The World’s End

An average of 3 and a half stars seems pretty unjust in my view.
I’ve never eaten here, and don’t really plan on doing so, but as a «boozer» it’s amazing. Lots of character inside, and it’s lovely to see locals sat at the bar not just the tourists that you’d expect to see in such a famous pub. Great atmosphere, great drinks, great location and the prices aren’t extortionate either.
Also…
I don’t drink Guinness myself, but my boyfriend says it’s really good here.

Decent food but nothing exceptional. Tried the world famous fish and chips and Steak and ale pie. Service was fast but server didn’t know much about their beers.

Amazing place!!! You must stop here when in Edinburgh. The ambience, waiter, food and drink are phenomenal. We even bought tee shirts we loved it so much!

The best fish and chips I have ever had! Don’t bother scanning the menu for something else to try because you will have food envy from anyone else who has ordered this at your table. Trust me, it happened to both my wife and her friend. I was the only one who listened to my instincts and made the right choice. The haddock was well cooked with a crispy, non-​greasy batter and was effing delicious.
As a side note, I also ordered the soup of the day (cream of broccoli) which was also tasty.
If you are trying to find a pub to eat at on the Royal Mile and are craving fish and chips at all, you NEED to try this place out.

Great cozy spot on the Royal Mile. Fish & Chips are very good. A bit touristy but then again, all the pubs and restaurants in this area are.

I visited The World’s End for dinner without consulting my trusted Unilocal app. I am glad I did! I didn’t try the acclaimed fish and chips (since every place claims to have the best), but did see quite a few people enjoying the dish.
I opted for the haggis stuffed chicken. While the mashed potatoes did seem to be instant, the rest of the veggies were fresh and fabulous! The sauce was just the right amount of flavor. The main piece of this dish, the stuffed chicken, was great! Definitely an ideal way to be introduced to haggis for the first time.
For dessert I tried the special for the evening — toffee pudding. WOW. It was rich but impossible to stop eating!
The service was great and the food exceeded expectations!

Nice place to stop for a drink and rest your feet a bit before continuing the walk around town. The place is split into two parts. One side that caters with food and another mainly functioning as a waterhole for the thirsty. They had a decent selection of drinks, so you will find something for every taste.

This is a very Scottish dining experience. It’s not the best food — I have to say I think that it’s somewhat hampered by the fact that Scottish food in general isn’t exactly my favorite of cuisines — but it’s not bad, for what is offered. The ciders are excellent, and the overall atmosphere is really great. If the food were just a little bit better, it would be a four star review.

Service was pretty good but the food was really awful! The mashed potatoes are instant and super dry! The highlights were the beer and fresh butter!
The raspberry dessert was made with frozen berries (mushy and freezer burnt) and not so fresh cream. The haggis dish was super dry and yucky due to microwaving them! We then noticed the cooks passing plastic TV dinner looking containers through the kitchen pass window and dumping them onto customer plates! It’s no wonder the food lacked any type of quality!
I cannot believe this place has more than one star and that’s only due to the nice waiters!

We were on our honeymoon throughout the UK and thought this pub was really great when we stopped in Edinburgh. They have a wonderful selection of whiskeys. The staff was very knowledgeable and recommended some great options. We only had drinks, but I imagine the food would be great too!

Stopped in to get out of the rain. Nice blend of tourists and locals. Super friendly service. Ordered the steak and ale pie, which was good, but could’ve had a bit more filling. Still, the food was quite good.

Cute interior, and we got a really comfortable /​cozy /​quaint booth, which was nice. But the food was really lackluster. Still, it is a good location, and the menu, which is heavy on fried foods, might be well suited to parties unaccustomed to other options.
TIP: if you want a salad and want it to not be doused in salad dressing, ask for them to hold the salad cream. Mine was inedible from the dressing.

We walked to the World’s End for lunch because it was recommended to us by our tour manager. There were 6 of us initially and 2 more joined us. The hostess had us wait a few minutes as another table was leaving. We ended up in a snug corner by the bar. They were able to seat us all together which was great. We got in at the right time too because we saw others get turned away as the place started to get full. I ordered the steak & ale pie along with a water. Others in my group had fish & chips, burgers, soup, and steak & ale pie as well.
Our drinks came out first. They gave us an extra hot chocolate. We notified the waitress and she let us keep it without charging us extra for it. The food came out gradually. I was the last to get my steak & ale pie. It was deconstructed which was nice and the serving was generous. There was a puff pastry round on top of a mass of steak & ale stew along with a lovely helping of peas & carrots and chips. I was so excited to see peas since I hadn’t had any up until this point in the trip. The food was really good. I didn’t even mind having my chips with malt vinegar but I did see ketchup which made my day. We were able to pay separately which was nice. They take credit cards so I paid at the bar, while others split it up with cash. The service was not speedy but the pub is a great place to hang out. It may be touristy since it’s on a street off of the Royal Mile but it’s worth a visit if you’re thirsty or hungry.

