The Cuckoo’s Nest

I recently went to Cuckoo’s for a private function on a Friday night. The upstairs pub environment appeared very cozy and inviting. It’s quite a small place and of such there was not much space left when I arrived around 8pm. This place was packed with people enjoying a drink and an evening meal.
I can recommend the upstairs pub for a date!
The drink prices are not cheap so. I got a small Irun bru can for £1.80. Alcohol prices are dearer as you can imagine.
They also have seating downstairs. You can book the room for any private function. There is £50 deposit required for the room hire, but if there is no damage, you can get the money back. My friend also expected a barman to be in attendance downstairs, but sadly this was a miss as the poor barman called in sick. There was no replacement. It was not much hassle to go upstairs for a drink and at the same time, if you hire this room for a party, you might expect a bit of privacy and service. Even the room was reserved for a private function, we had people in attendance that we did not know. The other downside was that the toilet is also downstairs and people from upstairs will be passing through all the time. On a good note you have a chance to use the disco equipment downstairs and maybe hire a DJ :-)
Would I book the downstairs room for a private function? Most likely not, but it should not hold you back!

This is a cool pub around the Tollcross area, just opposite the King’s Theatre. As usual when I visit a new place, I ended up here because of positive Unilocal reviews.
Stepping inside the door, my first thought was «this is tiny, will I get a seat?». However, there is a basement area with lots more comfortable seats and tables with candles. That is where we positioned ourselves for a drink. We had just seen The Big Short, so needed a relatively relaxed and quiet place to discuss that excellent movie!
I had a Guinness and Mary had an Amstel. Both came in glasses with the relevant branding, which was a nice touch. At around £4 per pint, I guess it’s average for Edinburgh, but more than I usually pay for a pint. The bartenders were good– the woman that served me poured the Guinness perfectly. It was great.
We enjoyed hanging out in the basement. There was music playing, but it was not too loud to discourage chat. I’ll be back.

We stopped in here on our visit to Edinburgh, and had a couple of pints. It’s a decent pub, nothing fancy. The real treat is if you can find one of the sturdy comfortable chairs. There aren’t many, but there’s a wide array of wobbly stools, wicker chairs, and odds and ends that look like they were salvaged from a thrift shop.

I’m a fan of this place — great atmosphere, good food (especially if you like burgers — you don’t have much more options besides that) and reasonably priced. It’s a nice cozy litter bar — what it lacks in size it makes up for in coziness.
My biggest issue is with the seats — the chairs are way to short for the tables (I don’t know about you but I don’t like looking down to the person I’m talking to).

I don’t know what it is about this place that keeps drawing me back, but I’ve found myself back here a few times and am beginning to wish it were my local… not that it’s that far away, but you know… a good bar can never be close enough.
I first came upon this place during the Fringe, and even then it wasn’t overly packed… which is one of the greatest attributes to me… each time I’ve been in it’s been just busy enough, but never too crowded and never too loud. The staff are consistently friendly, and the interior is just right for this type of bar. They do cocktails, but to be honest I haven’t tried them… they all sound on the sweet side, and I just haven’t been in the mood for a sweet cocktail when I’ve been in. That said, they seem to do random drink specials… I had a Gin & Tonic with Watermelon on my last visit. (OK, OK, I had a few… they were a pleasant surprise and something I wouldn’t have thought of combining, but can now see myself making at home for a summer twist on things.)
They also do decent priced food, but I take it from other reviews that their daily specials have gone up in price… I never partook in the glory days of the £5.00 special so can’t really comment on what must have been an awesome value, but I have had one of their specials… a Grilled Octopus Salad with Crispy Bacon and Avocado… it didn’t change my life (what salad could?), but it was suitable and something different for a bar. On another visit I tried the «Zinger Burger» with Southern Fried Chicken, which sadly, lacked any type of actual zing… even with added Tabasco and a hot sauce brought from the back it was still just missing something. That said, I loved the fries… not since Denny’s in the US (which is not fine dining, by the way) have I had such glorious fries… I’m a salt fiend though, but I can see myself just getting an order of these with some ketchup and Tabasco and being quite content.
The one note I would say on food is that both times I’ve ordered food something was missing, literally… the first time the salad was supposed to come with fries, which they forgot or rather hadn’t noticed was written on the board, and the second time the burgers were supposed to come with both fries and a few onion rings, but the onion rings were M.I.A. for our order. (Randomly the burger orders prior to us actually came with them, so it wasn’t just a menu typo, so I’m assuming since we ordered late someone different may have prepared our order.) For the first incident they were apologetic and happy to rectify it, although we just subbed a bag of crisps, and we didn’t bother saying anything on the second incident… I figured I could put those calories to another drink and be all the better. Regardless there was certainly no ill will in either incident, these things happen… this, my friends, is the benefit of having a friendly staff… I would probably sing a different tune (I can’t sing, so that’s good for everyone) had our various interactions with the guys and gals behind the bar been anything less than pleasant.
As for the place itself, I’m a big fan of the upstairs… rustic meets modern crossed with eclectic, fitting of the name I suppose. There’s also a large downstairs with a completely different feel, but I haven’t made use of it just yet. They also seem to do special events as on one visit they had an animated short film festival downstairs, which is a plus.
Missteps aside there’s just something I really like about this place and I’m sure I’ll find myself back far sooner rather than later, that’s worth at least four stars in my book.

