Hamilton’s Of Stockbridge

Nice enough atmosphere… Average brunch food… Awful coffee, which in my mind is unforgivable. Wouldn’t go back.

I’ve been past many times but never ventured inside. Hamilton’s has been around seemingly forever and from the outside might give the impression it’s a bit dated.
It definitely exceed my expectations — there is a nice vibe here; large sofas, wooden tables and candles made it feel cosy. It may not be cutting-​edge hipster modern but it’s definitely got something going for it.
We were with a large group and the staff were very accommodating and friendly. I was really impressed by the service and the bar staff where happy to recommend drinks.
The food is quite aspirational making emphasis it’s organic/​local produce credentials. I had crab cakes, confit duck leg with peaches and artichokes and a lemon posset. It was fine but lacked refinement. Some members of the group enjoyed theirs better than others but there seemed to be a general lack of consistency. They might benefit by focusing on simpler dishes done to high standard.
There is a decent selection of gin and whisky, and I would be happy to come back here for a drink with a group. Stockbridge has a lot of competition for good restaurants and I wouldn’t be in a rush back for dinner but I’d consider brunch here.

From the outside this place doesn’t look like much but inside the interior is super funky and very comfortable.
Shame I don’t have such positive things to say about the food and service. First, my drink order was wrong. That’s ok, just waited for the right drink. And then 20 minutes later my drink arrived.
Then there was the food. The burger, not too bad, my partner rates it a ⁷⁄₁₀. The club sandwich was a plate of wth!?! Chicken and mozaralla on two chunks of ciabatta, no basil pesto as stated on the menu and cold bacon. I could not for the life of me figure out how to eat it, so enjoyed some bland chicken and mozarella with a size of overly large chunks of bread and cold bacon. Such a shame.
Then commenced the 30 minute wait for our bill, whilst I tried and tried to catch the eye of somebody, anybody!
And so was my experience and Hamilton’s. The redeeming quality here is the ambience surprisingly. Nice place to sit and share drinks with friends but I’d be very wary of ordering food.

Good food (we had a platter to share) and beer. The place seems like a haven for hipsters, but with a good mix of people thrown in. We’ll probably return next time we’re in the area.

Hamilton’s of Stockbridge is one of those places I’ve walked past umpteen times, but had never actually been in until Hogmanay when I was meeting a friend who was getting his hair cut at a local barber’s. It being Hogmanay, the place was packed and we were lucky to get a walk-​in table (possibly the last one!), and it being day time it was more specifically packed with babies! Lots and lots of new parents meeting up with their friends for an end of year get together, and bringing the weans along with them.
The fact that it was so busy meant that my steak ciabatta sandwich took a little longer to arrive than it probably ought to have, but this was understandable and forgivable. Otherwise the service was largely fine, I mean it took us a while to flag someone down when we wanted to pay but again, it was hoaching in there.
My sandwich itself was tasty, with good chunky chips and a little pot of gravy (for pouring? dipping? I dipped but I guess it’s up to you), and nicely cooked. My criticism would be that they’d been a bit mean with the steak. It wasn’t one piece, it was several chunks, and only a few at that — areas of the ciabatta were steakless. Which, for nearly a tenner in price, isn’t good.
Meanness of steak aside, Hamilton’s seems perfectly nice. Any service issues can be explained by it being packed. And they had a really interesting list of seasonal coffees, certainly more than enough to give Starbucks etc a run for their money! It’s a very solid choice if you’re in the Stockbridge area.

Conveniently located for a brunch in the Stockbridge area.
The place seems to be split into two sections: a pub and a restaurant. Both areas are nicely decorated with a touch of country life: wooden tables, fireplace (not in use), comfy couches and lots of charm, which makes it ideal for visits during the day and evening.
I only had brunch there and ordered from a very limited list of breakfast choices some fried eggs and bread. Nothing out of the ordinary and not sure if I would order again. They also serve porrage, bagels, and the usual Scottish breakfast besides a more extensive list of lunch choices.
Prices seem to be in line with the food served.
The place is ideal for couples, groups and families.
The service is very nice and accommodating.

