the merlin in Edinburgh, City of

Update: in for a burger this evening and the quality is back up to where it used to be, thank goodness! Thank you Green King! I will be back regularly now. And the service was fantastic! Sadly this place has gone downhill fast. The food used to be good and I used to come here fairly regularly as I am local, but no more. I ate here about a month ago and the hamburger was the worst I have ever had. I came here again last night and thought I'd try something different, so I ordered the chicken burger, and it was the worst I have ever had. Felt like I just threw my money away on crap. Everything now appears to be frozen and precooked like you'd buy at a cash and carry. Low quality, bland and overcooked. The only thing going for this place anymore is the beer, craft ales and a fairly nice atmosphere. Otherwise, there are far better options in the area for food.

A classic for the friend group. Plain lovely.

Come here weekly for lunch, always great service and the food is good aswell, would recommend!

Staff are superb. Served very quickly and pleasantly. Food was great and highly Recommend visiting.

Had a lovely family lunch. Very friendly staff, comfy sofas, lovely food with fast service. Football in the background knocked off a star for me as I’m not a fan

£10 pint, burger and chips. Great affordability especially in Edinburgh

Having tried a few of the morningside cafes and not finding anything to suit my vegetarian / pescetarian friend, we decided to go to The Merlin for fish and chips. Hadn't been for a while and were disappointed to see it looking quite sad and neglected. However, we ordered our drinks and fish and chips. The food came in good time and was delicious. The fish was fresh and not greasy. We both thoroughly enjoyed our meals. The staff we saw were friendly and we were served immediately. On speaking to the manager we were told that there is a refurbishment planned for the very near future. We look forward to returning next time we're in Edinburgh .

Had heard on the grapevine that there was the manager for a well known bar now in charge of the Merlin so popped in with the wife over the weekend. Huge improvement, cleaner, fresher and way more organised. Enjoyed our visit and will start returning.

What a deal, £2 pint of tennents. Keep these kind of offers coming and we will happily ditch our local and come here. Food was decent and enough TVs to watch football comfortably.

You can’t complain about. £2 tennents in Edinburgh, huge offer and well received with the way money is. Never been to this pub before but it decent. Lots of TVs, pool table and decent snack food. Keep the offers coming, this is great.

Played in Ceilidh Band for a ceilidh upstairs in Function Room for visitors to Fringe Festival

Served by one of the rudest staff member. There was no pleasantries at all. She proceeded to give us a warm bottle of Prosecco with two dirty wine glasses. No flutes apparently! Then when it came to paying for said warm fizz she said in a very rude way “cash or card” to which my friend responded with card. The said rude bar member then just walked away and served another customer. We didn’t see the chip and pin machine and she didn’t point us to it. Which in my experience happens. We then assumed that perhaps she was setting up a tab. We walked away and sat down with said dirty glasses and warm fizz. Then she came over and rudely said “you haven’t paid” . Then the who I can only assume was the “manager” if that’s his position then I can see the why the staff are so appalling as his standards and clearly low. He rudely came over to us with no apology about the mix up, simply defended his rude staff member. When we asked why the Prosecco was warm, he advised the fridges weren’t working properly. No apology whatsoever. So in summary it’s filthy inside, staff are shocking. AVOID!

Starting to look a bit shabby Food was mixed - mine was ok, other half not impressed at all Staff kept apologising - I got the impression they got a lot of practice

10/10 service, on vacation with parents & popped in the Merlin, was greeted by Aaron & good vibes !

Absolutely horrendous, 25.07.24 I was there for dinner with my 92 year old father, he had a bandage on his head, the barmaid did not listen to him nor give him the time of day as many older people can expect. The manager Kyle fixed the order, but when it arrived it was still wrong. I went into the kitchen as no one was available to fix the problem, the dishwasher ushered me out and found Kyle the manager outside, Kyle eventually came in but started clearing a table next to ours, I called him over and told him the Pepper corn sauce is missing, he repeated again and again, did you order it, I assured him my father did and then he kept saying you will have to pay extra for it, meanwhile our steaks were getting colder, so I wrongly and in the heat of the moment told him where to go. He returned after we finished our meal and said you have 10 minutes to finish your wine and leave or he will call the police,and that i am banned from the Merlin. I understand upper management have problems retaining good, professional mature staff, it's their uncaring long term legacy. My father said his steak was tasteless though it was twice the size of mine and mine looked and tasted like it had been boiled. The staff conditions are awful, the staff were uneducated children, Do not eat there. Peter

Was in on Friday night with a couple friends. Nice atmosphere, food was good and decently priced. Friendly bar staff, shout out to Kirsty. Friendly & attentive. Would definitely recommend this pub, will be back again

Kirsty was a fantastic member of staff and made sure we had the best night! Definitely recommend!

