Canon’s Gait

Yummy food and good service! I highly recommend starting with the Haggis Scotch Egg! Best Scotch Egg I’ve ever had. The Hop Smoked Duck Salad was also very tasty and it had plenty of duck. Only wish they would’ve strained the dressing, as I kept biting into blackberry seeds. Great selection of craft beers on tap as well!

Great food, great variety of beer. Ordered a variety of food including haggis and soup, and everything was good. The place accommodated small and large groups. Bartender was helpful in recommending whiskys for those who aren’t versed in them.

Checking out Edinburgh and found Cannon’s Gait. Bright apace with friendly staff. Many larger tables were reserved for groups, probably for the live music happening in the evening.
The small plates are really small plates. It’s mostly deep fried and comes in small portions. The applewood cheese croquettes came with two pieces and the haggis plates came with four little deep fried balls. Not bad but not good, and not worth the price. I’d sooner get a meal than the small plates.
The drinks were good with normal selection and typical price. The service and live music was probably the best thing about Cannon’s Gait. The atmosphere is bright and cafeteria like, not your typical pub.
Unfortunately the check-​in deal of a free small bowl or plate didn’t apply. The staff was completely unaware of the deal and wouldn’t give me the offer.

Great stop in for an afternoon pint & meal. Delicious Scottish Ale on tap, and good eats. As a classic out-​of-​towner, I ordered the fish & chips. The fish was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside, yet not greasy at all. As a variation, I chose the Cajun chips, which were particularly good dipped in the tartar sauce. The dish also came with creamy minted peas, which (last thing I expected) were delicious! Have a go at it… you won’t be disappointed.

Canon’s Gait is toward the Holyrood end of the Royal Mile and has gone through a bit of a refurb recently. There’s a pretty good selection of beers, mainly from Stewarts brewery and the food looks good too although I didn’t try it.
During the Fringe it is a venue for PBH’s Free Fringe where they run quite a good process of getting a token to get entry to the next show which means you don’t have to spend time queueing to guarantee your entry. Once you are downstairs though it is pretty hot and sweaty.

Yeah, this place definitely does deserve better than 2 stars from me.
It’s clear someone is investing a lot in this place to make it work. They’ve had a massive refurb. Before it had a slightly gloomy but warm old pub feel to it, now it had a brighter, but cooler feel to it.
They’ve gone modern in terms of tech stuff. There are plug sockets at every table by the walls, and they’ve got free (although limited) wifi. The sockets are a big plus point for me, but I’m not keen on the grey and white décor.
The biggest plus point by some way is the big step up in food. It’s gone from pretty forgettable pub grub to much more up market gastro pub style stuff. I had the mixed grilled veg and hallumi starter with the mushroom risotto. Both were well cooked, although perhaps a little over generously drizzled with pesto (if one could possibly say such a thing) which made both dishes just a teensy bit too salter for what I think they were going for. Rather than than bland though.
It is worth noting that you get a free small plate/​starter if you check in here. The food isn’t cheap, but I think since they raised the standard it is reasonable. I got my free starter, main, and a soft drink for £13.50.
Another I do like about this place is the cellar bar is free to hire out. There are various comedy shows here, and folk sessions. I think whoever is running this place really wants to make it work, but I feel there’s still something a bit off about this place. It feels a little sterile and soulless to me. The walls are covered in straight out of okra corporate art, as opposed to the lovely stencils that were here before.
I still wouldn’t come here if it weren’t for the comedy shows. There are other bars I’d sooner go to around here. On the other hand however I wouldn’t veto coming here if someone suggested it.

Summary based on late afternoon stop for some drinks and snacks:
–very friendly, helpful service
–average prices for this area
–nice selection of drinks on tap with helpful guidance and samples
–decent snack food, at least, which is all we tried
–locally popular
Recommended in this area

Wow, what can I say about Canons’ Gait? I work near this pub and every time we go for lunch, we have never thought about coming in here once for food. I have been here quite a few times for lunch now, but it is only now that I have decided to review this place so that more people can come here and try the food.
This pub has the best pub food I have ever eaten so far in Edinburgh. It is reasonably priced for Royal Mile and you have a very friendly service. My colleagues and I usually go to our usual restaurants for lunch but since the end of last year, we found this gem and we have been here nearly every week for lunch. Lunch time is usually quieter so we have more space and the food comes out quick.
I have tried nearly all of the mains, but the best ones are the fish & chips, pork belly, sea bass with gnocchi and the risotto. I urge you to give this place a try. For what you pay, it is extremely value for money and you will keep thinking about the food every day for lunch. I have uploaded pictures of the food. Looking at them just make me want to go back tomorrow. Nom nom nom nom…

Very nice craft beers (Holly Cow is my favorite). Service is very quick and nice. Really enjoyed dinner at this place. Not to crowded, mostly locals.

I had been in and out of several eateries, trying to find a place to sit down when I noticed that this place was almost empty and had plenty of available seating. I was wondering why it wasn’t a popular place, but was starving half-​to-​death so I didn’t really care too much. I was really glad I stumbled across this place. The bartender was really friendly and let me sample some beers on tap before I found one I liked which turned out to be a stout — a very good stout (way better that Guinness) AND it was from a local Scottish microbrewery. I also had one of the best burgers while there and after about 10 or 15 minutes the place started to fill up and I don’t think there were any open tables left by the time I paid my bill!

