The Jolly Botanist

If I’m drinking, I’m drinking gin. One last drink for the road led us to the Jolly Botanist. JB has shabby chic interior; chandeliers, old, worn-​in books and a hefty gin selection. I couldn’t help but thinking some authentic music would go with the old-​timey vibe they’re going for. — Some background jazz really would be the cherry on the cake!
Service was great, with the barman offering us recommendations and talking us through the gin options. I went for a favourite of mine: Caorrun gin. It came with Fentiman’s tonic and a garnish of orange and ginger and was delicious. I don’t think my budget could stretch to drinking here all night since it was on the expensive side, but for one or two drinks, the Jolly Botanist won’t break the bank.
However, the reason that it’s just three stars for me is that there were quite a few fruit flies in the bar. Having had a home invasion of the buggers, I know just how hard they are to get rid of and just how fast they double in quantity. But it’s so easy to look up home remedies online, many that customers wouldn’t even notice. It really isn’t pleasant sipping a gin and tonic in the presence of flies! — Especially when they’ve fruit and other fresh garnishes by the counter. Perhaps they need to ensure these are stored away so as not to attract them in the first place.
Also, there was some green mould on the wall behind us. It seems like the JB is in need of a little TLC. At the moment, the Jolly Botanist is a one-​drink stop for me and one I’ll probably wait a little time before indulging in again.

I went to the Jolly Botanist with a group of friends before going out for dinner. As it was Friday night, the place was absolutely packed and very loud. I’m surprised I managed to give my drink order at the bar as my voice ain’t the loudest.
I like the décor in this place. Big chandeliers in the back, faded vintage look. Oh and the big TV screens add to the Victorian charm ;)
Asked for a Hendrick’s gin and tonic. Got one with Fentimans tonic water, which is not my favourite. I couldn’t taste the gin from the tonic. Better ask for a different tonic next time. However, the glass the drink was served in was absolutely beautiful. Jolly Botanist have an extensive range of gins, so there should be something for everyone.
Table next to us were having burgers so eating here is an option for sure. Not sure I’d pay £12 for a burger though, in a pub.

I was here at the weekend for my 30^th birthday, and while it was nice, it wasn’t as nice as I’d remembered.
People were sat at our reserved table, and the waitress did move them, but they remained sat on the stools at the end with their drinks on our table. Was a bit disappointed that the waitress seemed happy with that and didn’t move them on.
We were ordering food, and after getting the menus and waiting, we weren’t sure if it was table service or if we had to order at the bar. Eventually someone came to take our order.
The food was nice, but nothing special. We all had burgers, which came with potato wedges, much nicer than with fries!
The gin menu is extensive, but there are no prices in it. I know in most bars the prices aren’t displayed, but if you’re going to have a drinks menu, surely the prices would be a useful addition.
When we asked for the bill for the food and drinks, they had forgotten to take off the £50 deposit that had been paid to secure the booking on a Saturday night, so we had to flag someone down again to get that sorted.
Finally, the service at the bar was painfully slow, a good 10 minute wait for each order. The place was busy, but I don’t think busy enough to justify the long waiting times.

This place may become one of my favourite pubs to drink at in Edinburgh. I have only visited twice and on both occasions it was very busy though miraculously managed to find a table to sit at. One hiccup was when the waitress originally ask us to move as they forgot to put a table reserved sign but she was very apologetic and offered to find us an alternative table so no harm done.
Some quirky decorations with an antique kinda feel, out of the ordinary drinks on the menu and very appealing food menu.
Drinks at the bar were being served quickly as the bar was well staffed and liked how friendly everyone was despite being very busy.
Top marks for their choices of gins, I liked their caorunn and monkey 47, I don’t pretend to be a gin expert but it was delightful! One thing though their menu was puzzling to read… At that stage I was sober, I can only imagine having a few too many and staring at the cocktail menu to finally give up ordering a cocktail for being too much effort decrypting!
The food was delicious, my friend and I struggled picking something off the menu as all sounded amazing so we ended up sharing. Fillet steak sandwich served with peppercorn sauce was perfectly seasoned and cooked, very tender and my personal favourite. The veggie burger with butternut squash, coriander and chunky chips was also flavoursome and very lush.
As a still fairly new place I honestly believe they are doing very well at keeping me delighted in coming back. So I might well get jolly sometimes soon at Jb.

