We stopped by this beautifully converted church now turned Scottish restaurant for some after dinner drinks and to enjoy some live music. Drinks were decent and the right price. Entertainers were engaging and sang some of our favorite songs. Flat White Martini Aperol Spritz Limoncello Spritz read more

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This restaurant is so charming. Swati was an amazing server and very attentive. The fish and chips, curry, and burger were outstanding. W loved the live music and all the staff that circulated to socialize with us. We would definitely come again next time we are in Scotland! read more

Next to our hotel, conveniently located. We enjoyed a couple of meals there, including the local favorite - haggis! Our wait staff was Swati and she was fantastic, very helpful and very attentive. The food was great as were the beverages. The ambience was great, what a great find in Edinburgh! We definitely would recommend Ghillie Dhu! read more

We thought it looked like a very cool place to eat and drink. They allow kids which was a plus. The service was horrible the menu said to ask your waiter about the beer flights. We did and the waiter had no idea what beers it came with. But he did tell us it was three cans so we got it anyways. The food wasn't the greatest either. Very expensive too. The ambiance was actually really nice and feeling fancy even though no one in there was dressed fancy. They had outdoor seating as well. read more

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Great bar. Our bartender SHANE was awesome. The Porn Star martini was the best we've had anywhere . He even made a virgin. (Tee hee) porn star that was delicious. Go here. read more

We were visiting Edinburgh for one night and needed a place to grab dinner and a few drinks before we called it a day...this came up in our search and chose it because of the menu. Oh but Ghillie had so much more to offer!!! The wait staff was fantastic! The crowd was exciting and full of life. The music was great and easy to listen to. We felt right at home!!! I can't tell you how everything was on the menu because we got the charcuterie board and a few drinks and had a blast!!! Can't wait to go back for another visit! read more

Came for the Ceilidh dancing in the big upper hall (£7, 9:30-11:30pm, Fri/Sat), and was lots of fun. A good amount of beginners and first-timers made easier to try this dance. Dance instructions at the beginning of each thing could have been better, was my only complaint. There's a bar up there and there's even a set dinner menu if you call to reserve that starts at 7:30pm. Bathrooms: Down in the basement. Lots of stalls and mostly clean. read more

Ghillie Dhu - Upper hall - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

While walking to another bar, we stumbled upon this spot. It seems pretty fancy from the exterior from all the decorations and the architecture since this building was once a church. We entered into the public bar, which opened up into a large room filled with live music playing. It did make it quite loud, so not the best if you're trying to make conversation. We grabbed some drinks and sat at a side booth with a window. It was cozy and nice; the crowd was mixed from dates to groups. I went for an Old Fashioned for my drink, which was pretty solid. The upstairs has a venue that features dancing and private parties. I hear it's a cool experience, but until then --this is a nice spot for a drink and live music. read more

Great pub food, great service, very cool ambience. Glad we found this place! Seems to be quite popular...I think we got lucky, but call for a reservation. A great place to eat and be merry! Thank you to Marta! read more

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The atmosphere was nice, with live music (a bit too load). Maybe expectations were too high, as the facade is remarquable. The interior is not so special, even food and drinks are very okay, and staff too. The menu offers standard pub food (fish and ships, pies...) and the public is not only made of tourists but also of families. read more

Ghillie Dhu - Our bill - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Solid 3 stars for the moment. I was here during the day for an event which was paid upfront so there was no buying drinks at the bar (there were plenty of free ones). Staff I did speak to for clean glasses, etc were friendly and helpful. Toilets - clean and perfectly ok, though appeared to be at least two flights down so any drunker/in heels, this might be more than just a little bit of an issue. So, all in all, ok and will review again next time I'm there... read more

The Ghillie Dhu meets all sorts of requirements for me.......Saturday night out, Wednesday night meal with Mum.....Sunday fry up.......all under one roof. They have done so well since opening to cover a whole range of clientel in the guise of a Scottish bar, a weirdly novel idea! The fry ups are gooood, the fish and chips are goood and the Saturday night band is gooood! All in all I am a huge fan of the GD. Also worth mention is there Sunday night live music, they have some great regular acts that come in. read more

