Bramble Bar

This was recommend to us by a bartender at the restaurant Element. It is supposedly a top 30 ranked bar in the world and a hard to find bar. It did take us two times to find it but when we did what a treat. Sit at the bar and ask for Sam Baxter a first class mixologist and very genuine. He took the time to explain the drinks, presentation and even recommended another cool bar called Panda and Sons. Highly recommend this bar for some killer cocktails if ur in Edinburgh. Cheers.

Classy, excellent drinks, and wonderful bar tenders! Loved the atmosphere setting. The bar tenders know their drinks and are accommodating to customers. Have gone back a few times because it’s a lovely bar.

Hot damn, this bar is awesome. I felt like a cooler version of myself here and here’s why:
–The staff are excellent at their jobs. They provide impeccable customer service and drop serious knowledge in a way that allows you to learn and blossom without feeling belittled or embarrassed. Let them be your experts in their bar and they can guide you to the best drinks.
–The somewhat hidden locale ups that cool factor as well. Being below street level you feel like you’re at a bar no one else has discovered. It’s your own little cave and hideaway.
–The music is awesome.
–The other people drinking at the bar are just as fanatical about a great cocktail as you are. This means the folks are easygoing and fun to chat with. You can strike up a convo here with a stranger and by the end of the night you’re all friends.
–The décor is fun. It’s effortless yet really classy. The freshly painted walls, the mismatched chairs and tables… it’s that style where it looks at though someone put almost no thought into the design but that’s exactly why it looks so great. The focus here is on the drinks not the cushions.
–Lastly and most importantly, the drinks really are outstanding.

Unless you know where to look, you can easily miss this hidden gem. The only reason we were able to find it was because of the nice bouncer outside. Arrived around 11 PM on a Friday night and had to wait a few minutes because it was full. Definitely worth the wait. We took two open spots at the bar and before we could sit down were handed menus and waters. Staff made lovely drinks and were very attentive. Best bar tenders I’ve probably ever had! For a pretty expensive city the prices weren’t bad. The atmosphere was cozy hipster and the DJ was spinning some great tunes. Bramble Bar is definitely worth a visit!

My favourite bar in Edinburgh. No, in fact, I think anywhere!
Tucked away underneath a tailors on Queen Street the only thing that gives this bar away is the small brass plaque by the door. I love the speak-​easy feel that this bar has.
Down the stairs and through the unassuming door leads you to this wonderful little cocktail bar. It is dark and moody inside and there is usually hip hop beats pumping out of the speakers.
I cannot rate the staff highly enough here. The guys behind the bar are so polite and attentive. They will always try their best to find you a table. You can’t be shy in here either, this place is small. They do have comfy sofas and tables where they can fit them but you just might have to get to know your neighbours! There are also wee hidey-​holes adorned with cow skins and furs for a more intimate feel.
We find a spot and settle in for the evening. The cocktail menu is quite vast but not too intimidating, if you do have trouble deciding the guys will be more than happy to help. These cocktails have won awards so you know they are going to be good ;). At an average of £7.50 for a cocktail they are not badly priced either for Edinburgh. They do do spirits, beers and wines as well if you’re not a cocktail fan.
I could go on and on, just trust me this place is AWESOME!
Cheers, Amy

I wanted to like Bramble, I really did. However when I visited on a Friday night I was disappointed. It was loud, crowded and hot. I can imagine that table service is nice when it’s a bit quieter, but to queue up at the bar to order, then have to wait while the bar staff carry your drinks to your table across the crowded dance floor seemed unnecessary.

Though not as exclusive as your traditional speakeasy, this cocktail bar does not disappoint. The bartenders are extremely talented, and know how to make a wide variety of classic and unique cocktails. Dim-​lit, cool, and accompanied by a great hiphop/​RnB music playlist. Not quite a «James Bond» place, but definitely a cool, younger brother of his.

This place is legit secret. I heard of another secret bar in town that I visited first but it was so, so obvious and also smelled weird. I continued on down Queen Street to Bramble and was not disappointed. No signage and not much noise from the street. Just a bouncer texting on his phone. *Proper* speakeasy in a basement without much decoration. Totally fun place with amazing drinks and an actual DJ? I want to come here with friends every single weekend. The drinks I tried all came in fun cups and I will definitely want to have the one called «Candy Crush» again.

Increíble este barcito! Dicen que originalmente estaba ubicado en un local en un piso superior pero que tuvieron que pasaron a un sótano porque se llenaba tanto que no entraba la gente.
Cuando fuimos nosotros no había mucha gente, sólo un par de mesas ocupadas. El ambiente es el típico de pub pero la barra es genial. El barman nos recomendó tragos de acuerdo a nuestros gustos. El que le da nombre el bar es exquisito.
Como era tan buena onda también le pedimos recomendación de lugare spara comer y los dos que nos recomendó fueron geniales!
Muy muy lindo.

Pricy drinks, but really cool atmosphere. Everything you would expect from a bar in Newtown!

