Was in the pub yesterday and i could not believe it that the place was full and there was only one person working behind the bar, what is the managment thinking of? a rugby weekend and only having one person working, are they crazy or what? another selection of fine ales last Saturday, kept in perfect condition as usual, which showed as the place was full to bursting. Service still slow but thats to be expecte d with table service for drink and food and only 1 wee lassie serving. Couldnt get a table so had a wait but ales were worth waiting for. Smell of tolets mingle with fish soup was unpleasant to say the least but the atmosphere in this wee place is always worth a visit. Just bring a peg for the nose. I too was dissapointed with the service in the pub on the same night as toolmaker and BEEFY71, the staff were not the ones that were in on my previous visits as they made the visit enjoyable and were good at thier job, these two how ever gave me the impression that it was a social gathering and they were there to chat and when i asked for a drink i got the impression that it was a hassel for them to pour the drink i asked for. This service was not what i expected from a pub that has won pub of the year and recomended by lots of people. I will seriously think when i am in the pub vacinity wether or not i should go in and risk having that type of service again.

Lovely old fashioned pub with large victorian windows in pretty street. Great selection of ales and whiskies, friendly staff and ambient atmosphere (contemplating a quiet pint while reading paper on Saturday afternoon). On my visit I particulalrly enjoyed Brysons Westmorelandand Glencoe Wild Oat Stout.This is a great pub. The service is excellent, the pub itself full of character and welcomes a good mix of people. The whisky selection is good (quite expensive?) and the ale selection is also good (more reasonably priced, but about £3 a pint depending). The ale itself is well looked after - I had 3 different pints and all had great flavour. Well worth a visit.A superb proper pub. The sort of place where you can actually sit down and read a book or newspaper, or hold a conversation without having to shout. Being able to enjoy a range of excellent real ales is, it may sound ridiculous to say, a bonus. But the ale is the unique selling point - it really doesn't need anything more.

More like a classy bar than a real ale boozer, but still having enough offer to real ale enthusiast. They have a decent selection of ales including Sciehallion, Kelham Island and Deuchars IPA beers. The interior is quite stunning, large windows, mosaic decration, leather banquets, chrome & brass etc. It can get really busy, but if you can secure a seat (at the bar is the best position, you are in for a really nice treat.Like the Canny Mans this is a pub that everyone has to visit. The customers change throughout the day and I wish I had the time to watch them all. Last time I was in during the fest we had a superb pint (Harvieston Game Burd). Have been known to nip next door at times to get served.Not cheap and it can get very busy, especially at weekends. But there is nothing wrong at all with starting your Saturday with a pint of thick, rich stout (Cairngorm I think) and a plate of spankingly fresh oysters. The staff were certainly friendly on my visit last weekend and the interior is one of the pub highlights of Edinburgh.

Right next door to Cafe Royal, it has an impressive interior and even more impressive selection. I counted 10 real ale hand pumps plus another 12 pumps with continental lagers and fruit belgian beers. It can get really busy, so more suitable for an afternoon visit. The Punk IPA (dangerous at 6%) was top class.Lovely pub. Only problem - it's too popular! Gets very crowded esp. early evenings, including Saturdays.Partly due to proximity to Waverley Station, buses & Princes Street, but also because it is a fine traditional pub with a good selection of beers, decent food and professional staff.
If you are visiting Edinburgh don't miss this one.Thanks for the update jacko72 - bad luck indeed, missing out on 10 new ales just a couple of days later! Just my luck, at least the Wolves won against Hearts. Hope all that made the Jazz Festival had a great time and I'll be sure to give the Guildford Arms another try in the future.

Another selection of fine ales last Saturday, kept ot perfection as usual, which showed as place was full to bursting. Service still slow, but that's to be expected with table service for drinks and food and only 1 wee lassie serviing. Couldnt get a table for 1 so had a wait, but ales were worth it. The smell of the toilets mingled with the aroma of fish soup was unpleasant to say the least but the atmosphere in this wee place is always worth a visit. Just bring a peg for the nose! The quintessence of an Edinburgh boozer of the old school. Fantastic location - yards from the station but virtually unfindable to the uninitiated in the geography of Edinburgh's Old Town. Tons of history but worn very lightly. Plain and simple, you might even say spartan.
So behave yourself if you're English, and you'll probably be just fine.Comfortable pub to relax in before catching the train across the road in Waverley station. Beers are unremarkable, though. Staff civil.

Busy pub with various ales @£2.30 pint tho Deuchars is £1.65 pint. Good range of beer and the large scottish breakfast does set u up for the day as advised below. 7/10.Impressive former bank - worth going into for the place alone. That said, it's actually a very decent Wetherspoons in its own right. The beer in varied and cheap - the real ales were £1.75 a pint, and this at a time where most other pubs in the centre average around £3.20. Try the large Scottish breakfast at a tad under £4 - it will set you up for the day.A better than usual Wetherspoons. It was packed when I was in, but I was served a pint of Bitter & Twisted quickly enough. Beer was good.

Obvious "younger person's" pub but welcoming nonetheless and clearly popular. A range of Scottish ales and my pint of Brewdog Trashy Blonde was fine and tasted identical to that I drank in London 3 days earlier, which is a rare experience. Posters for events in the City can be found on the walls, from which I discovered, and later visited, an exhibition at the National Gallery. An enjoyable visit and I will return at a later date.I love this place. Very "studenty" feel, even for mature students like my good self. :)
They have lots of Brew Dog and Wychwood beers like Hobgoblin, kept in very good condition.
One of the best JukeBoxes in Edinburgh and very alternative friendly.

What's the matter larger boy... scared you might TASTE something? :PVisited after seeing a Fringe theatre production nearby. It was afternoon and the pub was virtually empty. Perhaps fortunate for me, because it looks as though the pub caters for a clientele of a different age and musical taste than me.

What it obviously also caters for is a clientele with the same taste in beer as I have, because the Brewdog ale on offer was excellent. Wychwood Hobgoblin was also available, but I only had time for one.