World’s End will forever have a place in my heart. My girlfriend lived above the pub while in grad school and it was our first stop each time I was in town.
Here I had my first real fish and chips, cider and black, and sticky toffee pudding. They were all lovely. Great old-​school pub feel and friendly staff.

This is a cozy little Scottish pub towards the bottom of The Royal Mile. I stopped in here for a late dinner and a few pints. I think it was the name that ultimately lured me in? It was pretty busy with patrons eating dinner and drinking around 9pm on a Friday. Overall a very quiet and chill environment. I grabbed a seat at the bar and ordered a Belhaven to start. The NZ bartender was quite friendly, and we chatted about the New Jersey Nets and Texas steak for a bit.
The menu is quite diverse, with traditional Scottish fare, specialty burgers, salads (yes, salads!), and a full range of desserts. I only wanted something small and ordered a lamb stew special that was very good — and very spicy. It certainly hit the spot on a cold December evening!
I definitely recommend this place, although I may or may not return based on the overwhelming number of pubs in Edinburgh that are also worth a try.

Small and very very Scottish, but not nearly as tourist-​trappy as one could expect from the Royal Mile. Quality shifts a lot, though.
I wanted to give them a four-​star rating, I really did. When we first moved to Edinburgh in 2007, The World’s End quickly became the place we would always take our friends and family when they visited. They play up the Scottish Angle, serving «Scottish Coffe» which is just Irish Coffee with whisky rather than whiskey, and serve typical Scottish faire like Haggis, Neeps and Tatties and burgers topped with haggis.
They used to not allow reservations as it’s a small place and quite busy. Instead, you’d take your chances and potentially wait for about 20 minutes until one of the tables became available. Apparently, they’ve changed that policy now, so better call ahead, as it’s still pretty busy. Not sure I like that change, but whatever.
The reason I’m not giving them a four-​star rating is that World’s End seems to experience a lot of shifting lately, and the quality of the food varies a LOT. This last time I went, they had completely switched up the menu, giving their old dishes new names and new styles. I’ve had many different permutations of their burgers, so I gave that a go this time as well. Unexpectedly, the burger was flatter than the typical «fat, juicy and delicious» style that most high-​quality pubs serve. I was afraid this would mean a less tasty burger, but it was one of the best I’ve had from them in a while. Also, being flatter, it was actually possible to cram the whole height of it into my gob, which is definitely a bonus!
Their affiliate brewery is Belhaven, which I’m not at all a fan of, so up until recently that’s been a huge mark against them for me as they had no ales to offer that I wanted. They had some non-​Belhaven lagers, but I’m not a lager fan. The last time I went, though, they had bottles of Brewdog, so that’s me more or less happy.
Thought they’re very friendly, they can be incredibly disorganised, which has been a throughline since we started going. I’ve often had to ask for my drinks a few times before I get it, and we were once sat waiting for the food for well over an hour before it finally arrived. To their credit, they then gave us free desserts and didn’t allow us to pay for any of the food we had. They’re happy to acknowledge and correct problems and that’s great… I just wish it didn’t happen so often that things are late or mixed up.
I will most likely keep updating this review as I go again and again, and might update to a 4-​star if their future quality stays consistent for long enough. However, at the moment, I don’t know what to expect when I go there and their disorganisation is jarring, so it stays as three stars.

Wow. What a sh*t show.
I had a feeling this place was going to be touristy, but it popped up on a few lists of good pubs in Edinburgh, so we took a risk.
First off, it was jam packed. Ok, whatever. When we told the hostess we wanted to get a bite instead of just drink, she stomped off to a table and held out two menus. My fiancé, being the gentlemen, stepped aside so I could reach the table first. Apparently this was taking too long for her, as I saw her ROLL HER EYES at his polite gesture. This should have been my first clue to leave. She obviously wanted us «tourists» in and out as quickly as possible. You know, «grab the money and run» type of mentality.
He ordered fish and chips, I ordered haggis, mash and neeps.
I asked the server for the driest of their four ciders, and she looked at me blankly and said «huh?». I said «the least sweet». She proceeded to bring me something that tastes like a melted Jolly Rancher. It was sweet and foul. Hubby’s fish was blah, and my dish was meh.
Said hostess immediately asked if we wanted the bill. She obviously had more money to make from the table we were occupying. Good forbid we digest or get an after dinner coffee.
Stay away, this place sucks.