So… unless you know where it is, you won’t be able to find. Or it was me, simply rubbish in finding the place. Passed it 3 times and at the end my friend had to collect me from the outside. What a nice, little bar it was. I loved almost bohemian style to it, and it reminded me a lot of hidden pubs in Cracow. Cocktails were great, they definitely know their trade. Great service, little touch like bartender coming to re-​fill our glasses with water. But I think it happens only when they’re not busy. Music was too laud, and at first didn’t fit the style of the bar. I would expect smooth jazz, blues or soul rather than funk. After a while I changed my mind. It was a perfect choice. Smooth jazz would be too obvious, almost expected. By introducing a different style they created a nice contrast between visual and sound. More places like this please.

You remember that old «hair of the dog» adage that everyone likes to talk about? It’s probably true, though I can only speak from experience and not hard, scientific knowledge. Anyway, if you’re going to go that route, you may as well do it in style. One of my newest watering hole obsessions is the hidden gem, Bramble.
I won’t tell you where to find it (Google it, kids) or how I came to know about it, but I will say that you would never know it was there if you were just passing by on the street. In that way, it actually reminds me a lot of Philadelphia’s Hop Sing Laundromat or Las Vegas’ new hidden gem on the block, The Laundry Room (what is it with all these secret places having to do with where you’d wash your clothes?).
This underground, dimly lit cave-​like establishment comes complete with a menu of amazing artisan cocktails made to perfection by their skilled mixologists behind the bar. I even opted for one with tequila and didn’t absolutely hate it. Fancy that… I can see where some people would wince at the price but I’m from Las Vegas, home of the super expensive cocktail so there’s that.

Por suerte, en Madrid no hay ningún sitio como este, porque de lo contrario probablemente no saldría de allí. El lugar es tan popular (y no me extraña) que han tenido que quitar el cartel que lo anunciaba desde la calle porque se pone hasta los topes. Así que mi recomendación es ir un día de diario antes de cenar (sobre las 19.30 o 20.00 y verás que, aunque hay gente, está bastante tranquilo como para elegir dónde sentarse y tener una charla agradable.
El sitio es un poco más grande que un gua, y está situado en uno de esos niveles inferiores de las enormes casas de la Ciudad Nueva. Por dentro es casi como una cueva: oscuro, pequeño, pero absolutamente encantador.
El barman viene a tomarte nota correctamente vestido, y te prepara los cócteles en un santiamén. Yo tomé un Blue Bird y vaya que si se notaba el toque a violetas. Algunos de los cócteles de mis amigos venían con un trozo grande de hielo en el centro, y todos sabían de maravilla. El sitio es una auténtica gema, no te lo pierdas.
QUÉ ESPERAR DE LA MÚSICA: muy buena selección y todo muy de moda. De Kanye West a Frank Ocean pasando por Kendrick Lamar. Excelente gusto.

I quite like this bar. I went once a few years ago and was impressed by the cocktails and the music though it is only recently I have gone there again… so many bars in Edinburgh to choose from! It is small and fairly dark. It actually seems to get darker the longer you’re in there. Either they’re turning down the lights or my eye sight starts to fail after a while in low lighting. There seems to be lots of nooks and crannies so it’s not the easiest to find people, though the darkness might have something to do with that too.
The toilets are unisex, which I had pretty much forgotten about since the last time I was in there. When I walked out of the toilet to wash my hands I had that awful feeling I was in the wrong place and then a guy walked in which gave me a fright, though I think he got a bigger fright. Turned out we were both right… phew!
The cocktails are great here (and come in cool teacup type glasses) and the music’s always cool. Go to this bar if you have good eyesight in low lighting, don’t have a fear of small spaces, and are open to sharing bathrooms: D (I think the actual cubicles are labelled with an M and an F so it’s not too bad).

In my opinion this is the best cocktail spot in Edinburgh.
Full of George St w@ankery on the weekend, however come down mid week and you have more room to breathe.
Innovative and creative. Could have beer on tap but then would you really want it when the cocktails are so good?
Music patchy but again who cares?

Absolutely love this little hidden gem of a bar!
Colin and I came in here last night before going for dinner at Mark Greenaway’s, and I was surprised at how much I loved the place. It’s a dimly lit, cave-​like bar with a few people dotted around the place here and there, with bow-​tied staff members eager to make you one of their extravagant cocktails from the extensive menu. The place is not big by any means, but the place was full nonetheless and the range of cocktails I could see was crazy. I sat and watched one of the staff members make a few, with ingredients ranging from a whole raw egg to sprigs of thyme. As well as cocktails, gin seems to be their speciality drink, with, I think I read, over 40 gins on the menu? Crazy!
It’s clear from the outside that this place doesn’t like to rant and rave about themselves. You probably would not know this place was here without knowledge of it (or without being a helluva good Unilocaler!), as the place is barely signposted. I think it should definitely stay that way, it adds to the overall secretive feel of the place. If you’re coming here, shhh don’t tell anyone!

