The White Hart Inn Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Location

Pros:

• "This is a very cute historic pub along a bustling stretch of Old Town."
• "The White Hart Inn is an Edinburgh must-see if you are at all interested in historic places."
• "It's cosy and warm."
• "Edinburgh's oldest pub! What could be more fun than that? Friendly staff, great prices."
• "A beautiful cozy and traditional Scottish pub in an amazing location right underneath the castle."
• "This is a must stop place to visit while in Grass Market District, historic and uniquely Scottish."
• "Its the oldest pub in Edinburgh if your looking for atmosphere this pub is the place over 500 years history it can tell some story's."

Cons:

• "These days it is just a tourist trap with overpriced food, slow service and bad seating."
• "Unique spot, we didn't eat, just had a pint which we elected to have on the little patio out front as the bar smelled really bad (like the bar was once used as a urinal kinda bad)."
• "Seemed to smell strongly of urine though that may have been a one off."
• "None of the original character is left."
• "No special atmosphere, besides the loud-speaking Spaniard next to us."
• "Old man's pub for tourists."
• "The service is lovely, the beers are lovely, the bar is lovely but the vibes are not lovely."

Food & Drink

Pros:

• "Super fair price on quality Scotch Whiskeys."
• "Haggis was really good and the Beef Lasagna tasted amazing!!"
• "Good hearty food and a nice selection of Scottish beverages."
• "Steak and Ale pie was served hot and the beer cold."
• "Ever visited a pub for food and got exactly what you were looking for? I did when I visited The White Hart Inn."
• "The food is so comforting you want to bury your face in it and shout 'Night, Mum!'"
• "Had the taste of haggis and steak and ale pie. Both were delicious and beautifully served."

Cons:

• "The food was only so-so, even for pub food."
• "It's nice for drinks, but don't count on eating."
• "They took over an hour to prepare the food and it wasn’t good at all."
• "The food was absolutely disgusting it wasn't mash but smash from a packet, under cooked sausages."
• "Greasy, grisly and underseasoned beef burger, rock solid fries, and bland coleslaw."
• "The food is standard pub fare but pretty good."
• "The food here is very nice and the service pleasant. The waiter did forget to order one of our meals which was frustrating."

Service

Pros:

• "Friendly staff, nice selection of ales too."
• "Great wee pub in the Grassmarket Edinburgh steeped in history and a bar that's well stocked, staff are on the ball, pub food is very good."
• "Our waitress was friendly and helpful, not only in her food recommendations but also in her tips and tricks about travelling Scotland."
• "The staff is kind and helpful."
• "Extremely nice staff, specially the tall blond woman who was very friendly with tourists."
• "Service was a bit slow but the waiters always attended us with a big smile."
• "Really lovely staff. Friendly and welcoming to all."

Cons:

• "Service was slow, but only 2 bartenders for a packed pub."
• "The staff walked past us several times, without noticing us."
• "The service looked like they couldn't be bothered."
• "Had to wait 45mins for our food, a burger and fish n chips, while there were not a lot of people eating at that time, 3pm."
• "But must say service not great and hot chips we ordered not great...over done, hard and not seasoned at all."
• "We ordered food to our booth, finished a round of drinks and wanted to order another round but the waitress was far more interested in talking to the bartender."
• "Then we overheard one of the waitresses say that it was our own fault."

Value

Pros:

• "Super fair price on quality Scotch Whiskeys."
• "Edinburgh's oldest pub! What could be more fun than that? Friendly staff, great prices."
• "Great little old pub great friendly service from the staff great atmosphere not bad prices."
• "Although I didn't go to every pub, this was the cheapest for whisky prices i'd seen out of the possible 8 other places around the area."
• "Good selection of whisky and very reasonable price."
• "The food is standard pub fare but pretty good."
• "Everything was lovely, exactly the traditional, heavy Scottish fare you'd expect from such a historical pub location."

Cons:

• "Nice historical pub. Found the drinks prices very expensive."
• "We were charged £16.95 for a glass of wine and a pint of beer."
• "Food & drink not expensive but food quality poor."
• "This meal, plus two drinks was £40+."
• "Visited for a beer on a luvly sunny day. Sat outside on pavement area, as their garden area was full. Luvly welcome from staff, table sanatised before sitting."
• "Nice old pub in the heart of Edinburgh. Beautiful atmosphere, smiling people. Wide selection of drinks, and they have a terrase. I would not recommend Nachos though, total disappointment for price and quality of dish."
• "Ate here with my wife while visiting Edinburgh. No chance I’ll get back to this place."

Entertainment

Pros:

• "But then two live musicians came in and played some great tunes."
• "We visited The White Hart in The Grassmarket yesterday evening. What a great night! The live music was fantastic-the musician was the hugely talented Stephen Lafferty."
• "There was fantastic live music from Graeme Pearson."
• "Had a nice dinner with a nice atmosphere which was amenized by live music."
• "Live music and fun, friendly service gave us an amazing experience!"
• "Update: I ended up coming back here the same day in the evening. They had a lovely live musician playing. He did a mix of Scottish songs and popular bar songs, super great vibes! Very crowded and very hot in there but really great whiskey as well."
• "Favorite Haunt of Robert Burns, William Wordsworth, and Earnest Hemingway. Stories to tell since 1516."

Cons:

• "No cons mentioned regarding entertainment."