Hands down the best restaurant for mussels in the Grass Market area. We actually ordered a huge bowl with two dozen mussels flavored with shallots, white wine, parsley, cream and garlic then loved it so much we ordered another two dozen. The beer and whiskey selection here is great also. I got an Ossian Smooth Flow 4.1% which was a Scotland brew with a thick frothy head. Live music was playing from one guy on his guitar singing Scottish, English and American folk songs. The bartender was absolutely slammed for an entire hour. They literally placed a sign on the bar as a Dispense Area for patrons not to sit. Fifty dirty beer and cocktail glasses lined that area of the bar. The bartender was knowledgeable about his whiskeys which were slightly pricey but the two dozen mussels were a crazy low price at 10£. We stopped in a second time to Maggie Dicksons to try two traditional Scottish dishes - Cullen Skink and Haggis. Both were super flavorful with historical origins. FOOD FACT: This restaurant makes their own sauce from Johnnie Walker Whiskey for the Haggis dish. Strong 4.5 star rating. read more

See all

We walked here for a pub lunch after touring Edinburgh Castle.  As it was our first Edinburgh opportunity to have fish and chips, we checked their menu for it and it qualified!  This restaurant is located amongst a bunch of other eateries in the very popular Grassmarket Market commercial district.  It is a quaint and cozy pub with character and just what we were looking for.  3 out of 4 of us had the fish and chips and my wife had their mushroom soup and Scottish mussels. The fish was the typical haddock and fresh and delicious but it was a bit over battered IMHO.   The soup was good but the mussels were quite small and ordinary. I'll go with 4 stars for over lunch stop. read more

See all

My favorite restaurant in all of Scotland. The mussels were very inexpensive and so flavorful garnished with garlic and shallots in a cream sauce. Sat next to the bar and ordered two big Hugo Spritz cocktails which were made quickly. I enjoy sitting near the bar to watch the creation of my drinks. The waiter was nice but seemed like it was his first day and not too knowledgeable of certain foods and drinks on the menu, but we all have to start sometime. Directly in front of the restaurant was where live executions were conducted. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

See all

The food was great. I had the flat iron steak and chips. I was expecting it to be tough, but it was great. My wife had the Cullen Skink, and it had a great smokey flavor with a rich cream base. The service was amazing. They held a table for us (it was for two, and they don't normally do that), and it was ready. We had a small booth for two. The manager (Colin) stopped by and talked to us for a while. Our server was amazing. They were busy, but they were able to get the food to use quickly (despite being very busy) and done exactly as expected. When you go, ask for Alys. She is the best! I highly recommend this place! read more

Maggie Dicksons - My wife and me in the booth they held for us. - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Best meal in Scotland. Hubs said Steak and Chips were spot on! Steak Pie was delicious - steak was tender and the crust, potatoes and carrots with a bit of gravy was a perfect bite. Hubs also enjoyed a whiskey flight and in true Scotland spirit only added a drop or two of water to open up the flavor.Service and ambiance was top tier. Definitely worth a stop. Also ask about Maggie. read more

What a special treat. Great service, lovely seating, and really wonderful food. The soup was creamy and loaded with fresh fish. The salmon was beautifully prepared and delicious as well. The beer was cold and the whiskey was perfect! We loved the history and story here, along the food and service. Great stop! read more

I never leave reviews. But our groups experience at this restaurant was so horrendous I logged back into this account after god knows how long. The service was acceptable but the food was inedible. 3 of us got the burger but only 2 of us could only handle one bite of whatever rotten precooked patty they had to offer and the third wouldn't even eat it after our complaints. My friend was lucky enough to have a bug on his burger as a prerequisite for a refund. Unfortunately for me and my other friend we were stuck with the 20£ mealworm burger charge. Our 4th member had rotten lettuce in his salad and a hair. Seeing this restaurant with a 4 star rating is like seeing a paraplegic win a marathon. TDLR: DO NOT EAT HERE PLEASE SAVE YOUR MONEY read more

We actually dined here a couple times while visiting Edinburgh. The first time, I had the fish and chips and my husband had the lamb stovie (stew). Both were good, I'd even say the stew was better. Having visiting many pubs in Edinburgh, it astounded us at the lack of Scottish beers (this place included). But food wise and staff wise, great place! read more

Great spot. Ask for Fiona. She is great but a very tough judge of you are trying to split the G on a Guinness.

Great bar and lovely staff. A great selection of drams. Shauna playing is a wee treat. The refit has transformed the place.