We were there because of a wine tasting event and it was one of a kind. The coordinator for the Wine with a View event was Nikki from Convivium wine. The establishment is very old, mystic and therefore intriguing for somebody who likes the old. You needed to go up a spiral staircase to reach the first floor landing. There we entered a hall which had the interior features of a church. Lovely layout. Over 60 bottles made their way into the "wine with a view " selection. You got it all. Sparkling champagne, prosecco, whisky, port, cocktails, the red and the white wine selection. Prices ranged from a tenner up to hundreds..... Make a pick and buy what you fancy. If you leave a star on a bottle you indicate what you fancy and might have gotten a bit more to taste. NIKKI is arranging these types of events at least ones a month and the canapes that come with it are amazing. They really bring out the taste of either the red or the white wine. Can't wait for another wine tube map event at the Bon Vivant Companion. read more

Ghillie Dhu - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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I had a voucher for 2 brunches for £7 instead of £14. We called ahead and booked a table and got the cutest wee booth with a little hatch to the bar which we got drinks passed through. I really like the feel of the place. I have been to events upstairs but this was my first experience of the public bar. We have friends in the USA who are planning a trip to Scotland and this is definitely somewhere we will be bringing them. It is full of charm and decent food and surroundings. I had the veggie breakfast which had veggie haggis, beans, potato scone, mushrooms, scrambled eggs, fried bread and toast. My husband had a regular Scottish breakfast which had haggis and bacon too. The latte was very smooth and had a little design in the foam on top. I really liked it here and I will certainly be back. Make sure your not in a rush as not the quickest but very tasty. read more

Ghillie Dhu - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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The place hasn't been open very long, but I think it's going to be around for a while if it carries on the way it's been going! It's unashamedly Scottish but not in a tacky way: they promise "hearty scottish fare" and "premium drams", and yet rather than being a cheap tourist trap this place still retains an upmarket feel. Which brings me to my one grumble: the price. With such a great location just at the west end of Princes Street, and offering service to such a high standard, inevitably the drinks aren't cheap. But it's definitely worth it; this has fast become one of my favourite drinking spots in the city centre. read more

Ghillie Dhu - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

We were anxious to only eat authentic British/Scotish foods while visiting Edinburgh. At one time, fish and chips were as popular as hamburgers in the USA .So I figured with limited time/meals at our disposal, go for the best. I asked a Scotish tour guide for her recommendation and she said "Ghillie Dhu." After eating here, I suspect a payoff was involved... read more

Ghillie Dhu - Fish and chips, a pickled onion and...smashed peas - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I first came here for a Fringe show in the spacious upstairs hall. It was the perfect venue for it (The Strange Undoing of Prudencia Hart, anyone?) and I thought the space was gorgeous - long dark wood tables, high ceilings, friendly bartenders - and apparently it's a ceilidh hall. Naturally, we went back the following Friday to try it out. It was a good time, although they packed the dance floor far too tightly and I wish they'd have moved the tables back further so there was more room to dance. Unsurprisingly, there are a lot of ceilidh enthusiasts in Edinburgh and there were a lot of elbows swinging! Still, the emcee (?) gave great directions for ceilidh newbies like me, and it was great fun. After midnight, it turned into a regular club night, but being sweaty and tired we got out. There's a nice, big and modern bar downstairs with lots of TV screens (they even pipe the games into the loos so you don't miss a thing) and a decent menu, so if you need to fortify yourself before ceilidh madness, Ghille Dhu's got you covered. read more

Huge. This fukin spot is huge. And all glam'd out. You have to stop in here to grab a pint and just soak in the ambiance. Huge. read more

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Bartender recommended the smoothest whisky's for our whiskey flight. We had a great time! Really cool place read more

Ghillie Dhu - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

After dinner came to Ghillie Dhu for an after dinner dram. Ghillie Dhu is a converted church building. That's the type of proselytizing I heartily support. As usual a huge selection of whiskey at a very reasonable price. Most less than $5 ( pounds). Beautiful architecture and bathrooms are worth a visit. Taxi's right outside door. read more