Gin, Gin and more Gin but also non-​gin options.
The Jolly Botanist drinks menu has three pages of gin with matching tonic suggestions. They also have a page of gin cocktails and another of non-​gin cocktails. During a relaxed Friday night we sampled quite a few of the gin cocktails and they were all really nice and well presented. Having tried all three types of Edinburgh Fizz, the rhubarb and ginger ones were my favourite, it tasted almost like a rhubarb and custard sweet in liquid form.
The décor is interesting and a bit industrial/​hipster. It works well in the space and I really like the copper piping lights.
The only negative of the Jolly Botanist is that it was really loud. The music was far too loud to be able to have a conversation without feeling like you were shouting.

Visited The Jolly Botanist for the first time on Friday. Really friendly atmosphere, quirky décor, great service and an excellent choice of drinks. The cocktails from the Gin Aficionados cocktail menu were to die for. There’s more to gin than G&Ts! Highly recommended.

Visiting this for the first time a couple of weeks ago, I have good memories.
We met up with some friends on a Sunday. They had some live music, but if you sit at the back behind the bar it isn’t as loud.
I like the farmer’s barn look and feel about it, some likeliness to the Potting Shed, mixed in with the Teuchter’s Landing, but suitably on the other end of the city which needs this kind of place.
They have a big central bar serving all the ‘Heineken’ beer fare, like Affligem Dubbel, Amstel and some ciders too. Normal Edinburgh prices apply.
Some of us were a bit peckish and we ordered a couple of platters. This was very nicely prepared, good food selection and just about enough.
The service is very friendly, but could’ve been a bit more efficient.
Some of the tables in this place are ideal for a nice bout of card or board playing and we had a very good time. (We played a card game)
Recommended for the quiet hours in the day, as I can imagine it can get quite full and noisy.

It’s the first time I went there on a Sunday evening and it was still very lively, but at least you could get a table easily for 6 people. And we even got a very cozy spot in the back. I sooo love the interior. It’s really funky and unique with all the random teapots, bird cages, sparkly glass chandeliers and various sizes of mirrors being part of the interior decoration.
The bar is good sized and holds a substantial selection of various booze. Having said this, I was quite disappointed at the lack of Heineken beer, Radler or one of Heineken’s new Cider products on the market called Cloudy Apple Cider. Well, apparently it’s a Heineken pub.
Service was nice too. We ordered a cold meat and cheese platter, which was quite good and got served in a timely manner.
In the summer the glass wall opens and you can have a drink whilst enjoying the coolness of fresh air flowing through your hair, warming up to a lovely summer breeze.
I will be back!

