The Abbotsford

This is a beautiful 150-​year old pub with classic wooden furnishing and an all-​round pub. Great atmosphere, slightly crowded when we were there and an okay beer selection.

Situated at the beginning of the famous Rose Street, this is another traditional Victorian pub of the same genre as the Guildford Arms and Café Royal. There is the usual ornate high ceiling and lots of dark wooden panelling around the walls. The bar itself is of the central oval design and is very ornate, being of wooden construction. Real Ales are served in The Abbotsford, and there is outside seating in the summer months.
Well worth a visit to start off your assault on Rose Street!

I think this is the first life in my «yelp» life in which I give a bad review without even eating at the place. I’m travelling by myself and read good reviews about this place. I’m very shy and it can be very intimidating to arrive in a pub, during rush hour, on a Saturday. I rushed to the restaurant upstairs and asked for a table. The waiter looked around (there were at least 2 tables available) and said he didn’t have anything at the moment. One of the tables had NO sign of reservation or anything. He sent me to the bar downstairs and not even gave me the option to wait for the next available table.

This is a great little corner pub off of Rose Street. It did not feel touristy like some of the others on Rose Street. It was a close and comfy feel inside. Bench seating at tables around the bar which takes up the center of the room. We were in a hurry and they let us know which meals would be able to come out in that amount of time and they met our time needs perfectly. Their steak and ale pie was very good. Nice fresh veggies with it.

Nice beer selection. Very engaging bar keepers. Food was typical pub food. Nothing special but nothing negative. Laura was very nice talking about her recent book readings with the associate I was dining with. Certainly a place a return to.

This restaurant turned out to be a huge disappointment. They served me RAW chicken. Unfortunately, I realized this after I bit into my sandwich. Despite immediately spitting it out, I contacted a bacteria. I became extremely ill and had to be taken to the emergency room. Due to the Abbotsford carelessness, I was ill for 2 weeks and left with thousands of dollars in medical bills. I would NEVER recommend anyone eat here.

I was only visiting the bar to meet a friend but it was long enough to see it is a good ol’ fashioned beer bar. You could call it an old mans pub or I would rather call it a traditional bar. There is an OK selection of beers, Alchemy seems to be the brewery of choice which is always good.
Its Rose Street location gives it an eclectic mix of locals and tourists and so you can be greeted by old men pretending to be French when you try and get the only remaining seat in the bar to bewildered travellers trying to understand the said locals pretending to be French.

Great & lovely pub. I’ve discovered quite a few nice ones since my arrival in Scotland, but I’m always happy to come back here. There is a sense of sweet simplicity which makes it even more authentic and friendly.

Had a couple good experiences here during the Fringe. Fairly typical pub grub, but I did enjoy the Steak n Ale pie. Good variety of beer and a solid single malt collection, including the ridiculously yummy (and potent) Bruichladdich Octomore!

I damn liked that place. A a great time there last night, people and staff are very friendly and helped with among the biiiiiig choice of whiskeys. Thanks a lot for that. Also that pub looks not that posh like other places in edinburgh, but thats totally my own opinion.
Bottom Line _​if in Edinburgh try the Abbotsford

We had a hard time finding a restaurant rather than a pub our first night in Edinburgh so we were happy to stumble upon the Above at the Abbotsford.
We thought the place was empty because of the football match that every pub had on the screen but as the night wore on we realized that wasn’t it.
I had the special which was a pork chop while my daughter had the fish n chips. My meat was dry, tough and flavorless as was the sides on the plate. The fish n chips were beyond the normal greasy. For trying to be high end they missed the mark by far.

This is an excellent city centre pub, and especially so given its location on Rose St, which, for the number of drinking establishments it has, sometimes feels like there isn’t anywhere just right for a restorative mid-​shopping pint. This is a traditional pub with the kind of décor you would expect from an old Edinburgh institution.
It has a good selection of real ales alongside the usual booze options, and they have bench seating arranged around the island bar. They do meals but I haven’t eaten there. I usually pop in there for a quiet pint when I’m out and about in town.
I particularly like that they always seem to have beer from the Hadrian & Border Brewery, which is one of my favourites. I don’t know if they have a regular relationship or whether it’s a coincidence, but I hope they keep it up, as you don’t see these beers in too many places.
Unfortunately I need to knock a star off due to their crimes against crisps. They stopped selling crisps and now only sell nuts! I could write an essay about the ruination of crisp options at pubs these days, selling you over-​priced posh crisps when all you want is a pack of Walker’s, but not selling crisps at all is just ridiculous. Get them told.

A beautiful old pub at the start (or end) of Rose Street. There’s a gorgeous, dark-​wood island bar in the middle of the room and long tables with benches situated all ’round it. Great for bigger parties or just sharing a table with a stranger and possibly making a friend. Some delicious cask ales on draught and a friendly, informed staff that will allow you to sample the ales so you can find one you like.
When I think of a traditional Scottish pub, this is what I imagine.

