Hectors

A split second decision led us to Hectors; one that had me kicking myself for not popping in much, much sooner.
Hectors is cosy with just the right dose of kitsch, with some fun interior quirks. Look up and see the lamp stands, with oversized, chic lampshades, hanging from the ceiling and — look! — pretty shoes hanging in a frame. So, whilst Hectors is a traditional-​ish cosy pub, it’s not your average local. I couldn’t believe not noticing these quirky additions — despite passing by countless times — but it made it all the more delightful to walk in and see, knowing I live just minutes away.
Hectors is a safe, cheap bet for dinner. — £9 for a burger and a drink. And not just a standard no-​frills burger; you’ve choice of several and there’s veggie options in the mix too. I went for the chorizo and beef with caremelised onions and it was a tasty, flavoursome burger. Fries are included too. All in all, if you’re on a tight budget or looking for a quick dinner, this will do just the trick.
I went for a soda and lime which wasn’t included on the drinks list. I ordered two. Soda and lime is the cheapest of all the drinks to make so I appreciate that the lovely lady serving us included both of mine in the £9 deal, which I pleasantly discovered when I went to pay. The other options for drinks include wine, beer and cider, etc.
Service was both really friendly and really fast. — This quick dinner was just the kind that has you fully satisfied and already planning your next visit.

My new local, serves great food and drink!
I’ve been for Sunday roasts which are delicious, would reccomend the pork roast with added cheesy cauliflower bake.
Brunches are good, would reccomend the breakfast burger which looks small, but is oh so filling!
I’ve had quite a few dinners here and have no complaints about the food. The fried chicken is a must, but also the sausage and mash, burgers, and fish and chips are a delight. A great atmosphere, staff are friendly and helpful.
For after work drinks (or drinks for no reason) this place is great, ample space available. Open till 1am too, so you’ve got a good amount of time.
My only gripe is that during busy periods, I think that Hectors struggled to cope with the demand. The wait for roast is over 40 minutes on a Sunday and table service is really difficult to get. I would strongly recommend booking a table on weekends to secure a spot. And be prepared to wait.
Also, they do quiz nights here! A super fun might out if you’re full of trivia knowledge.
If you’re a Stockbridge local I’d be surprised if you haven’t been. If you’re in the area looking for good food that is very reasonably priced, Hectors is the way to go. If its busy, be prepared to make and afternoon/​evening of it.

Good food, great deco, I ordered the steak pie, a bit too salty for me. My husband ordered the fish and chips, he love it. I love the seasonal veggie, side dish, very fresh and real. They also serve difference countries food, very variety.

Stumbled on this place and we’re really pleased with everything. The cous cous salad was awesome. Ditto for the tomato, olive, vegetable croquettes. Kit enjoyed the chicken & ham hock pie. Good beer!

Yet another let-​down. On arrival at 1pm on a Friday we were alone in there (aside fom one inexplicably frantic looking barman/​waiter and a waitress who appeared from the back eventually) and there was probably another 4 tables in total while we were there. Couldn’t help but recall the recent (poor) newspaper review and wonder if the locals had deserted?
In said review one of the minus points was having to order at the bar and what a logistical nightmare that was, as well as being a really confusing change to how it used to work pre-​refurb. In response to this or to further overwhelming feedback, I suppose, the paper menus had the ‘order at the bar’ bit simply scored through with a line and a ‘we will come to you’ blurb hastily added underneath. Looked very afterthoughty, cheap, and lazy.
Chicken wings were ok, hot enough, poutine chips gravy sauce tasted bought in. Pork burger was reasonably tasty and chips ok but the beef burger was very very gristly and a challemge to eat due to the amount of time to allow for picking out rubbery bits. Such terrible quality of mince cannot be disguised and is a rip off to customers. Cooked to a dry, tasteless state and unpleasant. Can’t comment on macncheese side as they were forgotten and not delivered.
The refit is predictable and will be out of date by the end of the year. Boring intentional fake hunting-​based gentlemen clubby clutter and bare bulbs etc. Except the toilets, which were clearly left off the to-​do list and were ridiculously grubby and tired with awful flaking paint before you even open their doors. Service was not the worst — polite enough but ineffectual and setting no atmosphere. If only they could carry more than 2 plates at once, or a tray full of drinks with one hand and not have to put on the table to dispense. Amateur. A bar with any intention of offering a great product and experience should hire properly qualified and trained staff.
Hopefully Stocky Tap kitchen will actually be open next time I put £4 on the parking meter in Stockbridge…

Do a great pub quiz! Unfortunately we came last but great fun, really enjoyed myself, back again next Sunday!