I had some drinks and dinner here last weekend and had a very positive experience. The pub itself is on the nicer side with plush couches and dark wood furniture. It is also very toasty, which was a welcome respite from the outside cold.
The vibe was very much a gastropub that was primarily locals (we got the recommendation from the owner of our B&B) who wanted to catch up over dinner or drinks. It is a friendly atmosphere.
The menu looked amazing — I had a difficult time choosing as so many items looked great. The menu is seasonal and sources from local farms and butchers. I opted for a venison stew with a pumpkin mash and my friend got a burger and chips. We split a fish cake as an appetizer and ordered a bottle of their own Hamilton’s red wine.
The cocktail menu also looked incredible though I stuck to wine. I had a glass of mulled wine while waiting for our table, which was great.
The food was excellent. Very generous portions (maybe too big, but I’m not complaining) and you could really tell that they put a lot of care into the food preparation.
While the pub was crowded, the dining area is separate and there was enough room to settle in for a relaxing dinner.
Minus one star for slow, inattentive service that still managed to be friendly. If I lived in the area, I would be sure to go back here again.

Looking for a post-​market lunch on Sunday, with dog in tow, we opted for ‘Hamilton’s’
It turned out to be a great choice. The place is very cosy, the staff are all friendly, polite and easygoing. Being so ‘dog friendly’ also adds to the relaxed, homely environment already created by the leather sofas, exposed wood, chilled atmosphere and fun vibe.
The cocktail menu immediately stood out. It was extremely comprehensive with a huge variety of delicious sounding concoctions. The bar had a good choice of beers on tap and bottled.
The food menu was equally extensive, with small dishes, sharing dishes and larger mains. As well as offering all day breakfast (including veggie option) and other breakfast-​y treats. I ordered the soup, parsnip and apple. A slightly unusual combination that could have been overly sweet but was perfectly seasoned and with the addition of some fresh sage made it a very tasty, well balanced dish.
Decked out with Christmas decorations, mulled cider and wine filling the air, it was a great place to spend an afternoon. I’m looking forward to going back.

This rating isn’t for the food (which I haven’t tried). It’s actually for the cool ambience, trendy clientele and the quality cocktails on offer (i recomend the zombie which has 6, yes 6 different types of alcohol in it!!). Many of said cocktails were consumed recently by me and a friend … Oh, and also for the hotness of the two bar men. Very much appreciated! ;)
The only complaint was the not very nice toilet/​sewer/​broccoli aroma in the place. My friend said it was just my nose (which IS very sensitive) but I think not. Smelly = not good. I’m not penalising them for it though just incase it was the zombie that ruined my sense of smell. Bad zombie. :)

This is one of my favourite pubs. It’s the Best Pub in the Stockbridge area and definitely in the top 5 of Edinburgh best mainly due to their burgers, drinks and atmosphere (what else do you need on a pub right?. Usually we go there with mates for drinks. This time, guess what (as a visitor) I took another Unilocal member and went there for Breakfast. Scottish Traditional breakfast during a very aggressive hangover from last night. Food very well prepared, arrived really fast and it was tasty. 2 Full breakfasts + 2 Black Coffees = £19
Very friendly staff.

A nice place to stop for a meal in the middle of a rainy day of unpacking and other misery. There’s a lovely area with couches in the front, but they’ve been full up every time we’ve poked our heads in. Good atmosphere overall, if a bit loud due to the crowd. Perhaps its popularity is its downfall.
Drinks: the on-​tap beers tend towards the international, some good (Hoegaarden) and some stupid (Stella). £5 buys you a decent, large glass of wine.
Food: we tried the fish and chips (good chips, so-​so fish, absent mushy peas) and the nachos (noble effort but half of the cheese was unmelted).
Service: one of our waitresses was kind and helpful, the other was snippy and hurried.
Will write an updated review soon, as we are sure to be back.

Stockbridge is out of my comfort zone! I don’t pop down here as often as I should at all but a Unilocaly Brunch was the perfect excuse!
Hamiltons is pretty, bright restauranty pub. The walls are busy in places but well balanced by the overall ‘white and pine’ look.
Considering there were 15 of us (me being late and squeezing myself in!) the restaurant handled everything really smoothly. I always pity waitresses/​waiters when they bring over a coffee and then get an order for tea and orange juice, which they then bring over only to be met with more orders of coffee and water, which they then bring over and someone asks for more orange juice, which… and so forth. The (very trendily dressed!) staff here were excellent and efficient and handled everything with ease.
I ordered the Eggs Benedict with bacon and it was quite delicious. The sauce was gooood, just to my tastes (though I’m not sure it was to everyone elses!) and the eggs were really nicely cooked, quite a feat when you’re poaching about 12 eggs as eggs benny was popular! The other dishes looked lovely as well and I was a bit disappointed in myself for not choosing the full breakfast (you could say my eyes are too small for my stomach).
The tea was really nice, I commend a place that will bring me a teapot, tea cup and jug of milk, t’s just the right way to do things! I also had an orange juice that didn’t taste freshly squeezed, but wasn’t advertised as such so I wasn’t suprised.
A lovely brunch with lovely people is the perfect way to start a Sunday!

