Makars Gourmet Mash Bar is bangers and mash eatery in Edinburgh's Old Town. Makars has received many awards since its opening in 2015 and currently has over 5,000 ‘excellent’ 5-star ratings on TripAdvisor.
And just last week the Edinburgh eatery was awarded the top spot in the ‘Everyday Eats’ category for the UK region in the 2022 Travellers Choice Best of the Best list.
So, we knew we had to visit Makars and experience it for ourselves.
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Last week, I popped down to Old Town and tried some of this world-famous mash. Plus, I got to know the Makars staff and chatted with their Director of Operations, Adam Davidson, while I was there.
But when I first walked in, I made sure to present myself as a normal customer…just to get the feel for how I would be treated on any regular day. I could immediately see that the eatery was busy, even on a Tuesday afternoon.
I asked one Makars staff member–who I later learned was named Scott–if they could fit in a table for one. He acknowledged how busy the restaurant was but kindly assured me that we could make something happen.
As I sat down and perused the menu, I saw numerous options ranging from soups, sides and salads to “meats as a treat,” and “mash-ups.” Makars holds to its name and promises nine different mash flavours, including Scottish cheddar cheese/chive, chilli spicy mash, and Stornoway black pudding.
Plus, there are vegetarian options and various beers and spirits if that suits your fancy as well. Looking over the menu I couldn’t quite decide what to get, so I asked my waiter–who I believe was named Alex–for a few recommendations.
Alex recommended some favourites such as the slow-cooked lamb shank, the vegetarian haggis, and the Scottish cheddar cheese/chive mash. I went with my gut and ordered the lamb shank atop the cheddar mash for £20 altogether. And within a few minutes, my meat and mash were ready for eating.
Then, I met with Adam Davidson, the Director of Operations of Makars, to chat about the TripAdvisor award and the mission of the restaurant. Here’s how our conversation went…
Congratulations on being named The #1 Everyday Eats Restaurant in the UK by TripAdvisor! How does it feel to receive this award? This means that diners all over the world applaud you.
“It’s amazing. We’re just a small independent place that does mashed potatoes. To get an accolade like that is really good from our perspective. The most gratifying thing is that it’s not sponsored, it’s purely based on interactions with random people.
"So those interactions have obviously been at such a high level that it’s the best in the U.K. Having a 5-star rating with over 7,000 reviews just speaks to the consistency we’ve had over the past few years.”
Will you tell me a bit of history on when you opened and your mission?
“The owner John Stamp took over about 7 years ago. Makars was a generic restaurant at that point and then John changed the focus to mashed potatoes 6 years ago. Since then, we’ve tried to make it as simple as possible.
"We’re in a tourist-heavy area, so we wanted to try to give the best example of Scottish food and Scottish hospitality that we can. And based on the reviews and our receiving many awards since 2018, we’ve managed to achieve this. To be #1 is tremendous.”
A lot of people described Makars as friendly and efficient. How do you accomplish this?
“Well, we’re friendly people. And Edinburgh is a friendly city. So it’s nice to be a good example of that for people who don’t know a lot about it. For me, working in hospitality is usually complicated for guests and staff.
"At Makars, we try to make it simple for the team so that they have as much time to spend with the guests as possible. I really encourage good personalities in staff, keep it simple, and expect high standards. This builds that family atmosphere.”
Why do you think people love your food so much?
“It’s simple but well executed. And it’s consistent so people will get a good taste of Scotland and the best taste of haggis you can find. The food looks great, photographs well, and melts in your mouth.
"And it’s a bit of fun here as well—we’re adding ingredients to mashed potatoes which is pretty cool. People tend to be relaxed and are getting good service so they enjoy the overall experience. So we want to make sure that every time is as good as the first.”
Speaking of loving your food, what are your most popular dishes? The people want to know!
“The Haggis, lamb shank and beef shoulder are the mainly popular dishes. And the scotch egg is also usually popular as well. The wee hidden gem of the menu is on the vegetarian side. This unsung hero is the blacked-eyed bean and bell pepper sausage.”
Is there anything else you’d like to share with me today about your feelings on the award?
“It’s never something we expect. It’s just amazing that people enjoy what we do. We absolutely love giving people a good experience. We love having people coming back from all over the world. An award is a really nice thing to have because everyone works so hard.”
I loved chatting with Adam and meeting other staff members, Fin and Scott. I can confidently say that I’ve been convinced Makars is deserving of the 5,000 5-star TripAdvisor reviews. I enjoyed my lamb shank and cheddar mash and would give it a 9/10.
The only reason it’s not a 10/10 is because a twenty-pound meal seems a bit steep for an ‘everyday eats’ restaurant. I don’t know about you, but I try not to spend that much on my food every day. But even more important to me than the food or the price was the amazing service and kindhearted nature of the Makars team. I would give Makars a 9.5/10 for service because I felt welcomed and sought to from the moment I entered the eatery.
To me, it seems that Makars Gourmet Mash Bar is an Edinburgh Eatery trying to bring healthy, traditional, Scottish food into the popular eye.
And the warmth of the Makars staff truly brings this mission to light. If you want to form your own opinion of the meats and mash at Makars, check out their website or pop down to Old Town (9 & 12 Bank St, Edinburgh EH1 2LN) to try it for yourself. Maybe this Edinburgh eatery will make a mark on you just as it’s made a mark on thousands of diners from across the world. I know we can’t wait to go back.
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