The Holyrood 9A

One of the two places I’d go to for burgers in Edinburgh. Delicious, good quality, and reasonable prices.

Great craft beers with a large rotating selection. I got the Blackwell beer, and it was one of the best I’ve ever had. This place is also known for their burgers, and deservedly so. I had the Holyrood 9A burger. It was both delicious and reasonably priced. Great pub with awesome authentic feel and friendly staff. Just be sure to get there early as they get quite busy

Delicious gourmet burgers! I came here in 2012 for my 19^th birthday and it was fantastic! You can customise your own burger and sides and the results are delicious! Really worth the price, I would highly recommend as a place for a family meal out or a catch up with friends.

I like Holyrood 9A, it’s got a good selection of beer and the burgers are pretty blimming decent. I’ve been in many a time for drinks but only ate here for the first time recently.
Now, if you’ve eaten at Red Squirrel or the Southern (which I have), you’ll know what to expect — a whole load of burgers. And they’re good. You’ve got the option of seasoned and/​or sweet potato fries, and I assume that like at RS you can swap out the bun for another burger (for a small charge) if you’re gluten free.
All three pubs are some of the best for beers in Edinburgh, with an excellent tap selection and loads of bottles. Definitely worth having a look.
Service wise, it fell down a bit here as we had to flag down the waitress to order «Oh, you’re ready?», well, yes, it had been fifteen minutes since she’d given us the menu and like I said there’s only burgers on it so we didn’t need that long to choose… We had a similar experience when trying to pay. To be fair to them, it was busy.
On the whole, I like Holyrood 9A and its sister pubs, and for its location it’s definitely one of the better options in the area.

Love the beer selection here. I’ll be the first to admit I am picky when it comes to beer. Perhaps I’m a craft beer snob, but hey, if I’m drinking beer it needs to 1. taste good and 2. have a high alcohol percent.
They have light and dark beers, hoppy and not so hoppy. Whatever you want, they got. I recommend asking for a flight of beers first so you can determine which are your favorites.
All I can say is I wish we had the Holyrood 9A in Glasgow.

Firstly, this place has an AMAZING selection of beers. They have a ton of craft beers on tap, and more available in bottles. Let me just say, a 9% stout at noon is a great way to start your day after a long night out on the town. I also want to give a shout-​out to the barman I interacted with. He clearly had a lot of passion for craft brewing and was quick to offer suggestions and eager to discuss whether you liked a beer or not.
However, I found that the food at Holyrood 9A was just… mediocre. I felt that the flavors weren’t really there. Everything was hot, and their food is fresh and locally sourced which is all a big plus, but I felt that my meal lacked a certain something. Nothing really popped, unfortunately. I would go back for the beer, but I might skip the food next time.

Numerous visits so its well due a review!
I have eaten here a number of times however generally find myself in here with friends exploring the wide selection of beers on tap. Helpful, friendly staff who actually appear to want to be there are always willing to guide you through a few tasters, steering you towards that tipple of choice. Beers are the focus in here, however there are still a wide range of your usual wine and spirit suspects. Regular rotation means that there is pretty much always something new alongside the usuals.
Food wise, 9A is known for its focus on an fairly extensive burger range, which all in all is fair considering the price and portions, however it can sometimes be a little lucky dip if you get that bap to write home about or not!!!
If you are planning to eat in, especially on a weekend I suggest calling ahead, if however looking for somewhere to drop in for a pint try not to pass this place up. Capacity and atmosphere can fluctuate between only one there to elbow to elbow, just depends on the night.

