We absolutely loved our experience and the staff were just brilliant. We enjoyed the 'All you can eat Mac and Cheese' but could only manage one bowl due to portion size. The record is 7 bowls and my husband was determined, hat back and everything. Lol! The staff were funny and kept asking if he was ready for his next one. He was done but I'm impressed he manage to finish the one, I only managed about half but it was absolutely delicious. They had set out the restaurant to cover all Covid procedures and we booked via their website, which was easy enough to do, to guarantee our table and cover our Covid Government Test & Protect check-in. The only thing is we wanted to leave a tip but couldn't pay by cash. If there could be an option as the staff deserve it as the food and customer service was spot on. I would gladly go back and try some more off their menu but for now we're both off the mac and cheese, for a good while. Lol! read more

Woodland Creatures - The size of the mac and cheese bowls were massive. It was certainly a challenge but delicious. - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Dyed black fringes, expensive clothes and greying quiffs - I had no idea Edinburgh had such a population of well-off but ageing hipsters. Woodland Creatures opened this week on Leith Walk, in the former rough-and-ready Balfour Bar. It has a simple, austere style with a few wooden tables and chairs around the edges - and a central bar staffed by rather too-cool staff who take a while to serve you. I shouldn't be too harsh - it does have decent beer on tap and is going to serve food, and it's nice to have somewhere new to go. But it's an odd place, with an interesting clientele - including every 'cool' dog lover in town, so you have to watch where you put your feet for fear of stepping on a tail. I did feel sorry, too, for the poor old geezer, possibly a regular of the old Balfour Bar, who came and stared mournfully in the window. Then he shook his head, and walked off down the road... read more

Woodland Creatures - The door to the soon-to-open beer garden! - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

One of Leith Walk's more expensive pubs & one of the sort that also opts not to have hot water in the toilets. Good vegetarian options on the food menu though and, if the live entertainment in the back bar is not your cup of tea it's well soundproofed enough in the front part for you not to be disturbed if you relocate. Pleasant service each time I've been in and on the whole another welcome addition to the area's drinking culture. read more

Visited this bar on a Sunday evening so it wasn't packed, but as it's fairly new I guess it will take a while to get some regulars. Formally one of the roughest pubs on Leith Walk, Balfour Bar, it's made quite a transformation! Some for the best some not so... The external bar front has been sheeted over with a battleship grey facade, with three small high windows. My companion said it looked like a brothel from the outside! Ok, they have cute illuminated 'woodland creatures' in the windows but it's a sore shame they've hidden the traditional moulded external details Balfour Bar that displayed. Now, it looks like a nondescript frontage with little character. (Bad transformation). Step inside though and we're on the good things, nice big illuminated bar, well stocked and plenty of draft to choose from. They have gone for a shabby chic interior, PVC timber parquet flooring, old (I assume Balford orginal) pub tables, cosy high back banquet seating, old theatre seats and timber school chairs. Quite spacious inside and there is a separate room behind the bar which can be booked for functions. They've exposed some of the original brickwork giving it a rustic edge and included some funky artwork (LOVE sign) to add contemporary style. I like the interior, it's a breath of fresh air for Leith Walk pubs! (Good transformation). Staff were friendly and I think we saw the manager/owner at the end of the bar discussing strategies. Being so new they've not received cocktail training, but I been told it will come. Their Merlot was soft and very drinkable. And they have a food menu now! It's not very extensive, they have about 5/6 dishes available, however they seem very nice - not your average pub grub. Plus they will start Sunday Roasts next week! All dishes are a very reasonable £6.50 each too. We'd just eaten but I'll definitely be back to try out the roast! read more

Woodland Creatures - Love love love! - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I've been visiting Woodland Creatures since it opened and it's become a firm Leith favourite of mine. I do tend to like quieter pubs, so I like that it's the kind of place you can have a cosy pint without having to shout over music or other people. And cosy is the word - it's pretty dark without much natural light, but I feel it has a nice ambience. When I first ate here I wasn't hugely impressed, but I had a burger the other day which was fantastic and the menu has developed a lot since they opened. In the summer they have outside seating out the front, and I love the (not-so) secret garden out the back through the Narnia style wardrobe which is a wee stroke of genius. They started off with a fairly sparse but cool decor, but they've added lots of woodland themed touches over time and usually have some local artists' work displayed. If you haven't been since they opened, give it a another try. read more

