The Barologist

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#614 of 2,011 Restaurants in Edinburgh££ - £££, Brew Pub, Bar, Vegetarian friendly

+44 131 554 9999+ Add website

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Hours

Sun

12:00 - 22:00

Mon

16:00 - 22:00

Tue

16:00 - 22:00

Wed

16:00 - 22:00

Thu

16:00 - 22:00

Fri

12:00 - 22:00

Sat

12:00 - 22:00

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What is Travellers’ Choice?

Tripadvisor gives a Travellers’ Choice award to accommodations, attractions and restaurants that consistently earn great reviews from travellers and are ranked within the top 10% of properties on Tripadvisor.

Ratings and reviews

4.0

356 reviews

#614 of 2,011 Restaurants in Edinburgh

Travellers' Choice 2024

RATINGS

Food

Service

Value

Atmosphere

Food and ambience

Brew Pub, Bar, European, British, Pub, Scottish

“Very nice cocktails and food”

“The cakes were all really tasty however I did expect more home made cakes for...”

“First visit here last week for Tapas lunch.”

“My partner's scallop starter was overcooked and chewy, and I had the pigeon s...”

Location and contact

23 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6JA Scotland

+44 131 554 9999

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Does this restaurant offer free wifi?

Yes

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Details

Manage this business?

About

Scotland's most unmissable themed venue. Shabby-chic, offbeat pub in the home of a former inventor offering seafood, meat & veggie dishes.

CUISINES

Brew Pub, Bar, European, British, Pub, Scottish

Special Diets

Vegetarian friendly

Meals

Lunch, Dinner, After-hours, Drinks

FEATURES

Reservations, Seating, Street Parking, Highchairs Available, Serves Alcohol, Full Bar, Digital Payments, Free Wifi, Accepts Credit Cards, Table Service

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4.0

356 reviews

Excellent

190

Very good

Average

Poor

Terrible

robertd19m

Edinburgh110 contributions

OK but disappointing

Mar 2020 • none

Had a midweek meal and it was a little disappointing. The lone waitress was very pleasant but the poor girl was trying hard to keep everyone happy. Our soup and main course were small in portion despite coming from the "large" menu. The quality was ok though. The price of a large glass of Sauvignon Blanc (£9.15) was way over the top and these rip off prices will probably lead us to go elsewhere next time.

Written 11 March 2020

This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Catriona B

2 contributions

Baby Shower Private Room

Mar 2020 • none

I had such a great experience with the staff at the Barologist. Alessandro was so helpful in the month leading up to the surprise Baby Shower I was planning. Answered each and every little question and worked with me on my plans. On the day of the event, while I wish there was a designated member of staff to assist with our room needs and set/up (as I maybe wrongfully assumed there would be), the bar staff were incredibly helpful particularly Cara (hopefully I have her name right!) who was an angel with our admittedly needy party as well as her own tables and bar work in the restaurant. The Winter Room that you can rent out is absolutely gorgeous and doesn't even need much more decoration outside whatever theme you have planned. The food I heard was great (I didn't eat myself) but I certainly would have ordered more as it was gone in a heartbeat! We also planned on vegetarian and vegan options that came out unmarked so be sure to clarify this in the buffet plans to make sure no one eats anything they shouldn't! That was fixed quickly by staff though once realized. I highly recommend this place to anyone who wants to book a nice event.

Written 11 March 2020

kittyivan

Edinburgh446 contributions

Average afternoon tea

Jan 2020 • none

Came here for an afternoon tea and it was mostly average. When we got our order I found it odd that the table beside us had macarons on theirs but we didn't. The waitress didn't tell us what anything was and we weren't given side plates. Sandwiches were unremarkable; 3 finger sandwiches. The scones were cold they should've been warmed but tasted like any other scone. The cakes were decent but overall nothing made this afternoon tea stand out

Written 31 January 2020

rgaffney2018

Edinburgh5 contributions

Afternoon tea

Jan 2020 • none

I bought the above vouchers as a Christmas gift for my daughter, daughter In law and mum. I phoned and booked the afternoon tea with the Barologist as soon as I bought the voucher and told them that one of the afternoon teas was to be Gluten Free. When I went to the Barologist today I spoke to the waitress to remind her that one of the teas was to be gluten free and she said that she would remind the kitchen staff. The afternoon tea for three people arrived but the gluten free one didn’t arrive until approximately 15 minutes later. What arrived was one of the most disappointing afternoon teas I have ever seen. They brought out 2 sandwiches, one had cucumber and cream cheese, the other was mustard and ham, they also brought out 2 Mr Kipling cakes (one chocolate brownie and one almond slice). My mum was not able to eat the mustard sandwich because it was too hot, I asked the waitress to exchange the sandwich for something else and also asked where the scones were for the tea. 10 minutes later, the waiter brought out 2 slices of Un buttered bread with 2 slices of ham and said that unfortunately there were no scones as the kitchen staff had no ingredients to make gluten free scones. I actually left the bar and went round the corner and bought 2 gluten free scones from the cafe so that my mum didn’t miss out. I did not want to make a fuss because this was a Christmas gift and I didn’t want to spoil the day for everyone. I was completely disappointed and can not believe that these days a professional bar/restaurant cannot cater for someone with coeliac. The waiter was very apologetic of the disappointing afternoon tea which we appreciated but the afternoon tea was still a total disappointment.

