Maggie Dicksons

Wish I could review the food, but after waiting 30 minutes for a club sandwich and a burger we were told it would be another 50 minutes for our food. We decided to leave rather than wait…

Location in the Grassmarket area was nice. Lot’s of action. Menu is very limited and void of any healthier or lighter option. Not a salad or fish dish to be found. But then again, it’s a tourist trap /​pub.

Es gibt reichlich Auswahl an Bier und Whisky. Die Einrichtung ist auch recht ansprechend, das WC scheint dem Geruch und Aussehen nach in diesem Jahr noch nicht gereinigt worden zu sein… wir haben ja aber erst August…

*Exaggerated Shrug*
That’s what you’d get if you asked me in person how Maggie Dicksons’ was. First off, the restaurants around the Grassmarket make me nervous and i’m often scared i’ll fall prey to some tourist trap still being the wide eyed Canadian expat. So I usually just hightail it to Hula or if i’m being saucy, Mary’s Milk Bar.
So when I found myself in the Grassmarket, mother unit in tow and dinner on the brain… I actually had NO idea where to go. Quickie Unilocal search sent me here. A quickie Unilocal search that reminded me I have to READ the reviews on my mobile, not just follow the stars.
This all sounds like a convoluted lead up to what will be a scathing review. It’s not. Maggie Dicksons is… ok. I ordered nachos, my mom had the lamb chump (sp?). It arrived at a near alarming speed so some of it must have been pre-​cooked (of my mother’s meal… melting cheese does not take long) but we were in a bit of a rush so that was actually handy.
My mother seemed to like hers. Memorable it was not but it was a fast, hot meal after a long day of walking. Mine? I wouldn’t go back here for the nachos as it is literally a plate of plain tortilla chips with cheese. But I ate that entire plate of plain tortilla chips with cheese so…
Long story short: this seems like a safe bet on this strip. It won’t be memorable but it’s not going to be terrible either.
Sure.

Perfect spot to get an ale, while walking down Victoria into Grassmarket.
People-​watch, sip on cask ales, yap it up with neighbors.
Perfect spot to hear about how Maggie cheated death. You gotta come here to learn about it.

Full disclosure — this review is based on dessert and coffee only.
Who goes to a bar and orders dessert and coffee? This girl. We’re tourists, what do you want from me?
We had a hankering for some sticky toffee pudding (something you can’t easily find in my world), and Maggie Dicksons was the only place in the vicinity that had it on their menu. We figured we could get an order and a coffee, and spend a pleasant afternoon hanging out the window, people watching.
Well, it was a pleasant afternoon, and the sticky toffee pudding was pretty tasty, but the coffee just about made me sick.
I’m fairly certain that bartender served us lattes that were made with sour milk. And how you don’t realize that the milk you’re using has turned is beyond me. I took one sip and thought, «Well, that tastes funky.» A second sip confirmed it, and I was done. It took a wee bit longer for my husband to come to the same conclusion, and by that time, his was almost gone.
I will say that I’m eternally grateful for the fact that I did not end up getting sick all over the streets, but I will not forgive someone using spoiled items in my food (or drink).
Pudding was delicious, though.

Okay, I agree with the 4 stars. Good beer and fast service. The fish and chips were not the best, but the haggis balls as an appetizer were very good, and my colleagues enjoyed the lamb shanks.

We headed in to Maggie Dickson’s the other night to celebrate our move to Edinburgh. Being new to Scotland, I had not yet had haggis, and we were craving a taste of some good drinking. I have to say – we were COMPLETELY satisfied!
First of all, the food: absolutely DELICIOUS. I had been told back in America that food in Scotland is bland and under-​spiced – definitely not the case! All the food I’ve tried here so far has been delicious (even to an Indian tongue!), and Maggie Dickson’s was the best I’ve had so far. We had haggis, neeps, & tatties and the steak & ale pie, and they were both EXTREMELY satisfying. Served steaming hot and with plenty of gravy, the meal was excellent.
Also: the drinking list! They have craft stuff from various regions of Scotland, as well as a handful of the stuff we knew of back in America. Being new to the country, I had the waiter advise on a beer and a whiskey for us, and he nailed it! The drinks here are good, and still affordable, even to a student. And he was so patient and courteous!
The place itself was to my liking, too: it was a Thursday, so the music was laid-​back and audible, but not too loud to block conversation by any means. There were several locals sitting at the bar and outside, and the whole setting was comfortable and quirky. I’ve stopped in on a weekend night, too – the place gets pretty lively – as it should!
Definitely a pub we’ll be hitting often in the next few years. :)

Saturday night crowd not too bad, most of them standing out front. My daughter and I had the bangers and mash — so yummy! Price is right for the amount of food you get. We small had a local beer Innes & Gunn dark brew aged in oak barrels and a taste of rum — awesome! This ed my first meal in Scotland and very memorable. The service was fast, just make sure to let them know when you need something, they don’t check on you. Background music was great!

I went here after hearing about it on a tour. I didn’t eat anything but had a drink, so my review will be mainly on the atmosphere and service.
It’s dark and intimate, i can see it getting very loud with too many people, but when I went, it was the right level of business. Service was fast and personable, the bar tender taking time to have a small conversation. Overall, great spot. Nothing too special, but I’d happily go again!

Short and easy review. Good service, good food, good décor. It’s pub food but good portion size and was satisfying to hungry travellers. Could have more beers on tap.

We’ve been here in march 2011. Great pub and we loved the burgers!!! Great place and kind bar staff. From my POV definitely a pub you have to visit in Edinburgh.