On a sunny, crispy December morning, it was time for the Unilocaly Brunch at Hamilton’s. Well it was fun, staff were friendly and attentive, they coped well with our ever increasing table (well, we squeezed in as we’re a friendly bunch) and offering a separate brunch menu is a nice touch.
As Jenny L explained, its not an extensive menu but it is full of ‘brunch’ type offerings so does ok and offers big breakfasts, breakfast rolls, veggie and gluten free options. The gluten free option (one listed) is ok if you don’t have a problem with eggs. Yep, I’m weird. I like omelet’s, tortilla and frittata but try and feed me an egg scrambled, poached, fried or boiled and I freak out. It can’t even be on the same plate.
Luckily Hamilton’s cobbled together a gluten free option (bacon, beans, tomato, spinach, salmon and mushrooms) for me. It was ok, but 3 starts only as the spinach was really grainy. Like chewing on a mussel which wasn’t cleaned properly and getting silt and sand. I ended up leaving some on my plate as it was really off putting. Everything else was ok, but as David J mentioned, another rasher or two of bacon would have been great, so a very big plate, but the portions appear smaller.
I would go back here — not sure for brunch but poor Hamilton’s is probably being reviewed on the back of me weaning myself off Dottie’s in San Francisco where I became addicted to brunch (10 days since Dottie’s — not a happy celebration).
I think it would be a nice option for lunch with a group of friends and it seems to be dog friendly too so I think I’ll be back here in the next few weeks. I’m not sure how GF it would be for lunch having not viewed the menu, but having some awareness of GF and allergies and this is noted on the menu, is a start and I’m sure there would be a few choice items worth sampling.

I wanted to give this a 3.5 star review, but alas I’ve opted to round down rather than up. The setting is very nice indeed and I can see that it would be equally well suited to a busy evening crowd as it was to our Sunday brunch gathering. The food looked good and they use tasty fresh ingredients — I had a full Scottish, though would have loved it to be a bit fuller with perhaps a second rasher or a little more toast.
There were a few touches that could have been overcome. I understand that they very rarely take reservations, so it was a surprise to hear that they couldn’t add an extra table to our setting when the place was all but empty at the time. Nevertheless the staff were friendly and bright on a sunny morning, prompt with our orders and the bill, and quick with answers to our various questions. (Yes, you can opt for a fruit juice instead of the tea/​coffee with the big breakfast.)
Hamilton’s looks very Christmassy and is a lovely place to rest a while before a stroll round Stockbridge Market or the Water of Leith.

Unilocal brunch action yesterday was a perfect hangover cure afternoon a weekend on the sauce.
Eggs Bennedict with smoked salmon aka eggs royale for me was a very tasty lunch, there was a slight over flavouring of vinegar but I was a slid effort.
Good coffee and a Bloody Mary made for a good brunch experience.

After a rather big crowd of Unilocalers came here for the Unilocal Brunchy Munchy (around 15 of us), I’ll give props to Hamilton’s for dealing well with a big crowd.
That, on top of their rather good food, and nice Stockbridge atmosphere, makes it a pretty good pub to come to for an evening drink, mid-​week meal or weekend brunch.
The brunch menu isn’t that extensive, and is mainly (or, actually, only) full breakfast, scrambled eggs, eggs benny, french toast. So kind of a mixture of eggs, bacon, bread and some salmon or haggis thrown in for good measure.
But if that’s what you like, they do it well. I just had a breakfast roll, with a fried egg and bacon. The roll was nice and toasted and the egg perfectly fried. The other breakfasts looked awesome too, especially the full Scottish breakfast and the scrambled egg with salmon.
There’s always a mixture of folk in Hamilton’s, usually there’s at least one dog and a few kids there too. It’s a family place during the day, I’d say. So if you’ve got a raging hangover and want to avoid kid’s on Nintendos asking awkward questions loudly, maybe steer clear. But if you like cute wee dogs and kids then it’s all good.