Written 5 January 2020

Paul P

Edinburgh375 contributions

So sad to see such a change

Aug 2020 • none

So sad to see such a change for the worst! Prior to lockdown we used to be regulars at the Barologist and absolutely loved the food and the atmosphere. Sadly we were all very disappointed with the changes. Your choice is now something called a small plates menu where you are given extremely overpriced and minute portions. We ordered the crispy pork belly, salmon, chicken sliders and the card. The card was tiny and nothing special. Apparently the chicken sliders were tasty but again just very small and all the pork belly was very tasty again the portion sizes were tiny so not what we were expecting as we were all very hungry and we are not aware of this new menu. We also ordered stringy fries, patatas bravas and sweet potato fries. The stringy fries arrived and both portions were like a plate full of soggy mush but the worst was yet to come. We ordered a garlic and Parmesan flatbread which cost £6.50 and when it arrived the only way I can describe it is like a crisp bread or something similar to a poppadom with some cheese at garlic on top for £6.50! It was dry and quite frankly not even worth £1. We decided not to have desserts and went elsewhere; still feeling a bit hungry. It’s so very sad to see what we thought was such a great place with a great menu change so drastically.Unfortunately we will not be back. Overpriced food and drink and a very poor quality.

Written 22 August 2020

Matthew R

Edinburgh3 contributions

Steak pie was incinerated

Jan 2020 • friends

Steak pie was incinerated to the point the meat was like leather. They apologised and offered a replacement meal, but it took 15 mins to arrive. It wasn’t busy and I only ordered sliders. Wouldn’t recommend.

Written 1 January 2020

Adam P

1 contribution

Disappointing Experience

Nov 2021 • couples

Very disappointing experience at The Barologist. The night started off when we asked a member of the staff staff about cocktails, she seemed to have no knowledge of what was actually on the menu. We chose a drink that was advertised as having glitter in it, which it did not when it arrived, not a huge deal but after waiting the time it took and paying the extortionate prices, you think you would get what was advertised. Once again the staff seemed to have no idea what was on the food menu when asked and when our food did arrive, it was clearly pre frozen and out of a bag. Major improvements need to be made as this place is definitely flagging behind the competition in the area.

Written 7 November 2021

familyjohnson12

Epsom80 contributions

Dont judge a book by it's cover (or website pictures)

Nov 2021 • none

We chose this restarant as it looked fun and quirky and could not have been more disappointed. The website shows comfy padded chairs and themed decor. The room pictured with the beaitiful chairs is actually a function room that isn't used every day (or that is what the staff say). Instead of comfy chairs for a meal, we have a high table with bar stools which were not comfy. The table was touching the bar so we felt really on a limb. it did give us a lovel view of behind the bar and the overflowing bins, which as the night progressed got fulller and more fell on the floor as staff through tissue towards it and it missed so just lay on the floor. We had to ask for food menus as were not given them and when teh food arrived we were given no condiments. I had to go and find some. There are much better barsa nd restarants in the area - do not be mislead by the pictures as it is nothing like the pictures in reality.

Written 29 November 2021

James

Torquay4 contributions

Don’t judge a book by its cover

Nov 2021 • friends

From the outside this bar looks very inviting. Such a shame it is all fur coat and no knickers. Cocktails are more sugar than anything else. I watched the bartender pour sugar syrup into my margarita from shoulder height, and shuddered. Guess what, it was disgusting. A margarita is one of the easiest cocktails to make. Clearly a 2:1:1 ratio is too complicated. Utter rubbish. Oh and the food is massively over priced too, 5 potato croquette’s straight out of the freezer for £8.50, deceived in the menu as POTATAS CROQUETTAS, with cream cheese and jalapeños. What came was pre frozen potato fritters with a dip of American mustard and hot sauce. As I’d already complained about the margarita and got a poor response, I figured I was trying to save a sinking boat with a thimble. The only person I felt sorry for was the waiter, who did his very best, but bless his cotton socks is in desperate need of some actual training. Steer well clear.

