Lebowskis

So I’ve never seen the film, but I love a good White Russian, so was excited to visit Lebowskis on a Saturday night.
As we walked in we soon realised that it’s a popular place with the locals and lots of the tables were reserved. That was fine with us though, as we propped the bar up, and was served quickly with White Russian after White Russian.
I’ll have to hold my hands up here, and say I was slightly tiddly after a few of these delicious cocktails so can’t actually remember the names of them… However, the one with chocolate milk in it was my favourite (whichever one that was).
The cocktails were also reasonably priced and after having 3 w.r. each, I didn’t actually leave in debt, which is always a nice surprise the morning after.
The bar also had a great live singer on the Saturday night we visited, which gave a great atmosphere to an already busy pub.
I now have to watch the film, so I can laugh along with my boyfriend to the menu.

I’m sad to only give lebowskis 2 stars, and it’s definitely based on my most recent trip. Calamity of errors I tell you.
Basic jist, it’s a white russian bar with a dozen or so variants, plus all the usual bar fair. They’ve a good rep for their food, and I’ve enjoyed it in the past, so when a meetup at a different bar got bounced because red squirrel was rammed I was very happy to come to lebowskis instead.
It was busy too, but the lovely lady serving us said there’d be a table clear in a few minutes and invited us to grab a drink at the bar while we waited. True to her word, 5 minutes or so later the table was available, friends arrived, and we hungrily read the menu.
The waitress took our orders, 3 burgers and one of the seasonal specials, job done. If only…
Firstly, all the burgers arrived with chips instead of wedges. «oh we’ve run out, did no one tell you?»
Secondly, one friend ordered the falafel burger, and was presented with the mushroom burger instead, which earlier she had said she’d had before and wasn’t that into it.
Thirdly, and most irritatingly, my girlfriend’s food just didn’t arrive. We asked for it twice before it finally showed up well after the rest of us had finished our food.
To her credit, the waitress was incredibly apologetic, and we saw her apologizing to a lot of other customers. It would appear that the kitchen were having an absolute howler. Ah well, no harm done.
BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE!
So after the food debacle we were straight up abandoned by both of the staff who’d been serving us. We had to go find someone to get the bill (long lost seasonal deducted of course) only to find somehow they’d ended up charging me £13 instead of £1 for the extra halloumi I’d ordered so we had to wait at the bar to challenge the miss charge!
All in all a very poor night for lebowskis. Plus points the music wasn’t too loud and apparently they’ve stopped doing the god awful live music they had on here. Get it together lebowskis, I want to be able to keep recommending you guys.

After hearing about this place from a few locals, if you like White Russians, YOU MUST GO!
They’re menu for extensive for White Russians. I had no idea there could be so many possible ways to make them. There is probably 15 – 30 different ways they have them listed. It will forever change your way and your idea how to spice up a classic cocktail.
I had two. :)

If you like burgers and a pub atmosphere you’ll like Lebowskis. Their Tats are unbelievably good too — don’t miss them.

As well as a good menu, and a huge selection of drinks, the main selling point for this place has to be the staff.
I can’t praise them enough for their helpfulness and cheerful nature. We had a leaving do in here, and at the last minute a colleague in a wheelchair arrived. We panicked as Lebowski’s has steps outside and isn’t accessible, not a problem for the staff who picked up the wheelchair and lifted him in. This going above and beyond the call of duty or customer service has really made it stand out for me and I can’t recommend it enough.

Although the atmosphere is lively and Bloody Marys are good here, the beer is warm and they run out of ingredients for food often. Have never actually been able to eat here since they have not had what I wanted yet. There is very limited space to stand in the bar, so only come here when you can stand outside.
As an update, am back on Tuesday and this time, they are out of Sainsbury’s tomato juice; Sainsbury’s is LITERALLY just across the street. I don’t understand this place. I will not be back.

Never eaten in here, but drunk quite a lot over the past year. There’s a great «stoop» outside where you can all sit and watch the world go by when we get our 5 days of sun a year, and the inside is nice and cosy for the other 360 days too!
Great selection of beers, always something new to try. And they do an epic White Russian, which isn’t usually my bag, but highly recommended!

