The Auld Hoose

The nachos here and legendary, and for good reason. I ordered the regular size and laughed when the guy at the bar wrote ‘small’ — the two of us made a valiant effort and still left enough nachos to feed a third person. A third friend with us, being vegan, funnily enough didn’t fancy sharing our full cow beef chilli on the nachos! I am assured that the vegan chilli hot dog she had was very good, and just serves as proof that vegan food doesn’t have to be healthy. We also ordered some onion rings for the table and when the totem-​pole of deep fried onion arrived we gasped and photographed it in awe. But again, even with the awesome dips we just couldn’t eat that much.
You get plenty of food for your money at The Auld Hoose, and there’s plenty of choice across carnivore/​vegetarian/​vegan options without it being too fussy, which is great. They’ve a good selection of alcohol on tap — I enjoyed a very refreshing cloudy cider.
The ambiance is chilled, and the jukebox is well stacked with something other than your regular pop tunes, although the music is (thankfully) neither loud nor imposing. After we had eaten we spotted the cage full of board games and we (obviously) had a quick round of CaH while we finished our drinks.
Definitely a place I would return to, but especially if I was entertaining a vegan friend

Someone told me this was a heavy metal bar so that’s what drew me to it. It’s definitely not a heavy metal bar, more of a punk, goth and industrial bar. They do have a really good selection of that music on their jukebox, so if that’s what you are into this place is badass for it. The bartender was super nice and helpful. Gave us some cool pointers. They have a great beer selection. My reason for the 4 stars is because it’s a little too clean and nice for my scumbag tastes! I’m sure this is a plus for most hahah.

This pub is pretty cool… nothing extraordinary or bad to say about the place. The bar tender were quick with the drinks but one of them was a bit weird cause we didn’t get carded when my friend and I ordered alcohol but when she went and ask for water the dude at the bar demanded to see her ID… Like really?! lol… Hahah. I guess you Gotta be over 18 to drink water at this place lol.
Anyways the place is big so loads of places to sit. The nachos were pretty good, they give you more than a healthy portion. The place can get loud when there’s a big crowd and if you’re not really into the uni crowd this might not be a good place for you to go to. This is also a good place to have a big group get together if you need a big space to socialise.

I really like the this place — it’s close to the Pleasance so it’s great for my Fringe addiction, dog-​friendly (not really something I look for, but appreciate it’s a plus for others) and staff have always been friendly when I’ve been in.
Their menu is brilliantly labelled for vegans and vegetarians; they have burritos and nachos that have their standard ingredients and if you eat meat, they can add beef or chicken. Vegetarian? More veg and dairy cheese. Vegan? More veg and vegan cheese. Job done. They also have a raspberry sorbet suitable for vegans (as well as two dairy options) and chips and spring rolls, meat and veggie/​vegan breakfasts, and scampi and meaty pies. Lots of comfort foods which hopefully would suit any diet, not sure about their glutenfree options though. However, unless you have a corn allergy or are watching your salt intake you can’t usually go wrong with nachos, and they do massive, massive sharing portions of them!
On check in on the Unilocal app I also got a free shot of sake. Woo! That’s worth it for going in for a drink alone! They also have a handwritten list of different alcohol choices they’ve compiled which they know — as much as anyone can find out — are and aren’t suitable for vegans (filtered with fish/​egg/​other); it’s a bit tricky getting that info even when you’ve been vegan for years and send companies emails etc etc, so it’s a nice touch. Not all restaurants which are vegan-​friendly for food think about this, so definitely an added bonus. They have a wide selection of craft beers and guest ales so I think it’s worth trying something a bit different from the Heinekien and Hoegarden (much as I do enjoy them).
The only thing not really my bag is the music, but there aren’t that many places which play Stock, Aitken and Waterman tracks on a loop — or have customers apart from me who would appreciate that — so I can’t really be too picky on that one.

Not the best looking pub, but nice enough.
We found one staff member very nice and helpful and the other not that great. He seemed to be working alone at the time he served us and the pub was busy, so maybe that’s why.
The range of drinks wasn’t the best but sufficient for a quick drink and rest after climbing Arthur’s Seat.
Feeling a bit peckish we ordered the giant nachos… And they were huge! They easily served the 7 of us.
We did ask for more sour cream and guacamole as half way through there were loads of tortilla chips left but not as much topping. We had to pay extra for this — it would have been nice customer service just to add a little more and no charge in my opinion.
When checking in we received a free shot of Sake. Nice to have a freebie but thought Sake was a bit random.
We received a 10% student discount on the nachos which was handy.
All in all okay, but I wouldn’t rush back.

