I loved the look of this funky place from the start. It's dingy yet fun, with Polaroids everywhere and random fake vending machines. The bathroom walls have old timey porn on them. Again, love it. Service was so-so. Our server was incredibly (TOO) quick to come take our order, then we asked for a minute and he didn't come back for like 10-15 minutes. When we asked him for recommendations or even specific questions about drinks or ice cream flavors, he didn't have much of an opinion and wasn't particularly helpful. Eventually, I ordered The Devil cocktail, which I really enjoyed. That said, our party tried several of the boozy ice creams and they were all kind of... gross? Maybe that's an overstatement, but the alcohol far overpowered the ice cream flavors and ended up tasting almost medicinal. I wish I would've had more time to try some of their other cocktails -- maybe next time I'm in Edinburgh. read more

I heard speakeasy and owl and my mind was made up, I knew I had to come in and check this bar out. In true speakeasy form, it looks as if you are coming down the stairs to get your palm read. When you walk up to the fortune teller, you push her and the door opens into a rowdy room. Well, at least when we walked in it was fairly rowdy. We sat next to the group of about 15 young lads and they were causing a raucous. However, after one of their big songs during a shot, our server came up to them and told them if they didn't quiet down, she'd kick them out so I don't believe this place is supposed to be rowdy. After they left, the place did have a better ambiance. The vibe of this place is interesting with 50 shades of grey as wall paper in the bathroom and old movie theater seating against the wall with church pews as the other side. There is a lot to look at in there. The claw machine where you can built your drink is not rigged so you may lose a few pounds trying to get a drink. If you have old pounds, she likes 'em. The drinks were fantastic. And the ice cream was delicious. I'm not usually a fan of boozy ice cream (something about alcohol and cream turn me off) but the flavors in our whisky honeycomb were incredible. I wanted to try more cocktails but we had been drinking the whole day and I didn't want to be messy walking in a dark city I don't know. It caught up to me in the hotel room though. Thankfully, I didn't lose any of that delicious ice cream that night. ;) read more

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Retro! Loved this place! Upbeat and fun staff who were playing lots of music hits from all different decades. I didn't order a drink with the samples ice, however, Alex the bartender was awesome to demonstrate it for me. Put this on your list of bars to check out while in Edinburgh! read more

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This place is very unique. They have a claw machine where you can pull out a ball that has a fruit flavor inside of it. You use that then tell the bartender your liquor of choice for a unique cocktail to be created for you. The staff members are very friendly as well. One of them even gave us recommendations for spots to check out. read more

Hoot The Redeemer - Cocktail Menu - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Giving this place a great review is probably the worst thing I can do for it But I'm going to do it anyway :-) This is a literal hidden gem in Edinburg. You could easily walk right by the entrance. And if you even noticed the retro cool sign, there's really no hint of what's really down that amazing staircase! But, wow, once you find your way in, what a place! The retro styling, the fantastic bar and dozens of other quirky and fun surprises. Anyone for vodka infused ice cream? Adorned with original art as well as really cool show-bills for Houdini and other mystics of the era, this is a Must-See if you in Edinburg even just a day :-) of course, it's not a huge place so it can get crowded quick and that can kill the ambiance so try off hours or get there right when they open. read more

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A fun, eccentric basement bar, just steps from Edinburgh's Prince's Street. Ducking in from the street, a short staircase leads to a curious door, which opens to a fun little bar. The bar is great for a list of reasonably priced (~£7) signature cocktails. Where it really shines though are it's more unusual items. Hoot boasts alcoholic ice cream, boozy slushies, a make-your-own cocktail experiance that has you depositing a £1 coin into an arcade-style claw machine to pick out a starting flavor then finishing with a conversation with the bartender at the bar. Cocktail wise, I tried Zoltar's Wish (a little strong on the bitters for my taste) the slushy (bramble) and the mint choc chip ice cream, which were both so delicious! I will probably be back to try more of their fun drinks and flavors. read more

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I don't really get it. I really wanted to give this place a chance after my first visit because it was too crowded. I came back again to a smaller crowd, but it still took awhile to get our drinks from the bar. The dive bar/speakeasy isn't so much hidden nor quirky as it sounds. There is a claw machine to pick a flavor to mix with alcohol along with a boozy ice cream machine. We did try one of the ice cream, which was small and pricey at £4 without much alcohol flavor at all. I think this place could do so much more, but I did not find it all that interesting. read more