I wish I was writing a positive review for this place, as our fantastic LOCAL tour guide said it was a nice, local pub. However, my husband and I were completely snubbed. There were lots of empty tables and yet we sat and sat. I finally went to the bar and asked the bartender (there were 3 staff hanging out there) if the kitchen was open and if we needed to order at the bar? He said, "no, I'll get someone to be right with you". Ten minutes later...we were still waiting when a decent enough looking couple sat at the table next to us and were immediately waited upon. Huh? OK, so I wasn't decked out as I had just returned from a 12 hour tour (dropping plenty of cash in this city and beyond), but I was clean and presentable, as was my husband, whose conference had just completed for the day. We were flat out snubbed. We'll be sure to let our fellow conference goers know it's not the place to leave our money. I'm also going to catch our tour guide and let him know he shouldn't be recommending this place (I'll do that in a nice way, as I think he'll feel awful). With 5 days left in this city, we were hoping to find a place that could be a meeting spot for our group. Oh, and I'm a fabulous tipper, too. Way to judge poorly, Ghillie Dhu. UPDATE: I contacted the manager via website after our visit, simply to let them know of the poor service. In their defense, he invited my husband and I back for a complimentary meal. However, we opted to visit some other places with the time we had left. I don't think I could have written an impartial review after our first visit. I do, however, appreciate that they extended the offer and wanted to to try make it right. read more

I feel like I completely missed 99.9% of this place... I met a few fellow social media hounds for a whisky here a few weeks back. The public bar is pretty standard really but they had Auchentoshan Three Wood at a reasonable price, so I tip the hat to that. The service was a little lacking, considering that we were one of three tables at the start of the evening and it was full to the brim by the time we left, so it meant a little awkward dancing at the end of the bar to get attention and our bill. I'll save the next two stars for when I try the food and the second I get to set food into that spectacular event space. For now, it's simply a standard sort of bar with a standard sort of bar list - nothing to snub your nose at but nothing spectacular either. read more

This place is just so gosh-darn expensive. I like the way it looks, but at the end of a night, my pocket is always empty! Also, the DJs on weekends are pretty sucky for 4 pound entry.. However, if you do pop in for a coffee during the day, they do have free wifi which is a positive! fin. read more

Our regular steak & ale pub was out so we stopped in here for Sunday lunch. Their steak and ale pie was great. Two light eaters could share it. Its also a good place to nip in for a pint with friends. Its a pretty good sized pub. Bon Appetit! read more

Ghillie Dhu - Vegetable soup - nice on a cold Edinburgh afternoon - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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And with trepidation I stepped through the medieval doors that lead into the Ghillie Dhu. After all I had many reasons to fear the unknown: located at the west end of Princes Street, on the cusp of the dreaded Lothian Road, an area not uncommon to the odd bout of weekend violence; the Haye/Klitschko match had just that minute ended in defeat for the cocky Briton, again another excuse for the drunken, pumped-up chavs of the west end to exert some aggressive testosterone on some unwitting strangers; and of course, my company, a close circle of friends from out of town who, whenever they grace Edinburgh's nightlife scene, choose the cheesiest, most unusually bizarre venues for their escapades, their only criteria seemingly wherever will let them away with the most drunken banter without being asked to leave (see: Jam House, Walkabout and/or Mood!). So going in, high hopes I did not have. We first started upstairs. The ceilidh hall or, as I call it, the Medieval Jam House, where after parting with the required £3 entry, we were greeted with the bustling populace and the cheesiest of cheesy live bands. Cheesier than a Kingsize Happy Meal. So cheesy they made Aqua look credible. You get the gist. I've been told on occasion there will are ceilidhs instead of the band, so sounds like I got there on a GOOD night...! In fairness, the clientele did make the hall more bearable. A spacious bar area meant less heaving crowds and more social space. Tables a bit crammed together meant it was difficult to manoeuvre in between but the outskirts were fine. And I suppose the band would be tolerable if you were into that kinda thing... or were completely sozzled! I, however, was not and so sought something more downstairs... and found it. Perhaps one of the best social bars in Edinburgh. Definitely worth a look. The music was also live, but an acoustic set of rock and indie classics (gotta hand it to young male guitarists in the area... they have no idea what cheese is!) that wasn't overpowering, so there was no struggle to make yourself heard. The space was immense, enough tables and chairs not to let the floor become overcrowded and enough standing room even if all seats were taken, therefore no barging to and from the bar. The atmosphere lively, an even ratio of male to female (probably the only bar I can think of in recent weeks where this was the case), a good standard of customer (ie. no chavs, ponces, et al) and attentive bar staff. Didn't notice much price difference between here and anywhere else around the town centre, and no idea if they serve food. All in all a well-maintained, clean and chav-free bar with a busy, lively and albeit cheesy club atmosphere above. Hats off to the bouncers, I will no doubt step through your doors once more and next time that's where I'll leave my trepidation! read more

