Cafe Royal, The - presented by Edinburgh Pub Guide

17 West Register St
NEW TOWN, Edinburgh
EH2

Picture of the pub: Cafe Royal, The,Edinburgh

Review By: Mauro

Title: worst pub of my life

Review Date: 2007-11-03 12:22:27

Overall Rating: 0

Ambience Rating: 1

Value Rating: 0

Food & Drink Rating: 0

They have only ONE draught beer: an IPA!!!! And the food is terrible, too. Go elsewhere, please

Review By: Norman Phillips

Title: Cafe Royal - bloody marvellous

Review Date: 2007-08-21 08:37:45

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: 5

I recentlky came back after 3 years in NZ for a quick visit and had a few beers - 5 pints of Deuchars IPA to be exact, at the CR; absolute nectar and it felt as if I had dies and gone to heaven. Great to know that it as as good as ever but hell its a long way!

Review By: stan the man

Title: oozes history

Review Date: 2007-07-09 00:37:50

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 5

very few old bars like this one left. visit it before some new owner tarts it up (modernise!!!) Great food, bar staff getting better.

Review By: Christopher

Title: A beauty

Review Date: 2007-05-18 20:13:52

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 5

Spent two hours here evening Monday 14th May.

Brill looking pub. Great layout and well managed. good food. The accompaying Oyster bar looks even better. The three bar staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful. Had some great Deuchars. Will be back next visit to Edinburgh

Review By: Dave

Title: Great looking pub

Review Date: 2007-04-03 14:14:33

Overall Rating: 4

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 4

Went in on a busy night after a parade and was very impressed with the overall look of the pub. The tile and the bar are really beautiful. Not much of a selection ale wise, but the dueschers IPA was very good. I thought the staff was ok, got us our pints very quickly.

Review By: ex staff

Title: staff

Review Date: 2007-03-25 19:48:55

Overall Rating: Not Rated Yet

Ambience Rating: Not Rated Yet

Value Rating: Not Rated Yet

Food & Drink Rating: Not Rated Yet

you're right about the staffing levels - unfortunately it's never up to the manager, but the powers-that-be above him or her. And if you've ever had someone snap their fingers at you for service,you'll know why they're generally grumpy! Hope you never had bad service from me!

Review By: gazza

Title: cafe royal

Review Date: 2007-01-19 16:29:59

Overall Rating: 2

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 1

Food & Drink Rating: Not Rated Yet

Its a great looking pub but boy its gone downhill . The beers distinctly average and the service is abysmal.

Review By: local

Title: The staff

Review Date: 2007-01-06 14:34:46

Overall Rating: 3

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 4

I have flitted in and out of the cafe royal for years. The one thing that has never altered is the standard of their bar staff. They are always poor. The pub itself beyond this is great. Great tiling, shape to bar, windows and location. The staff are almost aloof... and not in a way where you can say it is accredited... they are just generally poor, generally unwelcoming and generally not very able

Review By: jamsey

Title: no staff

Review Date: 2006-11-26 14:51:43

Overall Rating: 1

Ambience Rating: 2

Value Rating: 1

Food & Drink Rating: 2

went there on day scotland played australia,at 11:10 the bar was still shut!after some banging on door a member,sorry THE member of staff, grudgingly let us in warning that as she was the only person on we better not complain about slow service!!
the owner of this bar needs to get a grip.employ more staff and do some forward thinking for international days!!

Review By: Davy

Title: Cloudy Pint

Review Date: 2006-10-23 08:22:38

Overall Rating: 1

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 0

Was in ther for a pint the other day and was not impressed with the member of staff who served me. I was presented with a cloudy pint, when i complained he wasn't going to replace it, told him he was having a laugh.
Never going back

Review By: Davy

Title: Great wee pub

Review Date: 2006-08-16 17:32:10

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 5

Central location, just across from the top of Waverly Station steps, so ideal for having a couple before catching the train. The food is excellent and it's got a good selection of drafts and single malts.

Review By: Salford Si

Title: class

Review Date: 2006-06-07 16:09:58

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 5

top boozer..just like they used to be and how they all should be. Great ale and food. Decor is beautiful and spacious. Greta atmosphere.
Only gripe is the staff always seem undermanned and hence can take awhile to get served. If it was my pub I would have at least 4 staff on constantly, but I have been in when there's only one staff and the bar is ahuge horseshoe..