Oh Stockbridge such a chic and trendy wee bit of Edinburgh. The village like feel of this neighborhood just oozes charm and it has long been one of my favourite spots in this city. Saturday night found me paying this charming location a visit while on a first date in Hamilton’s, a bar which is the epitome of what Stockbridge is all about.
Hamilton’s is chic without trying hard. The interior is all dark colours and leather chairs with sofas and a raised restaurant bit with walls covered by comic book type pictures. Being in here just makes you feel like part of the in crowd. It would be hard not to as the the bartenders and wait staff are all incredibly good looking as are a large majority of the customers.
While this time I only had a few drinks, two large glasses of a nice pinot grigio and a gin and tonic, i have been here for food a number of times and a group near uslast night ordered burgers that both smelled and looked delicious. so i am happy to say that both food and drink at this bar are very good. maybe a wee bit on the pricey side though, but this is Stockbridge after all…
being such a fabulous place Hamilton’s does get very crowded on a friday and saturday night and last night was no different. however, after a bit of waiting we were lucky enough to get a seat which i was very grateful for (i was wearing heels after all). i feel like being overly crowded is a bit of a draw back as it’s a struggle to get a seat, but also a positive as it creates a fun and lively atmosphere.
really there isn’t much else to write, Hamilton’s is a fantastic bar and I’ll happily pay it another visit when given the opportunity.

My fellow quester, MJ, awarded Hamilton’s the single lowest score we’ve ever given to a place, and I can understand why. The food’s ordinary at best and the service is really poor. They failed to deliver part of our order, and were generally incredibly slow. My mussels to start were fine, but my main course comprised too completely clashing elements (piccalilli and a vegetable cottage pie) that didn’t complement each other, at all. As a place for drinks, it’s completely fine, but based on our visit the food is best avoided.
Overall, we said: «Hamilton’s didn’t really do it for me. Service was really sloppy, and the elements of my main course need a complete rethink. The starter was good, though, so it’s not all doom and gloom. But there are so many better places to visit in Edinburgh, so as things stand a visit to Hamilton’s wouldn’t be something that I could recommend.»

I’d been here before for drinks, but decided to pop in for food last night.
We found ourselves a nice table by the window and The Man mention that he was surprised at the interior — it’s actually quite nice and not in your face trendy. Another reviewer mentioned that it’s owned by the same people who own Treacle which makes perfect sense, but Hamilton’s is paired down and feels a bit more relaxed and grown up compared to Treacle. The service is also better (though as with Treacle we asked for water which we never received), though unfortunately not the food.
We ordered a sharing platter of all things unhealthy — nachos, shrimp tempura, onion rings, sweet potato wedges. The nachos were literally about 10 corn chips in a wee bowl with pre-​grated cheddar (you know, the kind that doesn’t actually melt and just goes all hard and gross?) and a couple of jalepenos. The salsa served on the side was nice, but the nachos really were abysmal. The onion rings were in a tempura batter which is ok I guess but seriously lacking in flavour/​seasoning. Both the onion rings and shrimp were incredibly greasy — ok yeah I know they’re deep fried but it’s possible to do that well and not have everything come out dripping in grease.
The sweet potato wedges were gorgeous with the aoili, but that’s pretty hard to mess up!
The Man noticed some aussie beer on the menu and was quite looking forward to re-​living his travelling year with it, but we were told that the entire beer menu was wrong. Of course not the waiter’s fault at all but surely it’s easy enough to re-​print that page of the menu and replace the apparently 100% incorrect information? That just seems like lazy management to me.
We then shared a bean burger with parsnip fries. I’ve never had parsnip fries before and think I prefer the sweet or normal potato variety, but they were definitely interesting. The bean burger was fine, though not really much to write home about.
I know I’m bashing my way through Hamilton’s but the truth is that I would actually come back, just not to eat. The ambiance is good, the setting is comfortable, and the Sunday night live music (while, at 7:30, at bit early) was quite good.
It’s a shame, though, because I really like being able to go for a drink and a bite, and I have yet to find a bar/​pub in Stockbridge which has really nice food.

Credits to Sir Mix-​A-​Lot and my good friend William, who does an amazing karaōke version that I always think of when I hear this song…
I like fried fish and I cannot lie.
You other brothers can’t deny
When a server walks in with a big ol’ plate
Of flaky white fish in your face
You get hungry, wanna pull out your fork
’Cause you notice those chips are steamin’…
—
Yeah, yeah. Enough. But seriously, the fish and chips at Hamilton’s are fo’ reezy. They’re presented artfully on a rustic wooden board with tubs of tartare sauce and mushy peas (?), along with a lightly-​dressed side salad of fresh greens. Though I prefer my chips a bit more crisp, the amazingly flaky fish battered in fatty golden starch more than made up for any shortcomings of the spuds.
Beyond that, it seems that Hamilton’s repertoire includes other winners in the food and drink department. If you’re a fan of chorizo, don’t miss out on the roast chicken dish. Plus, they offer a number of draught brews.
As far as pubs go, Hamilton’s definitely gets a thumbs up, and although we were sad about being turned away from the closed kitchen at The Saint, at least they directed us toward some alternative good eats!