Review By: Andrew
Title: Cloisters
Review Date: 2007-08-18 09:23:13
Overall Rating: 
5
Ambience Rating: 
2
Value Rating: 5
Food & Drink Rating: 4
Well, the only problem is with Cloisters is that Edinburgh Uni Students overrun the place and the lack of seating. Apart from that it is one of the best proper pubs in town. Nice friendly bar staff, good food and a wide (and I mean wide) selection of local, Scottish and UK ales. Brilliant - just don't let on or it'll get more crowded!!!
Review By: Chris
Title: Sadly...
Review Date: 2007-07-17 08:33:05
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Food & Drink Rating: 5
...the posho knobber Edinburgh Uni students have cottoned on to this pub. However if you see past them this is one of the best pubs in town.
Friendly staff who actually know what they're talking about and are quite happy to help with choice is rare in pubs.
The food is very good too
Review By: Peter & Isla
Title: good pub
Review Date: 2007-02-20 19:17:15
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 4
Food & Drink Rating: 5
My wife and i just came into this pub for a quick drink after dinner and eded up staying for 5 hours. Great beer, good mix of customers and some of the friendliest bar staff we found during our stay in the capital. Top marks!
Review By: gazza
Title: cloisters
Review Date: 2007-01-22 16:17:20
Overall Rating: 3
Ambience Rating: 4
Value Rating: 3
Food & Drink Rating: 4
Great beer , nice atmosphere and knowledgable helpful staff . The clientele is either studenty or older real ale lovers and its pretty relaxed.The foods pretty good too ..
Only drawback is the lack of seating provided meaning more normally than not you end up standing .
Review By: Alicia
Title: Boycott Cloisters!
Review Date: 2007-01-17 09:14:41
Overall Rating: 0
Ambience Rating: 0
Value Rating: 0
Food & Drink Rating: 0
The horrendous treatment I received here has led me to launch a campaign to boycott Cloisters. I am an American who has studied and worked in Edinburgh for the past 2 years and have never had a problem ordering a drink anywhere. That is until I tried to show my visiting American friends, age 23 and 26, what a cute, cozy pub was like in Edinburgh. I chose Cloisters because it was a bitterly cold night and they have a fireplace, and the lack of loud music would have made it ideal for us to complete a few crosswords. We had barely sat down for 3 minutes before the bartender intensely asked us if we would be buying a drink or just sitting. Feeling rushed to buy a drink (most places give you a moment to think of what you want and to survey what’s on tap), my 23 yrs old friend went up to the bar to order. She promptly came back and said she needed to get her ID that she had left in her wallet. Her boyfriend of 26 went back up to the bar with her where we were rudely told that they only accepted passports or UK driver licenses, (our passports were at the B&B or home) and that our American driver licenses were invalid. Then, we were condescendingly told that we had to be over 18 to legally be allowed in the pub, and since we could not verify our age with the appropriate documentation, we would have to leave. I have never been treated so rudely! None of us looked underage, and the manner with which he asked us to leave was very unprofessional and discriminatory. Cloisters is advertised in many American guide books of the city, so you would expect them to recognise American IDs coupled with strong American accents. But apparently they want to keep their pub exclusively British. I will never again set foot in Cloisters, and I will definitely make sure than any other Americans that are thinking of visiting Edinburgh should know to avoid such a terrible place.
Review By: Chris
Title: One of the best places to drink...
Review Date: 2006-12-13 11:50:09
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Food & Drink Rating: 5
Friendly staff, an excellent selection of well kept beers and whisky. The only downside is that it's too popular at the weekends.
Review By: pistol pete
Title: cloisters
Review Date: 2006-10-18 21:35:04
Overall Rating: 1
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 1
Food & Drink Rating: Not Rated Yet
nice bar and nice decoration just no atmosphear
Review By: Lisa
Title: Best Pub in Edinburgh!
Review Date: 2006-10-15 19:16:04
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Food & Drink Rating: 5
How did I live without this pub?!
Review By: Mark
Title: One of Edinburgh's best pubs
Review Date: 2006-10-09 23:41:05
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Food & Drink Rating: 5
Really nice bar with an excellent selection of beer and whisky. Good pub for those who want somewhere you can sit and chat without having to shout over loud music. One of the best options in this part of town and a good place to go before or after a visit to the Cameo cinema.
Recommended.
Review By: Andy
Title: great pub
Review Date: 2006-09-27 17:52:22
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 4
Food & Drink Rating: 5
without a doubt 1 of the best pubs in edinburgh! Had food here for the 1st time here the other day and it was fantastic! Relaxed atmosphere, friendly and attentive staff and 9 well kept ales. a fair range of quality bottle beer too. Brilliant!
Review By: cardguy@cloisters
Title: pubs for people
Review Date: 2006-07-31 19:17:59
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 5
Food & Drink Rating: 5
Dogs allowed, no music, no football colours. Literate intelligent staff...and great beers. If you are a banker, go to a different pub.
Review By: JA
Title: Go there
Review Date: 2006-05-24 12:02:28
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: Not Rated Yet
Value Rating: Not Rated Yet
Food & Drink Rating: Not Rated Yet
Without doubt one of the best pubs in Edinburgh. Great atmoshpere, real ale and a good mix of people. Go there.
Review By: Yota
Title: Cosy Corner
Review Date: 2006-01-27 13:15:22
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 4
Food & Drink Rating: Not Rated Yet
Very nice cosy pub. Plenty of ales on offer changing almost daily. Not the cheapest but certainly not unreasonable. Not much seating but a peculiar mix of students and "normal" people who are happy to let you share a table. Nice fire too, dogs allowed and non smoking area. You go there covered head to foot in mud, they'll still serve you and be glad for your service.
Review By: thefesteringsore
Title: fantastic little place
Review Date: 2005-06-15 05:48:06
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 4
Value Rating: 4
Food & Drink Rating: 5
Excellent 'proper' old pub. Open fire [excellent fake!], wooden pews, lack of big screen and a wonderful range of real ales at a reasonable price.
If you, like me, usually wake up with a hangover on a Sunday morning. Crawl down here for a wonderful breakfast, which will do wonder for your spirit.
Best to avoid in the evenings when Edinburgh University Yah brigade arrive following some ramble or other such feeble pursuit.
Review By: Dr U.
Title: Trad & Modern ...
Review Date: 2004-01-14 17:38:57
Overall Rating: 5
Ambience Rating: 5
Value Rating: 4
Food & Drink Rating: 5
Cloisters is a mind blowing pub for those who know what they are looking for. For a start there are 8+ real ales always on and without exception they are well kept and well served. The interior is traditional but manages to maintain a light atmosphere rather than being a dingy smokey hole like so many pubs. No TV and music means that this is a pub where you go to talk to people.
Review By: Big Dave
Title: The staff wear Aprons!
Review Date: 2003-12-04 17:29:53
Overall Rating: 4
Ambience Rating: 4
Value Rating: 3
Food & Drink Rating: 4
Really nice pub, highly recommended. Its only fault is that it gets really busy on the weekends. They have lots of guest ales for enthusiasts
Review By: Andy Hinton
Title: The Cloisters, my local.
Review Date: 2003-11-26 12:27:35
Overall Rating: 4
Ambience Rating: 3
Value Rating: Not Rated Yet
Food & Drink Rating: 4
This pub is a mecka for all those real Ale fans. Cloisters normally stocks over Half-a-dozen well kept real ales's from all around the country . The Staff are friendly and the atmosphere is in keeping with a pub that feels like its been around for a long time. Due to its popularity it can be difficult to gets seats in the evening...... so come early!
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