Absolutely fantastic place! The food, staff and atmosphere was absolutely amazing! Looking forward to my next visit already and working my way through their huge menu, with a side of mash potatoes of course! 🙂 Highly recommended!!

Absolutely fantastic place! The food, staff and atmosphere was absolutely amazing! Looking forward to my next visit and working my way through their huge menu, with a side of mash potatoes of course! 🙂 Highly recommended!!

Great normal pub in Edinburgh, defo not fancy. Good pub grub, nice pint and great for football. Been for a few euros games and will defo be back.

We had a table reserved for the football was good

Been a few times, the food is very good and the highlight of going. Even better getting student discount off food and drink. However, trying to get served at the bar is a pain as it always feels under staffed. We have also booked a table online for the football with food and they tried to place us on a small high table next to a pillar which couldn't see one of the TVs. The toilets are really not pleasant as well. Plus, there was a dj who was trying to play music and do his set while everyone wanted to watch/listen to the football.

This must be the worst pub in the country. The service is awful. I waited for 10 minutes for my first drink which was bad enough. There was only one bar tender around. And there was a large group of twenty or so folk in. Ordering my second drink was even worse. The large group were placing their huge order and the sole bar tender was clearly struggling. I waited with another customer and then the bar tender simply disappeared. No staff there at all and another 10 minutes! He did eventually reappear and I asked him if me and the other customer, who was also anxious, could get served. The bar tender said he had to do this big order first. I said so you’re not serving us then? He said I’ve got to do this order first! Unbelievable - he could have served us our couple of drinks first before the big order. I’ve never been refused service like this anywhere before. Absolutely disgraceful in a capital city. And the toilets were stinking!

Phoned up earlier to book a table and was told over the phone that they “don’t take bookings, it’s first come, first served.” So we still decided to come much earlier than we wanted to ensure we got a table to find most tables had a reserved sign on them. I asked the bar man Ross why I was told they don’t take bookings over the phone and instead of an apology i was told “that’s just the way it is,” while he smirked away to himself. Won’t be back. Shocking and rude service towards their customers. Shame for a local pub.

My favourite Edinburgh local for 15 years! Good, well priced pub grub and the staff are always super lovely and helpful! Aidan and Kirsty looked after us as a large group booking. They were so friendly and accommodating.

Lovely food but my fish was very oily and not great to eat. Staff were very slow to serve and not a great atmosphere. The staff who brought us our food were not speaking at all and we had to go to the bar to ask for our drinks as it took over 20mins to get them ready and then a further 30 mins to get our meals. We will not be returning to the Merlin.

Arran and Kirsty were wonderful hosts for my wife's birthday ceilidh in the Merlin's function suite. They helped with the planning, allowed us to put up decorations beforehand, and made sure the evening went smoothly. The function suite was large enough for a ceilidh dance floor with seating all around. There was a suitable PA system, good lighting, and a bar and toilets on the same floor. We had a wonderful evening and would definitely book again!

It's essentially a Weatherspoons pub without actually being one! There aren't many options in Morningside.

Yesterday was the first time I visited the Merlin in many years. It was scruffy, the toilets were a disgrace the tables were sticky . The comfy looking arm chairs were torn Need to pull your socks up

Best experience 😁am sorry I had the best experience in ur bar,its one of the best I have visited lately ☺️ keep the quality up...good one

Was my first visit ever. Kinda impressed, relaxing atmosphere and clean.

Suppose it’s okay ordered 8 strips got a little tiny stupid burger bun with little piece of chicken

Fab beer garden on a sunny day. Staff are absolutely brilliant.

Not magical. Gandalf's is better.

Regularly come here and the staff are excellent. Kirsty is especially great as she provides quick and effective service always with a smile.

Nice easygoing pub. Always a place free to sit. Very mixed audience, which is nice! It's not a good old authentic pub but it does what it's supposed to! Staff is really friendly and the food is good!

