The Guildford Arms

A beautiful, historic and ornate Edinburgh institution
Popular plate: The restaurant upstairs boasts exceptional Scottish seafood, from smoked salmon to steamed mussels, but the highlight isn’t seafood at all - it’s the Aberdeen Angus steak.

The Guildford Arms is one of the country’s most beautifully ornate taverns in its faded Victorian decadence. First opened in 1841 as a shop, it was converted into a public house in 1898 and has since established itself as the favourite drinking hole of many.
The original revolving doors and magnificent dark wood interior make for a unique pub environment, while the range of real ales and malt whiskies, plus the high-quality à la carte cuisine, make it very hard to leave.