Lock 25

Was it really 2011 when I first reviewed this pub, wow, that was a while ago… So what’s changed?*
The spirit selection has grown to provide a great range of whisky, rum or gin, some of which are rarely seen premium products. The new (ish) Three Hop and Birra Moretti have replaced the Heineken as a premium draft lagers and there is now a 4^th guest ale tap, so even more choice for the beer/​lager enthusiast. Finally Symonds has replaced Strongbow, an improvement on the draft cider front.
On the food front, after taking part in the Tollcross chilli cook-​off (recommended outing to all those who Unilocal in Edinburgh) the chilli is really good. Chips cooked in beef dripping — they taste great! There have been one or two other menu tweaks, though the classics are all still in-​place and tasty.
The prices are still reasonable and the bar itself is still well staffed and pleasant. So all in all Lock 25 is possibly verging on a great pub to have a drink or something to eat.
*If I missed any changes put it down to sampling some of those spirits and the passing of time…

Heard good things about this pub whch is why I went in — but I found it pretty rubbish. an average beer selection and a semi decent back bar. Random clientele and not the friendliest staff… nothing more to say!

Another work lunch and we decided to try lock 25 after some other pubs in the area being very disappointing!
This is a lovely place, light and plenty space between tables, and the sign over the bar suggested that they have an outside seating area too but we didn’t have a chance to check. It’s a nice clean place too, no sticky floors h
The food was great and fairly reasonably priced, and it came out in about 15 – 20 minutes which is a big plus when you need to get back to work within an hour!
Would definitely return for lunches or dinner :)

This is one of my favourite pubs in Edinburgh and I cannot believe i havent reviewed lock 25 before now.
I think this bar has some of the friendliest staff in Edinburgh in both the kitchen and front of house. I havent had much off the menu only nibbles really, but my friends swear by the food. The fish and chips in particular is well recieves and the chef sources the fish from Eddies so you know it will be good.
The reason I drink here is they really do keep a great selection of fancy booze and the propriator has been in the business a long time, so really knows his stuff. My friends are divided in what they drink you have the real ale guys, vodka tonics, ciders etc and there is never a second thought if someone suggests coming here for a couple.
Layout wise it a largish modern bar with some traditional twists I guess. They also have an outdoor patio should you fancy sitting outside with a beer in hand away from lothian road. A few tvs here and there but not enough to be distracting.
Thumbs up from me.

I used to be scared of this pub. Not only because of the red-​eyed dog that guards the door, but also because from the outside, it looks like they never let anyone sit down.
Seriously.
Whenever I walk by, there are people standing all through the bar, scattered around but always standing. I would see one or two sitting but I assumed these were the ‘chosen few’ who had earned their sit-​down pint.
Well, my mother always to told me to sit down or I’d make the place look untidy so the relief when no one stopped me from sitting down was… well…relieving.
Lock 25 is a grand pub. Nice crowd, usually officey –which may explain the standing networky people — and the locals of Fountainbridge. The price is alright for a mid-​week pint and the staff are lovely. I’ve been in a few times since I chanced my arm with a window seat and it’s usually a fairly laid back, quiet pint. The place is bigger than it looks and I’ve never seen it very full, which I like, the owners might not.
This place is fast becoming my new local.

Something I KEEP forgetting to add! The second time we ate here, I ordered the carrot soup. FANTASTIC. I jokingly asked the server for the recipe.
How about the chef comes out (I felt like I was being punk’d for a sec!)…I’m shocked and blushing (I liked the way he looked)…he sits next to me. Nice. My bf is chuckling. The chef mentioned that the server had told him someone asked about the soup. He hands me a piece of looseleaf paper. This guy had written out the recipe for me! He goes over some spots, providing extra clarity, smiles and leaves me with my recipe!
Now, I’ve always dug being me – it’s yielded pretty nice returns in many respects. This was extra special!
Give them your business!

4 or 5 real ales on tap, decent range of spirits, amusing service, plenty of seats, a couple of tvs for the sport and a reasonable looking menu. Apart from maybe having a problem with their air conditioning or extractor fan (we were greeted with the strong smell of whatever fish was on Saturday night’s menu) there was little to find fault with here. Could do with replacing their speakers as no point having music on if the sound’s muddy. Otherwise better then last time as no smell of fish.

With all the bars to chose from around this area, this is not an obvious choice, its only a few minutes from Lothian Road but is in a fairly odd position and easily missed. If you do make the effort to check it out, or happen to stumble across it, what you will be rewarded with is a spacious, comfortable clean and modern bar with a relaxed atmosphere, reasonable prices and friendly, professional staff.
There is a range of seating, from little tables to booths to comfy soafs so can cater for small or large groups. I would imagine that its location means that it does a lot of its business with the «after work drinks» crowds, which means later in the evening and at the weekends (when I would tend to go) its never too busy, so getting a seat and drink is easy, and so lends it self well to having a relaxed drink with friends. This is very much the type of bar I would choose if I was in the mood for a «chilled out pint and a chat with some mates».
As I mentioned, the drinks are reasonably priced, very much average cost for Edinburgh, with a good selection of wines, spirits, and lagers. They do have a few offers such as £10 for a bottle of (perfectly nice) wine or under £2.50 for a bottle of sol, which is an «all day every day offer» and offeres great value for money.
I have tried the food a few times, and was very satisfied with the quality and again, well priced.
All in all, I would highly recommend it.

From the outside Lock 25 is quite deceptive and looks like a bit of an old-​man pub, but inside it is spacious, modern and comfortable.
There’s a wide selection of beverages available and a decent pub grub menu. What I would say is that this place is quite expensive; one round of four drinks (two of which were white Russians so a wee bit dearer admittedly) came to over £18. OUCH.
We also ordered food here. I’d advise not to get the nachos. They were £8 and the chilli that arrived was really just watery mince with some kidney beans thrown in for good measure. Boak! I did not think much of the plate for the cost and wouldn’t ever get it again.
However, Lock 25 is pretty inoffensive and my drinks (despite costing a fortune) were nice. There are some good beers on draft too. There’s a wee patio section to the rear of the pub where you can soak up the incredibly rare warm Scottish weather, should it ever make another appearance.

I really like this pub. Its interior is cosy and welcoming, they do a bottle of wine for £10, the bar man looks like he should be in four year strong (great beard!), the food is home made and reasonably priced, and they have a tiny little beergarden that is a sun trap on a sunny day. highly recommended!

I came in here when I moved into a new flat just around the corner and was hoping to find a gem of a pub where I could come every now and then with a few pals and chill.
The pub seems to have undergone a bit of an image change, it used to be called «Banter», but now with its more sophisticated name I think it is trying to tap into the office worker crowd that you find on nearby Morrison Street and Lothian Road. The pub attempts to look upmarket and is not really the type of place that I like to hang out in, I prefer a nicer cosy pub– but this really came across as tailored to an older crowd rather than a student/​younger crowd.
The pub does have however a pretty impressive widescreen TV that would be pretty cool to watch the footie or rugby on, but I doubt there would be any real atmosphere in there.