Had a beautiful pint of well kept ale and cheese toastie. Didn't mind standing for one.It really is worth the effort to find this pub. Decent range of ales and friendly staff. Will definitely be back next time i'm in Edinburgh. fantastic boozer,the only place to wait for a train to/from waverley.landlord is a great guy and the range of ales is always good.If eating try the wild boar sausage 'n'mash,very tasty

Just can't like this place. Tendancy for the clientele to have an ale snob feel yet they put up with a mediocre pancake flatness to the beer.

I just don't get the fuss. There are better pints to be had in Edinburgh. Enjoyed the decor and had a lovely pint of dark munro in here. Shame about the laconic person who served me. Perhaps its a locals only pub?One of the better real ale pubs in town. No jukebox equals a quieter clientelle. OK so it feels like an old fashioned railway waiting room, but this is a beer drinkers dream. A trip to Edinburgh isn't complete without a little visit to the Bow Bar.

Revolving door to the place. Nice range of ales and friendly bar staff.Worth finding the dates for their beer festival. They always have a good selection ofwell kept ale. Service is efficient at both bar and food side.My first visit in over two years. As usual a above average choice of beers available. I tried the Caledonian XPA and Bitter & Twisted and found both were well kept. A good mix of locals and tourists in as usual.

Good to here the toilet debacle is fixed! Saves wading through sewage spilling from the gents as I did a year ago. Now if they can sort the bar staff out so they aren't so bloomin slow!

Food is generally ok, ale is passable, service in the past off putting.The Cafe Royal has just reopened after a subtle refurbishment, all the best bits are the same but the big news is the toilets are now a work of art. Chatting to the manager she told me they had to spend £50k to sort them out including diverting a sewer pipe!

Otherwise the Royal is as good as ever, I enjoyed an excellent well kept IPA and she who must be obeyed and me shared a very well prepared, fresh club sandwhich. This old Edinburgh institution is now better than ever and remains a pub everyone should visit at least once.Just got back from The Cafe Royal where i've enjoyed the best pint of Deuchars IPA.

Chattng to the bar staff they proudly told me that they had won the PLATINUM Beautiful beer award and it's the first in Scotland to get this.

The environment is perfect with loads of history, and the Steak Pie was perfect.

WHAT A GREAT BAR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was going to rate this based on the good beer, good service, laid back atmosphere. NowIcan add less Americans if the boycott works - bonus! Only joking :)

Seriously this is a goodplace, I speak to more strangers in this bar than any other, it's just friendlier.

Great selection of ale, always something new to try. Only down sideis it's popularity, never get a seat!I have just recently read the comment posted almost a year ago regarding poor treatment of a group of Americans. I am an American and have been going to Cloisters at least weekly since August of 2007, and I have visited the pub when here on holiday. Let me say emphatically that at no time have I ever had a problem with staff at the Cloisters on any account. It is hard for me to believe that any of their staff would have behaved as described in the post from January. The Cloisters staff are always friendly, eager to serve and to inform if their advice is needed. They know their beers, wines and whiskeys very well. If you are not certain about a choosing one of the fine range of cask ales, they are happy to give you a taste. The atmosphere is always warming, and there is always a good mix of people making up the clientele. If I lived closer, Cloisters would be my local.Yikes, bit concerned by the long comment below, but I think it's best ignored. I'm English but I live and work in Edinburgh and I've heard all sorts of voices from posh southerners like me to Antipodeans, French, Germans and even Americans in Cloisters (and other pubs here) and they all seemed to be having a marvellous time. So they should - the beer's great and ever-changing, the staff seem nice (offering beer to taste or uncomplainingly cleaning up a smashed pint of porter amongst the feet of noisy Friday-night office types) and the menu is cheapish and appetising. Go there and see for yourself.

Just had the one in here. Seemed ok and the ale was fine. Quite welcoming actually.Visited August 2007. Both cask ales I had were served too warm, and were not in the best condition. The pub had quite a few handpumps, but serving real ales at correct cellar temperature and in good condition is more important. The bartender seemed not overly enthusiastic about having guests in his pub! Otherwise this was a nice looking pub.I was short-changed in this pub last week and the manager just backed the bartender up. It seems to be a growing problem in Edinburgh. Avoid this pub. And watch your change in Scotland.

Jintray

Visited August 2007. Nice pub, friendly bar staff. Decent real ales. I got a half pint for free, as it was near the end of the barrel, but the beer still tasted good! Did not eat. Went for pint and a read of the paper on a recent visit to Edinburgh and I have to say I was hit by the smell when I walked through the door. I wouldn't say it smelt like wee, more like stale beer. Anyway, I soon became immune and enjoyed a couple of pints of Deuchars which was very good. It is a classic drinkers boozer and the interior is amazing but I wouldn't take the wife there for lunch. Stunning interior. L-shaped room - the entrance and the bar are on the long side; the short side has a fire place and side window. There are three very large pub mirrors, and beautiful decorative tiling on the lower half of the walls. Veggie bangers and mash and veggie haggis, neeps and tatties. 7 casks - nothing unusual, but all solid stuff.

The beer range, the character, the atmosphere, the uniqueness of the place, and the veggie haggis lift this above the ordinary. It's a must visit place. Top pub.

Can't beat the burritos and the margartitas are fine to. Nice unpretentious bar. Hard to get a lunchtime table.Cool bar, relly chilled and a good pint of lager with good friendly service. The little outside heated smoking area is handy too.

Food is good and reasonably priced.IMO, not the best pub in Edin, but certainly trendy, like a 21st Century version of the Antiquary, whose erstwhile denizens occasionally drink/sleep.

Yes, Chav and Yah free, which can only be a good thing!

Very ggod pies, very good service and the Cally 80 was as good as it gets!Been done up and lost its charm imho. Menu expanded beyond the pies, so it's now a run of the mill pub not worth travelling to but good for a nice pint if you are passing. Beer still seems to be treated well.'Best pies in town' - prove it!

An ok bar, but there are a few men in there who spend a bit too long trying to catch your eye!