The Globe Bar

Located on Niddry Street just off the Royal Mile, this pub is very centrally located. There is absolutely nothing special about the pub itself, but it is great for watching football and the beer is cheap. The Globe has two fairly large rooms with large screens within, so it is possible to show 2 games complete with commentary. There are also numerous tv screens around the bar creating a real sports-​bar feel to the place. The clientele are definitely in the youthful category, and somewhat cosmopolitan. The Globe appears to be especially popular with Spanish for some reason, hence a lot of Spanish football is shown on the big screens! I believe it is also popular with backpackers from nearby hostels, attracted by the cheap beer!
I would describe The Globe as ‘functional’ rather than spectacular.

A decent dive bar
Was overcharged for my drinks
The best time is late

The Globe was next to my hotel and the first bar I stopped in. I had a few drinks and played a round of pub trivia there as a one-​man team, but overall I just couldn’t dig the vibe.
It seemed very geared towards people in their very early 20s — students, backpackers and the like.
It had something of a sports-​bar vibe, which is fine if you follow the sports they’re playing. But unlike American sports bars I’m used to which have a much more diverse crowd cheering on the Sox, Bruins, or the (blech) Patriots — there didn’t seem to be anyone in this place over 22 and only a few of them were watching the Rugby match. There was not the rambunctious cheering I associate with a good sports bar with a game on.
The place wasn’t very busy (it was a Monday night around 10pm) and I was sitting at the bar by myself, but the bartenders never said more than three words to me. This was very different than my experience in other places in Edinburgh where I could usually strike up a bit of a conversation on a slow night.
It’s not a horrible bar, and if you’re a young backpacker or student it may be just your thing. But it’s not really my scene.

Guilty pleasures rarely get better than this.
The only reason The Globe isn’t my one-​stop locale for all my social/​sport-​viewing needs is that they don’t do food; that said, however, I believe they are completely willing to allow you in with whatever grub you find from one of myriad takeaways located around the North Bridge, Royal Mile and Cowgate areas, in which Globe rests like a wee diamond.
Mainly a backpacker bar, the drinks are obviously cheaper. But this also means there are always events on for the ever-​changing regulars to get involved with. Live music, movie nights, quiz nights, crab racing… okay not sure about that last one. But the point is it wouldn’t surprise me.
Never any hassle, which considering the amount of chavs that frequent on the weekends (a result of the cheapness) and it’s proximity to the Hive (next door) I think that’s a rather impressive claim. I think it’s largely down to the fact no one wants to get barred from this place. You may as well cut off your drinking arm!!!
Okay not really.
With a tv on every wall, The Globe is a haven for sport lovers, often alternating the screens between 2 to 3 separate events. Eyes in the back of my head please???
Staff are laid back and friendly. Crowds are ever-​revolving and always multi-​national. If you’re into random banter and cheap drinks, The Globe is perfect.

Probably my favorite pub we went to on the pub crawl – fun, tv’s, nice layout, lots of people, what more can you ask for? maybe cleaner and cheaper drinks – we were on a pub crawl anyway!

I’m lucky to live so close to such a great little bar. The staff are friendly (especially on hearing another Aussie accent) and you can normally find a seat.
Also, 4 bombs, 2 fancy cocktail-​like drinks and 4 redskins came to about £15, which sounds like good value to me!

As a general rule, upon entering the Globe Bar, you will be met with three types of people: students taking advantage of the cheap drinks, sports fans taking advantage of the large flat screen TV’s that show all the latest games etc, and finally backpackers who stay at the abundance of hostels around this area.
The mixture of these three types of people, each with thier respective reasons for coming to the Globe Bar means that if you were looking for a quiet night you have come to the wrong place. If you are looking for trendy cocktails and dancing, you had also better leave.
Generally, this place is good — its cheap, has a friendly and fun atmosphere, but can get a bit rowdy and uncomfortable.

The Globe is built under ground almost and this is reflected in the long archways on the roof of the building,. The layout has all the long arches leading down to the big screens which is pretty cool.
The drink is cheap and it is always full of students and travellers which provides a great atmosphere. the drinks are quite cheap too and you cant leave without having the Aussie Burger crisps!

As the name suggests, The Globe takes inspiration from all walks of life. Strength lies in sport though and you can be guaranteed this pub will be brimming with wasted (but generally harmless) louts on big game days. If you like if roudy, you’ve stumbled across the right place.
The Globe also has karaōke nights (Tuesdays) and quiz nights (Mondays) — held by Quizmaster B… an Aussie bloke who knows how to make quizzin’ a good time (far from your Trivial Pursuit style).
There’s also good prices to be had here with drink specials on a range of bevys around the clock. This combined with multiple flat panel TVs and projector screens, make it a popular drinking hole for students, travellers from the nearby hostels and tight-​arses in general. A good time over round.