪

This boat trip was interesting to explore the surrounding area

With the sandwich and beer offer for 15 pounds I had a sandwich and a bucket of chips. The portions were small and the burger quite tough, although the meat is always of excellent quality and overall everything was tasty. Good chips but I had to ask for sauces and they were few, noisy but pleasant environment, friendly and precise service.

Excellent place in Old Town to eat Haggis. Tremendous! Good soup of the day too. And beers. Everyone is invited …

An excellent location, friendly staff, and a great beer garden and buzzing vibe.

Visited a few weeks ago, had an amazing bartender! He knew local places to visit and had excellent drink recommendations :) Anyone visiting, make sure to ask for Macheck

Walked in to a friendly welcome, just had a quick drink. Great decor, busy, lively pub, food smelt good.

Nice pub next to the Castle. The Manager who greeted us at the door was 1st class. I could see watching him he eas an experienced professional in hospitality.! I can recommend a pint of the Neck Oil IPA on tap ✅️

Very good restaurant, warm atmosphere. The lamb shank is a delight.

They serve an excellent pudding and an excellent whisky.

Good selection of whiskies. Staff were very friendly too and responded well to my deliberate mispronounced attempts at whiskies

Unfortunately we weren't happy here. We had fish and chips. The fries tasted strongly of the potato peel. The tartar sauce came from a tube. The price was high.

Excellent sirloin filet, sides, sauces and service! 🇺🇸

Highly recommend the Lamb shank. It’s really nice, can ask for some chilly sauce to taste too. I walked in from the behind corridor, chill out there only drinks are available.

Heartwarming welcome. Simple and good food.

Busy, good food and quick service.

Great little restaurant serving traditional Scottish and English cuisine. The service was a little awkward at times but for the most part we enjoyed the visit. Highly recommend lamb shank and sticky toffee pudding.

Popped in last weekend for food and drinks with a few friends. The atmosphere was really lovely, we were made to feel so welcome and all of the staff really went out of their way to chat and interact with us. Very knowledgeable on the city itself and had wonderful suggestions and tips that made our city visit go much more smoothly. We ordered several different meals and were all very impressed, we actually couldn’t agree on which was the best since we each enjoyed ours so much! The meats, the sauces even the veg - it was all so tasty and cooked to perfection. The deserts were also fantastic, we particularly enjoyed the cranachan with vanilla ice cream and the apple crumble. The service was also outstanding with everything ordered arriving quickly and our at times quite complicated drinks orders were never any hassle for the wonderful bartender. Apologies for probably being a little high maintenance but thank you all so much for going above and beyond to make our visit so special.

Its Just a nice pub a realy realy nice pub

Lovely food. Could have more veggie options. Watch out for added extras they don't tell you about but would definitely go back. Staff are lovely too

The place looks nice, the atmosphere is okay. Unfortunately the staff is unfriendly and bored. This was the worst fish & chips we have had in Edinburgh so far. Tasted like rancid oil, fries and onion rings too. 18 pounds for that is absolutely cheeky. We had to ask for everything, sauces, vinegar, cutlery. (Sauces in mini packets, super annoying) The steak sandwich was okay. £60 for 2 drinks and poor food for 2 people. No recommendation.

Great Service and great cocktails!