This place loses a couple of stars for a few reasons.
1. Why is there no more 5 pound special? They still do have specials. but they are more like 8 quid, and that doesn’t sound too special to me.
2. How come the downstairs STILL smells like toilet cleaner? Caman guys, get. it. together. Everytime you go down there, there is one awkward couple that want alone time. And they WILL get it. Because no one wants to smell toilet cleaner.
3. I love burgers, yes I do. but I think Edinburgh is starting to have… TOO many burgers?(if this is possible). Their menu is now 100% burgers and maybe 2 options for wraps. Quite boring. HOWEVER. The onion rings are still delicious. I’ve tested those a few times.
4. My friend got a piece of plastic in her chicken wrap. Fortunately they took the meal back and gave her a full refund and were SUPER apologetic but… Plastic in food, really?
I will give the cuckoos nest more tries. I do REALLY like it here. but I feel like it has slipped a bit.
Fin.

This is a great little boozer in the heart of Tollcross. Toby has really put the work in & it shows. You can tell that it’s a labour of love for him & his brothers, with nice little décor touches & attention to detail is evident throughout. Good selection of booze on tap (Guiness, Amstel, Heineken, Hoegarden.) & reasonably priced for a city centre bar, great cocktail menu with new concoctions regularly popping up, & a simple but tasty bar menu (burgers, fish & chips, a good Mex selection) which is great value for money (there is usually a supercheap daily deal on. I had swordfish wraps with chips for 6 squid last time I was in!). The clientele is across the board, from students to suits, but always a good little crowd. it’sa bit like Cheers in there! & finally there is a great little basement downstairs available for birthday parties & suchlike. I personally have been to a 30^th, a 47^th, a darts tourney & a Sublime reunion down there & it rocks.

I’ve spent my fair share of ‘Sunday Fundays’ here drinking and eating until I realise I should go home because I have to work at half 8 in the morning. This is an awesome, small, and definitely cosy (as Jenny L states) bar. The staff are really friendly and they surprisingly have really, really, good burgers. They also have a daily five pound meal special that’s generally super tasty and filling. A very good selection of beers are on tap and they make good cocktails. I think this is an excellent place to go with friends to catch up over some food and drinks. They recently also got a pool table which is located in the basement (I think it’s free to play). It’s mega busy on Friday and Saturday nights that’s why I tend to visit on Sundays or during the week. The staff are very accommodating — they’ve charged my iPhone multiple times! It’s genuinely one of my favourite bars in Edinburgh!

What a cute, cosy wee bar! This was our savior after Taste festival on the Meadows, when we had nibbled at wee tasty things in the cold, wet of a July evening. We needed somewhere close and warm. Cuckoo’s Nest was absolutely ideal.
It’s just that, like a wee nest. Small, cosy and welcoming. There’s a downstairs area too for overspill but it didn’t have half the charm and warmth of upstairs. The bar itself is wee too, there aren’t that many spirits or choice on offer. But they do have a food menu and it is really pretty frickin’ good value. £5 for the daily special which turned out to be a chicken and chorizo salad. It wasn’t immaculately presented but the chicken was roasted in house (not packet), the chorizo was yummmm and the wee potato cubes nice and warming too. (This wasn’t even my dish but just judging by how it looked, a wee taste, and my companions remarks it seemed great.) It’s not standard, by-​the-​book gastropub fare. It’s more like going round to a mate’s house and having them cook you something yummy but not over the top. Sometimes that’s just what you want.
It is really, really small so the Nest name is cute but for that reason it might not be somewhere you could rely on for a seat or a big group of folk. But it seems like a great little neighbourhood bar with tasty food, if limited drinks options.

One of my favourite pubs in Edinburgh with the Meadow Bar. Had a fantastic 29^th birthday last year where I managed to reserve the whole corner upstairs. The bar staff are really friendly and you can get decent grubs. There’s always some nice specials that cost just a fiver.
But I also think, surprisingly, that they make some of the best burgers in Edinburgh. It’s surprising given the place is not reputed or marketed as a «food» venue, but it’s worth giving a try.
It used to be my local pub when I stayed in Tollcross, but given the quality of what’s on offer in Marchmont (never been a fan of the Earl and the Argyll), I’m happy to keep calling it my local. After all, it’s only a 10-​minute walk.

I like this place, it’s kinda rough round the edges, and drinks no cheaper than anywhere else, and am never sure about the kinda of people you’ll find in here… But yet there is something endearing about it… So I’m just doing a fundraiser quiz tonight, thurs 9.30, and waiting for my friend, I’m sat next to a questionable old man who has just asked me to take a bracelet of his right wrist and replace it on his left wrist, but only when I have a minute?! Brilliant! There is another bar area downstairs (that’s where the loo’s are too) which was like a blast furnace when we were there! Haven’t tried the food, but heard good things and you can even pre-​order steak! The bar looks a little shabby from outside but looks arent everything — all in all good place, great staff, Will be back!