Woodland Creatures - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I've been here a few times now but only had food for the first time yesterday. To be honest, Id rather not spend a night out here coz it's a bit too 'gentrified'. Its great for a daytime pint though. The staff: They were lovely. The food: I had a burger and chips and it was excellent. I'd say it was even better than the Holyrood 9A burger, better than the City Cafe version or the Southern. Reasons - A good helping of thick wedges, better than string fries from the freezer. The burger, was a great texture and homemade with plenty of Stilton on top. The drink: There are cheaper places and the doorman once told me they put the prices up to keep the riff-raff out..Meh. They serve that Black Isle Ale which is good though. Lastly - I just wish places would serve food on plates - It would actually be crazy/retrotastic! Why do I have to eat a burger on a small chopping board with wedges in a small metal bucket? Its boring now and makes you look out of date rather than original. read more

Nipped in here for dinner last night after a day out in Edinburgh and the menu is slightly confusing and doesn't seem to have changed much since I was last there (maybe two years ago?). (Vg) means vegan, and was only beside the hummus and pitta bread, and (v) means vegetarian but this mark was beside the "Vegan Sweet Potato and Beetroot Burger". I wasn't fancying the soup of the day, which was suitable for vegans (mushroom - AKA the vegetable of evil), and hummus and pitta bread I can easily chuck together at home, so went for the burger and wedges with side salad. They had a seeded bun for vegans which was nice, it wasn't the usual if you don't do brioche then you're going bunless. Despite me being a bit wary as I'm not much a fan of beetroot either (I don't like anything vinegary tasting except pickled onion Space Raiders) it was a really tasty burger, if it did fall apart a bit as I was eating it. They have Black Isle Brewery blonde lager on tap, which I quite like, so was happy to have a couple of pints with this and my meal. At 8pm they cranked the volume of the music up to 11 - I'm never really sure why this is necessary as it's not a venue where you dance, so that leaves sitting down and talking, and the volume of music didn't really allow for this. We'd been there since 5pm and it was starting to fill up so was happy when our evening was coming to an end and we were about to head back to Glasgow anyway. There are lots of other places in Edinburgh I've yet to try so probably won't be back for a while, but would be happy to go back if invited to this particular venue. read more

Woodland Creatures - Sweet potato burger and wedges - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

For some obscure reason, I start singing songs from 'Bambi' in my head when I think of 'Woodland Creatures'. I just wish the bar filled me with as much delight as Disney movies usually do! I was quite looking forward to paying this place a visit, as I'd heard lots of good things, and I finally got my chance one Saturday night. On first impressions, the owners have done a great job with the decor, both inside & out, but I think I was expecting it to be a wee bit quirkier (perhaps more woodlandy, a few more animals & maybe some unusual feature...like toilets hidden inside a tree themed bathroom or something!). The bar was well stocked, prices were normal and the staff were friendly...it just seemed to lack atmosphere for me. I'm having real difficulty putting my finger on the exact problem, but it really did make me feel a bit 'meh' (or maybe some other creature related noise). I'd like to give Woodland Creatures another try so I can hopefully update my star rating but, until then, it's only 2 stars for my night in the woods. read more

To be honest I was several pints down by the time we got here on Saturday and I remember a few things fairly well. We were approached for money for some charity which is pretty annoying. We were in leith which is rarely high on my "things to do sheet" and we were towards the end of a days drinking on a busy saturday. However it's a big bar, it's got decent beers on and I quite enjoyed the ambiance. There was plenty of space, good seating and enough space around the bar that queing was fine. Well done WC you're top in my books. Oh wait this is one we probably shouldn't acronymise. read more

