The Bow Bar — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Five stars from a Czech guy who came for one beer… and left with a whisky education

I stopped by just for a quick pint – as a Czech, I’m usually picky about beer, but I was genuinely impressed by the selection and quality here. The atmosphere was already great, but what really made the evening was the bartender.

I hadn’t planned on having whisky, but chatting with the guy behind the bar turned into one of the best parts of my trip to Edinburg! He clearly knew his stuff – we ended up doing an impromptu whisky tasting together. He explained the differences between Islay and Highland, peated vs. unpeated, and even talked about cask finishes like the Caribbean cask from Balvenie or the Madeira cask release from Ardnamurchan. Total legend.

It felt more like a whisky class with a friend than just a drink at a bar. Can’t wait to come back next year – this...

Great bar and service. I was looking for a place to taste different whiskies and Bow Bar didn't disappoint. The staff was very helpful. I had no clue what I was looking for but after a short convo about flavor they were able to find me some delicious whiskies. They have £5 whiskies of the moment which are a good place to start if you have no clue. There's also a vast menu that shows where the whiskies they have in house come from but I was too overwhelmed by it. They accept card. Seating is a bit of a dance but as people come in and out you'll be able to snag a spot to hang for a drink. I would recommend bringing some cash if you'd like to tip the bartender as there isn't a choice for tip when paying for drinks. In the end I got a good recommendation for a bottle to buy for my trip home and a place to...

Right on the tourist trail on scenic West Bow, as an Edinburgh resident I’ve walked past this pub (now I would call it an ale house!) many times without giving it a thought.

Mistake!! Thanks to Google Maps reviews I decided to check The Bow Bar out and found a very serious ale lovers bar. The lady serving us was clearly very knowledgeable and happy to share that knowledge in a very interesting way.

We had two superb real ales in perfect condition. The bar keeps 4 on as regulars with 4 more as guest ales that change as often as daily.

Atmosphere is Edinburgh traditional pub at it’s best. Atmosphere will definitely depend on the mix of the clientele at that moment as unsurprisingly we were told, yes we get a lot of tourists. However the beer and feel of the place make this a must for locals...