Great atmosphere even nicer bar staff

Like the name suggests, this place casts a spell. And it's no bad for a scran and a bevy as well. Highly recommended. Magic, I'd say go in the night time or during the day.

Love coming to The Merlin for drinks! Aaron, Kirsty, Vuki and the staff are super friendly and make us feel welcome every Monday when we come in!

Visited with family, quick service, lovely food. Staff were very friendly and helpful esp Aaron, Oran and Aimee. Highly recommend.

Had a lovely lunch here, good food, friendly atmosphere. Staff very friendly, esp Aaron, Oren and Aimee will certainly visit next time in Edinburgh

We had a great time, food was good staff were warm and friendly. Made us feel welcome. A special Aaron. Couldn’t do enough for us .

Top pub in Edinburgh, cannot recommend more! Bar staff was incredible and service impeccable, visit the Merlin right now!

Bar staff were incredible! The best pub I’ve visited in Edinburgh!

Best pub I've been to in Edinburgh, couldn't have asked for nicer staff and the food is some of the best that I have ever had

Amazing service with a wide variety of food and drink! Many screens to watch the sports on too which is great. Will definitely be visiting more often for a bite to eat and some football⚽️

2 previous visits to the Merlin I had enjoyed the Seniors Menu" very good value for money😀. On this occasion I was given scampi chips n mushy peas as per previous visits- only this time the portions had decreased by 40%- when I asked the bar tender that this was a lot less than previous times - his reply was " I must have been over portioned on the previous occasions- then mumbled something about new management and this was the correct portion size- price was the same as before, but its a very deceitful ploy on the new management part- also asked for a pint of tap water with a shot of lime cordial and was charged £1.90 - the previous time for the same drink was 90p- it seems you are reeling in customers with the value for money food - to only go and give half size portions 6mths down the line- I was incredibly hungry afterwards as the neal was so meagre ☹️☹️

I went for lunch today with my wife and son I can honestly say that it was one of the worst lunches we have had in a long time. My wife ordered fish and chips it looked over cooked but it wasn't the oil had not been changed for a long time you it taste burnt from the oil. My son ordered a chicken dish wich was a bit dry and also a very small portion. I ordered scampi with chips and peas, it was terrible the peas looked like they had been sitting on the hot line for a while the 8 pieces of scampi i got was not very good and seemed to be from iceland and served with 11 chips, I had to check to see if i ordered a Childs portion but i hadn't so all I can say is we won't be back which is sad because we stay local. Even for pub food it was very disappointing. Unfortunately a very poor lunch for such a nice part of Edinburgh.

The atmosphere and staff make the Merlin, the drinks and food are well priced for what you get and there is a lovely outside seating area as well.

Expensive in my opinion. Lager £6+ for most brands and poor basic facilities to match. No toilet paper in gent’s cubicles, poo. When this was brought to the attention of a member of staff an acknowledgment but no apology. Not a visit I will be in a hurry to repeat.

Environment pleasant. Clean. Disappointing Fish and chips. Fish very dry. Overpriced for the poor quality that was served. Waited a long time for food to be served. Got given a random bowl of chips about ten mins before our meal. That I never ordered. But got charged for. Also staff got table number mixed up and the waiter was wandering around lost .

Wee cheeky birthday lunch drinks, excellent atmosphere and service. Aaron and kirsty fab hosts and kept the gin flowing!!

friendly and helpful staff. Great atmosphere with sports on multiple TVs. Great place to drink and eat. Superb outside area for summer

Get out of the tourist traps and head down Morningside way for an afternoon or evening out in REAL Edinburgh with tasty food, a good range of beers and wines, good value and all served up by lovely, friendly, helpful staff.

Staff were friendly and efficient with Aaron in charge and he could not have been more accommodating in making sure we had everything we needed to make the occasion a memorable one. The food was as good as usual and my Mac n cheese was perfect with wine flowing and the rugby on what was not to like - well the result of Scotland v Ireland was, but that was all! Of course we’ll be back. Thanks Aaron and staff.

My wife and I attended a party to celebrate a friend's birthday and watch the Six nations rugby on Saturday 16 March, and enjoyed the occasion and the food enormously. We had attended similar events previously and always had a really good time. Highly recommended!