After 3 hours of climbing with a few friends at the CSE, we were starving! As a vegan finding cheap and easy food on the go and not feeling like the oddball can be tough. Luckily, the Auld Hoose was nearby. It was time for me to check out their (in)famous mammoth sized meals.
It was very cosy inside and had a nice friendly pub vibe. The menu is simple-​burger, burrito, nachos or haggis; all can be made vegetarian or vegan. I ordered the falafel burger with vegan cheese, another friend opted for the «regular» vegan nachos and onion rings, another got a chicken burger. My burger cost £6.75 with the student discount which was a bargain for a big eat.
One start down for the time it took to receive our meal. The bar lady warned me it would take around 40 minutes, but it took more like an hour! We were hungry by the time our food arrived! The so-​called regular nachos actually featured a mountain of nachos. The vegan cheese wasn’t the best (the starchy type which doesn’t melt), but it was generously scattered. The burger was a little more modest, better fitting for my small stature, and I did finish everything. It came with a nice little rocket salad and a pot of tomato relish. Tasty and filling. I ate a few of the onion rings too which were really good and came with guacamole, sour cream (for the omnivores) and sweet chilli dipping sauce.
All in all, the Auld Hoose is a nice little place with tasty food which caters for veggies and vegan. We waited for a long time but at least it was in a nice setting.

Great pub in many ways. The food is great – nachos and a haggis are enough for two to share. They’ve got a couple of different ciders, one still and one sparkling, both pleasantly dry.
Wonderful place to get away from tourists, most of the folks there are university students.

A cosy Edinburgh pub with friendly staff, whopping nachos and a nice vibe. I like it!
I visited for a covert meeting of which I cannot reveal any of the details … let’s just say there were lots of hungry people who’d ordered two portions of nachos between 8 people before we’d arrived. I thought this was pretty optimistic when I saw the size of the nachos — these are indeed as gigantic as you’ve heard.
Large doesn’t always mean good though (ahem) but I’m happy to report these were excellent. The tortilla chips were plentiful, obviously, there was LOADS of topping and the beef chilli was super tasty. My only suggestion would be a side plate to eat off as it was a little bit messy at times.
I wasn’t drinking on this visit but their orange and lemonade is well tasty, and not too expensive either. There is parking right out the front if you’re driving through from Scotland’s best city for a visit, and the staff will make you feel both warm and welcome.

As locals go, this one is probably hard to beat. I liked the vibe and clientele (mostly students but good craic and atmosphere) and the bar looked well stocked and plentiful.
Where this place excelled was its food. I ordered a veggie burrito and it was damn fine. Daaaaaamn fine. The plate was rammed with a massive burrito, loads of rice and sauces to boot. Hugely enjoyable pub grub.
Pals ordered a plate of nachos and they were the largest mountain of chips and topping I’ve seen for the price. They looked amazing!
So in short this is the place to come to catch up with pals and get fed to bursting. Yum!

Really GREAT local pub and dog friendly! winner!
They play good music, serve proper beer and the wine is alright too. Now the food is real pub grub but the nachos… oh my word what a portion! (we ate it all though) Really oddly they didnt put any salsa on them which left me a little heartbroken but they were a treat.

Un pub típico con una gran selección de cerveza y cider — tanto de grifo como de botella — y whiskys — por supuesto!, buena música rock/​alternativa/​metal de fondo.
Los camareros son muy amables y te aconsejan muy bien sobre las bebidas… te preguntan sobre tus gustos, te recomiendan algunas cervezas o ciders e igual que en la mayoría de los pubs también te dan 2 o 3 para probar y decidir tranquilamente.
En este pub me sorprendieron los camareros con sus conocimientos de cada una de las bebidas que venden — Cervezas con notas sutiles de lúpulos, fondos de cítricos y con no sé qué tipos de espumas…
Con los ciders pasó lo mismo… parecía que estuviéramos en una cata de vinos en vez de un pub normal y corriente (ya me gustaría que algunos camareros de restaurantes selectos tuvieran tanta sabiduría sobre sus productos).
Igual que en otros locales hay «resident ales» de grifo que siempre son las mismas, y «guest ales» que van cambiando cada par de semanas.
La comida en The Auld Hoose es la típica comida de los bares escoceses — auténtico «pub grub», aros de cebolla, hamburguesas, cosas para picar… nachos…
LOS FAMOSOS NACHOS! Son famosos primero porque están muy buenos (con jalapeños, sour cream, carne picada, queso) y segundo porque las raciones son GIGANTESCAS!
Acabarlos es realmente misión imposible, lo tenemos comprobado — la ración para 3 a 4 personas es suficiente para 5 o 6
(bueno, o para 3 a 4 Unilocalers valencianos muy hambrientos que cuando lean esto saben que me refiero a ellos :-)