Oh how the mighty fall. After perusing online around Christmas to arrange to take the boy to one of the Ghillie Dhu gigs, I sent an enquiry to Ghillie Dhu as to availability. Online, I discovered that the privacy policy which states basically once they have your information, they'll take it and have a small party with it. Now, I get emails from them. Having been in ye olde email marketing industry for years, I despise spam with a passion - it made legal mailers lives so much harder, and it's invasive. I think I would be preaching to the choir if I continued on that one. Well, Ghillie Dhu spam. They send out unsolicited emails without any form of unsubscribe - contacting to have details removed are ignored and the spam continues - well, until I report them to ICO. I don't consort with people who force their marketing on me so Ghillie Dhu (and g1group.com), you are dead to me. read more

Ok so my only experience here was for a Christmas night out with work, so not exactly your standard Ghillie Dhu night out. First impressions - the upstairs is very impressive.. until you realise there are no toilets upstairs and you need to go out into the baltic and drunkenly dangerous stairway to go into the hot, smelly, cramped downstairs bar to find a toilet. Boo. Despite the number of Christmas parties being hosted upstairs, the bar was surprisingly wide open, though it amazingly still took ages to get served (a Staropramen costing over £4)... and of course then we discovered that drinks downstairs are cheaper. Skint by the end of the meal, I left just as the ceilidh was starting. To be exact, we were punted off our table before we finished our desserts so they could setup the ceilidh, so I left then. All in all, not an experience I will be jumping to replicate any time soon. read more

hmm i think Ghillie Dhu is a bit of a mixed bag for me. I've been here a handful of times and while each time it's been fine, i don't find that it stands out much compared to the other bars in this area. on a friday night, i arrived after midnight with the girls looking for a wee boogie and some more drinks. the bar downstairs was rather sparse, which surprised me because it was friday night! we managed to easily grab a big round table to sit down at and order a round of drinks. there was some live music, but this ended shortly after we arrived. after a round of drinks a few of us headed upstairs to go for a dance. while the actual space upstairs is seriously nice (very gothic and such) i felt like the whole disco was almost like a high school dance. there was a good number of people, but loads of young boys (sorry maybe i'm getting old!!) which made me feel a bit out of place. think there was loads of students as well, which just so is not my scene anymore! my friends and i enjoyed a bit of a dance, but after finishing another round of drinks we decided it would be best to call it a night. so A-OK is probably the best way i'd sum of Ghillie Dhu. the drinks are reasonably priced and it's nice to be able to find a seat on a friday night, but i don't think this place is anything special really. i'd probably look for some place next time i'm out. read more

The Ghillie Dhu is a proper pub which just happens to have a 3am license (though they don't always stay open until 3) and sometimes that is exactly what you want. The bar staff will normally be able to hear you as the music (live or otherwise) isn't overly loud and this means you can actually take advantage of the extensive range of beverages available. Thats all really, if you reach 12-1 in the morning but want to stay out in a "normal" pub environment give the Ghillie Dhu a try. read more

