The Playfair - JD Wetherspoon in Edinburgh, City of

Not great. I should have known better.

Nice weatherspoons pub inside cinema complex

Nice selection of drinks good service and staff are very polite and helpful the place was very clean

Ordered food and drinks through the app. Waited almost 30 minutes for both. Food was edible but not hot, only warm.

Updated review on 28th May 2025 on a separate visit to that noted below. It was a mixed bag, though primarily good. I expected the food to be passible but it was actually excellent. Freshly cooked, hot, chips clearly done in fresh oil, attention to detail in the plate. And the young chap that served us was very nice. The downside was the bar staff, apart from the team leader. I didn't catch the badges but the shift manager was female and in a mainly green patterned blouse. When I approached the bar to order food, there was no queue, only me. She stood directly in front of me at the beer pump for approximately 40 or 50 seconds and totally ignored me, then walking away. Absolutely the height of ignorance. All she was doing was holding the pump and standing about 2 ft in front of me over the counter.. The rest of the bar staff, whilst they were working and moving around, where exactly the same. Totally ignored whoever they were meant to be dealing with and whoever was in a queue was completely ignored also. Apart from the bar team leader, the rest were exceptionally poor and the shift manager should be pulled up. Based on this visit, would I return? Yes should the bar staff all be reviewed and spoken to? Yes. Should the manager in the green blouse be spoken to more harshly? Absolutely. I tend to only give 5 stars if something is exceptional. This was very good, nice food, well staffed, polite service, clean toilets. Have been before and will return

Modern Spoons. Really busy. It was a warm sunny day in late April. Loads sat in the sun. Plenty of tables though. Service a bit slow. Food quality normal Spoons quality. Being a city centre it was a cutdown menu. Being vegetarian some of my usual choices (vegetable burger and burrito salad) weren't on the menu but some were out of stock (halloumi burger and wrap) . I had the curry, always good. Service quickish given how busy it was.

Incident occured on Monday 28th, April, 2025 The duty manager profiled me as someone under the influence. I explained to her I have complex PTSD and am here to decompress after a series of recent traumas. After politely ordering some food and drink , to a server (Chips n cheese , Almaroni Pieronata, table 48) . (As I was looking for my charging unit for my phone) Without even introducing herself, The manager swooped in, and before I'd even taken a sip, she said "I have had too much drink" and that I was not to be served. I was understandably upset, as she gave no clear reason as to why I'd had my drink removed. if this was the case, why then should I have my order refunded (By her, without even asking.) Should I not be allowed my food. She then accused me of being aggressive, as she thinks her actions were not aggressive at all (They were sudden and took me completely off-guard, I was extremely upset by her lack of consideration and complete lack of clarity.) She began to effectively gaslight, and began to frame her decision to take my (Paid for) order away and completely refund it It was extremely rude and showed complete disrespect towards a paying customer. It was very clear there was some underlying agenda which she was not being honest about. And I seek clarification on what prompted this deeply unprofessional and dishonest behaviour Realising she was attempting to frame her decision on my "aggression" I de-escalated and asserted that I wish to make a complaint against her. She did not give her name, simply identifed herself as "The Duty Manager I replied, that's fine I don't need your name. But I will be proceeding with a complaint against her specifically. She was also unhelpful with this aspect too, although I can realise why as she will realise that her conduct and behaviour was anything but managerial. It was dishonest and sneaky and has robbed me of all faith in your establishment. Realising that she was standing by her decision, I said "fine I accept, but I have had absolutely nothing to drink" (Which is true.) I am not barred and she states that I am welcome to return. However, I will not. And I have stated that I will make an official complaint against her. My money was returned without receipt. I am absolutely disgusted by the complete lack of understanding, respect or support for mental health issues. I will never order food in this establishment again DO NOT ORDER HERE IF YOU HAVE ANY MENTAL HEALTH ISSUE. #standagainststigma

Absolutely shambolic, one person serving,5 customers waiting, when I finally got served , I ordered eggs benedict, large breakfast with extra Haggis and black pudding, and 2 teas. I was then told to wait at the bar for two mugs , after 5 mins and listening to the two staff debating who's ordered more cups? they finally arrived.Then got to the drink machine No Milk!!! After about twenty mins two plates arrived the Eggs benedict were stone cold, the other was someone elses no black pud, no mushrooms, missing egg ,hash brown and sausage.this again was cold. We ate most of what came and left. Couldnt be #rsed complaining. Real shame as it's a nice new venue but badly managed. Avoid this venue the other Wetherspoons are much better !!!!