Got 2^nd place in pub quiz here one night and enjoyed my prize of white russian shots for sure. I like this pub and the vibe. Kind of divey but always very lively and fun. Like I said, the pub quiz is really fun and also free. I had a salted caramel white russian here twice and god it is soooooo damn good as a dessert drink. They also have a good selection of beer and a nice full bar so don’t think it’s just white russians, but come on, you have to try one!

I liked Lebowski’s a lot.
So after watching Jurassic World, my flatmate and I stopped by for some dinner and drinks. I thought that the atmosphere inside the place was pretty normal by Edinburgh standards, nothing too special. The place was clean and buzzing with activity.
I ordered their cheeseburger and a side of mac and cheese. Yes, this is how I eat most of the time –terrible, I know. Anyway, my flatmate ordered the pulled pork sandwich and she really enjoyed it. We split the mac and cheese and it was delicious as well –better than many I’ve had in Edinburgh.
I had an average gin and tonic, while my flatmate had one of their famous White Russians. I took a sip and was very impressed. She was so impressed that she ordered a second one. My meal was also quite good and the service was slightly better than what I normally get in Edinburgh.
Overall, this is a great place to get a White Russian and/​or some dinner. My experience here was great overall and I would likely come back sometime in the future.

Omg! This is a must try! If you’re ever out in Edingburgh you have to come out here. Their burgers are the best! I had the pulled porker and it was just perfect! Definitely great place for food.

Cosy booths to be sat at here. We came here for a little refreshment after dinner. I’d heard of the White Russians a few times from here and they were meant to be good. So that’s what I ordered.
There’s no dance floor to shake that booty. So I just nod my head to the beat. Besides the seats are comfy and the conversations a flowing.
I’m struggling with the volume of music to hear the conversation, hence there must be a speaker blasting out the tunes. Good tunes at that too. So can’t complain too much.
It’s a pretty chilled out place, so would come back for some drinks and maybe even try and shake a little booty!

Put on your comfiest pyjamas and grab your bowling bowl, we’re going to Lebowskis!
Naturally, like its namesake, Lebowskis specialises in White Russians. I haven’t counted how many they have on the menu, but I’d guess at around 40. Wish you could have one with chocolate milk, with bourbon, with cherries, or even with Buckfast? You’ll find them all on the menu. It’s impossible to choose, as they all sound completely delicious, but I guess it’s a good excuse to return and gradually make your way through the list!
And food wise, Lebowskis does a mean burger. Not the very best in Edinburgh, but a worthy contender, these are big meaty hunks in brioche buns, with a variety of toppings to choose from, not to mention chicken, veggie and fish options. Or dare you try the Big Lebowski — a double burger (I believe there’s also a double sized White Russian of the same name).
So for when nothing will hit the spot quite like meat and milk, make it a Lebowskis night. The Dude would approve.

The white russian variations are delicious! The Donny, The Da Fino, The Nihilist, The Smokey, and The Toe were the four we tried, all were delicious and well mixed.
The food is typical bar food but a tad better. The french fries got hard after 10 – 15 minutes and were difficult to eat. We only ate there due to time constraints. Highly recommend to just go for the white russians, eat if you must.

When a 52 year old man tells you he’s never had a White Russian you get in a taxi and bring him to Lebowskis.
Unfortunately, we also stayed for food.
Lebowskis has an insane selection of White Russians which would keep anyone busy. This is in-​keeping with slightly nuanced ‘The Big Lebowski’ theme.
I used to frequent here… eh. frequently, when I lived off Lothian road but now I’m a Leither I don’t really get the chance. The quality of the food has dropped a bit. We didn’t finish anything we ordered (burgers and hotdogs) because it just seemed dry and bland. The service was slow, despite the fact there was max 10 patrons other than ourselves.
I ate here two (ish) years ago and have a vague memory of a steak and cheese sandwich that left all full and happy. Unfortunately we couldn’t replicate the experience this time around.

