The Outhouse

This is another Unilocal Edinburgh find for us (that ‘near you’ section of the app is so handy). I was impressed by the range of beers and the Williams/​Drygate Glasgow style artwork in the photos and fancied a look at the old building.
I would like to visit again on a less busy day, half of the pub was reserved when we arrived, but the people had yet to arrive! I think in a pub this small they should not take bookings for really big groups, but that’s a personal opinion (if it is your party I imagine it is almost like having your own private hired pub!). The beer garden area is large, but as we had taken the only seats which were nor reserved or taken (by the door) we had unpleasant smoker smells blowing in on us occasionally. The music was not too loud for a Saturday night, we could still have a conversation easily. We had two bottles of Williams beer, which were good, but didn’t stay for more based on the seat we had.
Dogs are welcome and even encouraged here; dog treats have their own special section on the menu with four types available! Never seen that before, a nice touch.
It may sound a little odd to give it four stars based on what I have said, but I’m putting my logical head on rather than my emotional head. we would go back here, and Saturday night is not the best time to get your first impressions of a pub!

If I was to describe the Outhouse bar in one word it would be ‘alternative’. Existing in a dodgy alleyway (looks like the kind of street you’d see drug deals) in the New Town, this hip, indie bar doesn’t look too pretty at first sight but once you enter it’s a whole different story. Summer barbecues makes you feel like you’re in your own back garden. Blue Moon on tap, a huge beer garden with wacky artwork on the walls (a bonus in the summer) and a cosy music lounge upstairs, Outhouse Bar is an inviting place for an after-​work drink, pre-​drinks or a full evening of drinking.
Virtually empty during the days, it becomes alive and kicking at night full to the brim with yuppies, hipsters and students. Local artists display their work on the walls which you can purchase. In winter the beer garden is equipped with heaters and a large tent giving it an all-​year round presence outside. Drinks are over-​priced but this is common around the New Town.
From my experience, the staff are the friendliest I have come across in Edinburgh, and they know their whiskey. Music is funky house, hip hop to all styles of rock. You won’t hear Justin Bieber or One Direction here. Chill here with a newspaper after work or a bunch of mates upstairs on a Friday night for your party.
Yay! I’m a fan.

Cool place, great to see Blue Moon on Tap. Wonderful BBQ’s in the summer!

The layout of the outhouse irks me. you might say it’s quirky, I say the bar takes up half the bloody room, is difficult to get served at, and gets in the way of getting in and out of the room. Upstairs is terribly lit. not quite light enough to keep you awake, but too gloomy to be romantic. Also the bar is overpriced. I know drinks keep getting more expensive and I’m sure the outhouse wants to price out the less classy clientel that frequent that part of town.
That said I find myself enjoying the damn place. Apparently there’s a beer garden but i’ve never been here in the summer.

Came in here for a few drinks and well I didnt hate it.
What is it about rock cafes that means they dont seem to do cleaning the place, it was a bit smelly, sticky tables/​floors, kind of just ‘grungy’. I know I sound old and well I am getting old, I love the music in here but just smarten yourself up a little.
Make it sharp, upclass a little and it could work for me!

I like this bar. I like it alot.
It is the sort of place that ain’t trying too hard, nobody ever seems to have heard of it, they have a good selection of beer, the staff are nice and friendly. We went here after a drink at treacle and I gotta say, why didn’t we go earlier, it is by far the better choice out of the two. The prices also seemed fairly reasonable, there is a good amount of seating, some bizzare-​o foreign horror movie on in the background, a dj playing a wide variety of tunes and people dancing like they didn’t care.
It was good, I felt immediately comfortable and I hate to say it, kinda cool when I went here. I may have to make it a regular haunt.

Hard to find Innis & Gunn on tap, enough said. Lovely!
Quality trendy establishment with a great sized courtyard out the back.

This place is so much more than it appears at first glance.
I remember coming here once, a few years ago, as it was sunny and it has a nice outside bit. I seem to recall finding it a bit «meh» and nothing to write home about.
I don’t know if the bar has changed or just me, but «meh» is definitely not how I would describe it now.
First of all, the staff are incredibly lovely. And the manager, man is he all about the business and the quality of what they serve. He was chatting with a few of us about some of the beers they have on tap (Innes and Gunn, and a Glasgow beer whose name escapes me, but is brewed in the same fashion as German beer); he was very proud to tell us that The Outhouse was one of if not the first pub in Scotland to feature these beers on tap.
So, so far we have some seriously good beers, great staff, and from what I heard, top notch cocktails. Add that to a beer garden with a BBQ, and it turns out that this place is a great little hidden gem which I am keen to get to know better.