Looking for Sex On The Beach? Don’t waste your time Nancy Boy! This is one of the best Cocktail Joints in town, that’s for sure. I use it as the turning point in my night out, the mid point in the Tim J Drinker’s Guide to Edinburgh — its the final farewell to classy drinking (and its all down hill from there).
These guys know their stuff, with a very particular drinks list, the décor and ‘uniform’ of the staff demonstrate a 100% commitment to providing a quirky-​kitsch cocktail Nirvana! They have been recognised throughout the bar trade for being at the top of their game.
Tea cups have been trendy for a while, but these guys are no newcomers, so don’t knock them for being in amongst it. You wont get a pineapple filled with piña colada, but if you ask them for a straight forward mojito or an old fashioned it will complete you. I, however, prefer to go for something straight from their list, some of which will smack you in the face and make sure you are standing to attention.
Tip from the professional drinker, always buy a beer chaser to maintain your rhythm, perfection takes time, and if you drink these the same way you would a straight up spirit and mixer, you will be carried out the back door…
Its a very small snuggle of a place, I prefer to find a ledge to stand at as the couches will eat your sexy ass alive…

I would love to be able to say that Bramble was everything I have heard it is, and more.
Unfortunately, we never got through the front door. While I was en route the friends I was meeting there had to leave as several weren’t allowed in. The reason? No groups on a Saturday night. I understand that hen/​stag parties may lower the tone, but there’s no way the bouncer mistook us for one or the other (the collection of genders should have tipped him off.)
I was extremely dissappointed as I’d been looking forward to a visit since I first heard of it. I will probably give it another go in future but may enter with a somewhat biased view…

Bramble is perhaps the most famous cocktail bar in Edinburgh. Which is great for it, and can make it a little more difficult to find a seat or even a place to stand when it gets very busy.
First time I came here I was taken by my boss (how awesome is he??). I was amazed. A couple months later when a friend from home visted, Bramble was the immediate answer of where to go.
I recently went back a couple days ago, and had perhaps my worst experience of the three times. Out of several ingrediants meant I had to go from my first choice, to a second choice, to a third choice. Not impressed. Especially as this was around 8:00 on a Monday…
Add to this the drinks are pricey means I will come back to Bramble, but maybe in another month or so. Not ready to make it a regular haunt.

Thanks to Tom and Terry for great cocktails and hospitality; definitly a great adress in Edinburgh. Hope to see you soon again!

Oh my. Those cocktails. That sexy, intimate romantic-​dungeon setting. Table service… well, ‘table service’ as the boy and I did not exactly sit at a table but a bench/​bed alcove situation, scattered with pillows and lit with tealights. The space is quite small, and indeed it’s a converted basement, but it’s shiny and cosy enough to feel right at home in a speakeasy sort of way. The cocktail menu is fairly extensive and creative and the drinks, whilst not overly strong, are unique and delicious.
One star off because of the music. I know it’s in a popular area of New Town and it’s a trendy bar, but I feel the intimate décor and sexy cocktails want more of smooth jazz-​type tunes and they were blasting Beyonce (and I mean blasting — in such a small space we had to near shout to hear each other over the music, and we didn’t even have a speaker in our alcove). If they’d turn the music down (yes, I’m an old biddy) it’d be a five-​star spot for sure.

I’ve been to Bramble twice now and can firmly say that they a) have awesome tunes and b) have tasty tasty drinks made by incredibly talented bar folk.
Not only are the drinks tasty, they’re beautifully presented and almost more importantly, incredibly fun to watch as they’re made.
This is important because when you go up to the bar to order you wait. A long time. This is not the kind of bar where you want to order a beer because you spend 20 minutes waiting to get served (art takes time!) and to end up drinking a beer that you could order anywhere just seems like it would be a major let-​down.
My only gripes are the toilets which were swimming in gross and spilling out onto the dance floor, and the space. As I said, the tunes are brilliant but there is just no space to really take advantage of that and you’re left crammed in a corner somewhere, or if you’re really really really really lucky, at a table.

Shake me, stir me, whichever way you want me, Bramble had me at hello.
Now this is my idea of heaven, if what your heaven consists of is shiney, sparkly people, drinks flowing, good tunes on the stereo, and Saturday night fun.
Tucked into a wee basement bar, it really does feel like a cave. Small, dark, but still glamorous, it is a cocktail-connosieur’s manna. They have an extensive menu of cocktails none of which I had seen before, and they’ll happily whip you up any regulars too. So dedicated are they to the art of cocktails that there was a distinct lack of beer taps in order to give more shakin’ room for those bad boys.
And the cocktails were wonderful. All in all I tried the Blueberry Soup which is rather delightfully served in a china tea cup and saucer, the namesake Bramble, something-​555 and Red Rum. They were all distinctly different, none of them were overly sweet or half full of juice /​lemonade fillers that the standard bars that serve cocktails do. These were, as I’ve said, connosieur cocktails.
On a Saturday night this place was busy. It is small, there aren’t many seats, but most people didn’t mind. And it never got TOO crowded. I think because Bramble doesn’t shout about how great it is. With barely a sign on the street to signify it’s there, it relies on word of mouth and those in the know. I almost didn’t want to post this review to keep this little gem a secret a bit longer.
Also the DJ on the decks had some rockin’ tunes that night. It was perfect for catching up with some friends, and a pre-​club drink or four. Bramble, you have my word, I shall return.