Lebowskis is a homage to all things from the cult movie The Big Lebowski, from the mural of The Dude on the wall to the collection of white Russians named after the char caters in the film.
As a fan of both the film and white Russians I take to this place. After a Saturday afternoon visit to the Picturehouse my friend and I decided a trip here was in order.
We promptly ordered white Russians and looked over the food menu. I went for the whale burger and my pal asked for a hot dog. First issue was there were no hot dog buns, slightly surprised by this oversight this early on a Saturday night.
My whale burger was ok, the beer battered coley was tasty enough, the bun was rather dry and crumbly and the zingy tartar sauce in the description was nowhere to be found. Chips were ok but not great.
The real issue here was the service, definitely got the feeling the waitress didn’t care for customers who weren’t ‘alternative’, in other words if you didn’t wear black and have a piercing hanging from every available crook of skin. She was lazy, rather than checking/​serving customers she stood by the pass on her mobile while she was meant to be getting our bill.
Good bar, good drinks, ok food and some rather unpleasant/​incompitent waitresses.

Hmmm, not this is an interesting review… I can’t see myself coming here on a busy weekend evening, but I still feel compelled to give it four stars based on my Sunday experience.
Essentially some friends and I stopped in here for a drink after leaving Mum’s for lunch as it’s on the way home and a friend of mine likes the whole Lebowski theme, although I can’t say it does much for me. Initially I tried one of their speciality cocktails for the moment, a Frangelico Sour, which… I just have to say, yum… it tasted like the winter version of an amoretto sour and really worked in my opinion. I had actually assumed there weren’t many drinks I could try here due to a blasted intolerance of lactose, but upon having a friend query them I was given the glorious news that they have lacto free milk which in turn opened up the drink menu to a far further potential.
Speaking of the drinks, this place features heavily on White Russians… even if they aren’t your thing it’s probably worth trying one of the more creative varieties, there’s surely something that would hit the spot. Beyond that a friend of mine ordered an Old Fashioned, and on this instance at least it was made with the proper care and attention which was appreciated. They also do a selection of bottled beers, with a few creative options, and draft beers that were unfortunately far less creative but suitable. (Think Estrella, Staropramen, etc.)
There were only a few people in here at the time, post lunch on a Sunday, but the staff were quite happy for use to literally lounge in one of the restaurant booths casually drinking throughout the afternoon… what was supposed to be stopping in for one on the way home ended up being a few hours of banter and drinks, to the point where we ordered some sliders succumbing to hunger down the line. Now here was the real surprise… the chicken sliders and slider burgers were soooo good! (With a side of buffalo sauce for the chicken sliders, naturally.) I can absolutely see myself in here ordering these again on a day that isn’t so busy… the only downside being that they can only be ordered in groups of three, i.e. if a group of you wanted three chicken and three burger sliders you have to order two sets of three rather than a cheaper order of six split down the middle, etc. They did let us upgrade the included tats to «devil’s» tats however, which was appreciated. (We also tried an order of the chilli cheese sliders, which were fine and definitely as advertised, but I wouldn’t order these over the chicken or burger sliders personally.)
The service on this instance was also spot on, not invasive but just the right level of attentive… I’m not sure how it would be if it were extremely busy, but on this instance there were no complaints for the service department. (Extra points for them charging my friend’s phone behind the bar; most bars tend to do this, but it’s appreciated all the same.)
I actually like the layout of the place, «dude» stuff aside… personally I just tell myself it’s a regular bar and ignore the Lebowski references, but if that’s your thing I suppose it doesn’t hurt. The only real downside to me in regards to the building itself was the restroom… it looked like it had seen better days and didn’t match the apparent cleanliness of the rest of the bar/​restaurant.
I can definitely see why this place would be too much for some, and again I can’t see myself pushing my way in here on a busy evening (I’ve seen it heaving at times), but come another lazy weekend afternoon I think I could have done far worse this time around… so, with that in mind, I’m throwing them a four star bone for now… I’m sure I’ll be back once or twice over the course of the year so I will update accordingly based on further experiences.