Review By: Courtney

Title: The Best Pub in the UK

Review Date: 2006-06-01 17:01:37

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: 5

You can find the same group of guys at lunch and back at dinner...standing in the same place they have stood for years. A place where you become such good freinds with the staff that you listen to their problems instead of them listening to yours. The oysters are to die for, the pints are brillant and the history is all around! What ever happened to those two crazy Texan bartenders that would never leave??? Thanks for the memories!

Review By: Leo

Title: Great Way to send some time on a Sat a/noon

Review Date: 2006-05-26 13:54:06

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 4

This is a lovely place to have a pint ot two after a hard day battling up Princes Street doibng shopping.
A reminder of how upmarket pubs and eating establishments used to be.

Review By: pam humble

Title: they don't make em like this anymore

Review Date: 2006-01-28 21:18:22

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 5

i love this sort of very old pub that has resisted being modernised... it's a fasinating place to sit in with a good selection of real ales, good food and friendly staff... go just to gawp at the doulton tiles !!!

Review By: Ard Righ

Title: Great Central Spot

Review Date: 2005-03-03 20:22:26

Overall Rating: 4

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 3

Can't believe no review - yet ! Really an interesting spot to stand and have a quick drink. Seating appeared to be at a premium. Centrally located right next to Registar General office building off Princes street. Very good beer on tap and good service. Manager on duty kind enough to chat with us regarding history of the place including the unique, massive & priceless Doulton (pre- Royal Doulton) mosaics on the walls. Recommend stopping.

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Cafe Royal, The - presented by Edinburgh Pub Guide

They have only ONE draught beer: an IPA!!!! And the food is terrible, too. Go elsewhere, please

I recentlky came back after 3 years in NZ for a quick visit and had a few beers - 5 pints of Deuchars IPA to be exact, at the CR; absolute nectar and it felt as if I had dies and gone to heaven. Great to know that it as as good as ever but hell its a long way!

very few old bars like this one left. visit it before some new owner tarts it up (modernise!!!) Great food, bar staff getting better.

Spent two hours here evening Monday 14th May. Brill looking pub. Great layout and well managed. good food. The accompaying Oyster bar looks even better. The three bar staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful. Had some great Deuchars. Will be back next visit to Edinburgh

Went in on a busy night after a parade and was very impressed with the overall look of the pub. The tile and the bar are really beautiful. Not much of a selection ale wise, but the dueschers IPA was very good. I thought the staff was ok, got us our pints very quickly.

you're right about the staffing levels - unfortunately it's never up to the manager, but the powers-that-be above him or her. And if you've ever had someone snap their fingers at you for service,you'll know why they're generally grumpy! Hope you never had bad service from me!

Its a great looking pub but boy its gone downhill . The beers distinctly average and the service is abysmal.

Was in ther for a pint the other day and was not impressed with the member of staff who served me. I was presented with a cloudy pint, when i complained he wasn't going to replace it, told him he was having a laugh. Never going back

Central location, just across from the top of Waverly Station steps, so ideal for having a couple before catching the train. The food is excellent and it's got a good selection of drafts and single malts.

This is a lovely place to have a pint ot two after a hard day battling up Princes Street doibng shopping. A reminder of how upmarket pubs and eating establishments used to be.

i love this sort of very old pub that has resisted being modernised... it's a fasinating place to sit in with a good selection of real ales, good food and friendly staff... go just to gawp at the doulton tiles !!!

Spent two hours here evening Monday 14th May.

Brill looking pub. Great layout and well managed. good food. The accompaying Oyster bar looks even better. The three bar staff were welcoming, friendly and helpful. Had some great Deuchars. Will be back next visit to Edinburgh

Was in ther for a pint the other day and was not impressed with the member of staff who served me. I was presented with a cloudy pint, when i complained he wasn't going to replace it, told him he was having a laugh.
Never going back

This is a lovely place to have a pint ot two after a hard day battling up Princes Street doibng shopping.
A reminder of how upmarket pubs and eating establishments used to be.