I'm updating this review because I've gone and eaten here and felt I should express my feelings about the experience. Table service, pretty good and definitely friendly. The guy was a little stressed due to dealing with a very big table around the corner, but that's more observation and less criticism. We were given our due attention and wanted for nothing. The setting I've already spoken of, and I like it. This was my first time in here during daylight hours though, and I was pleasantly surprised by how much light gets in - I had wondered given the size of the windows. We went in on a Sunday and ordered a fairly straightforward roast and a beautiful hake dish with a light tomato sauce on mash. The latter was definitely the star attraction because I'm not generally a massive fan of roast beef, preferring lamb or chicken roasted, but it still had character and the whole experience deserved 4 stars. I should probably add that we had the distinct impression that this was a menu that dealt with quite a lot of dietary needs, with vegan-suitable commitments for a couple of the dishes as well as some proper meatfests. This impressed me. I would say that there weren't too many diners in total and I wonder how efficient it would all be if there were more, but this logic isn't fair criticism at all because, hey: maybe they'd just have asked someone else to come in and help if that were the case! read more

This is a nice addition to the Leith Walk. Having visited about 4 times thus far (2 times in summer, 1 autumn and 1 winter) I can say that I find it a comfortable bar to get back to. I have yet to sample the food, but I am not a Pub Meal kind a guy so I stick with beer and nibbles. About the beer, they have 2 of my favourites on draft: Black Isle Blonde and Innis & Gunn. Very reasonably prices for draft and spirits. The seating is open plan , big sofa in the middle and a lot of bar stools to sit on, but to be honest those are a tad uncomfortable to sit on for long. The service is mixed. Can't really put my finger on it, but it is a little distant at times. Could just be me, but it does put me off a bit. I like sitting outside in the summer, but they only have a limited amount of daily sun during the summer's day due to being located on the shadowy side of the street Mmh.. it seems that every sentence I use has a 'but' to describe this place. I guess that is how it is.. there is a 'but' It is nice place to visit, but I hope it will improve somehow. (See what I did there?) read more

Cracking pub but dreadful food! If you're looking for drinks it's a great place but the food is truly terrible (I'd rather have had a Macdonalds and thats saying something!) We tried the burgers and the macaroni cheese - I have had better macaroni cheese from a packet and the burgers were pretty tasteless and served with polenta chips (never known anyone make a success of those - what's wrong with a nice normal potato chip). If the food had been really cheap, you'd already have low expectations but at £7.50 for the burgers & around the same for the macaroni cheese they're way off the mark (pretty telling that on clearing our still food-littered plates that noone even asked us how it was) Chatting to regulars outside, they all said the same about the food. Go elsewhere for your scran THEN pop in for a nice drink read more

Did you ever have a friend who wanted to move out of home so his parents built him a sort of bodged granny flat in the basement? Dodgy woodwork by his dad, mismatched bits of furniture, crappy parquet flooring and some cheap garage-sale decorations? He's so proud of having "his own flat" and feeling all grown up but the reality is he's sitting on a wonky school chair in his parents' basement. Well, if he opened a bar, it would be Woodland Creatures. It's not a bad place, and it's already full of customers only a couple of days after opening, but it's a bit like a substandard version of Victoria's or Boda. Then again, that's probably their goal. It has a bit of a hipster can't-be-arsed-trying vibe, which is both annoying and refreshing, depending on your mood. And they have a couple of real ales on tap, which most modernised bars don't, so that's a big plus for me. So, I'm glad that Leith Walk is continuing its rise to glory with another funky drinkery, but I think it will take a little while for this one to bed in. Judging from how busy it was today, though, they'll do just fine. read more

A welcome addition to Leith Walk. A breath of fresh air with plenty of room, good selection of drinks and capable staff. Nice wee beer garden out back too - entered into via a Narnia style wardrobe. I'm not sure why so many reviewers describe it being full of hipsters - aging or otherwise! It has a fairly +30 stylish clientele which for me is a good thing. It beats the hell out of Victoria (twee, overpriced and loud), Joseph Peirce's (even more twee, obnoxious punters and overstyled/vacant ECA bar staff) and Brass Monkey (full of teenagers and burgers - like an Scottish TGI Fridays. I like Woodland Creatures very much and I hope it's here to stay. read more

This place wasn't too crowded. Seemed dog friendly place, cause there was a reaaalllly friendly dog there, who made us laugh. Staff is friendly and helpful. Burgers looked wild and stylish at the same time! But beef burger was really salty for me. Maybe the chef is in love? :) Beer was little bit expensive and that's why we didn't stay there too long. :( read more

