All Bar One

Just ok. Stopped in for a quick bite. The tapas was nothing to write home about. The phyllo dough on the cheese bouregs tasted like cardboard, and were just as hard. Only good tapas was the shish kebab with yogurt sauce.

We came in for lunch and a glass of wine a few days ago. No one came to see us for about twenty minutes. We were in the side room that still had tables with dirty dishes and walls covered in dust and food dirt. That room has potential but no artwork or anything! The wine was great but lunch, that we waited 45 mins for, was tasteless.
I’m a travel agent and I will not be recommending this place at all to clients or my friends.
So much potential in a gorgeous building but it’s a poor caliber food establishment. Pity.

We were only in for a drink. The server looked and acted as if she did not need the hassle of having to serve us or speak to us or offer any form of hospitality. My gin and tonic was really flat, but I couldn’t bear facing her miserable attitude again by complaining. The food menu read really self-​indulgent and mega-​overpriced outrageous pricing. The place was filthy dirty, floors, walls and bathrooms, and staff did not care. It wasn’t busy, 5pm on a Friday. All the marketing smacks of desperation and I have no idea who they are targeting. Not us, for sure. Got out asap to no farewell, as expected.

Really a 3.5 rather than a 4.
I met some friends of mine here as they now stock lolea sangria which is one of my friends favourites. We managed to get a little corner table tucked out of the way of the busy main section and we ended up being there for about 4 hours.
Nice waiter service and they kept us well topped up. We had £5 cocktail and sharing plate vouchers which were tasty wee nibbles but you can eat loads if them. My friends chicken dish was dry but my haloumi was delicious and the humous was great too.
Our table got really sticky with all the drinks and ice buckets but never got wiped down even after asking, saying that it had a nice atmosphere and good deals on so we will likely be back.

when thinking of a central place to meet people for drinks, All Bar One is the first place that usually comes to mind. it’s quite central being right in the middle of george street, has a good variety of drinks especially wine by the glass, and it’s fairly large so usually finding a seat (even on a busy night) is possible. what i particularly like about All Bar One is that this branch has a massive bar so it’s easy to get a spot where the bartender will notice you and get your drinks sorted quickly. also, although this is right on george street, it doesn’t get the usual george street crowd that frequent places like tigerlily or such, just mainly professionals from the nearby office buildings. drinks are reasonably priced and the food on offer looks good although i’ve not tried it. so all in all a good bar that works well when you’re meeting in town.

I wanted to like this place, but the service was so horrible that it ruined my evening. Our waitress was blond and arrogant and really couldn’t be bothered to serve us. She took our food order and then literally never came back. Our starters came and I bugged the delivery waitress for another drink, but soon realized that not only were we not getting our waitress back, but we weren’t getting the rest of our food. Finally, after an hour we cancelled the rest and went to find dinner elsewhere. It wasn’t just us. The rest of the guests were ignored as the staff sat and chatted among each other. Not worth the time or effort.

Not been to All Bar One in a very long time. I do like the décor inside, and service was very good. I think the trick us to go when it is quiet as I’ve been here on saturday night and been three people deep to get to the bar for a drink! Sunday to Wednesday they have cocktails for £ 4.50! Which is popular! it’s not my favourite on George street but I would go back and they seem to have plenty promotions on!

I would probably give All Bar One a 3.5 but it is better than a 3 so hence rounding up to a 4.
I’ve been to a few All Bar One’s around the country as you do know what you are getting. The George St branch is always pretty busy which means it can be hard to get served at the bar or even get a seat. If you do get a seat then it actually makes for a pleasant experience, though service can be slow. It attracts a mixed crowd so you don’t have to be too trendy or too young to come here.
There’s a good range of wines, beers and spirits so something for everyone and I have to admit the food options are pretty good too. I popped in for a quick drink yesterday after having afternoon tea, but I have to admit, I saw a sharing platter of nachos with pulled pork and I have pretty much decided, I’ll have to go back soon to sample. I’ve eaten in here before and I’ve found staff to be good at accommodating and customising dishes for gluten free requirements.
Prices are good and once you do order, service is pretty quick, hence, I don’t come here all the time, but I’m also not adverse to popping in every once in a awhile.