Brilliant wee pub with great atmosphere. Nice big beer garden for sunny days☀️ Aaron went above and beyond to make sure our time here was perfect. Cannot fault it at all, we will definitely be back!

Not been for years and was looking forward to returning but after visit will certainly be back. Was not particularly busy but had to chase up food couple of times. One member of staff helpful but another who appeared to be in charge had a bad attitude/poor customer service.

Fantastic atmosphere great staff especially vuki, Kirsty, Josh and Alex!!!! I will always drink here :)

I attended this venue over the weekend and the staff are so attentive , amazing atmosphere and the food was delicious! the manager Aaron is so inviting and helpful for anything we needed, would definitely recommend the merlin, will be back as soon as we can :)

Beer was off, bar staff appeared disinterested, atmosphere ok. Won’t be rushing back.

Very good food, average service.

not bad, simple food, quite nice. However, don't buy a cappuccino, it's like liquid gravel.

My wife said that the ladies toilets were disgusting. They had no clean wine glasses. Manager was completely disinterested and accused my wife of having an attitude problem. I think he has the problem. We have been going to this bar for many years and the decline in standards recently is rather sad.

Simple local bar with friendly service that shows sport.

If you like modern sports bars, this the one for you. Large outside area too

Only 2 members of bar staff on extremely busy day but all else excellent!

I’ve been going to the merlin for years now. This place has gone through much change and I’d love nothing more than to say it’s gone from strength to strength. I’d be lying. It feels like it’s lost it’s spark. The Subsidiary of “Greene King” making what seems to be, let’s say, rash decisions from the outside looking in. I’m all for change but more importantly I’m a man of nostalgia, and the merlin was so good. Was…

Dropping off equipment earlier for work that night for someone party. Staff couldn’t be more helpful especially the manager. Thank you.

It's a bit run down the chairs had rips in them not nice at all.

Christmas Day lunch -Staff fantastic, went out of their way to organise lunch for us when we were visiting just for Christmas and could not visit to pay deposit -Vegan options were best I have ever seen and had for Christmas Day. So much more effort has gone into menu design than just a Nut Roast or Wellington -Pub is gorgeous inside, friendly warm welcome, opposite bus stop that runs every 15 minutes even on Christmas Day -Not rushed in and out, staff happy to be there and can even get there early to have a few drinks

There are no words to explain how much I love this pub, recently visiting Scotland for the first time with my partner, i had the pleasure of meeting Karen (The governor) She is soo amazing, friendly and a perfect manager 😍🥲 I hope to come back ASAP to just to see her. The food is also very nice and well put together ❤️ safe to say, whenever I am in Edinburgh, i will come to this pub x Very lovely to meet you and your team! Sonny

Stopped.off for lunch nice clean bar

Didn't enjoy the Tennants lager that's the 3rd time in a row it's been poor

Went there well working away 6 of us ordered food at 5 pm and told kitchen was closed only to see others ordered at 5.30 and get food

There were about 6 people in this large bar and two staff and still the service was awful. When they eventually poured my (single) Gin and Tonic costing almost £7.00 they told me they had no ice. They were unhelpful to an elderly couple wanting to oder food as they hadn't booked. On the plus side the bar, tables etc were all clean. I won't be giving them a second chance.

First visit here. A quick drink while in the area. Prompt and friendly service. Bright and lively place even though it was mid day. I would return here if in the area again.

Food was cold, the bar man brought the food then he brought the cutlery 5 minutes later, very rude staff, won't be back.

Remember a time when this was a great pub... unfortunately not so sure now.. won't say I won't be back.. other chances and all that

We shared a selection of the mexican small plates which were very nice. Mother had the lasagne, which she really enjoyed. It was quite quiet but was a monday lunch time so probably to be expected.

We were all having a great night, until a bartender was rude to us, he had glasses on and I think his name was John? He has no customer service and appeared annoyed to serve us drinks (his job). The merlin is great but don’t let little things like this ruin it. It’s not an inconvenience for someone to apply a valid student, don’t be lazy John.

Lovely staff and good service but food was just awful.

Sam and Vuk are incredible at the bar late at night. Always excellent service and great chat. Definitely miss Mike, not sure what happened with him? But Sam and Vuk make my every visit!!