Nice place, very cute. I had a couple of nice beers and a pretty decent burger while I studied for a tax exam - they didn't have any problem with me getting my books out all over a table. Very friendly staff who offered to open a tab for me when I ordered my first drink. The only thing particularly amazing about Woodland Creatures is the door to the beer garden - it's a wardrobe and thus feels like Narnia. Other than that, it's a solid, friendly local place. I don't think I'd bring visitors to the city here but I'll definitely be stopping by for a pint and dinner occasionally. read more

This place is pretty big. Also, if you go now, there's naked ladies on the wall. We popped in here a few days ago on a whim, as in my 'last minute thesis haze' I forgot I hadn't left the house in a while (I won't say how long a 'while' is). The plan was a coffee but we decided to give the food a try as a neighbour had mentioned the mac and cheese was a bit of alright. First impressions: Where's the whimsy?! I see a sign that says Woodland Creatures, I see cute critters in the window, I enter and...nothin'. I was a little disappointed. We sat in a room off to the right, which seemed like the 'eating' area of the pub. I sat down removed my scarf and then was slack jawed at the naked lady parts facing me on the wall. They were lovely and all but a bit less than expected. After getting over my initial shock we ordered, a mac and cheese for him, a chicken burger with wedges for her. Our food arrived quite quickly and looked a bit bleak to be honest. A giant plate with a pile of rocket, a few wedges and a burger that didn't have much going for it each taking up not very much room, leaving plenty of white space (I may have solved the 'why do burgers always come on wooden yokes' mystery). On closer inspection, the burger itself resembled a frozen chicken burger that one would get 2 for £1 from Birdseye and the bun was generic, 6 in a pack bun. The burger was garnished with a slice of tomato, two rings of onion and a crap-tonne more of rocket. Despite the rocket the burger was bland and I felt like I was eating mushy water. The wedges were good though, done well and didn't feel from a packet. The mac and cheese across from me was good, very garlicky, but definitely not a man sized portion. The staff are really nice, so I feel a bit guilty giving a low rating. They were attentive, polite and gave service with a smile. The crowd seems nice enough, but the seating, particularly where we were was awkward. I can see why there's been a few comments on the lack of atmosphere and I get the impression it's somewhere that would look great filled with people but rarely is. The tables are very thin and two plates could barely fit and this made eating awkward (especially for that fella I bring with me places). I might check back myself in a few months to see if they've managed to find their niche, but until then, it's a pass from me. read more

Feels a bit hipster-tastic to me in this joint. My glass of ginger beer cost me something like £2.75. Ouch! Pub also feels quite dark and seats are not the comfiest. I'm all for cool options, and Leith deserves to have a place for the hipsters to hang out. So fair enough. There's nothing wrong with this place per se, it's just not really my bag. read more

Woodland Creatures was a-jumping one Friday Fringe evening. My band were booked to close a night of entertainment and we had a rare old time. I'll definitely be tempted back when I'm next Leith bound. We were in a little side room which is shut off from the bar. It would be just great if you were looking to host a special event or private party. The great thing is that, otherwise, it can open out and connect to the rest of the bar. This wee room had interesting decor, keeping with the bar name; trees and animals and a dark, mysterious ambience. I loved that there was also an art exhibition on display. - Woodland Creatures is definitely a place for creatives. We played our set and stuck around for a drink or two. I went for a Bacchus raspberry beer, and it looked like the bar had a nice wee selection on offer. Bar staff were super friendly too. I'd been corresponding with Lorna from the bar in the run up to the event, and she was so lovely and helpful; even more so in person. As someone who deals with band emails, it's literally the best thing ever to be met with the person you've spoke to for the last few weeks on the night of the gig. Dealing with the one person from start to finish makes it so much easier and builds a genuine rapport. We love playing Slouch in Glasgow for the same reason. We've played gigs where the promoter hasn't turned up and it isn't quite the same. In this respect, two thumbs up for Woodland Creatures. - We'd play again in a heartbeat! I'm sure I'll find myself here again. read more

lovely bar, lovely food, lovely staff. dog friendly and child friendly ( prefer dogs to kids!) beautifully renovated from the disaster that used to be the balfour bar, the interior is all beautiful natural wood, light and airy with a space through the back to display art by local artists and a wonderful secret garden! less expensive than some of the more shabby bars on leith walk and definitely a cut above the rest in the area. read more