Came on a weekday with colleagues to check it out so the vibe was a bit more subdued inside.. You can certainly walk by the place if you don't see the sign. Down the stairs, push on the fortune teller and you're there. Friendly service, great menu - especially if you want a cocktail of which they have many. There's even a machine where you can grab randomly choose flavors and they will mix something for you..neat idea. This really is just a drinking establishment and one of the many speakeasy's in town. Worth checking out for some quirky fun. read more

A wonderfully quirky speakeasy that you'd walk by if you didn't know to look. Tasty cocktails, lovely service, and a solid vibe. Found it on our last night in Edinburgh, and marked for a return someday. read more

Come here with an open mind and no expectations and it'll blow your mind. At first it seems like just another dive bar, but this speakeasy feel brings you back in time. There are games you can play to pick your drink, you can have flavored slushees (alcohol of course) and even boozy ice cream. If I could rate this 6/5 I would, simply for the awesome service. Jemma saw 4 tourists walk in and rather than ignore us on a Tuesday afternoon at 3pm she laid out a speakeasy tour for us before our 7pm flight. She made our last night in Edinburgh amazing and all because we stumbled in for a little boozy ice cream with an open mind. read more

Hoot The Redeemer - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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This is a REALLY cool bar. Starting with the hidden entrance/fortune teller at the door, this place was fun to begin with and never let up. Alcoholic ice cream comes in many flavors and is served in a cool machine. Drink specials galore--I went with the Irish coffee slushie and paired it with bourbon. Staff are SUPER cool and provided great suggestions. They also toasted with me (translation: took shots with me!). The overall vibe is really fun here--cool music is playing, including some hip hop. I plan to come back before leaving Edinburgh because it was so much fun! read more

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I was in Edinburgh for just a few days and had found Hoot the Redeemer on a list of unique things to check out in the city. It was a lot of fun! From the alcoholic ice cream bars to the claw machine to (semi)randomly decide what's going to go into your next drink. Staff was friendly and helpful and the drinks were good! I'll be back! read more

Fun, quirky little speak-easy bar, just off Princes Street (tucked away so you'd possibly walk past and not even notice it)- the interior is fab! complete with old theatre style seating, wall art and murals, ice-cream cone lighting - its really cool! Great bar staff, table & bar service and plenty of tasty beverages and complimentary pop corn. They also have two vending machines, one selling alcoholic ice cream! and the other, shots - there's plenty to keep you occupied. read more

Hoot The Redeemer - Taps aff! - Ace! - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Love this wee hidden gem in the city centre. Great place to hide from inclement weather, take guests or keep to yourself. Great cocktail menu, grown up I've cream and cocktail slushies, all made in house. It's got an old school fair theme going on which just add to the charm. A real winner. read more

Hoot The Redeemer - Alcoholic ice cream & cocktail slushies, what's not to love about this hidden gem - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Panda and Son's not quite so grown up younger brother of a bar. It's very gimmicky and good fun for a quick after work nice drink or alcoholic ice cream but not somewhere that I'd want to spend the whole evening. It's fun and I enjoyed playing on the grab a ball machine to see if I could pick a cocktail flavour (which you then need to pay £6 for them to make into a drink) and the alcoholic ice cream machine was greatly amusing (it uses suction to pick up the tubs). Maybe it's as we went on a random Wednesday night that it wasn't busy and didn't have much atmosphere or buzz about it. This would have been a three star review but the ice cream was great and I would quite happily eaten a full pint of the peanut butter vodka ice cream (they only sell mini tubs) so that earns it an extra star. read more

Hoot The Redeemer - Peanut butter vodka ice cream, yummy! - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I like quirky places! Something a bit away from the norm. Love the decor and vending machines. Our table was a wee bit shoogily but otherwise all great. I will certainly be back here. read more

Hoot The Redeemer - Amazing colour! - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

This place is exactly what it promises to be. Underground, quirky, carnivalesque and playful. You can get some really great cocktails for a decent price (£7.50) I really liked the Professor Green cocktail - with mint and Absinth. Some of the sofa's are a little uncomfortable, but there is plenty of (quirky) spaces to be seated. They are a little difficult to find and if you don't know what and where they are you will easily miss the entrance. I haven't ventured on the Flavour Picker, nor did we get out there to choose an ice-cream flavour. But that is something for next time. I enjoyed my visit here and will bring out some friends at times to enjoy (win?) some cocktails recommended for a date night, or with a bunch of good friends. read more