Went there for lunch and decided to leave before ordering anything. One of the bartenders was very rude to my wife and appeared uninterested in serving us. We then got a table and had to wait for ages for a waiter/​waitress to come to our table. After 20 minutes of waiting, we decided to ask for a menu ourselves. Then we waited another 10 – 15 minutes and although a number of waiters passed our table, none could be bothered to ask us if we wanted anything. One waiter was standing right next to us and he was screaming to the other side of the room to ask if a party of four wanted a bigger table. I have never felt completely invisible in a restaurant. The guy who arranged the table for us was the only one who made an effort. Appalling service!

I’m not a Stockbridge bunny so I’ve only popped in here a few times.
Hectors is unassuming from the outside, in fact the other night The OH walked right by while I pointed to the door. I was pointing to it and he still thought it wasn’t the place (and he’s been there more times than me!)
When you enter you see a bar, not a pub. The entrance way is big and usually full of people. Despite the fact I have never seen it anything but crowded there is something a bit impersonal about it, it could be the high ceilings and the distance between the tables. Everything gets a little cosier the further towards the back you head. The other night we were set up with a few chairs and a booth-​like seat with cushions, which was quite nice and intimate.
I haven’t seen much of the drinks selection, but my companions seemed quite happy with it. The staff are cheerful and the toilets clean so thumbs up all around!

Since my first review of Hector’s, we’ve been back several times, and the place has really grown on us. Lots of tasty food on the menu, and the rotating beers on tap are always interesting. There are often fun seasonal specials on the menu — I still fondly remember last summer’s strawberry black pepper lemonade.
If anything, my one complaint is that it’s too popular — often it’s hard to wander in without a reservation and find a table.

Home of the Edinburgh brunch. Well for me anyways!
Hectors is really the only place we’ve consistently enjoyed for Sunday brunch. Friendly service, incredibly knowledgeable waitstaff and all round excellent food. I love seeing the well behaved pooches around the restaurant.
If I owned a bar/​pub, I would want it to be like this place!

I’ve lived in Stockbridge for many years and, of all the pubs in the area, Hectors has to be my favourite. It’s quite an achievement that, for over twenty years, it has never lost its popularity. It may no longer boast the richly coloured oversized velvet chairs and huge ornate wrought iron wine rack that it was known for for many years, but what it now lacks in flamboyance it more than makes up for in coziness.
In recent months, dogs have been restricted to the front area by the bar, rather than the section beyond that leads to the open fire and the eating tables. But they are still more than welcomed, and mine always gets a lot of fuss and a bowl of water if we need it.
The food is exceptionally good — I’d recommend their handmade lentil & spinach burger and the salted caramel & chocolate tart — and reasonably priced too.
The perfect place to go to after a walk along the Water of Leith.

First time at Hector’s, went there for a meeting with colleagues and I had the soup of the day; Courgette and Broad beans.
Simply the best soup I have ever had. It felt as if the Philadelphia symphony orchestra performed in my mouth and I didn’t want it to stop.
For soup this is the place, need to try more and hope it is as good.

Hector’s is a nice place with a bit of funkyness to it, in the heart of Stockbridge.
It doesn’t try to be trendy, but to a certain extent it achieves it, and I like that. During the afternoon it’s a relaxed place where you can come for an interesting pint, a bite to eat (though they make their nachos with fried flour tortillas… I found it weird) and a quiet chat on one of their funky (and somewhat in need of re-​covering) sofas. On the weekend, it’s buzzing and packed to the gills with a professional crowd. Even packed, the bar staff have the uncanny ability to recognise who’s next to be served — a skill which is very praiseworthy.
I think Hector’s brings a bit of quirk and soul to Stockbridge and provides an excellent alternative to some of the more mainstream or traditional bars in the area.

