Bramble Bar Reviews Summary

Atmosphere & Ambience

Pros:

• "One of my favourite bars ever - it's cute, it's cosy, the staff REALLY know their stuff."
• "This is one of the best hidden bars I have been with amazing cocktails and great music and overall atmosphere."
• "Terrific subterranean cocktail bar which has an edgy vibe without being pretentious."
• "Hidden away bar which makes it feel secret, great atmosphere and music, excellent cocktails and friendly staff - very happy we found this place (it took a bit of searching!)"
• "The atmosphere is perfect. Very intimate and true to the essence of a speakeasy."
• "The hidden coves gave it a cosy, intimate feel perfect for dates, while the more open areas are ideal for a group."
• "Small and intimate with great atmosphere and exceptional service and attention to detail!"

Cons:

• "The inside is not what I expected - not a sleek or sophisticated cocktail bar but very laid back with big cushions and shabby furniture and also very dark."
• "Toilets were flooded and the flood had spread into the bar near where the DJ was so we had to walk through a massive puddle when arriving and leaving, not an ideal first experience in this bar."
• "But this place is noisy because there are many groups of friends and music is bit weird."
• "The whole place felt dank, a bit like drinking in a public lavatory."
• "Not a place to go grab a drink and chat since the place was dark and music was loud."
• "Because it's so small, as the night goes on it can get a bit crowded."
• "Later on the music gets pretty loud so not great for a conversation if you don't want to shout."

Service & Staff

Pros:

• "The staff REALLY know their stuff."
• "Amazing selection with knowledgable staff."
• "The drinks were exceptional and the staff were very knowledgeable and very enthusiastic."
• "The highlight for me though (along with the top class booze) is the staff aren't pretentious unlike some other cocktail bars; they just want to find what you're after and give you a top experience."
• "Table service etc, staff lovely!"
• "The staff were really helpful and we had a fabulous time."
• "Staff was accomdating and willing to ensure the best experience!"

Cons:

• "Bouncers were unwelcoming and overly judgey about who could or couldn't go in."
• "Very rude staff wouldn't let us move a chair about 3 feet so everyone could have a seat."
• "Rather than help us to a table, the staff member seemed more inconvenienced by our arrival than anything."
• "Very strange experience. Just tried to enter with my partner after watching a comedy show at the fringe and we were told we were not allowed to enter because we seemed too intoxicated by a very abrupt woman on the door."
• "Won’t be back. We were in on a family reunion. 8 of us expecting to be there for a few hours. Just arrived. Ordered drinks. Within the first 15 minutes a waiter came over to tell us to stop taking photos with a flash."
• "Moody manager made us feel unwelcome instantly as I had a cold small box of leftover pizza and refused to let us in."
• "Guy taking drinks orders looked and acted like he had something better to do than his job. Made us feel unwelcome and uncomfortable."

Cocktails & Drinks

Pros:

• "This is the place for the actual cocktail lovers and not for the overpriced fruit juices you get in most trendy bars."
• "They have interesting cocktail flavours."
• "Great cocktails which made for the perfect start to our night."
• "The cocktails were amazing."
• "Try their cask aged whisky cocktail! Served in a wax sealed bottle, it's a must!"
• "Drink selection was amazing with a unique tasty combination of mixers."
• "The cocktails are first rate and the service is pretty good."

Cons:

• "Cocktails were ok, but the card spend limit is just more than the price of one cocktail so you have to buy multiple at a time."
• "The cocktails we all had were some of the worst tasting cocktails I've tried since those teenage years of mixing whatever you could find in your parents' cupboard."
• "We ordered 2 Bloody Mary's but were greeted with the classic 'sorry sir we don't sell Bloody Mary's'."
• "Bartender brings me something with Talisker 10 (an aged Whisky is not the same as a bourbon) and a 'salt and vinegar' taste because they 'have no not liqueurs'."
• "The drinks weren't to my taste but other people love them."
• "Cant rate it at all, as we were refused entry."
• "Satisfying drinks menu but boy this place takes itself too seriously."

Music & Entertainment

Pros:

• "The chill hip hop playing was perfect."
• "DJ played great music with a mix of old school hip hop and new."
• "Upon entry we discovered an intimate, fun bar playing funky hip hop (real human DJ)."
• "The music selection was brilliant and the spirit knowledge the staff had was really impressive!"
• "There’s a DJ on set on most nights, playing mainly old school trip hop, house, and hip hop."
• "Dark and sultry and with a fantastic cocktail menu they also have one of Edinburgh’s best music policies with DJs every Friday and Saturday night."
• "Great vibe and music."

Cons:

• "The music is good but very loud, to the point that we couldn't hear each other."
• "The music leaves a lot to be desired however! Mostly awful r&b."
• "The music was so loud it was impossible to speak."
• "World class cocktails served in an underground vibe with loud hip hop blasting in the speakers."
• "Later on the music gets pretty loud so not great for a conversation if you don't want to shout."
• "But this place is noisy because there are many groups of friends and music is bit weird."
• "Where it loses points is the decibel level of the music. It makes it very uncomfortable to try and attempt to start up a conversation."

Location & Accessibility

Pros:

• "Low key entrance at the corner of the street."
• "It's a little hidden down some stairs with a small sign, so it can be hard to find, but it's worth finding."
• "Hidden away bar which makes it feel secret, great atmosphere and music, excellent cocktails and friendly staff - very happy we found this place (it took a bit of searching!)"
• "Great little place if you can find it!"
• "Beautiful hidden gem in town."
• "Once you've found the place, it feels like an old speakeasy."
• "Super secret and never feels like the front door is the entrance to the bar and that’s the best part, go down the stairs and have a great time because the cocktails are fantastic."

Cons:

• "Oh my days!! What a treasure this was. Super hard to find though so be warned."
• "REALLY hard to find unless you know where you are going but that is half the fun."
• "Located under a dry cleaners, with a tiny sign this place can be difficult to find."
• "Difficult to find from street level."
• "This bar is reasonably difficult to find -- no signage and down some nondescript steps."
• "Is a bit difficult to find. Just keep an ear out for hip hop emerging from a basement."
• "Hard to find, follow the address, find the dry cleaners, look down the steps to the door and a brass sign, and there it is. Hidden."