Edinburgh Pub Guide: Tolbooth Tavern

Tolbooth Tavern

There cannot be a more imposing location anywhere for a pub than the location of the Tolbooth Tavern. The Tolbooth was the administrative focus, the tax-collection point, the council chamber, the court and the jail for the burgh of Canongate, which was a separate burgh in its own right outside Edinburgh at the time.

Interior from the Front Rear of the Tolbooth Tavern

Although the Tolbooth was built in 1591, the Tolbooth Tavern has occupied part of it since 1820. The whole Tolbooth was extensively restored in 1879 and the appearance it has today can be dated back to then.

The Tolbooth

From the outside the Tolbooth Tavern appears quite small. Internally it opens out and stretches right back through the body of the Tolbooth and into an area originally built as housing in about 1750. This rear part of the tavern tends to be used primarily for dining: and it is also here that you are most likely to feel the effects of the tavern's resident ghost, who excels in knocking things over. There is also a function room on the first floor.

A choice of real ales is available, alongside a selection of malt whiskies. Traditional pub food is freshly prepared and available during the day. The clientele is a mix of locals and tourists who have been drawn down the Royal Mile by the combination of the Scottish Parliament, Holyrood Palace and Dynamic Earth.

Looking Towards the Front Door