We went and ordered a traditional breakfast and breakfast muffin .I can honestly say that the breakfast must have been standing for ages,as it was stone cold .I explained to the server this .He took it away I thought he would cook me a new one but all they did was heat it in the microwave and returned it to me.There was no apology from the server not a great experience and will definitely put me off if we visit Edinburgh again .

Went here and it was horrible, you don’t expect much from a spoons but This one so bad. The tables smelled like wet dog went to a couple different tables thinking it was just one bad table but every one we went to was gross. The glasses were dirty and had I think lemon crusted to the inside of the glass, and water lines from the last persons drink. The prices are also more expensive than my local spoons. Staff seemed nice enough.

A great wether spoons in the centre of Edinburgh Food came quickly and was fresh Service was good and the bar was very clean As good as it gets really

We had dinner here one night. Burgers were delicious, vegetarian option. Too busy, crowded, so service was slow. it was OK.

waiter was rude as told him i wasn’t ordering anything and waiting on my friends and showed my id and told me it was a fake id when it was a real young scot card.

Went twice. Good price. Good food. No frills and what's expected.

Great for a pint and snack by your own

Really great spoons...staff,food and drink are all excellent 👌 it's always my first stop in Edinburgh

This review is based on a very busy Friday night but to wait over 20 mins for drinks to arrive seemed excessive. (App order) However, it's lively, the staff ( even rushed off their feet) where very friendly and helpful.

Staff were pretty rude and seemed to have no sense of decent customer service. Visited on a sunday morning and it wasn't even busy, so no clue why they all seemed to be moody.

Great food and drink at excellent prices. Convenient to Leith, having lost The Foot of the Walk Wetherspoons, and in a good central location for Edinburgh city centre.

A modern JDW right on the edge of central Edinburgh. Quiet on a Sunday morning. £3.99 for a Freedom Breakfast was £1 higher than some pubs in England.

I went here and we both ordered mac cheese and chips and cuppa tea and a coffee the water for the tea had a bad scum in it which was undrinkable, the mac cheese was rotten i was sick and the chips were very cold i definitely won't be returning here

Standing at bar waiting to be served manager to busy talking 3mins ignored me then went to other end of bar and served someone who was after me when I complained she told me to go somewhere else if I wasn't happy but the customer she served Apologised appalling service

Great food great staff lovely ambience

Was quiter than normal, so service was good 👍

I love Wetherspoons, it's no nonsense honest food and drink at great prices and great service

Collin was overly rude, won’t be back for a while.

My partner and I were in Edinburgh today and came to the Playfair for lunch and drinks. The menu on our table fell over which caused our drinks to fall over. Colin kindly cleaned up and gave us a other drink as it was no fault of our own. Thanks very much 🙂

This was an extremely disappointing visit, yes it was extremely busy, the service was poor, tables were not cleared, when the food arrived it was cold, my complaint was taken seriously, the member of staff was extremely apologetic, and his solution was fine. At the end of the day, I would say they were understaffed.

Great value for Edinburgh, Freedom breakfast £3.99

Amezing bar,lovely food. Enjoyed the chips and fish.

We used to frequent this place regularly at around lunchtime. Unfortunately it's getting just to busy at the weekends, and they never seem to have enough staff to serve behind the bar

Good wetherspoons can get a bit busy but service good

Busy bar staff took ages to clear table from previous customers

(lowest tier of three) okay food, weirdly loitering and mediocre security guard in all ways. garlic bread was banging. company even better. chefs kiss on this matter.

the slots in this place are just complete garbage multiple times I've been in here since the start of this year embarrassing to say the least rigged picks and rigged gambles too.

Classic pub food, exactly what you expect from a Wetherspoon chain pub. It's a nice experience.

table service was poor asked several time for service told someone will be with you after 20 minutes gave up and went elsewhere

great place always go here when im getting the bus back to glasgow

Beatiful and good place. Pub unique from Edinburgh. The food is very good and the staff are excellent 👌

Not many staff onsite, there were no one to clear the tables, had to wait for our order to arrive just to get the tables cleared.

Waiter was incredibly lippy at table and was rude to my girlfriend when she got in his way when going to the toilet

We are waiting here from 20 mins and asked the manage to clear the table but they refused us telling we need to wait and we will only come when we are ready to clean due ti shaortage if staff it’s very unpleasant experience and we are still waiting for the food we ordered at table no 44

I didn't have any food, but the service was good and a relaxed atmosphere prevailed, most of all it was very clean.