My second trip to the Jolly Botanist was much like the first. Decent service, a great selection of gins and several types of tonic with recommendations for pairings.
Both times I’ve visited on a Friday afternoon and both times it was nice and quiet with lots of space and attentive service before 4pm, at which point the place is mobbed with after-​work-​drinkers. It’s the exact type of place you’d go to after work — not a dive bar, some thematic things going on (the upcycled vintage mismatched trend) and decent drinks at a reasonable price. Just jolly enough.
This was the first time I’d eaten here though, and frankly I was served the best steak sandwich I’ve ever had. The steak was generous and thick, cooked perfectly to still be a touch pink and plenty juicy. The pepper sauce provided was an excellent accompaniment and the floury roll was just the right amount of soft and chewy. It came with lovely mushrooms and tomatoes and some chunky handcut chips, all of which were tasty too. All in all it was a great plate of food which I was happy to pay £10 for.
I had two Pickerings gins (I kept wanting to call it Pickwicks but it’s not that…) with fevertree tonic and also an Eton Mess (a Jolly Mess according to the menu) for pudding which was also delish.
The whole meal came to about £32 each which included two courses and three drinks per person.
Service was fine, servers attentive and I appreciated that all the staff were inkeeping with the hipster theme (wearing braces, bowties and some with wee fancy moustaches) even though it felt a smidge pretentious.
One star off a perfect review for handing us the wrong menus and then when we’d chosen stuff telling us we couldnt have it (forgivable if it wasn’t for the fact that they didn’t remove the lunch menus from the menus they handed out to other customers after us), and also for not a single smile from staff the entire time we were there. It’d be a half star off if I could do such a thing but I’ll have to round it off.
All four of the other stars are for that sandwich. I will be back for another go around of that sandwich. 10/​10, would eat again. Come for the gin, stay for the grub.

Cute gin bar in the west end of Edinburgh which serves a great breakfast with lots of options. Lots of drinks to choose from and the staff are very helpful when it comes to choosing a drink as they ask your preferences to Tailor it to your taste! I always like to leave decisions to the professionals! :)

I think I may well becoming jolly good mates with this new joint. Over 50 gins from around the world served with suggested tonic and fruits in very pleasant surroundings… How wonderful. The interior is quirky and warm with lots of dark wood and green and has some lovely old antique furniture pieces and a fireplace. It’s a big space with lots of little pockets of cosy seats and tables. The front window shutters pull over to allow the sun to stream in and let you have a nosy outside too which is a bonus for the Summertime! We tried 6 different gins during our visit which we really enjoyed — I’d recommend Royal Dock, Junipero and Adnams. They also have a cocktail list which is mainly gin based but with a great bar selection too. I did find the drinks a bit expensive around £10-£11 for 2 single g and t’s, I know they are specialty gins but still a dear round! Never the less I really liked it’s style and just love gin so I’ll be back to try some more soon I’m sure!

Went for their gin as a pre-​dinner stop. Quite busy at 6:30PM. Filled with all kinds of people and group sizes. Running sports on telly. A pub feel that serves lots of gin inspired cocktails, some wines, bubbles, etc. some nice drinks sampled by our group of 7. They serve food, but weren’t able to get a booking to eat. All enjoyed but thought it was a bit pricey. Service a bit slow, but lots of people working. Overall, decent place if you’re in that area, but lots of similar choices elsewhere. Glad we tried it.

As a gal who studied horticulture in uni, the first time my bus cruised past The Jolly Botanist, I immediately took note. I took even more note when I realized it was not only called something fanciful, but it was A GIN joint. Well butter my butt and call me a biscuit! Shortly thereafter my coworkers and I set up a gin-​drinkin’ date.
The first thing you’ll find out about the Jolly is that it’s swanky cute. It’s full of antique charm, all exposed brick and hanging low-​light fluorescent bulbs. There’s a cluttered mix of cushioned chairs and tables in a sizeable room, and when we stepped inside we noticed that the clientele was dressed pretty spiffily. Or perhaps we were just taken in by the two gents in full suits, as well as other gents sporting flat caps. (Nice!) Methinks this would be an excellent date spot, or just a good place for an excuse to dress up a bit. ;)
Because all the tables were occupied when we arrived, we asked a server if there were any others. She said no and that she’d inform us when there was, so we proceeded to carry on with drink ordering. We’d already spotted a table when she returned to us to offer it up – points there! Most folk would have immediately forgotten in the din of a busy place. So without further ago we plopped down on two comfy smooshy benches. So far so good!
Now on to the drinks! While the JB has an impressive list of gins on hand and our gin and tonics were perfectly fine (but not life-​changing), other non-​gin cocktails were a little iffy in flavors. Unfortunately the same can be said of the food – for the price we paid, the food was standard at best. I ordered the cauliflower macaroni cheese, and my cohorts the quinoa. Again, it was decent grub but there was no ranting and raving involved at the end, which is sort of what you hope for when you pay a bit more!
At the end of the day I’m content with my experience at the JB. Certainly the atmosphere and the dedication to gin alone is worth four stars in my book, but to seal the deal I think better grub and cheaper prices is due. Still, I liked it more than enough to return in the future!