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We were told to head to hoot the redeemer for a drink by one of our friends and we have not been disappointed. It's fun and quirky with lots of nice details and character. From when you walk down the stairs and you're greeted by a fortune teller all the way through to the claw machine game to create your own cocktails. I had a slushee which was delicious with good alcohol content as well! Abby had a go at the claw machine and grabbed peach and mint and ended up with a peach mojito at the bar. Friendly staff, great music and nice vibe. Fun little bits and bobs (cinema seats and suitcase tables). There's also a nice cream dispenser which I will be sure to try next time I drop in. Overall I would definitely recommend having a gander for a bit of fun and some good cocktails. read more

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When you compare this quirky bar to the obvious competitors, unfortunately it doesn't hit the mark for me. Very gimmicky and lacks the quality that you can get around the corner at bramble/ heads or tails / panda and sons. It is a good place however to take somebody who likes a novelty factor. With games and lots of fun put into the bar, I enjoyed myself here... but that was despite the drinks not because of them. Unfortunately won't return because of the stiff competition 2minutes down the road. read more

Hoot the redeemer? More like ott the trytoohard Maybe I'm just too old and cynical for this place, because everyone else was having a great time. Possibly should have been a 4 star as their cocktails were very well done, the music was good, but I just got upset at how many gimmicks were thrown at me. They have a clearly defined theme, but it was too OTT for me. The sister bar to Panda and Sons, it's got that unique speakeasy feel to it also. We have a fortune telling 'head' for a door. We have an ice cream machine that vends novelty risqué flavours. We have a DJ booth dressed up as a Punch and Judy show. The 'gimmick' that got me the most is the ball grabbing machine full of different cocktail flavours, I pay £1 for 2 chances to win a flavour, but no guarantee. £2 later I have 1 ball, Vanilla, which is a fine flavour. I once had a conversation with a random guy in a bar about how Vanilla makes everything taste better, I didn't necessarily agree, but he made a good argument. So, I have to take my flavour to the bar and ask the guy there to make me a cocktail, I get 2 as I have company, and we ask for rum and bitters to go with it. I recognise the guy from another bar in town, and he makes us a really good drink. My problem here is that I still have to pay £13 for the 2 drinks, so this has now cost me £15. Now I have no issues paying £7.50 a drink, especially for a very well executed cocktail, I feel as if I'd rather just have a chat to the bar guy and order something exciting..... read more

This place was fun, lots of gimmicks and interesting ideas that I haven't seen anywhere else. From the vending machine that gives out boozy ice cream, to the grabber machine that gives you a mystery cocktail flavour. There's definitely nowhere else in Edinburgh that is quite so unusual, and the frozen slush-puppy-esque cocktails were great on a warm night! read more

Hoot The Redeemer - Boozy ice cream, lightly lavender flavoured with a shot of vodka in it. - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

What a dime the atmosphere is awesome deffo worth a visit 10/10 the drinks menu is something else it's got great staff we be visiting again and would recommend to anyone read more

Yes, it's silly, quirky and kitschy, and we loved it! The staff were kind and informative, the drinks tasty, and the atmosphere just as fun and cozy as could be! If we lived in Edinburgh this place would be a regular for us! read more

So happy I finally tried this place out! Definitely a place to go when you wanna impress someone who is visiting the city. Any place that has a hidden entrance, boozy ice cream vending machine, and free popcorn is 5 stars in my book. My friend and I arrived around 930 on Friday and it never got too overwhelmingly crowded. We even found a table which seems to be a rare feat for cocktail bars in new town. The bartenders were great, friendly and quick service, and they all made some faaaabulous cocktails. I think I could even call them the best cocktails I've had so far in Edinburgh. I started with the golden Bentley - which contained some sort of combination of rum, chocolate liquor, orange bitters (I think?) and gold dust. Order this drink if you wanna feel real fancy, but also want to enjoy your beverage. Not too sweet, I could still taste the rum, but very drinkable. My friend went for a mojito - which was also delicious and the presentation was fun. Even though the cocktails are definitely on the pricy side, at 7.50, I would still gladly pay a bit more for this higher quality. Also the DJ that night played some great classic tunes, including Prince, so that was a big plus. The only downsides...sometimes the music was too loud if you ended up standing next to the speakers, and you must be forewarned that the popcorn is spicy. Maybe that's why they provide water and glasses by the tables! But to end on a good note, and hopefully this convinces you to visit this bar, my friend proclaimed "I love this bar!" eight times before ordering our second drink. read more

Hoot The Redeemer - The golden Bentley - Dive Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Totally unique. Fun, funky, oddball. Far,far,far from traditional. Worth the search and confusement. Unique combos. Relaxed. read more

This is a great place to get a drink with friends. It is kind of hard to find but its worth it. It has its own original atmosphere and interesting design. read more