«Turn right down the alley, and keep walking. You’ll think you’re just walking deeper and deeper into a dodgy alley, but keep going and you’ll get there!»
That was how I was introduced to Outhouse. In fairness, it’s not that far down the alley, and it’s not dodgy. But because of it’s out-​of-​the-​way-​ness, only locals and those in-​the-​know would find it.
I came here for a spot of Friday night, end-​of-​the-​working-​week drinks and it was really quite ace. It’s got a rockish feel to it, a far cry from the trendy cocktail bars on George St. Somewhere for a pint or vodka tonic, although there were cocktails on the menu (of which the caipirinha was amazing!) but they certainly don’t come with umbrellas.
The bar staff were all friendly, it’s a really nice crowd, and there’s a big beer garden (which makes up for the relatively small size inside) which in summer is going to be hella popular I imagine.
Good tunes, good atmosphere, good banter, good drinks. Me likey!

A little bit hidden way but well worth looking for. Reasonably priced, bar staff always seem to be cheery and there is a great beer garden. Its always packed out on sunny days and Friday afternoons. Only gripe would be the toilets are really small and gets seriously cramped in there when it is busy.

The Outhouse is just off Edinburgh’s increasingly trendier Broughton Street. Down a little side alley, if you know where to look, is this wee bar, which pulls in a consistent crowd of local regulars, plus artsy individuals of a trendy nature. The premises are small, but it works, because it gives the bar a really good feeling of local community banter and welcoming chat.
The vibe here is chilled out and laidback, and no one is really in a hurry to bar hop once they arrive here, with most people seeming to stay for more than the one drink. As well as feeling relaxed, The Outhouse looks it, meant in the best way possible. There are no frills or super trendy style additions to the bar, but it doesn’t really need them in all honesty, it looks and functions just fine the way it is.
The last time I was in here was for a BBQ in the fairly sizeable outdoor section, which by the way, makes it an advantage to know about this place if you’re on the hunt for outside drinking facilities on a day of glorious weather.

Outhouse is on Broughton Lane, a lane which I had walked past many a time unaware that a great bar was only a few feet away. I was here last Friday night for some drinks and I really liked it. A nice, bustling atmosphere– but not so busy you spend your night queing at the bar. Drinks were reasonably priced too. The barman was also particularly helpful and understanding when I accidentally dropped a glass in the middle of the floor. FYI, I was (almost) completely sober, I’m just clumsy.

It attracts «all sort of people» it says somewhere. It doesn’t, it’s a bit hippy/​people who like to be mashed. The locations quite cool-​New York, tucked behind the back of other places where usually the deliveries are made.
I can understand why having a beer garden is such a selling point, without it the Outhouse would be finished. Even though we can all agree that Edinburgh isn’t a sitting out place it’s still a huge plus point for us smokers to once again be able to combine our fags and booze.
Friendly staff and cool music is to be expected, and if you like something a bit out there, get sorted out for the infamous Sunday BBQ, despite the name don’t be tempted to bring your parents, no matter how liberal they are.

Great wee place — stubbornly independent in a world where everything seems to be part of a chain.
Great DJs playing a pretty broad range of music all the way from reggae up to the more beatsy stuff. Perfect spot to go pre-​club

Aww I like the Outhouse. It’s really nice. It feels all hidden being down an alleyway and even though lots of people know about it I still feel a bit special and cool whenever I introduce anyone to its charms. Best bit is DEFINITELY the beer garden, it’s big, it has lots of seating, it means you can smoke and drink at the same time. I like. It’s also pretty cheap, and doesn’t tend to get too rammed. In the festival it’s a great spot for drinking– thanks to that beer garden I love so much– and the rest of the time it’s a chilled out spot.

This place is awesome, hidden away, but sadly you will not be the first person to discover it. It is a glass fronted bar complete with heat lamped garden. The barbeques on Sundays are meant to be particularly good.

This café bar is a great place to hang out day or night. The Outhouse is one of a limited number of places in Edinburgh to offer free wifi access, which I have enjoyed on many occasions (especially when sitting under the shade of an umbrella in the lovely beer garden during the summer). The staff are young, friendly and approachable, the drinks are cheap and the music selection is varied and includes something to suit almost everyone. Hidden away in a little backstreet, The Outhouse makes a great venue for a relaxing drink after a film at the nearby Omni or after a long day shopping. Try it and you might just life it!

The Outhouse is hidden away round the corner from Real Foods on Broughton Street. It’s a fab wee bar with a function room upstairs which is pretty spacious with plenty of tables and seating and a dance floor in the middle, it also has it’s own wee bar upstairs. The beer garden is fantastic in the summer time and also a place for the smokers at any time of year, which means you don’t have to walk through a cloud of smoke on your way in! I was there on a Friday night for the first time and it didnt get busy until quite late, it has a great atmosphere and is great wee find. I’ll definitely be going back.

So hidden Im hesitant to give this secret away! A funky bar tucked into a cobbled allyway just off Broughton Street. You’d walk straight by if you didn’t know this gem was stashed just beyond the ally’s archway! Like the bar and it’s vibe, the people its attracts are cool. Really cool. A DJ was spinning the night I went but it wasn’t really a dancing scene-​most folk were hanging outside on a wooden pation (which in summer apparantly hosts a Sunday BBQ) or millinh about at the bar looking… well… cool. I spotted signage that would suggest they have stand up comedy on a Thursday night– definately worth checking out… if you can find it!