We arrived to early for a table at a nearby restaurant so decided to go for a pre-​drink.
The bar was really busy, but for a Saturday night you have to expect that to happen.
We were lucky grabbing a seat as a few people were leaving. So giving the bar was busy, I say that was jammy!
The drinks list is quite extensive … But the prices are expensive, I wouldn’t find myself here for a whole night out.
The interior of the bar is quite cool, seems to be on current trend to show the bricks and mortar.
For a drink I would come here if in the area. For 2 drinks (wine and beer) it was £10.10, which was a tad expensive in our books. I don’t think it would result in plural drinks unless you were suddenly rich!

This place is my new local — far too convenient/​dangerous for my wallet. I’ve been here a couple of times for drink and for food, so I’ve got a fair impression of the place now.
It’s beautifully decorated and has a great cozy vibe. The selection of gin behind the bar is OBSCENE — I’ve never seen so many! Other than gin they have a pretty solid liquor choice for the non gin drinkers too. Our gin cocktails were yummy, as were our regular g and t’s. Be warned — the price can be quite steep. Almost 2 50 for soda and lime?! Eek!
The food is where this place is let down slightly. It’s not terrible — just a bit meh. My ‘pan ko’ prawns did not appear to be made with Panko and were not very hot, but were beautifully presented. My mums yummy burger was served with a side of undercooked, bordering on raw soggy fries… hmm. For the price, we were sceptical — but perhaps had just made bad choices, as the fish and chips looked amazing!
Overall, a great bar for payday. And I’ll give the food anther try — off night maybe?

This review is written from visitng on their fourth day opened and it is fair to say that they had alot of teething issues. I would like to visit it again in a couple of months and I hope I can rate it higher than 3 stars.
I went here on the first saturday it was open. I pass it daily on my way to work and had been watching the transformation from what was a dodgy old mans pub to a trendy gin joint.
It was my birthday day out with friends and I had booked a table for 10 people to ensure we got a seat as I had anticipated that it would be busy as there had been such a buzz about it opening. I arrived to find every table full and no reservation for us. I showed the bar staff the confirmation of the table reservation and they apologised and found a table and we squeezed around it.
There was table service and it took 40 minutes from the point of ordering to getting our drinks which I find just way to long. The gin menu looked great but they didn’t have all the gins available as the supplier hadn’t delivered them yet.
My friend ordered a Negroni, which I would say is a pretty standard gin cocktail and they didn’t have one, they said they would make one up if we told them what the ingredients were (The Negroni cocktail is made of one part gin, one part vermouth rosso, and one part Campari, garnished with orange peel.)
I bought the first round and only realised after we left and I looked at my receipt (photo attached) that for the negroni they charged me £2.80 for the martini, £2.80 for the campari, £6.50 for the gin and £1 for the tonic which is £13.10p for the Negroni and it didn’t have the orange peel and it wasn’t in the correct quantities that it just wasn’t great. I had expected that they would have charged me the price of a cocktail circa £8, if I had known that, I would have been sending the ill mixed drink back. My Safron gin was nice and I am pleased to see them using premium tonic water.
We were queuing to get a second drink when it was announced that they were out of ice! a bar out of ice! is this not a basic requirement? Anyway about 20 minutes later bin bags of ice arrived and we ordered a second drink.
I think that the prices are a little on the high side (this is not George Street) I would like to see this place just getting it a bit more. I want decent gin and decent prices and without all the fuss that came with it.
Please get better as I want to come back.