Totally disgusted with the way I was treated in this place. After ordering merlot where I had to say to the girl it was a red wine She short changed me from a £50 the young girl thought I gave her a £20. She was so confused and got her manager. Who told me they dident take £50 notes a gentleman next to me changed the £50 to 2 £20 and £10 for me. I asked the manager why she had put the young girl who was not capable or trained and was under so much pressure in a busy pub. The manager told me she was new and they all had to learn. Fair enough but the young girl had made 2 vital mistakes dident know what drink I was asking for and was clearly very confused. I felt so sorry for her. The manager didn't have a answer for me then proceed to take my 2 drinks off me and refused to service me. I walked out in disgust. I am sorry but I don't think I was wrong to point out these issues. To head manager. She dealt with this situation very unprofessionally and she to clearly needs more training

We had brekkie here on our Christmas trip to Edinburgh. Great brekkie and great price.

I made a joke that I came all the way from Shropshire to go to a Spooners but a great place full of helpful staff. They were so busy but took time to be helpful. Reasonably priced if you don't want to blow your budget on the Mile.

Food is very acceptable and beer selection is good. Scampi was delicious!

Honestly not sure why this spoons is rated so poorly. We went on a busy Saturday afternoon right before Christmas, ordered on the app, everything we ordered arrived surprisingly quickly even though they were packed and everything tasted good, up to standard and presented nicely. Staff were nice, security were nice. Couldn't have asked for anything else really

Not too bad the food. Was a little too pricey. My Mac N' cheese was very rich & heavy on my stomach. Excellent selection of beverages alcohol or otherwise. Gr8 to see Scottish thistle cross cider.

Clean tidy great staff busy and loud though

Been to this spoons a couple times and it’s been good but this time it was not great, we got asked for our ID’s 3 times by different people one being the manager on duty and then we got told we had to leave after finishing our drinks because my sister didn’t have her ID even though she was not drinking. I asked why and the manager told me it was because of the holiday season but people are still allowed to sit and have drink with a child there. I think this is ridiculous service and unfair since we are legally allowed to drink and I work in a bar myself and know the licensing laws

Not the best spoons, and a bit cold in winter but does what it says on the packet

Love going to omni wetherspoons staff are great the older guy always has a laugh with us and the wee blonde door stewart who works there usually Thurs to sat is lovely too always smiling and good at her job ...

Burger was frozen in the middle and pizza had a hair in it. Chips also was cold. Table was filthy we had to ask to have it cleaned. Drink is good but do not eat here.

Good food,quick friendly service only 3 steps to toilet. Lots of space inside and out.

Good food and hospitality service, ideal in any pub.

This pub is the coldest pub in the UK. Get some electric doors, as it's Baltic. Not an enjoyable experience.

Great prices and value for money.

I ordered the cheesy meltdown What an absolute let down It came out absolute sloppy and I don't think the correct burgers was used You would of have got more with a kids Happy meal from McDonald's absolute disgrace puts me off ever wanting to have a meal at any weatherspoons ever again

In here on Wednesday 20th November with some friends. It was -3° outside, but they had the air con on full pelt inside the bar area of the pub. We asked one of the staff, short lad 5ft 6" tallest, 8 years service, if he could turn the heating up. He said no-one in the pub has access to the heating controls, it is all adjusted and controlled at head office down south for all JDW pubs. I said there are over 1000 pubs in the group, which he agreed, and reiterated ALL were controlled. I said he was having a laugh, then asked if I did not believe him....which I said I did not.....he then walked off.......Poor staff behaviour and telling lies into the bargain..

Always dirty in the evening and the staff they hire are the worst of the worst

The manager on duty , started to humiliate me in front of another customers shouting at me instead of informing me, that the take away coffee cups cannot be refilled. I was told the opposite last week and there's no information on the menu. Anyway, if I am wrong that's not the way to treat people. He was very rude. I won't be back there

Exactly what you would expect from a spoons

We just arrived in Edinburgh, we looked for a quick and safe late dinner, we had fish and chips with Fierce IPA beer, both were exactly what we needed after a long flight. Ordered over the app, took some time to receive the drinks but the food was as we expected.

Too busy, and not enough staff, surely they knew a show was on at the playhouse. Ordered via app, and it took well over 30 minutes, we did complain, and even then, wife had to go to bar to collect our drinks. Kitchen/bar area was an absolute mess, dishes and glasses everywhere, which makes me wonder what back of house was like.. Would avoid this bar next time I am in the area.

Bizarrely we were refused entry at 1640 on Saturday even though the pub was only 40/50% full as it was too busy?? Not just us the security refused everyone entry and said to come back after 1700???

Typical Witherspoon's Table cleaning is very slow.

A good Spoons. Nice and quiet place for breakfast.