I am an «Achiever» since 1999. (some may get that, so may not).
The bar is brown. They serve White Russians. No pancakes
Apart from the menu and some eBay paraphernalia depicting Walter Sobchek and the likes I did not get that ‘Dude’-vibe. At all. This is like .uhm. someone thought; «The bar cannot look empty… man.» I ordered a beer and sat my self down on a rickety table, waiting for my special lady to arrive. I really needed to. uh. go and take care of my Johnson. and when I arrived: It was clearly that the dudes cleaning this place aren’t married — it wasn’t the most inviting or sweet smelling area, I mean com’on the toilet seat was up and dirty, man. The faucet was inoperable, one of the bogs was out of order wrapped in a black bin liner dripping into a cleaning bucket underneath– I guess it was the most modest one they could find. Just for that I’d mark it zero
Back at my lane .uh. table, which clearly had his own mind (or a serious relationship problem with the wall it was supposed to lean against) and the missus arrived and we decided that this table was a bit of a Jacky Treehorn. he treats objects like women. man. And moved. The tables were bare, no decorations, no err. folders or business papers. I don’t mind being tidy and minimalist — but this looked clearly that they believed in nothing (.on the tables that is)
Wifi is free and the feel is relaxed, but a little too much chillin’ going on. — doesn’t anybody in that bar gives a shit about the rules? A clean toilet and sturdy furniture. I mean I could fix that table in two seconds flat. I finished my beer and we went on our way.
So although they carry the name of my personal messiah (as a priest of the Church of Dudeism a can say that) they went over the line and I could cry about the missed opportunities here — strikes and gutters– and this one’s 3 short of a turkey. yup. grown men also cry.

The idea of this pub is extremely cool. As a big fan of the movie I feel I should love this place. Its heart is in the right spot. But usually packed with EXTREMELY LOUD MUSIC YOU HAVE TO SHOUT OVER. What is it with pubs wanting to be night clubs? Grumble grumble.
However, decent White Russians (yum) and a lively atmosphere means that there are worse places on Lothian Road you could choose to go.

I’m not one to go crazy for themed bars, but this place exceeded my expectations. Maybe it’s because it was Big Lebowski influenced, which happens to be one of my favorite movies, but that is neither here nor there.
The overall vibe here is rustic and has a relatively young crowd. If this bar was in NYC, it would most certainly be in the East Village /​Lower East Side /​ABC City area of the city. The drink menu was entertaining — I liked how they had several kinds of White Russians and they all had themed names. Very cute. The food servings were ENORMOUS. My boyfriend ordered a BLT, which came without a top — but it didn’t need it because the sandwich was that enormous. I ordered 6 chicken wings, thinking I would get 6 wings, but I really received 12 when I split them in half… and America somehow has the bad rap for overfeeding people!
Overall, this place was a win and I would recommend to anyone traveling to Edinburgh for a quick meal and a few drinks.

«We got two white russians but we also needs some drinks» …Oh Kanyezee.
Whenever I’m craving a white russian I come here. They have something ridiculous like 50 versions of white russians available. They also have Deuchars as well as other regular beers you’d find in Edinburgh on tap. The staff are pretty fast and personable. I believe most nights they have live music — really fun on Fridays. Lewbowski’s as a bar and as a night out is pretty fun. I’d definitely recommend this place at the beginning of a night out!
Now on to the foooooood — -
I love the burgers here. I’ve been here multiple times paying full price or when I’ve had the It Is On Edinburgh vouchers. The last time I was here I had the fish burger («What she order, fish fillet?» — another Kanye line) and it was miles better than any other fish burger I’ve had. It wasn’t soaking in oil! One of my friends had the veggie burger which had grilled vegges, mushrooms and goats cheese. I had a bite and it was pretty tasty. On another visit, I was in a big blackpudding mood so I chose the pork belly and blackpudding with mash. It was delicious. I can be picky with my blackpudding and i’ll confirm they used the ‘good’ brand!
This is one of my favourite bars and comfort food eateries. Check it out!