Saw this place on a Guardian top 10 cheap eats list, and as we were in Edinburgh with no dinner reservations on a Friday night, we turned to the list to try and find a place where we could manage to grab a table and a quick bite.
Holyrood 9A is a great pub — dark, warm, and cozy with a massive draft beer list that made my husband very happy. For my part, the haggis bonbons made me very happy! Absolutely delicious, hot crispy fried balls of haggis (obviously) to be dipped in tangy beer mustard mayo. The haggis was spiced and savory, and even if you think haggis doesn’t sound appetizing, you’ll like these. They’re an absolutely top-​notch bar snack.
I didn’t find the rest of the food to live up to expectations, unfortunately! My husband got the Ecosse burger (with sausage, red onion, brie, rocket, and truffle mayo) and I got the Chc — grilled chicken breast with serrano ham, emmantal cheese, sunblush tomatoes, and basil mayo. How meals that sound so flavorful can taste rather bland is utterly beyond me! My chicken was dry, and I just simply couldn’t taste enough of the ham, cheese, tomatoes, and mayo. I could see them there, but any flavor they contributed was rather overpowered by dry (unseasoned, I think) chicken. My husband’s burger was a bit better, but I still found it less flavorful than advertised, although it was more well-​cooked than my chicken. The fries, on the other hand, were great — lush sweet potato fries, and spicy-​salty seasoned regular fries.
I’d come back for drinks and bar snacks, but I’ve had far better burgers elsewhere. Sadly I can’t really recommend them, though they’re supposed to be the specialty! But if you sat me down with a beer and a plate of haggis bonbons, we’d be in business!

One of the «original» Edinburgh «craft» beer bars (part of the FullerThomson empire — see OX184 and Red Squirrel). Seems such a long time ago when you had the Bow Bar, Cloisters and one or two others for decent beer but now we have quite a selection. At that time this place was the student-​tastic Holyrood Tavern. Now it’s got a really good selection of regular beers and guest ales (20 taps). Restaurant section through the back, with decent burgers and breakfasts/​brunch.

Whoops! Just realised that I haven’t written a review for this even though I’ve been here for several times. The burger here is absolutely a must try! No matter it’s beef burger or halloumi (vegetarian) burger, the taste were always so good! Around 9 pounds for a burger which you’ll probably have to finish it in two meals… cuz the burger was really huge…
I’ve also tried dessert here. Same quality & same quantity… a little bit too sweet though (p.s. I found most of the dessert in UK too sweet except for scones).
Would recommend this bistro to tourists walking on Royal Mile trying to avoid unreasonable expensive restaurants, and to those who want to experience local bar/​pub culture.

Lovely selection of burgers and beers for a nice casual meal out. I love a good burger, and have been delighted to see a renaissance in this foodstuff in recent years, and the Holyrood 9A doesn’t disappoint. They’re great for craft beer too, with a beautiful choice of IPAs.

As part of the Fuller chain of pubs, they have a menu of food, beer, drinks and wine that should satisfy everyone. It also well located between Edinburgh Castle and Holyrood Palace, so it’s a great place to stop on the way down the hill.
We had burgers, the Venison and the Halimmi, and side salads instead of fries. Two beers and the food came to £25.25, more reasonable than in London pubs.
The Chieftain IPA was phenomenal! Be sure to ask questions about the rotating beer selection .
It’s a young crowd at mid-​day, maybe because of the huge selection of craft beers, and the music is at a level that allows for conversation.

Excellent for burgers and real ale. They have over 15 choices for burgers including three vegetarian options along with other menu options that I usually look at and decide to have a burger anyhow. The service can be a bit slow at times but as it’s so busy it’s to be expected.
It’s always busy over the weekend so make sure you book a table, even if it’s only for two people at 5.30pm, to avoid a long wait.

I popped into Holyrood 9A for a quick drink after work with some colleagues & although I had heard good things I was pretty disappointed.
I went for the draft cider & it was reasonable but nothing special.
It was very busy, despite it being a Thursday evening, & we ended up lined up at the bar with people constantly pushing past us. We were initially told we would be put on the wait list for a table, but this seemed to go out the window as other groups walked in off the street, grabbed a table & weren’t moved.
The staff were also rather brusque, and my general sense was that we were just in the way.
Overall, it seemed like a decent — if slightly pretentious pub — but I’d advise picking a quieter time to visit.