Sat here for 30mins same empty food plates on table staff good at taking drinks to customers but shocking taking empty plates and glasses back to the kitchen

Despite the menu saying main menu 11:30am - 11:00pm I was unable to order a burger at 11:45 because the kitchen didn't like serving lunch menu before 12... 🤷🏼‍♂️

Food and drinks okay but one of the male security staffs is racist to Asians and try to find problems with our table all the time. I tried to talk to the manager about that and he rejected to call his manager because he knew what he was doing's wrong. Very disturbing and rude behaviour towards customers, ruined our time together with friends.

Worst spoons I've been to (normally I'm a fan). Very dirty pub and cold food.

I'm coming from Mexico and this is the first place I've visited... Excellent, I liked it!

What can I say, we just fell for the Wetherspoon chain. We look for a chain pub in every city in the UK. The fish & chips are simply brilliant (we could eat them every day!), the beer concept is simply good (many less well-known brands too) and this time there is even a beer festival with beers from small breweries from the USA, Japan, New Zealand... ...we are thrilled!

Still quite a regular in here. Can't fault it.

I've eaten here very often for the last 8 weeks, and the service is up and down. Yesterday was the worst so far, and there was no acknowledgement. The food was just slid across the table at me, and the guy walked away. Absolutely no manners.

Excellent Service Awesome Location and Reasonable Prices... It's a great place to eat and enjoy the scenery whether you are local or visiting!!!

Meh its a spoons. Standard fare. Service was good to be fare. Nice big bit of out door seating for the summer or smokers while your alowed.

Has gone down hill terribly. Very dirty, not enough staff, sticky tables. Drab and unloved feeling.

Seemed to be very short staffed for a Saturday afternoon. Only saw 2 or 3 staff members running food and drinks to tables in a pretty much full restaurant which resulted in long waits (10 mins for drinks and about 30 mins for food). Food and drinks were pretty much what you'd expect for a wetherspoons, not that cheap but hot and tasty, and the staff to their credit were very friendly and apologised about the wait. Overall pretty good just be prepared to wait if it's busy and the staff are overworked.

Lousy food. Vegetable wrap with two vegetable sausages cut in half that looked like rubber. We also ordered hamburgers and the dry bread. A disappointment since the place is good and the staff is also friendly. But the food leaves something to be desired.

Pretty pricey for a spoons, seemed a bit short staffed for a Saturday afternoon as well. Took over 10 mins queuing to get drinks.

Like it even more sitting outside in the September sunshine . Good quality pub grub.

Worst American burger I had go to McDonald's way better, pay at the bar so technically no service

I have been trying to contact the general manager now for nearly a week and no one is getting bk to me,,,

Not the most welcoming Wetherspoons. Sat in a bothe looking out to the main street when possibly a manager decided to open the doors. It may have been sunny outside but the draught coming through the doors was on the cool side. When questioned I was told " it's getting warm in the main area ". I asked about us sitting in this area and why we should have to endure the cold . " I can find you another table " was the reply. There's other doors in this establishment and probably a/c so I hardly felt the need to force us to move.

Grand spot for quick food and cheap drinks.

Nice service with ample seating. Food is mostly good.

Full English breakfast and the Driest baked beans ever. It didn't cost a lot which is why it is 2 stars and not 1.

Been going in here for years at all times of the day, very relaxing atmosphere.

It's a spoons. Bit on pricey side but it is Edinburgh. Great selection of ales, service a bit slow and it wasn't overly busy. But, all good

Poor.... Half of the menu is missing. Food arrived fast but really not much to it. Steak were ordered but no sauce were offered. Staff were not very friendly nor apologetic. Will neither come back nor recommand

Very busy , security had to stop people coming in until it'd quietened down a bit

No stars all round because we were ushered away from sitting outside with our lovely wee Scottie. A plague on the owner’s public houses!

Location is good. It has huge terrace with great city view. For better service it’s better to order online by scanning the QR code.

I just love this place. Fair prices, free refills on coffee and always good atmosphere

Cold, dried up breakfast.....don't bother stopping here

Quick heads up to locals ( and tourists) : for some reason, this outlet has increased prices across the (reduced) menu and stopped the afternoon deals. Yes it's the festival, but if you wander up to George Street (still a vibrant festival area) you will get the full regular menu with usual prices. This is probably why this venue was very quiet at lunch time today (1.30pm) whilst the AGB was busy. 2 Fish n chips plus a pint now just over £15 but just over £10 in George Street with the 2--5pm deal.

Modern Wetherspoons in a modern building. Breakfast wasn't very warm ! Friendly barstaff. Good views of the square & traffic if you want to watch the world go by !

Nice place, quick service, good atmosphere