Went to the Auld Hoose with a group of Unilocalers in search of nachos. Well, it wasn’t much of a search, we had previously been informed that this place has the biggest nachos ever — seriously see the pictures! So I came armed with a hunger to match. 3 of us shared a bowl of these Mega Nachos that are suggested for 3 – 4. They came pretty quickly and looked amazing when they did. Great ratio of toppings to nachos, as so often there is just not enough. Chilli beef, guacamole, sour cream and cheese throughout. It took us a good 20 minutes or so to make a serious dent in the mound and start to get to the underneath layers, which were still hot. After eating about a quarter of the bowl myself, I really should have stopped, but as I hate wasting food and the other 2 had had enough, I just kept shovelling it in… literally…using the nachos to shovel up the toppings. Big mistake. When I finally finished all the toppings, apart from some jalapeños which are a little on the spicy side for my mild palate, there was a only a handful of nachos left. About 15 minutes later, when I got up to use the bathroom, I realised just how full I was — serious muffin top and struggled to do my pants back up. Walking home was not at all comfortable, more of a waddle. Then I seriously needed to lie down and stretch out. I don’t hesitate to say that these are the best nachos I’ve ever had. I just wish we had a 4^th person to help us eat the monstrosity.
As for the pub; it is quite small, but with character. Laid back staff, heavy rock playing in the background, not your usual pub music. Would definitely go back for the nachos alone, but I might give it a while!

Is student friendly…
Good prices on single malt…
Don’t miss the nachos!

Nachos as big as 5 Unilocalers faces!
On a Unilocaler Nacho-​crawl, we ended up here. My first question was ‘why had I not been here sooner?’ Y’see, I was a total wee mini mosher in my day. I only didn’t go to SOAD concerts for fear of being literally crushed in the mosh pits. I rarely indulge that side of my any more, but when I step into a bar and hear some good rockin’ tunes on and some really ace staff who are friendly but chilled out, I feel at home.
A group of 10 of us descended to feast upon their epic sized nachos. I thought I had seen big food before. But nothing compared to the big nachos. For £10.95 they say they’ll feed 3 — 4. Ha. I’d reckon 5 — 6.
The photos don’t do them justice. Literally the biggest mound of nachos I have ever seen, heaped HIGH with chilli, and sour cream and guac. Cheese (really really GOOD cheese) melted across almost every layer. We ate for 20 minutes and it looked like we hadn’t made a dent.
As David S said, Man V Food proportions. I can normally eat a hefty amount and feel fine, but I actually had flashbacks to being 5 years old and giving myself tummy ache from eating just a little too much.
Great value, and not scrimping on quality. Good beers and cider, friendly staff, and a kind of chilled out rock bar (rock music and rock staff, but not super loud music or super exclusive).
I’ll definitely be back.

Beer rocks
Never knew there was an awesome rock bar so close to my flat, and my life is better for it! So on the pub crawl with my Aberdonian chums, this is pub two, and it was a bit of a suck it and see approach. I knew it was somewhere near us and luckily we found it thanks to dumb luck, we were pleasantly surprised.
It’s a traditional décor, dark wood with wee stools and archaic lamp shades. A long island bar with a glorious single real ale pump, serving nuclear craft ales, this session was Tiny Rebel’s Hadouken, and it was like a drop kick in the face. The staff were suitably punk, and I’m not talking brew dog hipster punk either.
Now, the special thing here is the jukebox, its jam packed with some of the most awesome rock and punk albums ever, and one of my drinking companions could have spent a fortune on it. Lucky for him we were on a strict 2 beer max per pub rule.
I want to go back to this pub on a Friday night and meet some of the locals, I think this would lead to some great drinking stories. Awesome selection of shots etc also…

No. I’m not a lagerboy
Well…more likely, not a «lager-​auld-​boy», if age still matters :)
My intention, going to the Auld Hoose, was to try a genuine and traditional Scottish Breakfast. The place looks happily aged and the people at the tables on the left of the entrance, under the direct daylight looked happy (and chatty) as well.
I went on the rightside (where daylight looked like an exotic promise) not because I love the cosy darkness, but because there I saw some smaller tables, good for a single tourist like me.
Before I was able to understand how the ordering policy was, a very friendly bartender was waving his hand asking me if I wanted something to drink (now I know that I should have ordered at the bar desk :/​). Firstly I ordered the desired Scottish breakfast, then I asked him for an advice about beers and ales on tap. His answer was effective and tasty. He simply took two glasses, describing the flavours of a couple of hand pulled nectars he kindly pushed towards me.
Both were delicious. I chose the Hobgoblin because I thought it could be the best option to drink with the breakfast. This choice made me desert the field of the lagerboys :)
The food was less memorable, but good enough. The slice of haggis was the best part of the dish, in my opinion.
Haggis has been a great surprise and a wonderful one. I never suspected that from those ingredients it was possible to create such a flavourful «delicatessen».
Great beers, good food, friendly atmosphere, music not too loud it’s all what I was hoping to find, and I found it all.