This is the kind of pub that makes tourists think we have awful food.
Having ordered the sausage and mash I was unhappy to discover the mash had a certain boxed mash taste and texture to it and the sausage was absolutely awful. The sausage was incredibly dry, difficult the cut with the knife it was so hard, and I am pretty positive it was cooked once (ages ago) only to be reheated at least twice. There was an onion chutney on it that I believe came out of a jar.
There are other pubs in the area to visit.
This one is ok if you are trying to get out of the rain for a tea or a simple pint, but not a place to venture if you are hungry.

It’s a decent establishment, right on the Royal Mile; it has a slight infamous history, but we don’t talk about that, because we’re in polite company. There’s a big restaurant space, which means a tiny bar space — a few seats and then seating at the bar for the discerning real ale drinker, as long as they like Bellhaven beers.
Here’s my tale of woe for in here though. Sat at the bar, ust getting out of the rain and waiting to hear from a friend where to meet him. Empty seat next to me, this drop dead gorgeous blonde Aussie chick asks «is this seat taken?» and I say no, on you go.
She gets a beer and there’s silence between us. The kind of silence that needs someone, maybe a guy, to start chatting her up. Maybe just flirt a little. She’s looking around and watching me stare at the bar intently.
I say nothing. I start to panic and sweat and order another pint. Maybe I should ask her if she wants another drink? I don’t do that. I get a pint, down it in about 3 gulps, and practically run out the door.
This is why I won’t be back in here for a while.

Erst einmal muß ich bisschen historisch ausschweifend werden: Dass das «World´s End» so heißt hat mit der Stadtmauer um Edinburgh zu tun, die im 16. Jahrhundert genau an diesem Pub vorbeiführte. Da hinter der Mauer also nicht mehr Edinburgh war, lag der Name nahe… das «Ende der Welt» ;)
Nun zum Pub selber: Natürlich ist es eher touristisch geprägt, alleine schon durch seinen Namen und seine Lage direkt an der Royal Mile.
Nichts desto trotz wird man vom Service freundlich empfangen, auch in der größten Platznot wird noch versucht, den Gast gut zu platzieren und dann wird auch gleich die Speisekarte gereicht.
Es gibt das typisch britische Pubessen, nicht außergewöhnlich aber gut gemacht.
Meine Kellnerin Rosie hat mich dann doch etwas irritiert: Erst mit der Frage ob großes oder kleines Bier (inkl. Gestikulieren) — auf meine Antwort, daß ich aus München komme war meine Wahl für sie klar ;) und zweitens hat sie doch allen Ernstes gefragt, ob ich für meinen Single Malt Whisky Eis möchte! So ein Sakrileg würde doch kein normal denkender Mensch begehen!!! Ihre Antwort war sinngemäß: Du glaubst nicht, was ich den Touristen alles servieren muss :)
Ich hab mich im World´s End sehr wohl gefühlt. Wenn so das Ende der Welt ist, kanns mir nur recht sein.

Ein sehr empfehlenswertes Pub auf der Royal Mile mit einer guten Bier Auswahl und gutem Essen. Ich kann jedem nur den «Steak and Ale Pie» empfehlen, der war wirklich ein Traum! Ansonsten vor allem am Wochenende mit Wartezeit an der Bar rechnen, es war am Samstag ziemlich voll und Reservierungen werden keine angenommen!

While it’s the perfect pub name (and charming as hell inside), this is the absolute last place I’d go for a decent burger. Now, it’s my own fault for deviating from the standard UK pub-​norms of steak n’ ale pie and fish n’ chips, but I wanted a burger dammit!
There’s precious little dining space inside, so you may find yourself at the bar waiting for 30 minutes for a table. If you find yourself in this situation, head elsewhere; it’s just not worth it. You can find similar grub with similar prices in a dozen other places on the High Street.
That being said, if you’re only interested in a pint and some sport then they’ve got a few cask ales and some high-​quality bar ambiance. It’s just not good for eats.

War jetzt zweimal innerhalb eines Jahres hier und beides Mal war das Essen gut (Burger und Fish & Chips), die Leute freundlich und das Ambiente entspannt. Die Auswahl an Whisky ist übersichtlich, aber das Bier (Tennent’s) lecker.
Fazit: Eine Insel der Ruhe inmitten der Royal-​Mile-​Hektik

Bön petit pub dans le quartier touristique d’Édimbourg avec un service correct et des choix ordinaires mais authentiques.

Schön eingerichtete Bar im Touri-​Zentrum von Edinburgh. Relativ große Auswahl an Bier, Jukebox, Essensbereich. Das Essen hat uns gar nicht überzeugt. Atmosphäre und Bediienung im Pub sind aber nett.

Eine nette Bar auf der Hauptstraße des Tourismus der Stadt. Gemütlich und für ein paar Bier an der Theke auf jeden Fall einen Besuch wert. Auch wenn mir der Grassmarket und Deacon Broadie hier besser gefallen…