This place is almost hidden from the out side but is actually really big inside. The bar area is very rustic and has lots of space for large groups to chill out. Food looks alright with lots of pub staples like Steak Pie, Fish and Chips and Sausage and Mash. They also have a large veggie selection too. Now everyone knows I am a pretty big pie fan and I have tried a few in my time but I have to say their steak Pie was to die for seriously you should try it now. My friends veggie pastry thing was a bit disappointing though so I am going to go for 3 stars based on that and a slightly offputting toilet smell on the day. They also have after work deals with prosecco for £15 which was rather a nice treat indeed! Up a windy candlelit staircase they have a lovely events space for weddings and gigs. It has a really high vaulted ceiling with purple lighting, lots of sparkly mirrors and an old church organ which makes it look really amazing when it is done up for an evening. There are long benches to sit on and they hold regular ceilidhs too. Good for a drink and a dance and I would recommend it for a fun night out learning your strip the willow! read more

Food was good, service was a bit slow but that may have been the tour's idea and not the restaurant. Bathroom only had one functioning sink out of six which if you follow baseball, is a crap batting average. Bar had decent prices and the dancing was quite entertaining. That being said, I don't think I would have gone here unless it had been included in the tour itinerary. read more

I suppose it entirely depends on what you want. As an event location, the upstairs makes a fantastic conference room. It's a stunningly beautiful building, both inside and out. The problem is at night when it turns in to just another bar and upstairs becomes a dance floor. The type of people who show up are obnoxious and I couldn't wait to leave. Loud music and seems to be couger town! So I'm giving it 3 stars for what it normally is but I will add that as a conference location, it's hard to not give it 5 stars! read more

For a number of months, every time i left the office (Rutland Square) to go for lunch, i was thrust a flyer for discounted food at the Ghillie Dhu. I'm not going to lie, i was sceptical about how this would be... the result was that i was pleasantly surprised. One day a couple of weeks ago, a group of us in the office decided yto go out for lunch, so due to my previous experience of the GD promotion, i suggested here. I ordered a chicken and leek pie and it was delicious. Served in the dish it was cooked in, on a wooden board, with chips served in a little mock deep fat fryer cage/net/basket, and a tiny little dish of peas. It was all very tasty, but i didn't eat all the peas as my fork wouldn't fit in the dish, so what was i going to do, pour them out on the wooden board so they fall off onto the table? A minor detail but silly none the less. All in all, i was very pleasantly surprised. If anything it may have been a bit over priced for what it was, but i would go back again. They also often post offers on Facebook which seem pretty reasonable! read more

Loads of space during a schoolday or evening. At all other times it is packed. Apart from the free wifi this place doesn't work for me. It is not the cheapest place. I think it is mostly suitable for large groups. (with a massive kitty between them ). Somehow this place is very loud! Can't find anything really wrong nor good so 3 stars from me. read more

Ghillie Dhu - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I was a little disappointed with Ghillie Dhu, going in with such high expectations. We were attending for a university department ball, involving a three course meal and a ceilidh. Our group was based upstairs, in the very ornate hall, with beautiful round tables, and lovely decoration. It really looked quite nice. However, the food disappointed. The soup was bland, and served with clearly not fresh bread. Main course tasted fine, but portion size was small, and even the dessert chocolate mousse failed to impress. All in all, I was definitely quite disappointed with the food offerings. After dinner, we were all forced to crowd around the bar so the staff could set up the dancefloor for the ceilidh. This was more fun, with decent acoustics and a good amount of space for dancing. Drinks at the bar were very expensive indeed, costing more than £4 for a very bland beer such as Tennents. I heard rumours that drinks were cheapers downstairs away from the event hall, but I don't know if this is true (and would be quite annoyed if so). Overall, although the building is really nice and it definitely feels like a nice place to have a ball/party, the food was definitely below par, and drinks are too expensive. Probably won't be back. read more

I've only been here once, so I don't know if this is a common problem or they were having a particularly off night, but the service was ridiculously, unacceptably slow. It was not a big crowd; several of the tables around us were empty, even. Drinks took so long that we began to doubt whether we had ordered them at all. Drinks ordered at the same time sometimes arrived 10 minutes apart (and these were not complicated, umbrellaed drinks - just beers and ciders and sodas). The cheese plate I ordered was fine. I'm guessing it consisted of young, fresh cheeses when my order went in, but by the time it arrived at the table they were all nicely aged. The person sitting next to me (who shall remain nameless) ordered the fishiest fish pie that I ever did smell. The waiter, when we did see him, was friendly enough. Plus I think he was the first kilted waiter we've had in Edinburgh, which seems like some sort of important cultural milestone, right? Or maybe not. I feel like Ghillie Dhu has the potential to be much better than 2 stars, but not for the experience we had last night. read more