After some confusion about whether one could grab an open table or had to wait on a list (we tried to grab & were told No, a couple came in minutes later & grabbed same table & were allowed to keep it), we did get a nice little 2-​top in the front by the window with a grand view of their impressive bar. Quality craft beer spot, service was on the surly/​distant side but the beer list more than made up for it.

We came here after reading online recommendations. We were actually quite excited and carved a time slot into our Fringe to make sure we could try the heralded burgers.
On entering the building, I was immediately a bit disappointed. It didn’t have much atmosphere and the décor was lacklustre and lacking cohesion. It wasn’t terrible — I was just expecting something a bit edgier.
My Old Lady Thyme cocktail tasted entirely of lemon juice with no hint of thyme; by the sounds of it I should have just gone for beer!
I went for a Blue Murder burger. It was just kind of bland and stodgy. I think the menu said the bun was a brioche, and while I don’t particularly like brioche, it definitely seemed like the most ordinary plain burger bun instead. I left about a quarter after getting bored.
Luckily, the seasoned fries were tasty — seasoned well at any rate and very moreish.

I have been here a few times for drinks after work and have to say while good, it isn’t my top choice for an after drink wind down. To be fair to Holyrood, they seem to be extremely popular, as it is always full and super nosy. It seems to be a common place to come after work, popular for groups, with lots of beer and burgers. Really, what isn’t to like I guess. The burgers run around 10 – 12 quid and the beer is generally 3 – 4 on tap. Lots of beers, but I haven’t found one I loved yet. I think it is a great stop for one drink and a quick bite, I’ve had the sweet potato fries there and they are good, so imagine the food must be as people are constantly filling up the seats to get them. One day I will try the burgers, but maybe before the post-​work rush, as it is very hard to find a seat unless you book in advance.

Bit of a flying visit before my train back to Manchester, but well worth it.
I had The Hollyrood burger; beef, mustard, red onion, blue cheese and tomato — bloody gorgeous. It wasn’t ostentatious and massive but (cliché warning) just right — one of the best burgers I’ve had in a long time!
To wash it all down I had a Fallen Brewery Chew Chew, a really flavoursome salted caramel milk stout.
Well worth a visit of you want a well
Crafted, delicious burger.

My flatmate who had been coming to Holyrood 9A for a while finally convinced me that I should go and have a burger there the next time she was going. I have to say, that was solid advice.
The restaurant itself is like everything else in Edinburgh, small and intimate. There is a nice bar are and some good seating near the windows in front. My group sat there and we looked over the menu. I went with a beer (don’t remember which one) and the BBQ burger.
The food was excellent. The chips were seasoned and the lettuce and tomato were fresh and crisp. The atmosphere of the restaurant was good too, like a bar in some ways, but also a legitimate restaurant as well.
One other thing to note. The desert. Wow. Try something from their desert menu. You will not be disappointed. I would come back JUST for the desert, it was that good.
Needless to say, I will definitely be back.

Der beste Burger meines Lebens! Toller Service, schöner Laden! Super Bier! Echt zu empfehlen…
Ich hatte den Burger mit Rosmarin Pilzen, Knoblauchmajo und einem mittelalten Cheddar! Jammi…
Also wenn ihr in Edinburgh seit, ab ins Holyrood 9A

¡MARAVILLOSO! Tienen una cantidad increíble y legendaria de hamburguesas, tantas que no creo que por mucho que visites este lugar seas capaz de comerlas todas. Pequé de poco aventurero, y no me atreví con la hamburguesa de haggis. Después de haber probado el haggis y haber certificado que ME-​EN-​CAN-​TA, he de decir que estoy deseandico volver y poner mi pica en Flandes. O en Escocia, en este caso.
Pedí la hamburguesa bohemia, y estaba exquisita. Para refrescar el gaznate, una cerveza llamada Cesar Augustus que estaba estupenda. Y para rematar un enorme postre que llaman «The Kitchen Sink» y que son diversos tipos de pudding amenizados con bien de helado. Por si te habías quedado con hambre.
Lugar muy bonito, acogedor y con un personal amabilísimo y divertidísimo. Quiero más.