Being in the Grassmarket is a bit of a double-​edged sword for pubs I reckon. You’re never going to be short of trade but on the down side you maybe can’t always be too choosy about who frequents you.
Maggie Dickson’s therefore aims for a traditional pub atmosphere (live music some nights etc.) amid the trappings of the tourist industry recounting hangings etc. in times past. Generally it achieves its aim but you pay the cost to get it. The barmaid who served me last weekend looked genuinely apologetic when charging me £4 for a bottle of Crabbie’s Ginger Beer. At prices like that you’d be better heading to Brew Dog or The Brauhaus to get something stronger than 4% for your cash but if you’re after a lively, central spot as part of a pub crawl then you could do worse than here.

The tale behind the name of the pub is great. The interior of the pub is quirky without being cheesy. I had a tomato, pesto and mozzarella cheese baguette that was delish along with good chips (french fries) and a passable salad. My mates split an order of cheese nachos. No bueno Guacamole tasted totally processed and the salsa was that in name only. It came with a choice of toppings, including haggis. I’m from Texas and the fusion of Tex-​Mex and Scottish traditional gave me a good laugh. Passed on it though. Maybe I’ll try making it myself sometime. I do recommend a visit.

Interesting décor. There was a full body skeleton behind me in the corner and an 8 foot bottle of Jägermeister in front of me. Cozy place to have a few drafts with friends. Good selection of drafts, good music. Right before we left, the bartender put on A-​ha — Take On Me (my jaaaam)

With its deliberately creepy wee quirks and its namesake’s racy role in Edinburgh’s history, Maggie Dickson’s is a must-​see for tourists.
As popular with locals as it is with visitors, Maggie Dickson’s has a number of stodgy, satisfying meals on the agenda, a menu seeped in history (it tells the story of Maggie Dickson’s demise), and a good selection of booze, you can’t go wrong drinking here!
Even during the day it is usually consistently busy, but it’s worth battling with crowds during peak season just for a quick spy. Its broody interior and eerie myths make it a very special sort of theme pub — one which is entirely peculiar to the city in which it is situated. It’s a nice place to get a drink at any rate but its unique style makes it worth the visit.

I came here with a some friends a few months ago as we passed by on a night out. It was about 10pm and the bar was lively with music, a good crowd of people and a great atmosphere.
The staff are friendly and seem to have a good relationship with the locals which is always an encouraging sign. The customers were a good mix of students, locals and tourists with a range of ages and interests. We met plenty of interesting people, including an Austrian couple who we very nearly convinced to come out clubbing with us, but not quite.
Apparantly Maggie Dickson’s food is also great, so it’s well worth a look no matter when you’re in the Grassmarket.

Maggie Dickson’s is a great little pub in the Grassmarket. The atmosphere is always really friendly and lively, and they don’t have the drunk local clientele which so many other local pubs in the area seem to attract.
This pub stocks a huge range of different beers, ales and wines which are all very reasonably priced, with a large glass of house wine costing about £4. The staff are incredibly friendly and inviting and are highly knowledgeable about all the different alcohols which they stock. Maggie Dickson’s also has a food menu, including dishes such as burgers, steak, and fish and chips which are a really decent size.
It can get really busy here on a Friday and Saturday night which can make the pub feel pretty cramped and crowed and can be difficult to get a seat, so best to get here early. There is a large TV screen above the bar which tends to show sporting events, and there is music playing in the background. There is an outdoor seating area at the front of the pub, so on a sunny day it is a great place to sit and have a quiet drink. A really friendly local pub which is one of my favourites in the Grassmarket area.

The décor of Maggie Dickson’s is the real selling point for me, especially the skeleton in the corner! I don’t usually like the macabre, but this place is certainly not a ‘theme’ pub like Frankensteins but a really nice place to come and have a drink, whilst learning about the history.
I love the story of Maggie Dickson, and you can tell by the crowds here that the tourists love it too. It’s creepy, but incredibly interesting and just another one of Edinburgh’s rich historical tales which bring tourists back here year after year. The booze in here is good too, and the staff are by far the friendliest in the area.
All in all, a very nice pub to have a jar in– although you might have trouble finding an empty seat!

This place has an exciting history — but it isnt the reason people come into Maggie Dicksons Pub. Situated in the Grass market, Maggies is a favourate haunt of students and tourists alike — who have come in for relaxation and to eat some huge portions of pub food.
The pub has a huge range of beer, wines and spirits available, as well as traditional pub grub that is great to eat and well priced. Maggies is nicely decorated — dark wood, leather, exposed bricks and a skeleton in the corner (more of that history for you).
Maggies can, regretably, get veeery busy on weekend — during both the days and the evenings, so be prepared for a wait for your drinks and the chance of not getting a seat.

There are 2 main things that make Maggie Dickson’s stand out from the huge crowd of other pubs in the Grassmarket.
First, it’s history: I won’t ruin the surprise, but the pub gets its name from the most famous fishwife in Edinburgh, hanged in 1724 but who then mysteriously came back to life on route to the cemetery. You have to go and read the full version yourself — it’s written on the wall outside the pub and also on the menu’s (they tell it much better than I do). Not many pubs can claim they have that kind of history and heritage!
The second thing: the fry-​up. Whether its curing the effects of the night before or you just need a good feed to start your day, the huge plate of bacon, sausages, beans, haggis, black pudding, eggs, mushroom, fried tomato and toast definitely takes some beating — especially when you grab one of the outside tables in the sun.
It’s not often that I go all-​out and have a huge greasy fry-​up, but when I do it’s usually here.
Next time you’re in the grassmarket trying to decide which of the seemingly endless stream of pubs to go to, this one should be your first stop.