I went here this week to catch up with a friend I haven’t seen since University. Which was… quite a long time ago. So long, that I was worried I wouldn’t recognise her — I think I scared quite a few blonde women by scrutinising them too closely…
But never fear, we met up, and Hector’s turned out to be the perfect place. It’s just cosy, comfy, slightly scuffed round the edges — and quiet enough to have a good blether. There are lots of little nooks and corners to sit in, too, which makes it all the cosier. If trickier, when trying to recognise someone!
We didn’t eat, so I can’t report on the food, but they have a good wine list at decent prices. I’ll be back — Stockbridge isn’t an area I go too much, but when I do, Hector’s is definitely a nice bar to drop into.

I went to Hectors for brunch on a Saturday afternoon and it was perfect! Great service, delicious food, I had a squash, goats cheese and fig tart and my boyfriend had fish and chips, both were fantastic!
Love the comfy couch seating and buzzing atmosphere, good pints too.

I’ve ended up going here a few times this year and although this could be said of several pubs I felt this one deserved a mention as it really is a gem. I’ve been here on both a night out with friends and an afternoon with my parents and it was a great place to sit and chat.
The large windows at the front afford a view along the road so you can people watch the inhabitants of Stockbridge. There is a good range of beer available. I haven’t eaten here but the menu did look tempting.
An all round good Edinburgh pub which I’m sure I’ll be seeing more of in the future.

In the heart of Stockbridge, Hector’s is a perennial favourite, although their food didn’t really blow me away.
Overall, we said: «I found Hector’s good but not great. Their £8.50 deal is a snip, particularly given that it’s served throughout the evening, but the quality of the dishes could be a little better. I’ve previously used it predominantly as a watering hole, so think I’ll probably rely upon it for that again, in the future.»

A neighbourhood ‘local’ but one that’s more a local ‘bar’ than a local ‘pub’. This subtle distinction means that rather than there being local OAPs and sticky tables, there are familiar faces, friendly staff, a warm bustling atmosphere but also the sense that if you’re *not* a local (exhibit A) then you can be eyed up a «who’s this then?» type look.
Saying all that, I do like Hectors. Stockbridge is like a wee village in itself (I heard they’re actually pushing to be an independent village to Edinburgh?) which I am still to acquaint myself with better. I wouldn’t say it’s the sort of place you’d go for a heavy night out with dancey dancey. Instead, you could comfortably do a few bar hops from cosy bar to cosy bar and end the evening quite merry.
Hectors would be a great place to start the evening, or end it, or spend most of it. It’s big inside, warm, comfy sofas, and despite how big it is seems to be quite packed a lot of the time. They do food which looked a-​ok (wouldn’t go out my way for it) but the ‘Stockbridge’-ness of the place was reflected in their advertised bar snacks: squid, camembert, sweet potato fries. No pork scratching and nuts here. And here was me thinking wasabi peas were fancy.
If I lived locally, this would be a wonderful local to have. Feels like the sort of place everyone would know your name, you could come with loads of friends for banter or on your lonesome with a newspaper midafternoon and get caught up in playful patter with the barstaff.
Problem is I’m not a local, and I’m not sure how far I’d go out of my way to come here. It’s great for what it is — a local — but it doesn’t have any drawing features to make me hop across town. That’s no bad thing, just saying.
Prices were actually reasonable too considering the area. Hectors, nice work.

Okay it’s in Stockbridge and it’s big & comfy… but got to say the cooking was rather underwhelming.
Also odd how the brunch menu mentions starting with a bloody mary but (by law) not served until noon? Huh???
All in all… it’s a good joint for a neighbourhood to have.

Annoyingly at first, there’s a couple of hours gap between lunch and dinner service which means if you get up at 2pm you can’t have a fish n’ chip breakfast here, which is gutting however it’s also disappointing I still haven’t got my sleeping pattern back to that of a normal person.
Never the less, sitting in the «cave-​like» room is actually less «cave-​like» and more relaxing and cosy, not somewhere I’d ever find myself on a rare sunny day but somewhere best suited to a night time snuggle.
Big bouncy sofas and cool bum-​sticking-​to leather stools litter the place and despite them all being a bit too close to each other makes for a rather intimate night in with pals.
Thumbs up.