when i first heard mention of woodland creatures, i thought people meant actual little furry creatures from the woods. but apparently what they meant was a new hip bar on leith walk! i have to say it is a rather interesting name for a bar and i'm not sure what thought went into it. there is certainly not a woodland theme going on here unless you count the few light up plastic animals in the window. however, name aside this seems like a rather nice place. it's clear that the owners of this bar did some serious refurbishment work as there is no resemblance of the previous occupier! probably for the best as my work colleague said the balfour bar was one dodgy place. woodland creatures is a big bar with a good amount of space. there's benchs with tables along two walls in the front room with some other tables placed about, but still room for standing. there are also some seats at the bar for those that like that. there is a smaller back/side room that has some local art/photographs on the wall with more seating available. the design is all very trendy hispter exposed brick wall cool. so maybe not to some people's liking but i thought it gave the bar a nice look. the staff seemed very friendly as the barman came right over after we'd sat down at a table to say we could order drinks from him and he'd bring them to us. i'm not sure this is always an option as we were some of the only customers there on a monday night but i appreciated the effort. after a brief look at the photos in the side room we made a quick enquiry about their food offers to which the barman confirmed that they had a menu and went to get the chef to speak to us. a brief description of the menu and some recommendations from the chef i went with the hake over chive mash in a lobster bisque sauce. food took a bit of time to arrive meaning that it was freshly prepared but i was pleased with my meal. there was a nice piece of hake resting on top of some tasty mashed potatoes. these weren't the creamist mashed potatoes i've eaten but they were tasty especially mixed with the lobster bisque. while i enjoyed my dinner, i did think that the whole lot could do with just a bit more seasoning. nothing was super bland, but it did lack a bit in the taste department. my friend commented similarily on her sweet potato burger with polenta chips. there appears to be a good stock of spirits on offer along with beers on tap and bottled beers. as i'm laying off the booze i can also confirm that they make a nice lime and soda if you are staying sober for the night. prices were reasonable, i think i paid about £10 for two drinks and my meal, and service is friendly. as this is a new place it lacks atmosphere which is why i've only given it three stars. however i plan to go back to see how this place develops as it embeds into the leith neighbourhood. read more

Excellent ambiance and great selection of beverages. Lovely staff.

Leithwalk is quite dead so any new places are welcome. There are two types of pubs on this street. First type which only visited by guys (and i don't mean gay pubs, I'm rather thinking about Pub for pals, buddies) and second type for both sexes. Don't have to highlight that I prefer this second one. Honestly for me it would be perfect to find a pub which is attended only by girls... maybe if I were born as Hugh Hefner... any way, last Friday I saw couple of chicks in this woodland, that's very positive sign... ;-) read more

Try and organise all my nights here. It's such a nice environment with a great cabaret hosted by DIVE. Was in the top 10 most relaxing places in Edinburgh and it's no wonder why read more

Went to Woodland Creatures today for lunch as I was craving a good old-fashioned sunday roast and had heard good things from friends. I wasn't disappointed when I got a big plate with a nice, well-cooked piece of herby pork with a good selection of veg and a yorkshire pudding. My herbivore friend went for the vegan sweet potato burger with polenta fries which I had a taste of too. I'd never normally go for the veggie/vegan choice on a menu but I want to come back again and have one of these burgers to myself! It was light and fresh and nice and crispy on the outside with lovely spiced sweet potato mix inside. I'd never tried polenta fries before, and while I'd probably still prefer normal chips they weren't half bad either. We shared a blueberry cheesecake for dessert which was delicious. Drinks and food were reasonably priced and service was quick and friendly. Will definitely be back. read more

Great meeting place for catchups with friends. Epic selection of beer, gin and rum and the music selection is varied and always enjoyable. Amazing song selections guys! It is dog friendly and is always a joy to be around furry friends. Also on the most important point, they serve THE best mac and cheese in Edinburgh. Woodland Creature is a firm Leith Walk favourite. read more

Was in there last night and got a large portion of spicy chicken wings and they where absolutely terrible. Don't buy them. Looked like they had been pulled out a bin. read more