A very quiet little pub on the Royal Mile that seems to revolve around locals and beer lovers during the Fringe season.
Me and my fiancée went in here for a pint (for me, wine for the lady) before dinner. The first thing that dragged me in was all the signs in the foyer for Stewarts Brewery which in my head meant only one thing. 80 shilling.
Stewarts Brewery was well advertised in the main foyer which got me excited but after going in to the bar I quickly realised that there was no Stewarts beer on offer. I was reassured that during the Fringe there is loads of it. I’m still not quite sure what I was supposed to make of that at the start of March but I took the information however.
There were a couple of gents playing an acoustic set at the back of the bar which was very nice. We later (after dinner and going back for a second drink) got speaking to one of the musicians and he was a gent.
After sitting down with our drinks I realised how quiet the main bar was for a Saturday, even more so for a Saturday that had Scotland rugby game live on telly. Maybe it is a little out the way for people to get to.
Overall a cracking little pub if you want a couple of quiet drinks and a chat with friends or a read of the papers. Wouldn’t recommend it for an entire night out, unless it’s during the festival.
Loses a few stars due to the advertising of Stewarts beer even though there wasn’t a drop to be found but that could be me being picky.

My first meal in Edinburgh, and you set the bar fairly high. We had gotten in fairly late, so we traveled into Edinburgh just to walk around and get food. This was one of the food places we looked at, and agreed that there was definitely items on the menu worth eating.
I had the Venison Casserole, along with a Scottish ale (No.3 I think … it was part of the UK beer festival occurring at so many bars during this trip). It was tender, and it wasn’t gamey at all. My friend had the Scottish Salmon Taglietelle, which I tried and was quite impressed by, as Salmon is not one of favorite fishes, unless smoked or as sushi.
Wish I had known about the Record player there … love Vinyl, and would’ve played one of the records.
I would go back again if I’m here. Good food and good staff will always bring people back.

I went there for an afternoon pint with a mate and was pleasantly surprised to see A RECORD PLAYER.
Yes a good old 33rpm record player that anyone can use and play music on. They have a decent selection of 70s/​80s music, but you can also bring your own records, or come into have a play with your newly purchased vinyls from the nearby «Unknown Pleasures».
Fancy. The bar has a good selection of ales and the staff are friendly, too.

Best service and menu in Edinburgh. If you’re in the city, don’t miss this place. Compliments to the chef and staff — regardless of where you stay, if you find yourself on the Royal Mile (and who doesn’t?), make your way down to The Canon’s Gait for a great lunch or dinner.

From the outside, this pub looks touristy and nearly identical to dozens of other pubs just steps away. We wandered in on a whim after being handed a leaflet for traditional Scottish music and storytelling going on inside — and I’m really glad we chose to attend, because it was really quite lovely. There’s a cozy, cavern-​like basement space where they do the aforementioned singing and storytelling, as well as more music and comedy during the Fringe.
Another night, they were the only pub in the area to accommodate our fairly large student group, and we got to listen to (and participate in) an open mic night with a kindly man singing ballads. Canons Gait definitely has a quieter, mellower atmosphere than most pubs in the area, so if you’re looking for a low-​key evening (and a ballad or two) come on by.

Hmm, every time I come in here there’s always a funny smell. Like dirty mops or stale beer in carpet smell. I recently got a pint of Peroni and recieved my pint in a non-​descript bog standard glass. Where was my fancy schooner Peroni glass?!
Downstairs is actually really good though. It’s a good size for functions and some live music/​comedy though, both of which I’ve attended.
If it was just about the upstairs part I’d rather go to the White Horse which is nicer but if I was going to a set downstairs, I’d be happy with that.

This essentially tourist pub is located at the Canongate (hence the pun) end of the Royal Mile. Whilst it provides a fairly standard «traditional» pub feel, I think the service and atmosphere is generally pretty good (besides I don’t really have a problem with tourist pubs).
I first visited Canon’s Gait when I went to see a Festival Fringe show in the basement function room. It’s quite small but has a stage and a bar. Upstairs is the main room (and its really just one big room), where you will do most of your drinking. The bar is fine, and offers fairly predictable selections of ales and whiskies.
Yes this pub isn’t outstanding, and I agree with the other reviewers that it blends a bit with the other Royal Mile pubs, but I still think it does a better job than most.

The Canon’s Gait is one of a number of pubs which takes up its position at the lower end of Canongate. With a spacious sitting area on the street level and a function room below, this pub offers meals, the occasional gig (music and comedy), and drinks which are slightly on the more expensive side of the coin!
However, this pub is perfectly situated for tourists who just happen to be hungry and thirsty before their excursion to the parliament. The food on offer is of a good quality, I didn’t begrudge paying the little extra for my large portion of fish and chips! The pub also provides a good selection of local ales which is always a bonus!
This place is good for a wee drink and a bite to eat, and is a prime spot for tourists, but to me, this pub doesn’t stand out from the rest.

I went here for a 50p Comedy show once. The show was held in the basement which was a little dark and dingy. As you can imagine a 50p comedy show wasn’t exactly fantastic.
The upper bar area is a lot nicer and quite spacious. The bar was a little empty which didn’t compliment the large space. It was a Monday night though, so it might pick up on other nights. I probably wouldn’t go out my way to come here as the staff weren’t particularly great and the drinks weren’t cheap, but if you are in the area then ideal for a quick drink.

The Canon’s Gait is a big, airy bar. It’s modern, but done in a traditional style, and although that sounds a little odd, it works. There are some humorous writings around the wall, and an excellent old-​fashioned map of the area.
It’s a good place to chill out, especially on a hot day. The service is very good, with pleasant staff.
I like it.