Written 5 November 2021

Donald M

Edinburgh8 contributions

Poor service/No service

Aug 2020 • none

We had a table reservation booked for an evening meal at 8pm. We arrived 10 minutes early and were seated by 7:55pm. Thereafter, we were completely ignored by all waiting staff despite all of them walking passed us several times. None of them even asked us whether we would like to order anything to drink. By 8:20pm and still being ignored we finally managed to make eye contact with one of the waiting team who then proceeded to turn away again and despite her obviously knowing we were trying to get her attention after 25 minutes this was the final straw. We decided enough was enough and left the establishment. We have no objection to waiting, however, we do object to being ignored. On the way out, we did try to speak to the waiting team who did not even apologise or try to resolve the situation. Instead they smirking and shrugged their shoulders. We were so disappointed with the level of service that we would not recommend anyone pay a visit to this establishment.

Written 1 September 2020

Sophie M

4 contributions

Mediocre Food

Jan 2022 • family

Mediocre, overpriced food that is quite clearly frozen and not fresh. The pub itself also doesn't seem to know whether it wants to be fine dining or a sports bar as they have several flats reen televisions dotted around showing sports. Waiting staff seem to be trying their best though, very friendly especially one in particular (Marco I think his name was)

Written 30 January 2022

Jazzy_Mango

Perth120 contributions

Cocktail Masterclass is 5⭐️

Jul 2022 • friends

Six of us went to a cocktail Masterclass hosted by Ryan. The class included a Bellini on arrival, make three cocktails of your choice and afternoon tea for £39. Didn’t expect too much, for the price, but jeez we were delighted. Whoever owns this place should handcuff Ryan to keep him working there. He was brilliant and was so good with us, very patient and he certainly knew how to make a cocktail. Afternoon tea was also lovely and a great time was had by all. Staff very friendly and nothing we asked appeared to be a problem even though the place was very busy. We have all agreed we had a brilliant afternoon and will definitely do it again.

Written 17 July 2022

Chloe

3 contributions

Birthday party! Room hire

Apr 2022 • family

I hired out the winter room for my partners 30th and it couldn't have gone any better! From first contact, to the end. Mairi (general manager) was amazing, very on hand and double checking all details to make sure I had everything I needed. On the day of the event, I was allowed to arrive early to set up balloons, banners etc and was allowed access to the projector! Mairi was on shift and could not have been more attentive asking if I needed anything and brought me whatever I need plus coffees for my helpers ha. I also spoke to head chef Eric weeks prior to the meal part of the evening (10 adults, 1 child, 1 baby), who was more than accommodating - changed some meals to suit preferences, made food for my 7month old. The food was amazing, everyone incredibly happy! We were looked after by a wonderful and helpful member of waiting staff called Ross, who was on beck & call, made sure we had drinks and cleared everything away very efficiently. The evening went without a fault, everyone left extremely happy and well fed. Food was 10/10 Drinks (cocktails, soft drinks, beers) - 10/10 Service- 10/10 Will definitely be booking again for future events. Highly recommend

Written 17 April 2022

BRC89

5 contributions

Very disappointed

Aug 2022 • family

I live round the corner and had been to this bar/restaurant for drinks once or twice and thought it would be nice to take my mum and son her for dinner whilst my mum visited. The first lady who served us was nice. For food I ordered the chicken hotchpot. The potatoes that came with it were nice however the chicken was very very dry. My mum ordered the veg shepherds pie, which unfortunately, was awful. It was literally just a stew of mushy veg that had no taste and there was no potato topping (like every shepherd pie I’ve ever had). We decided to give them the benefit of the doubt and thought maybe the chef forgot to put the potato topping on so my mum explained this to the waitress (not the lady who first served us), who looked blankly at her, and just said “ok” and walked off. We didn’t see her again until we asked for our bill, which she took to us without mentioning anything about the “shepherds pie”. Really disappointed as I wanted to like this place but our bill was roughly £70 (including wine and a kids meal) and 100% was not worth it. I unfortunately won’t be returning.

Written 11 August 2022

Nicola S

Pudsey16 contributions

Doesn’t live up to the hype

Sept 2021 • none

We visited yesterday late afternoon. We had booked a table for 2 and a small dog. This place comes up when one searches for dog friendly places to eat in Edinburgh. It is most definitely not dog friendly, we were put on a table in a central position, surely better to put people with dogs in a booth away from the other diners. We had to ask to move, which did not seem to go down well, and we were put on a smaller table which did not give us enough room for our food. Tapas needs space on the table. Also, no water was offered for her for about 30 mins. Staff were unfriendly, we were kept waiting to order drinks. When we asked about the food on offer, nobody seemed particularly interested in telling us anything about it. Food and wine very expensive, small portions and not exactly appealing. Flatbread cold. My main gripe with the place was the abundance of TVs in the bar and restaurant area. Are you a sports bar or are you a quirky tapas style bar, you can’t be both. Nobody appeared to be watching them and I don’t pay to go out for a meal with numerous screens showing football around the room. It sells itself as a bit of a different place, it’s not, it’s all a bit of a let down. Save your money.

Written 27 September 2021

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THE BAROLOGIST, Edinburgh - Updated 2024 Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor