The Voodoo Rooms

After being sold a ticket for a show that wasn’t on, was met by a friendly and apologetic member of staff although in able to resolve the issue assured me and other mis-​sold ticket holders that we should come back tomorrow once they had chance to resolve the issue properly. so after missing out on the show that evening and now having to re arrange to come back on the second day of my 3 day trip, I’m told very quickly and not even apologetically that it’s not their fault as *there wasn’t even a show on so you shouldn’t have bought a ticket* which is always a helpful solution to make your paying guests feel ashamed and stupid on top of being mis-​sold and short of money. Luckily I had no other shows at their venue and don’t plan on returning with such service.

Edinburgh Blues Club with special guests Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band & Lights Out By Nine
Friday 27^th March 2015
7:00pm
On my third visit to The Edinburgh Blues Club (EBC) at the Voodoo Rooms and the following has definitely increased along with its success. I was happy to see there was improved seating and table arrangements, but there were still not enough chairs to meet demand.
First up for the night were the Fifers, Lights Out By Nine who play powerhouse rhythm and blues, funk and soul and have developed a collection of their own original songs. Signed by River Records they have released four original albums: «Moving On» along with a live set titled «The River Sessions,» «Good Morning Mr Universe» and «Make Your Own Luck». The bands front man is a new addition to the crew, long time friend and reputable soul and blues man — John Frame, who is accompanied by band members Alan Kyle, Dougie Hunter, George Morrison, Graham Key, John Beresford, Paul Haddow, Tom Stirling and Arthur Cook.
The first thing that struck me when Lights Out By Nine started playing was John Frame’s powerful voice, he belted out clear lyrics with a gravelly husky edge. Supporting Frame was guitar, bass, drums, trumpets and saxophone. The groovy tunes flowed. The horns provided tremendous fanfare solos. ‘It went all down the drain’ provided a mellow interlude before their self-​proclaimed funkicology track; the guitarist provided most of the cheerful banter and encouraged the audience to take to the dance floor. The shy audience remained in place, but there was definitely some shuffling on spot and bouncing heads! ‘How long’ allowed Frame to master gruff vocals which was married well with the almost feminine soft backing vocals from the guitar, bass and keyboard player. The guitarist admitted the set list was unplanned and the musicians discussed amongst themselves the order of play, but as a band they performed with ease and a relaxed manner, demonstrating a slick and professional ensemble. ‘Laughing on the other side’ was introduced as their devil music, followed by an amusing anecdote about performing it in a church. They told us that it was not the first time they had crossed musical paths with tonight’s headline act Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band, they thanked them for the music gear but joked they would be getting it back! It was explained that Frame doesn’t talk much because «he can’t get a work in» Frame interrupted, but he was actually just saving his singing voice the man with the chat — guitarist proclaimed! As time moved on and more drinks were sunk, member of the audience grew in confidence and filled the dance floor. They finished on a funky number dedicated to James Brown, which really got people moving. A belter of a band guaranteed to please.
After a brief interval for a raffle with an impressive set of blues CDs from past performers up for grabs, the headline act Gerry Jablonski and The Electric Band followed. Aberdeen’s longest standing and most gifted four-​piece blues rock powerhouse band. Front man Gerry has been a performing strong in the Scottish music scene for 30 plus years and his guitar playing is well treasured. Tragically founding member, drummer and dear friend, Dave Innes, lost his fight with cancer, but the band vowed to continue performing in his memory. Gerry’s latest ensemble sees the new addition Polish blues harp phenomenon Pete Narojczyk and more recently young lad Lewis Fraser on drums who can sing too! One member of the audience even jokingly heckled, «he sings better than you Gerry!» Along with the bassist, Grigor Leslie they play original music in honor to the blues rock classics that have influenced this band.
From the start the band explode onto the stage, wowing the audience with their authentic gutsy performance. Jablonski has grown into an experienced, entertaining showman. The Edinburgh Blues Club saw him and the band giving it their all. Jablonski’s high-​energy stage presence is mesmerising, he struts and strides across the stage, arms flailing and pulling tremendous facial expressions. This comical character maintains enormous energy throughout the entire set, springing about like a newborn lamb! The groovy music is complimented by the talented harmonica player, Narojczyk. Superb harmonica solo echoes around the ballroom filling the entire venue in soft warmth along with Jablonski’s extensive guitar solos. relaxed for a moment as drummer, Lewis Fraser sings a mellow number with just Jablonski on guitar to accompany him initially and then the drum, bass and harmonica followed on. At one point between tracks, Jablonski increases the guitar volume and blows into the guitar strings, sending a soft strum to wave across the audience. It was good to see a number of die-​hard fans in the audience knowing every lyric and relishing the performance. An encore was commanded and Jablonski finished with an impressive guitar solo.

Yep, I’m going 5 stars, despite my actually having reservations.
So whenever someone says, hey wanna see this band at the voodoo rooms, I always say yes. It’s a top venue. I can only think of one duff band i’ve seen there in 8 years of going. Granted I’m not even there quarterly, but quality over quantity.
The bar is pretty small, and is always rammed when I’m there. Despite this the staff are crazy good, always serving multiple people, double pouring, all sorts of nonsense to make sure service is as fast as it can be.
I haven’t had much of the food hear, the menu outside looks pretty tasty though. I did have a desert here a while back as means of securing a table. I can’t remember the specifics of said desert, but both my date and I thought it was very tasty, and went well with our cocktails which were also super tasty.
All in all, I think the Voodoo Rooms are just really bloody cool. A hint of the forbidden speakeasy to it somehow. I’m totally charmed by the place, that and the amazing gigs, it has to be 5 stars.

Having done some research on Unilocal this sounded like the perfect bar to hang out in.
The bar could be tricky to find if you didn’t have a sat nav or local knowledge of the area as it is tucked away in the corner of a street.
Upon arrival there was a bouncer on the door and leather walls led up to the main bar area — kinky!
There are several rooms to this place but alas the room I really wanted to go in with a square coloured dance floor, was being hired out for a private party for the evening.
The main bar was awesome — ornately decorated in black and gold and felt very plush — what a find! There are a number of booth like areas but we propped ourselves at the bar whilst looking over the cocktail menu.
The bar staff were awesome! After having a few drinks my partner decided he would like a Bourbon milk punch! And despite this not being on the menu off they went to make it! They needed a little guidance in making it but were willing to accommodate the request. The punch was delicious!
There was a DJ in the corner who played some awesome tunes which got people up and dancing including us.
Would definitely strut my stuff into this bar again.

We had dinner in the Voodoo Rooms. Many people still don’t know that besides this being an awesome club and bar you can also have a decent meal in one of the restaurant rooms.
First you need to know that this place is a maze. There are steps and entrances all around. Secondly there is a constant buzz of people going from room to room, like an unintended swingers party, they’re trying out the atmosphere in the different rooms. And so you should!
When seated in the room I couldn’t help to think that this was just a few red glow light dimmer switch notches away from a dining in the dark experience. As luck would give it my wife is a gorgeous blonde and I was able to pick her out sitting opposite me.
Who I noticed was trying to figure out the drinks and meal menu by the light of a candle.
— 1 star
You do get used to the dim reddish lighting and you’ll find that the place is decorated with golden pillars, black wood panels, black leather chesterfield seats and cherry blossom trees in the window.
The word here is ‘opulent’ in a saturated form. It fits.
We had mains only, but the menu promised very nice starters and desserts.
My 28 day dry cured rib eye steak was cooked to requirement and I was very pleased with the skinny fries. this was accompanied by … a big plastic bottle of Hellmans Mayonnaise.
Ehh. really?
Yup. Hellmans. In. A. Bottle.
Plastic.
It took away the vibe and feel of a dark misty, opulent and classical setting and replaced it with a feel of a cheap corner caf with a power outage.
That shaved off a star in my book.
I do like to return here for their bar and especially their cocktails. I think they are impressive.
So in all a solid 3 stars, for now

Playing host to the VERY Illicit Thrill Burlesque show during the fringe, the Voodoo Rooms comprises of a small labyrinth of bars and function rooms. They offer an extensive (and expensive!) range of cocktails, prepared by extremely skilled bar staff. Seriously, these guys and gals don’t just throw some vodka and pineapple juice in a mixer. One lass was blow torching rosemary at the bar for a «smoked» effect.
Despite it being a busy Friday night we were served pretty quickly, as staff effortlessly prepared complex feats of mixology. Unfortunately, my budget would only allow for 2 drinks, as cocktails start at £7.50, going up to 17 quid!
The name says dark and mysterious, the décor says luxury, the music says «Turn the speakers off!» as a mix of… I think the kids call it house, or something to that effect, blasts through the small bar and seating areas.
But, as a once in a while thing it’s a nice treat, and the atmosphere is a mix of casual, to dolled up.

This is one of those other places that when people fly in, I take them. Aside from the beautiful setting of the bar, nice selection of drinks and friendly service the bar is off the beaten track giving it that ‘hidden’ vibe to it.
I haven’t been to any of the shows (other than the Vegas Hogmanay ball), but they seem great from the photos!

The Voodoo Rooms is always a pleasure to visit even without a room full of Unilocalers to keep you company! It’s beautiful décor and it’s fantastic selection of drinks really do make for a great night out. It’s not somewhere I’d pop in for a quick drink however I would feel welcome here no matter what attire I’m wearing despite it’s chandeliers and other extravagant items.
It’s tucked away in a nice little corner which mean there not many people just wandering in off the street and yet there still a nice mix of people inside. The atmosphere is relaxed and there is usually some sort of entertainment on.

Spent a great night here watching a local band. Room completely packed on a hot July night, air condition doing its job pretty well. The show sounded great and I liked the setup of the venue with tables at both sides of the room, the stage at the top front, the bar in the back of the room, standing area in the middle of the room. Barkeepers did a great job serving all the people, drinks were decent. Loved it. Will definitely come back.

I’ve been here once before.
For some unknown reason i usually overlook this place as a place to go and I don’t know why! It’s a good place to come and have a function as i know there is at least 2 function rooms and then the main bar. I remember having a good cocktail the time before this visit.
This visit was great as Voodoo provided a nice little array of canapes and cocktails for the Elite event!
I really should get a group of friends to meet here as i think it would kick off a great evening before moving along!

The first year or so I was in Edinburgh The Voodoo Rooms was a regular haunt of mine. It has fallen out of favour somewhat after a disastrous burlesque show I attended from which I may never recover (I will also never look at milk the same way again, ask no questions!)
The cocktails are pretty good. They take their time over them and so often your wait at the bar can stretch on, particularly on a Friday or Saturday night. The drinks are fairly worth the wait though. The food is alright. Nothing particularly memorable though and it’s never on my list for munch or dinner.
The staff are nice and generally quite amicable. I imagine it’s hard to be as careful making cocktails correctly while the waiting punters multiply but they manage it!
The décor is probably what draws me the most. Black velvet curtains, gold awning and mirrored tables. The place screams gothic decadence, well, not loudly but it’s definitely speaking in an outdoor voice indoors.
I’ll update this review with less vague details should I return. Until then, it’s a worth a gander and a decent place but it’s not topping any lists for me.

Being in Edinburgh for a few days this week, I was bowled over by the choice of great drinking and dining options available.
We were at The Voodoo Rooms for an event downstairs and throughout this, the bar staff were efficient, effective, friendly and welcoming to our group. We had some cocktails in their ‘Speakeasy’ area, while also enjoying some food from the wide ranging and well priced dinner menu. All 3 of us went for the burgers which were obviously freshly made — plus they had a succulent flavour and texture that you don’t get in normal run of the mill bars. I also liked the fact that although the Speakeasy bar was small, they still kept a good range of beers like Brooklyn in it as opposed to offering just a limited supply.
One of the bonuses of the Voodoo rooms is the fact that it’s a labyrinth of rooms with loads of varying entertainment going on in different areas. Their main bar upstairs is a real classic, quality long seating bar with a great vibe — the sort of place I’d love to spend more time just chilling out and relaxing in the afternoon with a nice pint and the newspaper.
I also really enjoyed their ‘Ballroom’ which had an excellent band playing 60’s and 70’s psychedelic music — this to me was the icing on the cake of an evening spent across all the bars in this venue.
I love places that are big enough to have loads of flow and give you the option to move around like you’re at a house party, with loads of leisure and socialising options available — Voodoo rooms has this in abundance so check it out!

Where to start?!
I stumbled upon this place after a random late Thursday evening (23^rd May ;)) sticky toffee pudding hunting with my GF.
/​/​W R O N G S I D E /​/​
After driving up the, now one-​way street before hand (left side of St Andrews Square as you exit George Street) to approach the venue [Crazy shizz I know], we walked up the stairwell with what I resembled to be the start of an a rollercoaster on space mountain or something. It could also could be referred to as what you might imagine your backstage entrance to «Stars in Their Eyes» would be like… or just some stairs with lights on the ceiling. It was cool though and got my mouth to stay open for about 20 seconds (health and safety issue with all my dessert craving drool on the steps but never mind!)
/​/​I N S I D E & S E R V I C E /​/​
Inside it was quite lively and there was a good vibe and atmosphere. The clientele was mixed (old and young) but both of the more sophisticated nature. I had quickly researched this place online prior to us going and therefore had booked a table for our random Thursday Night Dessert OFF! so we had a table reserved. One thing was that we had to awkwardly wait for a couple of minutes, and then go up to the side of the bar and ask one of the staff members about the table we had booked as there was no one at the «dolly waiter» at that time. Anyway, we got seated and were presented with the menu and advised of the specials etc but then waited for the moment to break the script by saying that we were just in for dessert :)
The rest went a little like this:
–Received Dessert Menu,
–Had seen it online, and ofcourse that they had sticky toffee pudding,
–Ordered one of those and a New York Cheese Cake!
/​/​N E W E X P E R I E N C E S /​/​
One thing that was very simple but awsome as well was the jug of water we got for the table which had been marinated with a cucumber in it — YUM-​YUM.
So sippin cucumber H2o, it was time to have a good look around from our table O~o
The interior décor was very vintage and royal with its sculptured ceilings and walls and hanging chandeliers. The dinning room we were in, next door to the bar, was modernly dated with that classy old vibe which was a change and the booths looked great for gatherings of friends. Instantly we planned to have our next night out here.
After going to the bathroom and having a flash back to the website, I noticed the array of events held in the venue. With private hire of venue space obviously available too! CMY EVENT THERE SOON I HOPE! :D
/​/​T I P S /​/​
–The prices are pretty reasonable for the atmosphere, the location and the quality of food. It was even better with a Gourmet Society Card offering 50% off! BOOM: D
–Arrive early for a booth, or call to reserve one.
–Thursday nights are busy.
–Sticky Toffee Pudding & New York Cheese Cake were amazing, mouth = watering
–You can rock up in anything casual but the majority of people were smart casual on a Thursday night.
Can’t wait to go here for drinks and report back!

First of all i have experience of cocktails from all over the world, most of all from NY at different mixologists bars, like Milk and honey for ex.
We order two cocktails, the bartender or if he like to try to be a mixologist, he made the cocktails in front of us, and two of the ingridients was finsished after half use, for ex the ginger, but he did still make it as nothing has happend.
He seamed pretty nervous, perhaps he was on drugs.
Cocktails tasted only strong spirits, my grirlfriend could not drink it, i told him that she dont want it, he asked what she wanted instead? She wanted red wine instead (cause he could not make cocktails), then he went away for 5 minutes, we starred at him and then he just asked like nothing happend «Hey what do you like to have?, –ehh? we just said red wine –Ok that will be xx pounds»
We just went away of this stupid guy and place.
They also charge you 50 pence for pay by card? Come on, whats the deal?
If you like to have good cocktails try Monteiths or Dragonfly instead.

Who do? Voodo? Yeah, they do!
This is the one bar I always visit on a night out, and it never ceases to amaze me! Firstly, as mentioned numerous times below the décor is awesome, it’s a bit like a young Catherine Zeta Jones, sexy and welcoming! Big booths and a nice long bar!
There is an absolutely beautiful cherry blossom tree outside and if you catch it at the right times of the year, it’s a great view from up above.
They have separate rooms that form a restaurant and a private area for functions etc, if you are smart, and sneaky like me, you can normally gate crash one of the private events going on. One time I snuck into hear a young guy form Glasgow, a white man with an afro, rock out some of the best MJ and Bill Withers covers I have ever heard (FYI ‘Use me’ by Bill Withers is my favourite song ever). This experience was made even more enjoyable by the absolutely orgasmic Mojito I was drinking at the time.
The cocktails are among the best in town, after a while I normally go rogue and start asking for random things not on the menu — they have a huge espresso machine that looks like something form a steam punk film so that always make me think of espresso martinis
Another time I visited, during a mega snow storm, and the cherry blossom tree looked like a big mutant ice lolly, I spotted Phil Jupitus on the decks. It was the night before Black Friday, and I was relieved to be away from work and to have some time for a drink. The night before Black Friday is an apprehensive one as you want to forget about the absolute pumping you will get the next day, but also you can’t forget about it as you need to start lubricating. Anyway, Big Phil is on the decks, so I said to the girl I’m with,
‘WTF is PJ doing on the decks?‘
to which she replied ‘who is PJ?‘
and I said ‘Phil Jupitus, no?’,
‘no?!’
…‘oh…‘
I’ll just be star struck alone– I tried to play it cool and not go over to get my photo taken with him, but a few more cocktails and we started chatting.
‘Hey Phil, I think you are awesome!
Thanks man
So why are you on the decks here?
I owed a guy a favour
… Can I get a photo with you?
yeah, sure’
I still have the photo

This was my second time in this bar and I did wonder last night why I haven’t come here more… I didn’t come up with an answer by the way. It’s a plush looking bar, really nicely decorated. We had a private room for a party, which wasn’t so plush looking, but was still great for what we wanted. We had our own bar with a friendly staff member, dancefloor which was all lit up, toilets, and we were able to hook up our own music (though this wasn’t necessarily a good thing as whoever brought their music didn’t have the best taste. It was also too loud when trying to talk to people). It was a good sized space aswell for a party and there was lots of seating though no one really used it. I got the impression from the main bar that it would be harder to get seats as it looked very busy but then again it was a Saturday night.
I definitely want to go back again in a few weeks when I’ve friends visiting from home and explore the other main areas of the Voodoo Rooms.

Lovely high ceiling entertainment rooms!
The event room was dark and small and we expected magicians to turn up any second, but sadly they did not. It’s a magical place!
There are several rooms which served different drinks: a bar and a coffee shop with cute little Henderson Gin cups.
The walls are all black with gold plated engravings — quite romantic!
It’s unique and different — worth exploring if you have the chance.

GET SOME GOOD BEER AND I MIGHT CONSIDER UPDATING THIS REVIEW.
I head here for events quite often and as a bit of a fan of the food I felt that this place could only get better, I unfortunately think that it might have actually gotten worse.
The general décor is cool, I like the place a lot.
I also quite like the food and spirits but beer wise they let themselves down heavily. pretty much the only palatable thing are bottles of deuchers.
IT also gets REALLY hot.
In general — events good, food good, drinks, meh.

The Voodoo Rooms shouldn’t be a two star establishment, but is gets two stars for the experience as a whole.
Years ago when it first opened, I came here for a meal with my parents, intrigued by the supposed creole-​inspired food. We paid top prices for middle of the line food.
I’ve been a number of times since (wisely staying away from the food and coming here only for drinks), and while I find the drinks reasonable, I think that the quality of the cocktails has gone downhill since the opening.
The thing is, the biggest draw about the Voodoo Rooms is the setting. It’s gorgeous, opulent, and entirely too good for most of the clientele. We were there this past weekend and were jostled, man-​handled, and Katie Priced by what felt like every person walking into the bar. This is partially because, while the venue as a whole is quite large, the actual main bar is very small for the number of people it attracts. When I’m paying top dollar in such a nice (looking) bar, I just don’t expect such a crush or rude and ridiculous people.
So, the Voodoo Rooms could be a much nicer place (food aside) but it is unfortunately let down by the kind of crowd it attracts.

The Voodoo Rooms has ambience in spades, part venue and part cocktail bar this place is something a little different and a bit special…
The bar plays host to many events in it’s two halls (main and speakeasy) these range from live music to comedy and cabaret. Having taken in a few shows here, the lighting and sound are well done supporting the acts that play here very well.
In terms of a cocktail/​spirit bar they have an excellent selection, though I wouldn’t go here to drink beer, here things are entirely generic… Do go here though if you feel like trying a different rum, gin, vodka or whisky or if you are simply in the mood for a cocktail.
I haven’t tried the food here, so won’t comment to much, though I will say I have looked enviously at some of the tables which have, if nothing else the food looks good.
So, while the Voodoo is opulent it never feels ostentatious, instead it is a lively fun-​filled place to spend a few hours, take in a show and sample some nice spirits.

I was here for the Unilocal Elite event but I did stay for more drinks and chats with fellow Unilocalers. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I loved the bar area. I loved the décor which is luxurious and I (this might be a bit weird) liked that they had plants! It seems to evoke calm, despite the increasing drunkeness due to tequila consumption. I had started with tequila (well kind of, but the glass of wine first in Café Royal isn’t counted) and stayed on the fab El Diablo cocktails but it appeared they had a good range of wines and spirits.
Two El Diablo cocktails and a pint was around £14 — decent price for Glasgow or Edinburgh, especially when cocktails are involved and I definitely intend to return :-)