This is a hard one to call...... My food was great and gave me my first taste of haggis which I enjoyed a lot. If you go get the haggis burger with the peppercorn sauce. I gave someone at my table a taste and they ordered one of their own. That being said the service was friendly but slow but I d didn't mind because frankly I expect it a little more laid back and plan accordingly. Also as much as I enjoyed my meal the rest of my table weren't so lucky. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Fish and chips. - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

See all

All staff from bar staff to doorstaff are friendly and the refurb is beyond fantastic the atmosphere hits the right spot with its cosy feels and live entertainment read more

Great place to watch ANY game. Been here for the world cup, 6 Nations and all the way back to the 5 Nations Rugby tournament. Newly renovated and enlarged. The staff we had a ball with, from the bartenders to the doorman. And good food as well. read more

Go elsewhere. The place sucks. I was overcharged for my drinks and the bar tender pocketed the money. Worst bar experience I've had in many years. read more

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Sticky toffee pudding - delightful! - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

It's a pub - that's about it (for good and for bad). The drinks aren't particularly expensive, but aren't inexpensive either. The variety is about as bog-standard as you can get this side of Weatherspoons. The atmosphere is, well, that of a pub. The food is pub fare, and perfectly acceptable. In short, it's, well, a pub (albeit one with all the shlock you'd expect on the walls of anything this close to the Castle) The bottom line - there's other/better stuff around, but if you end up here, it won't suck... read more

Giving it a three because it was a good beer and nice inside, but not a ton beyond that. To be fair we did not try their food because we got there after their kitchen closed. We got some beers and wine and then headed to another spot, we sat inside so did not have the full experience outside, but the bar tender gave us some good tips for the area read more

The service was terrible. We never saw our waiter after the food was delivered. The "hostess" had her back to customers and we saw each table needed something. The steak pies was awful and the Caesar salad was drowned in dressing. We asked for beer recommendations but our waiter couldn't help us as he had no knowledge. Don't waste your money here. read more

One of the top places we went to in Edinburgh. Service was great, offerings were top notch. When we're back in town we will be back

Great pub. very old, lots of history. Very crowded but easy to get a pint read more

*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 Yelp search sent me here. A quickie Yelp 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. read more

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Seems, while in Edinburgh, we were lucky in finding great pubs. Some were really good, while others were 'average'. This pub, for service, came in tops. We were lucky, as the weather was good, to be able to enjoy a pint outside and watch the world go by. Good, quick, service at the bar with a nice choice of ales and lagers. Nice pub. Will make a return visit when we come over the border again. read more

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Locals tell me she came back from the dead. - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

This galley bar is bright and lively with a decent selection of drafts and super friendly service. We liked this place so much that we stopped in here multiple times in our two days in Edinburgh and each time I had a different draft while listening to live music. Also, a noteworthy selection was the Swedish bottled ciders they offer. The food looked good though, we didn't have any. Worth a stop in if your in the area. read more

See all

We came here on a cold April day for lunch and a drink. Was a huge disappointment. I had a Scottish hot chocolate. My husband had an old fashioned and a beer. The drinks were okay. This place was not authentic. We ordered a cheese burger and a steak pie. Terrible! The rap music was so distracting. On the plus side, we warmed up and went back out to enjoy all that Edinburgh had to offer. Probably fun for college kids, but not a mature couple enjoying the city for the first time. read more

Came for the drinks, stayed for the music. The atmosphere was very friendly, the bartenders and the drinks were great, and the live music (Courtesy of Michael) made it into a great time. Very easy for a tourist to feel at home. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

See all

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! read more

The drinks are made strong so I'd recommend it for drinks but not if you're going for food. The food is pub level but a little lacking. Best to get something fried. Unfortunately, they were out of the main dishes, so we tried the Macaroni and Cheese and a Cesar Salad. The Mac was okay but a bit over cooked, and the salad had ingredients not listed on the menu like beets. Other than it's a friendly spot for a good drink. Self seating and ordering at the bar is their style. read more

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. :) read more

Interesting decor. 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) read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

See all

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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. read more

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. read more

Maggie Dicksons - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Such a fun bar to go to. We got ciders and they are so good. The staff was super nice as well. Great place to grab a drink.

Maggie Dickson's on the Grassmarket is a lovely little pub. If it's a nice day enjoy a drink at the tables out front on the square. If it's on the chilly side venture into the welcoming pub with it's highly interesting stories about it's name sake Maggie Dickson who escaped execution hundreds of years ago. A nice friendly little pub with good food (the steak is amazing!!). read more

Wonderful pub with a fantastic selection of whiskies and a very knowledgable and helpful barman, who gave great recommendations! The live music from Nathan Fynn was a perfect addition to the evening, with a wonderful selection of songs and a beautiful voice. We can't wait to come back! read more