Merlin, The - presented by Edinburgh Pub Guide

168-172 Morningside Rd
MORNINGSIDE, Edinburgh
EH10

0131 4474329

Picture of the pub: Merlin, The,Edinburgh

Number of Reviews: 16

Average Rating: 3.8

Average Ambience: 3.8

Average Value 3.8

Average Food & Drink 3.6

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Review By: fur coat no knickers!

Title: hooray!!!

Review Date: 2007-03-01 14:33:17

Overall Rating: 4

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: 5

This is my local and I love it, it's relaxed friendly and at 2 for 1 for food every Monday, cheap cocktails on a Thursday, live music on a Friday and a quiz night on Sundays there is something for everyone. The food is good and the staff are great!

Review By: small fry

Title: happy memories

Review Date: 2007-02-28 00:41:05

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: Not Rated Yet

since moving to edinburgh 10 years ago i have came here regularly with my parents when they visit me. We have always loved this place and have seen it change dramatically over the years(for the better!) Admittedly, the service is slow but if you are in no rush u dont mind because the staff are always smiling and polite. Food is good especially the fish and chips!good place to sit, relax and read a paper.

Review By: lisa

Title: worth the wait?

Review Date: 2007-01-16 22:01:34

Overall Rating: 2

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 2

Food & Drink Rating: 1

i don't go into The Merlin alot, and after a few months away i think 'i should go back'. After waiting for 20 mins for a server to take our lunch order at a table we go to the bar, to be told to sit down and someone will come over. still we wait. when the food did arrive it was average at best. Just going in for a drink and waiting at the bar to be served is time consuming and expensive. maybe The WAITING Room would have been a better name for The Merlin, it is a better pub!

Review By: Mary

Title: Most enjoyable.

Review Date: 2006-12-12 10:15:49

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: 5

Just went to The Merlin last night and was pleased it was 2 for 1. The service at the bar was polite and friendly but slow.
We did not have to wait too long for the food and it was worth the wait!
Had a really nice meal at a bargin price.
Lovely atmosphere and very pleasent inside!
Would reccomend!

Review By: lozzalou

Title: mme the merlin

Review Date: 2006-10-13 07:50:44

Overall Rating: 2

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 2

Food & Drink Rating: 2

We went for the first time on12/10/06 and there were some good things to say about it (not all bad): great wine selection, good choice on the menu and the prices were pretty good. Sadly no longer serving IPA or Caley 80. My husband (minus his fav beer) had a nicoise salad which was pretty good and a good helping. I had a baked potato which was supposed to be jazzed up. It was supposed to come with prawns and the jazzed up bit was something to do with cheese and the skin. Basicallly i got a cheese baked potato and a teaspoon of prawn on the side. The service was slow and the staff did not seem to know what to do when I complianed about the food.

Review By: munchie

Title: ....slow

Review Date: 2006-05-12 17:40:36

Overall Rating: 3

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 3

ok but service at bar is very slow, seems to be under-staffed in the bar tender department.

Review By: Scottish-Norwegian lass

Title: great for friends and weekends

Review Date: 2006-03-28 14:00:45

Overall Rating: 4

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: 5

Been going to The Merlin now for over a year. Its just had a major redecoration and the place is looking much better now - not as "draughty" as it sometimes felt on a cold Scottish evening! The pub has always had a great atmosphere - friendly with great service. The food is some of the best pub grub ive tried in Edinburgh (including those "trendy" bars on George Street) and at a fraction of the price. Think it's Monday when they have 2 for 1 meals on - definately worth the trip!

Also one of the few pubs that stocks a good collection of wine - inc Rose. Only one minor complaint - after a year of longing for a cocktail menu, they have finally got around to it and i am extremely disappointed in it! Only about 4 or 5 cocktails.. no fair!

All in all, one of my fave Edinburgh haunts. Lovely staff and a relaxed atmosphere. Id go here over George St many a time!

P.s Food is amazing too

Review By: Ben

Title: Tidied up a bit

Review Date: 2006-03-10 13:46:48

Overall Rating: 3

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 3

This place has just had a fairly large refit - the layout and bar are essentially the same but the decor and tables have been redone. (The large whole in the wall in the gents has also been sorted!) It's a bit darker, less clinical and a bit more homely - which is a good thing. Don't like the high-tables though. Worth a visit.