This was my regular haunt while studying at the University of Edinburgh. Couldn’t be beat for a pint or a dram, and above all else their Mega Nachos. So good they deserved capitalization. I miss this place just thinking about it. The bartenders felt like friends and the atmosphere was relaxed but upbeat.

Well kept beers, both regular and guest ales. A fine whisky list too.
Simple pub grub but in large portions for very reasonable prices. Beware, if ordering the large nachos bring friends, lots of them…
A great metal/​punk/​industrial/​goth juke box keeps the alternative crowd and student regulars happy.

Of all the metal/​rock/​alternative bars I go to this is likely the one I nip into most. It is close to my work and next door to possibly my favourite Indian (Kismot) so it has an added convenience factor.
Recently repainted a more gothic inspired purple outside the Auld Hoose is also a proper pub, keeping good beer (Hoegaarden and real ale) and cider (Addlestones) and spirits.
The Hoose also provide some proper «Man Vs Food» style portions of tasty pub grub. The nachos clearly stand out but even the steak pie or chili will fill you to the brim. I also like the jukebox, it is the proper CD playing kind and has a little sign requesting that folks don’t repeat an artist/​tune meaning the music (while all industrial, rock, metal or goth) is ever changing.
So there we are, good drinks, food and music, go on give it a try.

I had done a little research in my quest to try out some Real Ale pubs. Any beer fan from the US and probably all of North America will understand the novelty and interest in cask conditioned beers. The Auld Hoose came up in my research to be within walking distance to my hotel. So, of course my first night in Edinburgh I made a beeline straight for this establishment.
It was early on a Wednesday evening so the place wasn’t packed. There were a few tables occupied and at that moment it was nice and quiet. As I had expected, I had several real ales available to try. Since I’m not local, I asked the bartender about my options and he happily helped me with my choice. My group and I were only a little hungry so we thought we’d have a few items to share while enjoying our beers.
Ok so I’m from Texas which is arguably the world epicenter for tortilla chips, salsa and nachos. Please don’t laugh when you learn that yes I did order their nachos. It was part curiosity and part frustration with my group’s different eating preferences. So yes, the Texan in Edinburgh kicked off his first night with… nachos.
If you’ve ever played Jenga, that’s what these nachos reminded me of. The sizable plate was stacked dangerously high. Fortunately, the mass did not collapse and fall on the floor while we strategically snagged bites to eat. You know what? These nachos were also pretty good. Definitely not Tex-​Mex, but still tasty and better than I had expected.
The other reviewers were spot on with the music played here. It’s definitely not easy listening but it also wasn’t being blasted either. It was easy to have conversation. So even if you’re not a fan of heavier rock music, I don’t think you’d be too put off visiting at this time of day.
My only complaint was the name. Every time I said the «Auld Hoose» it sounded like I was trying to speak with a very bad Scottish accent. Actually, I secretly loved that part… hehe This place delivered what I expected. I got to relax for a bit, enjoy some real ales and snack. This is a place to visit and visit again.

It was convenience that drew me to the Auld Hoose to start with, being as its located very close to a friend’s house but boy am I glad it is.
We wanted somewhere close by to get something quick and easy to eat, and despite initial fears upon seeing the menus at the Auld Hoose, being both sparsely populated and plastic coated, there was really nothing to worry about.
The menu proudly claims that the nachos are «probably the biggest in Edinburgh» and four of us feeling adventurous chose to take on the challenge. Fortunately another two people turned up because these nachos… were HUGE. Seriously — go and check the picture I added. They happily fed six people. SIX GROWN PEOPLE! That;s ridiculous.
Happily it wasn’t just quantity over quality, as the toppings on the nachos were pretty delicious, particularly the chilli itself. People at other tables seemed to be enjoying burgers and other assorted pub grub, and I’d happily come back to try any number of other things from the menu — which ranges from the aforementioned burgers to classics like Stovies and Haggis, Neeps and Tatties.
The Auld Hoose is first and foremost a bar though and there were a good deal of beers and ales on offer — not to mention an awesome metal jukebox and happily you don’t need to be tatted from tête to toe to fit in — having come straight from work at the time I was *slightly* overdressed, but no one batted an eyelid in my direction. What a lovely place.
More places with HUGE food and less attitude please.