The Blackbird Reviews Summary

Service

Pros:

• "Fast friendly service."
• "The staff really make this place stand out."
• "Fantastic staff."
• "Impeccable service, friendly staff."
• "The staff went out of their way to give us a good experience."
• "Service was friendly and attentive."
• "Service was quick, polite and friendly."

Cons:

• "Kind of a lacklustre effort, in many regards. Having visited several times I've encountered some appalling service."
• "Staff seemed overworked and booked table wasn't ready on time."
• "Service was slow and the waitress just walked away when I asked her why the fries weren't vegan."
• "Really bad service, exceptionally rude staff member."
• "The woman serving was too preoccupied by her phone and friend to give any customer much attention at all."
• "Served by genuinely the rudest staff member I've ever come across."
• "Terrible service. The waitress forgot to send our food order to the kitchen."

Food Quality

Pros:

• "The best pork belly sandwich I've ever had."
• "The food was very good. It's the best duck and swordfish we ate in all the UK."
• "The food is good pub food, burgers and sharing platters and the like. The onion rings are particularly lovely!"
• "Food is excellent, staff super friendly and they have a great whisky selection."
• "Food was good and the selection of drink was vast."
• "The food is delicious."
• "Food tasty and generous servings."

Cons:

• "The only slight problem was perhaps the spin on the quantity of food. It really was not enough, especially for a cost of £60 for lunch for 2."
• "The calamari starter was bland in the extreme."
• "The food is not very fresh (either from the freezer or the fridge)."
• "The food was average and the chicken was tough - no wonder they served it with a steak knife!"
• "The food however is very mediocre."
• "Food was lacklustre and unimaginative."
• "Food was the biggest let down, however, with a veggie burger being paste-like in texture and utterly devoid of flavour."

Ambiance

Pros:

• "A beautifully presented pub."
• "The Black Bird Bar and Restaurant is one of the favourites of mine. Great space - open bar areas, comfy couches, more private booths, a fantastic fairy light-lit beer garden."
• "The rooms are really well decorated with a nice welcoming atmosphere."
• "First stop in an Edinburgh pub and didn't disappoint."
• "Lovely atmosphere, didn't eat here but they had a good drinks selection."
• "The Blackbird has a laid back, friendly atmosphere."
• "Cosy ambience and top notch gastro pub grub."

Cons:

• "Felt kind of dumped on an empty un atmospheric room."
• "The place is dark and uncomfortable."
• "It’s often so busy it takes away from the atmosphere."
• "During busy hours the indoor seating just loses the atmosphere as it's so loud (you pretty much have to shout for the person next to you to hear you) and cramped."
• "The Blackbird is trendy, with fantastic decor and a great wee beer garden. However I think it is a bit try-hard and can feel less than welcoming."
• "As a bar, I’ve never been a fan. It’s noisy, crowded, and has TVs on the wall."
• "Not specifically the blackbird's fault but the whole pub experience in general now is a sorry ordeal."

Value

Pros:

• "You can use your taste card for two for one here and if you've got a Cineworld card you can get taste card free!"
• "Great choice of drinks."
• "The cocktails were also very very good."
• "Great place to eat and drink. Standard prices for Edinburgh."
• "Love their approach to sustainability with local / seasonal garnishes too."
• "Cocktails were delicious."
• "Good drink selection."

Cons:

• "Also cocktails were overpriced (£10-15) and small glasses and just not very nice."
• "The cocktails are on the pricier side."
• "Overall poor and overpriced. Plenty of options nearby."
• "The meal and drinks were more expensive than I'd have liked for their quality."
• "Chips were £4.50, seems very expensive for very average frozen French fries."
• "The food was acceptable, but didn't really offer value for money."
• "Full price for the Chicken burger alone is £10. I would be very disappointed at that price."

Drinks

Pros:

• "Amazing selection of sweet, strong and classic cocktails. The atmosphere is nice."
• "Cocktails were of a good standard, well presented and pre made so service was very quick."
• "A good selection of beers and spirits and some pretty rad cocktails."
• "An awesome selection of cocktails."
• "Drinks are well made, plenty of selection without being over the top."
• "The cocktails are amazing, and have a real flair to them."
• "Amazing selection of cocktails. I've had a few cocktails here and none of them have disappointed."

Cons:

• "Cocktails are tiny and unfortunately the staff didn't seem that happy either or accommodating."
• "Over priced beer to boot."
• "Drinks weren’t really my thing and I thought they were pricey for what we got."
• "Would have given 5 stars but hated tin can my cocktail was served in for £8 expect a glass not a old soup tin."
• "Gin was served in very cheap glasses making you feel you're having some low class drink."
• "The only thing I would ask to make it perfect is a few guest ales. The range of cask/tap ales was very limited."
• "Seating & table fixed to ground so hardly any space or legroom, if you're 5.10 or taller don't bother."