Ate lunch in the Above restaurant here last Friday and the value for money was very good indeed. Portion sizes were generous and my duck was very well cooked. The chocolate and Malibu cheesecake made me feel quite the glutton.
The restaurant’s acoustics can it seems make it rather loud when more than half the tables are occupied but that’s a minor quibble when set against the good service and aforementioned vfm (£45 for 3 mains & desserts + soft drinks).

There is history here. Scottish Brewing History.
The Abbotsford is one of the few existing pubs that challenged the traditional Beer Engine (the handle beer maidens pull to put the beer in your glass).
Scotland used a pre-​bar delivery system. The engine is down in the cellar. Hence turning the tap rather than pulling a massive handle.
There are other bits about this pub that deserve a visit. An island bar. A ridiculously great position in the town. Top or bottom of the Rose Street Pub Crawl (I would start here).
Go here and don’t drink.
Go here like you would visit an Art Gallery
Not to see the past but to admire the beauty of something perfectly conceived and constructed. Like a fine portrait that perfectly shows you the combination of Scottish Engineering, Woodworking and Brewing combined into a wonderful place to be.
Study it — take it in — there is beauty here — along with history

The Abbotsford Bar is one of my favourite pubs in Edinburgh. Situated in the pub central area of Edinburgh, Rose Street, The Abbotsford Bar is right in the centre of the city and is a convenient place to reach. This pub is incredibly traditional and the inside is quite spectacular, it has super high ceilings with amazing art work on them and a vibrant bright pink carpet on the floor.
I come here quite a bit for pre-​drinks on the way to a night out and I always have a fantastic time drinking here. The Abbotsford Bar serves a wide range of beers, ales and wines and so there is something for everyone. The prices are incredibly reasonable here too, with a large glass of the house red wine costing under five pounds — bargain! Food is also served here, with standard traditional pub food dominating the menu such as steak, fish and chips, sandwiches and burgers, but there a few quirky additions to it as well such as mussels!
There is always a lively and friendly atmosphere in this pub and it is great place to either go for a cheeky wee drink or if you are fully going for it!

I was so intrigued at their tv screens outside the bar… are they see-​through? How can you have a see-​through tv? I was sure I can see into the bar but it’s also showing me tv!!!
Magical mysteries aside, it’s a pretty ok pub. Not amazing, but ok. It’s really old fashioned and cliquey.
As it’s on Rose street it’s part of the famous rose-​street pub crawl, so it can get quite busy. It’s not a bad place though!

A lovely antique looking bar which is well worth a visit when wandering down Rose Street.
I love Rose Street because of the cool bars that sit along it; they are always just the right side of traditional mixed with cool for me. The Abbotsford is probably the nicest when it comes to décor, and I always love coming here for a pre shopping trip glass of vino.
The ceilings are ornate and the island bar is stunning in dark mahogany. They sell every sort of whiskey under the sun, but I’m more of an Amaretto girl myself. The Californian White Zinfandel is about £4 for a large glass which is a little on the pricey side but it is City Centre. Certainly not the most expensive I have had.
Lovely bar which is well worth the visit. Next time I will definitely be trying out the restaurant as I have heard great things about it!

Quite hard to find but once you do it is worth while, The Abbotsford Bar was originally part of shop-​monster Jenners in 1902 and really hasn’t been changed. Lots of wood and ornate detail makes you feel like you’re an extra in a film but it is a wee bit touristy, don’t fret though I reckon this is only because of the location and during the festival. When Edinburgh’s population doubles, it doesn’t matter where you go because there’s plastic ponchos everywhere anyway.
Even though it is still associated with Jenners, it’s no where near as overpriced.

Took a bus from Inverness down to Edinburgh (this was over the summer), and we were fairly famished. Once we left the bus station, we walked through St. Andrews Square and looked for some grub (did I say we were hungry). Once we crossed the Square, we went to the Rose St., a pedestrian street. We ended up stopping at one of the first restaurants we saw… the pub, Abbotsford.
The interior is everything one would think of whenever they conjour up their stereotypical «pub” — nice bar in the middle, dark wood paneling/​fixturing throughout, and of course, beer.
It looked like we found a cool place.
Unfortunately, it we were proved wrong, and this is where we were introduced to some of the «UK’s legendary bad personal service».
It was summer. We were hot, and we asked for water. This took 15-​minutes (and this place was pretty dead). Once we ordered, we waited 45-​minutes for our food — during this time we saw two other groups order and receive their food in the meantime! Once were clearly done with our food, we ended up waiting 30-​min for a check… well, actually, I physically went up to the bar and asked for the check. Am I missing something here? I don’t think so, because it seemed like everyone else was served «normally».
So, there beverages were average, and their food was average, but their service sucked butt. I can’t believe we wasted almost 2-​hours here. Oh, and we also asked them for directions to our hotel’s address… and they totally sent us in the wrong direction!
Needless to say, a tip was not left.