Having a drink in the Cuckoo’s nest is just like having a drink in someone’s really nice living room. Large comfy seats, friendly staff, friendly customers. A pleasant little bar in Tollcross. The downstairs room is really nice and can be reserved.

I’ve walked past this pub regularly for a couple of years and never been tempted to go in… until this month. I realise now that I have been missing out on a very good thing.
From outside The Cuckoo’s Nest looks as though it is a rough, old man’s local, but it most definitely is not. The interior is delightfully decorated, with lots of soft, cosy chairs and intimate lighting. The music isn’t too loud for conversation, and the playlist adds to the ambience.
There are a number of good beers on tap (can’t recall if there are any real ales sorry…) but perhaps the most surprising thing about this bar is the good selection of cocktails. So whether you are out with the girls, the lads, or both, there is something quality here for you to drink.
The staff are lovely, seem to enjoy working here, and are happy to be serving you — that seems like it should be a given, but actually is a bit of a rarity these days! They may be a little too keen to keep the tables clean — that normally wouldn’t be an issue, but sometimes I can do without the strong smell of cleaning products while sipping my wine!
There is a downstairs here too which is targetted more at the sports bar clientelle — complete with darts board and TV screens for live events.
I have been pleasantly surprised by this charming wee pub, and it is fast becoming my favourite local. Definitely give it a whirl, I think you will be surprised too!

Sort of stumbled in here one random night. It’s a safe place for drinks and food. It has a barebones menu, though, and can get quite cramped up at the bar, especially because that’s where you have to order and pay. The food portions are large though, so you won’t walk out hungry.

This is one of the best little pubs in Bruntsfield, and easily missed. Found just next to the King’s Theatre, it can be overlooked, but don’t make that mistake. If you pop inside you’ll find a cosy little eclectic pub with a great atmosphere. The pub itself is tiny, and because of this there is a great community feel in there, kind of like having a few drinks in someone’s living room. The bar staff are really friendly as well, adding to this laid back atmosphere.
The bar stocks some good beers and all the wines /​spirits etc you could possibly need to get a wee bit tipsy. They also do cocktails which are pretty good, but at an average price of £4.95 they can end up hitting the wallet a bit. The food is excellent as well, I was surprised that for such a small pub the food was such high quality. I had the steak flat bread with chunky fries, and my friend had the grilled chicken burger. They were both amazing, and we were suitably full. At £8 they are a bit more expensive than most other pubs but you definitely get what you pay for, they are much better than the turd in a bun that the Crags calls a burger.
Overall an excellent little pub in Bruntsfield that should not be missed.

I like this place, it’s a good mix of bar, pub and restaurant and it does all three well. The food here isn’t going to set the culinary world on fire but it certainly does the job and has a good range from burgers to mussels. They have the usual beers and lagers on tap and always have cocktail on offer. I had a raspberry mule last time I was there and it was tasty, strong and only £3!
Both the upstairs and downstairs have a cosy and inviting vibe created by the comfy seats and candles that make up the décor. Downstairs is also an occasional venue for live music which makes for intimates gigs with a lively atmosphere.

I love this pub. It’s the pub in Edinburgh that most feels like you’re just having some drinks in someone’s really cool flat. The people who work there are always so nice and friendly. Every time I’m there the other people in the pub feel like «my kind of people» which is something I really like about a pub.
It’s also on the Backstage Edinburgh pass:

The Cuckoo’s nest is the perfect place for a quiet mid-​week pint. It’s quiet enough to have a chat but has a great atmosphere as well, certainly chilled out and welcoming.
There are usually some really good deals that help keep the cost of your sessiopn down, but even if you dont fancy something that is on special offer, the prices are usually cheap anyway.
The inside of the pub is hard to describe, its a cross between old man and modern chiq. Odd, but some how it works. It’s also small, and split across two floors.
A nice little place.

I’m always intruiged to come into the cuckoo’s nest as from the outside it looks kinda cool. One of those diamonds in the rough! So when I eventually got round to going in, my suspicions were confirmed.
It’s surprisingly cool! The upstairs bar is quite small but chic nevertheless. If you want a quiet drink then I would thoroughly recommend you come here mid-​week. It gets really busy at the weeknds, probably because they have £2 cocktails.
When they have a drinks deal on it’s the place to be if you’re counting the pennies, but if not then it is quite pricey.

A cosy, candle lit interior and some comfy seating seem to mask the mediocrity of this bar. If your passing by, or have just seen a performance in the nearby Kings Theatre, the Cuckoo’s Nest is ideal for a sociable tipple.
There’s a basement lounge available for private hire, free of charge apparently. Plus, plenty of meal deals and the occasional steak Sunday amass to an A-​OK option.