There is so much I love about this place:
— Mulled wine
— Good value tapas style dishes
— Lots of seating
— Big, grand open space
But there are also things I do not love:
— Some rude staff
— It takes an age to get served
I recently had a friend visiting and we are both HUGE Christmas fans so I first took her to the Dome, the queue was huge so we popped across the road to All Bar One. Much to our delight, they had a big cauldron of mulled wine by the door. So we found a seat, it is all pretty chilled out in there. The staff can be a little too chilled out and take their time coming to get your order. The mulled wine was delicious and we ordered 2 tapas, about £5 each. We ordered halloumi skewers which were delicious, and a hummus dish. This consisted of 4 peices of grilled bread and three big piles of different types of hummus, this is probably my favourite dish.
The next day we were slightly worse for wear and went back there for a bite to eat before my friend went home. It was much quieter but after we took a seat, the waitress who was covering the section we were in took ages to approach us and when she did, she had clearly been out the night before and was NOT in the mood. Our food arrived before our drinks and the whole thing was a bit of a shambles.
So all in all, a very mixed review, however their attitude is very relaxed, the food is pretty good and the prices match, so i will still keep going back :)

First restaurant/​bar I’ve been to in Edinburgh that actually has martini glasses! Hooray! Unfortunately, the bartenders here don’t quite know how to make a proper one. Never in my life have I had such a weak cocktail. My extreme happiness was followed by utter disappointment.
Moving on to the food: the halumi and portobello sandwich was solid. Appropriate amounts of lightly fried cheese on a deliciously plump, hearty mushroom sandwiched between a seemingly fresh bun was just what I wanted. Devoured the entire thing with no regrets. My sister ordered the chicken pad thai, which sadly ended up being soggy noodles in soy sauce. My parents split five tapas: duck, salty/​spicy calamari, chicken skewers, salmon prawn rice balls, and the goats cheese/​sun dried tomato croquette. The calamari were above average for sure. The croquettes were tasty, but a little bit too fried. The rice balls were very good and creamy. The duck was tasteless and chicken was just OK. And finally for dessert we shared the brownie– very good.
By far this was our least favorite restaurant throughout our trip. The food was mediocre, drinks were disappointing, and ambiance definitely not fit for a family looking for a nice, sit-​down meal. I should’ve known better when I was told the seating is first-​come-​first-​serve.

Maybe it’s Edinburgh.
Where I live All Bar Ones are the certified watering holes for lawyers and accountants. This one appears to be anything but.
Very cool to see that it features local labels in its range of on-​tap brews.

Safe bet as both a pub and an eatery. Popped in yesterday for a bite to eat and though I was a bit disappointed in my noodle dish (note to chef — the flavour escaped and must be hiding out somewhere in your kitchen) the goats cheese salad was great and returned big smiles. Always decent beers on draft and the trademark shot glass with smarties accompanying coffees, helps break the arrival of the bill.

Still. So. Torn.
There’s some things I really like about All Bar One. Then there’s other things that leave me a little sad. But if I’m honest, I probably will come here more often as I never leave disappointed.
They were running a £5 food deal for January and February. Simply print off a voucher and you get a wee menu to choose from that included salads, noodles, burgers, and desserts. Between four Unilocalers we got two burgers, chicken noodles and a prawn salad.
My salad was the best.
I say this only because I really, really enjoyed it. All the other food was polished off without a complaint and everyone seemed relaly happy. But the only reason I say mine was the best is often, especially in bars or gastropubs, salads can be a disappointing affair of baby gem lettuce scattered with dry pieces of chicken, a few olives and a dressing. And that’s it.
Not my All Bar One £5 salad. It has brocolli, sweet potato, wheat berry cous cous, different types of lettuce, LOADS of chunky bits of chicken and took me forever to finish. I was very, very impressed.
I think the offer has now finished but they have a hefty big menu with a good selection of tapas and I think, being a chain, can afford to do deals.
They also give a wee shot glass of smarties with every hot drink. Winning!
The only thing I’m not so keen on are the cocktails. Some of them are made with lemonade. I admit it, I’m a cocktail snob. Three of the four we ordered tasted quite weak and just weren’t really cocktails.
But the staff are friendly, the venue is gorgeous, it’s lush and oolala and the food definitely fills a hole and is super tasty if a little «George Street generic» but definitely some of the better offerings.
If you’re a tourist or visiting Edinburgh, I wouldn’t say you must come here. It’s a chain. It’s a beautiful chain but a chain and lacks history or soul. But it’s a great place for locals and somewhere I’d come for a ladies who lunch affair, or a wintery hot chocolate with complimentary smarties. Just not for my margarita or lychee martini.

