The Ensign Ewart Reviews Summary

Staff and Service

Pros:

• "Lily was amazing so helpful and friendly this place would be lost without her."
• "Staff was very attentive, friendly and knowledgeable."
• "The staff were super accommodating, kept taking our additional orders and did so happily, so great customer service."
• "The bar staff were very friendly and welcoming 😁."
• "The staff are so helpful and go out of their way for you."
• "The servers were very friendly and gave me nice Scotch recommendations."
• "Lovely bar, great service. Both of the Bar men working when I was in were very nice and helpful."

Cons:

• "Unfortunately the staff were not overly attentive, so we skipped dessert as we were waiting a long time."
• "We asked for a seat and rather than admitting that they were full they shoved us in a corner on a table that was for a booking in 45 minutes... Will definitely not be returning here. Awful customer service!"
• "We entered the pub and was greeted by a rude staff member who had a bad attitude."
• "Just heard that you refused our service men service as they were wearing dress uniform."
• "Service was slow (all table service when we were there last week of April 2022, possibly due to Covid)."
• "Waiter took our order then never put it in with the kitchen. We waited 40 minutes before finding out."
• "Afterwards, everyone from the group commented on the appalling service, and made an informal pact never to return there again."

Food and Drinks

Pros:

• "Their venison terrine was delicious, and seeing some people whip out their instruments to play for the patrons was a great addition!"
• "Food was great and there was live music in the evening, young girl playing violin and young man plating accordion."
• "Food was lovely, nice little lunch. Espresso martini was banging, really enjoyed it."
• "Half price pizzas on Wednesday too make them such good value and well worth a stop to sample."
• "The Scottish brie, tomato relish and bacon sandwich was incredible!"
• "Enjoyed the Haggis with neeps and tatties, the sticky toffee pudding and a lovely gin cocktail called Caorunn."
• "Their soup and sandwiches were so good as was the scotch egg."

Cons:

• "Great location & staff. Average food."
• "They didn't serve hot drinks, which I think would cause most people to do a U-turn straight away."
• "This place also has very limited food and is really just to have a drinks."
• "Unfortunately my wife's soup was bland and not warm enough, and they were out of ale which prevents me from giving a nice 5star."
• "Good food but very slow service."
• "Only not so nice thing was the fact that we got the food before the drinks even though it wasn’t that busy."
• "An embarrassing scenario played out, as each person on arriving asked for a hot drink, only to be declined."

Atmosphere and Location

Pros:

• "On the busiest street in Edinburgh you can find this little gem with delicious food and good atmosphere."
• "The pub itself looks quite cosy and welcoming."
• "Live Scottish folk music from a band called the gorms gave this already authentic pub another level of authenticity."
• "Fantastic place to find interesting and rare whiskies in the heart of Edinburgh. Staff are always good chat and helpful and the place always has a nice buzz about it."
• "Wonderful historic and inviting pub with great live folk music."
• "The Ensign Ewart is a must visit in Edinburgh. You can breathe it's history the moment you get in the room."
• "Great place! Really cozy, with live music, nice waiters, and an incredible whisky selection. 6 pages full of different whiskies, including a short description that allows you understand the difference between the options."

Cons:

• "It's dark, dingy, expensive with decent ales and gorgeous scotch eggs."
• "This review is no reflection on the atmosphere of the bar itself but, purely a reflection of the staff on the 19th November 2023."
• "Pretty unassuming from the outside but wow, does this bar have a great atmosphere."
• "Nice historic pub. We visited on a busy Sunday evening primarily to listen to/possibly join in the folk music session lead by the exceptional Sandy Brechin on accordion. The volume of the drinkers, many of whom seemed oblivious to the music made it difficult to hear it."
• "The volume of the drinkers, many of whom seemed oblivious to the music made it difficult to hear it."
• "One of the group had a takeaway coffee in their hand, and was barely through the door before being told they couldn't bring it in."
• "The only bad thing that night is that my gf and I told the waiter about our interest in watching the band playing, and they said the seats on the main room were all reserved, so we had to go to a different room with no direct view of the band."

Live Music and Entertainment

Pros:

• "Food was great and there was live music in the evening, young girl playing violin and young man plating accordion."
• "Live Scottish folk music from a band called the gorms gave this already authentic pub another level of authenticity."
• "Saturday evenings are the best thanks to the lovely folk music provided by the band."
• "A bar which has improved a lot since changing owners a few years ago. Now the Ensign Ewart deserves it's place as the highest pub in Edinburgh. Make sure to visit after dark to sample some of the great live music."
• "Absolutely adore Ensigns, they're the perfect place for a post-work dram, the staff are super knowledgeable and friendly and the live music is superb."
• "One evening we went in for the live music which was very entertaining and a good time was had by all."
• "To top it off, live folk music most evenings after 9pm."

Cons:

• "This review is no reflection on the atmosphere of the bar itself but, purely a reflection of the staff on the 19th November 2023. After enjoying a day of the Christmas markets we chose this bar solely on the live music advertised."
• "Nice historic pub. We visited on a busy Sunday evening primarily to listen to/possibly join in the folk music session lead by the exceptional Sandy Brechin on accordion. The volume of the drinkers, many of whom seemed oblivious to the music made it difficult to hear it."
• "The volume of the drinkers, many of whom seemed oblivious to the music made it difficult to hear it."
• "I hope this will be the start of the biggest boycott of your pub ever seen!!!!!!"
• "The only bad thing that night is that my gf and I told the waiter about our interest in watching the band playing, and they said the seats on the main room were all reserved, so we had to go to a different room with no direct view of the band."