A warm and welcoming pub with staff really giving that service with a smile. I was welcomed after walking through the door, and served promptly by a chap called Sam. Giving that smile and weekend banter. The fish and chips was absolutely amazing. I can see why it’s talked about so much. Accompanied with a spectacular pint of real ale! Great all round experience, cheers to you Team Merlin

Never usually leave a review about a place but the food was shocking. Fish and Chips cold and dry. Beefburger was tiny, cold, dry and looked like it was bought from the Supermarket Iceland. Even the main Salad was bad. The only positive was we got a refund as it was that disgusting we couldn't eat it.

I can't imagine this place getting any worse. Went for lunch, asked at the till for some lunch deals, manager told me that everything was on the menu rudely. I asked him where because I couldn't see the deal that I was asking for and I did have 2 menus with me. Manager came with a different menu, told him that menu was not on my table and he rolled his eyes. Asked for 2 kids pasta, 1 baked beans, 1 garden peas and 2 bread, manager didn't do anything, after repeating several times my order in different ways, manager told me that was not what I started asking. I told the manager that I wanted 5 things that according to the menu could go together, I didn't care how he put them in the till. All I wanted was 2 kids meals with side and veggies, 5 items so far, the items were always the same. Manager complained that I ordered differently. I was fed up with his attitude and told him that his job was to put my order in the till, and my job was to order and pay for it. I didn't care how he put it in the till as long as I got my items. And it's not my job to tell him how to do his job, putting the items in the till. Manager found the excuse not to serve the foreigners after been so rude from the beginning. Worse place every

Very unhelpful, rude staff and meh food. Not worth a visit.

Ein Sport 🏟 Pup . Preiswert mit freundlichen und sympathischer Bedienung.. ⭐ ⭐ ⭐⭐

Great food and a good pint of guinness

Went here for a rugby game the other night. Lots of screens to watch the sports on, the food looks good but yet to order.

I go to this place quite a lot. They offer a great menu with small plates to full dinners and a decent selection of drinks. Good place to watch live sports, and a pub quiz if you fancy it.

Spent hoyrs here drinking pints even tjough 6 of the supposedly 9 drafts are unavailable. Its 20:00 and went to order foid to be told kitchen closed. Even though website states food until 21:00. If id known i would have left before the game im watching started. Cant recommend.. Shame.

What the hell has happened to The Merlin??????? It used to be a the place to have a great meal & a drink, BUT...after trying today at 6:30pm for the THIRD time in as many months to get a meal only to be told once again...THERE'S NO FOOD BUT THERE MAYBE A CHEF WORKING ON FRIDAY!!!!!!! NO WONDER THERE WAS ONLY 7 PEOPLE IN THE PLACE !!!!! Yet web site still advertises food served from 12noon till 9pm It looks like we'll need to phone on a daily and enquire whether food is available and if a chef is on duty to cook it.

Food was very poor. No fish n chips even though they said they had it. 3 of us : Burgers (1 beef 1 chicken) were awful. The french fries were a small child's portion instead of full portion and lettuce was so tiny (had to open up the burger and lift up the chicken and beef to fond it), no pickle, no tomato sauce. I had the gammon steak (as no FnC) was over cooked and tasted somewgat rubbery as it was likely put in the microwave. The difference in the quality of food this time vs previous visit is massive. Only 3 staff and pub not even a quarter full . Staff were repeatedly heard complaining to the customers, about only 3 staff and rushed off their feet. Maybe because it was monday the chef was off and someone else was preparing it, but that is no reason, better not to serve food than to serve bad food.

Lively Friday evening drinks spot. Sports screens plus a DJ.

Food can be good sometimes it depends who is on the microwave doint go near the curry your stomach will not thank you

Food wasn't available on the day I was there but I will go again

The Little Manager need s to learn about customer service, This should be my local and every time I have been in there even the staff moaned about him, he needs to learn how to smile and how to talk to his customers

Standard chain pub fare. Not bad not great.

Each time we visit our local pub, there is a problem with the kitchen. They have a new chef and I don’t know how he got the job, but he is not a chef. They offered on a Friday night 3 meals. Not even fish and chips. And what we got was disgusting. The chips and fish fingers were burnt and too long in old fat, the burger tasteless and luke warm. The staff is lovely though, but don’t go there if you want to eat something. Na Donald’s offers better food. The toilets were dirty and there was no toilet paper in any of the ladies toilets. That’s probably how the kitchen looks like. So no thanks