Like an upmarket Wetherspoons, I always feel that there’s something a bit ‘off’ about the atmosphere in All Bar One. Although it’s in a brilliant location, it never goes beyond being a place for a quick post work beverage before moving onto somewhere better to spend the rest of the evening.
My latest visit was during the summer, for the ‘dine for £5′ offer. The food was quite nice, and the glass of fizz which was added on for an extra few quid was most welcome. It’s not somewhere I’d choose to go for a drink, however, particularly with a wealth of truly lovely bars nearby (including the most excellent Bramble).

Having been to the All Bar One in Glasgow before for a few cheeky post-​work wines I decided I would quite like to give the one in Edinburgh a bash and see what the eats were like.
I ended up meeting a friend I hadn’t seen in a long while for lunch so we stopped in here. I decided I would try and have something healthy-​ish and filling so I opted for the crispy duck salad and she had a tomato, mozzarella and guacamole sandwich.
The staff were good, although it did get drastically busier after we arrived so they looked a little rushed, so I could deal with that. The food was good, a decent sized portion, just enough for a nice lunch!
The prices are reasonable, i like the little shot glass of m&m’s you get with your coffee, although I did munch on them before I had got my salad and I liked the atmosphere. Relaxed and comfortable, I didn’t feel out of place like I do in some places! Overall, I enjoyed my experience at All Bar One but I wouldn’t necessarily rush to go back.

This place deserves 5 stars because they achieve what they set out to do.
That being, to deleiver ‘nice’ food at a good price with a solid selection of drinks. It is the McDonalds of the gastro pub world there is no doubt but who doesnt enjoy a Big-​mac now and again!
Me and my Mum go there a lot for lunch and are never disppointed. First of all lets look at the service, there consistently seem to haev the same staff who know their areas and work the tables well.
The food — we always go for the small plates option 3 for £12 I think? in any case calamari is always a must and the seaseme chicken with wasabi is fast becoming a second must have.
With wine they do well with a top to bottom list that can satisfy every budget and there is a decent selection of ales as well all for a reasonable price.
In any case Jd = happy man!

As a chain bar, I kind of expected the worst from All Bar One.
Glasgow has one, and I often walk past it on Friday afternoon and see it packed to the rafters with office workers who have loosened their ties for a few swifties to start off the weekend.
This branch, in Edinburgh, was the complete opposite when I visited actually. It was quiet and pretty empty to be honest, and we had loads of choice for seats. It is pretty nice inside, and very, very nice outside, so I got what I expected. The drinks were priced reasonably, and the wine I had was so cold it actually hurt my hand to hold the glass! Perfect!
A nice place for an afternoon glass of vino, but devoid of much atmosphere.

I went here for lunch recently and was a little unsure at first, but I really enjoyed it. I was expecting a Wetherspoons type bar but thankfully it was not like that. The bar is bright and spacious, so while it does get busy it doesn’t feel to overcrowded.
As there was a few of us, we went for a few of the small plates which were a kind of Tapas style. Our dishes included meatballs, quesadillas and prawns which were all delicious. There were a few more but I wont bore you with the details, just know it took us forever to decide as everything looked so good and the dishes we ordered were excellent.
The service wasn’t the best I have ever had, perhaps because it was a busy afternoon or maybe the staff are always rude. Will probably be back though.

I always laugh when I come to All Bar One — it’s the ONLY place my mum ever wants to go to in Edinburgh and it’s the ONLY place we ever do go to! But hey, if it ain’t broke!!!
My ex-​boss just started here as the manager — Mel (hiya!) — and she has told me it’s the most stressful job she’s ever had. I can tell — it’s always busy. Whenever we come for lunch we either have to wait or pounce on a table that look ready to leave. The lay-​out is really quite crammed, but in a busy place like all Bar One it has to be.
The food is really good — they have great tapas menu (and I can thoroughly recommend the baked camambert… mmmm) and a good main-​menu. One of their kebabs is more than enough for one person — don’t make the mistake we did!
AND you get m&m’s with your bill. YASS!

I am not a fan of All Bar One, it’s a shame because it does seem to have all the elements that usually constitute a good bar for me: the food is made from quality ingredients, it’s tasty and not too expensive; they serve decent cloudy cider on draught; and, the building is lovely both inside and out. Part of the reason I’m not a fan is its George St location: the place is either packed with suits having after work drinks or yahs or wannabe yahs preparing for a night at Opal or Shanghai. If you come in here for a quick drink or bite to eat, you might as well forget about it; it’s impossible to get a table and trying to get to the bar to get served is a full on combat mission.