After a morning of exertion and no breakfast it was time for lunch. The Ghillie Ale, whilst not strictly necessary, washed away the morning's strains and stresses quite sufficiently, not to mention tastily. And, no, it is not available to buy elsewhere, or indeed as a carry out. Shame, it's very quaffable. The burger was served in a timely fashion, by a fusion waitress. The staff seem to all be of the kilted, thus traditional, and pierced / tattooed, thus conforming to the non-conformist zeitgeist. Very tribal. The burger was served on a wooden board with the chips in a wee faux deep fat frier basket. There was yet another receptacle on the board reserved for coleslaw. How very trendy. The booth we were sat in featured a hatch to the bar with a little, retro lightswitch which is wired to a light at the bar. Handily, our voices worked, as this light was largely ignored. The burgers were great, well, my one was, and, I assume that my companions were genuine in their appreciation of the food. They're an honest bunch whom I have no reason to disbelieve. The burgers were not cheap mind, almost a tenner and that was before the addition of bacon and jalapeños, at a further cost of £2.50. Still, with all those boards, baskets, ramekinesque coleslaw vessels to buy, fill and wash in order to serve a burger... well, it just couldn't be cheap, could it? You may think there's an air of sarcasm in this review, you're wrong. It's merely an unnecessary overhead in honour of the over complicated presentation of a lunchtime burger and chips. The comments about piercing and tattoos is more a commentary on the cult like necessity to express one's individuality by subscribing wholesale to cultural conventions of indigenous peoples from other shores with no relevance whatsoever to one's own bland middle of the road background whatsoever. The food was great, the staff were polite and attentive, except when summoned by lightswitch. Nice place for food and drink, just don't analyse contemporary 'culture' too much and you should enjoy it. read more

I would like to give a detailed review of this place but all I can review are the front steps, there's five of them and I got as far as the third leading up to the door and then there was the doorman at the top As we approached, the doorman told my friend she couldn't enter because she had a bottle of mineral water in her hands, so my friend offered to put it in her bag. He still refused entry and didn't really give a reason. So, we decided to leave the water outside. Perhaps they have strict security measures like airports do and dont allow anything above 200ml. It was at this stage my girlfriend told him that she had a bottle of vodka in her bag (750 ml) and that we were just stopping by for one before going home. The game was up at this stage. Front steps rating: 3/5 Doorman rating: 0/10 read more

For a Scottish theme bar, Ghillie Dhu is actually quite tasteful. The wooden beams and paneling is reminiscent of a garden centre, but the comfy leather upholstery makes the place seem cosy. There are loads of booths, which can be reserved. There's also a screened off section which can be reserved for larger private parties. The booths backing on to the bar have a call button, and drinks can be served direct in to your booth by a hatch! We didn't have any food, but the menu looked pretty decent with some interesting items. There were some minor issues - the G&T we ordered was made with soda water instead of tonic, and the draught lager selection is pretty rubbish. However, the G&T was replaced quickly and without quibble. The ladies loos were huge, and very nicely done out. The male loos featured plumbed in buckets instead of standard urinals. An original idea but possibly could get a bit messy... read more

Dominated by suits after work on a Thursday and Friday, it's provides exactly what you would expect...a great meeting up and staging venue for a good night out. Decor downstairs is modern and allows plenty of people seated and standing. A nice big bar allows you to see what's on offer and even when crowded, you shouldn't find yourself waiting too long to be served. I believe upstairs offers a reasonable ceilidh, but as I'm a guy (& sober most of the time) I'm unable to comment on how good it is...but I'm sure at some point one night I will have had enough Amber Nectar to convince myself that its a great idea to go upstairs and shake a leg! Watch this space... read more