Review By: tom

Title: food

Review Date: 2006-03-05 12:39:37

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 5

We had great food, and a nice pint. Loads of space and happy, interested staff who ran around loads to give us a great night plus live music the night we were in (Friday).

Review By: CIT

Title: Merlin

Review Date: 2005-12-06 15:44:01

Overall Rating: 3

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 3

Slightly better than average

Review By: Davie

Title: wedding reception

Review Date: 2005-11-13 22:01:21

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: 5

Great day with a meal that was truly first class and staff who bent over backwards to make our special day very memorable indeed.We will definetely be back and would recommend it to anyone.

Review By: Pamela

Title: The Sausage Sandwich

Review Date: 2005-11-12 18:50:49

Overall Rating: 4

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 4

Food & Drink Rating: 4

Really lovely snacks, I have not yet tried the main meals, because the smaller snacks are so filling and very tastey. They are also reasonably priced. I do feel the drinks are over priced, which is a great shame.

Review By: Filip

Title: Salsa

Review Date: 2005-11-09 12:14:08

Overall Rating: 5

Ambience Rating: 5

Value Rating: 5

Food & Drink Rating: Not Rated Yet

They also have probably the best Salsa event in Scotland upstairs twice a month on a frid and a sun check www.salsaholics.org events page and pictures

Review By: Otis

Title: Good and Bad

Review Date: 2005-07-05 23:26:35

Overall Rating: 3

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 2

Could like this bar - nice layout, decent menu and food service etc but there is a cronic lack of service when trying to get a beer from the bar. There always seem to be loads of staff but only 2 service a massive bar. The rest seem to re-arrage wine bottles and generally fart about. To be fair they sometimes offer a table service which can be handy. Also, why no IPA? criminal.

Review By: Michael Jackson's Elephant

Title: Good for a pint or four

Review Date: 2005-03-08 18:04:03

Overall Rating: 3

Ambience Rating: 3

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 3

Has a chain pub feel so lacks a bit of atmosphere, bt still good for a pint or four. They also do meal deals on monday nights - although I have no idea how good the food is

Review By: NAS

Title: A LITTLE BIT OF MAGIC

Review Date: 2004-08-28 21:23:53

Overall Rating: 4

Ambience Rating: 4

Value Rating: 3

Food & Drink Rating: 4

Morningside has a number of pubs to offer but not like this, loads of space and a great menu. This is a good starting spot for a night in town so you get a good mix of people.

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Merlin, The - presented by Edinburgh Pub Guide

This is my local and I love it, it's relaxed friendly and at 2 for 1 for food every Monday, cheap cocktails on a Thursday, live music on a Friday and a quiz night on Sundays there is something for everyone. The food is good and the staff are great!

Just went to The Merlin last night and was pleased it was 2 for 1. The service at the bar was polite and friendly but slow. We did not have to wait too long for the food and it was worth the wait! Had a really nice meal at a bargin price. Lovely atmosphere and very pleasent inside! Would reccomend!

ok but service at bar is very slow, seems to be under-staffed in the bar tender department.

We had great food, and a nice pint. Loads of space and happy, interested staff who ran around loads to give us a great night plus live music the night we were in (Friday).

Slightly better than average

Great day with a meal that was truly first class and staff who bent over backwards to make our special day very memorable indeed.We will definetely be back and would recommend it to anyone.

Really lovely snacks, I have not yet tried the main meals, because the smaller snacks are so filling and very tastey. They are also reasonably priced. I do feel the drinks are over priced, which is a great shame.

They also have probably the best Salsa event in Scotland upstairs twice a month on a frid and a sun check www.salsaholics.org events page and pictures

Has a chain pub feel so lacks a bit of atmosphere, bt still good for a pint or four. They also do meal deals on monday nights - although I have no idea how good the food is

Morningside has a number of pubs to offer but not like this, loads of space and a great menu. This is a good starting spot for a night in town so you get a good mix of people.

Just went to The Merlin last night and was pleased it was 2 for 1. The service at the bar was polite and friendly but slow.
We did not have to wait too long for the food and it was worth the wait!
Had a really nice meal at a bargin price.
Lovely atmosphere and very pleasent inside!
Would reccomend!