The Bow Bar - A rare find in a tourist hotspot
A wide selection of beers and whiskies make this pub worth a visit.
Grassmarket doesn’t have a lot going for it when you’re a local. Yes, there’s the view of the Castle from the bottom of the rock. Armchair Books just off the square. Mary’s Milk Bar, when the queue isn’t half an hour long. But there’s also the stag dos, the Harry Potter tours1 and some pretty ropey pubs. I once went to one of them, on a Sunday night, to watch a YouTuber fight a Love Islander on the telly. Don’t ask why. I ended up standing behind a table of lads in puffer jackets as my right hand froze holding a Guinness Extra Cold.
But if you have visitors to the city and are doing the rounds of the usual tourist spots, you might end up there.2 If so, take them up Victoria Street, tell them JK Rowling denies that it inspired Diagon Alley, and stop about half way up the crescent. Then enter the Bow Bar, a delightful one-room pub.
There seems to be a train theme going on, with old Caledonian Railway and LNER posters on the walls. I’m pretty sure there wasn’t ever a station in the area, but the posters are beautifully drawn and add charm. I’m a sucker for memorabilia: Old beer mats, pump clips, brewery logos etched into mirrors. This place has all that kind of thing.
Parallel banquettes align either side of the place. Narrow dark wood tables sit in front of them with low leather stools either side. Lucky punters will have nabbed the window seats. No bother, there’s always the bar stools where you can chat to the staff about their large whisky selection. Or peruse the beer taps (cask and keg) which on a good day can stretch into the double figures. There’s a wide range, spanning through lagers, pale ales, 80 shilling and stouts. My friend once got a pint of 8.5% cask cider, which I have a lot of respect for.
The pub must know what it’s doing, because the beer has always tasted fresh – which is not something you can say for a lot of pubs in the vicinity.3
The chaser
A bit of history to impress your tourist visitors with, if they’re into Scottish philosophy: The White Hart and The Beehive Inn, two pubs on Grassmarket, were frequented by the likes of David Hume and his pals.
Where is it?
Where next?
You could across Grassmarket to The Blue Blazer at Tollcross.
Or, if you want somewhere even closer, you could do worse than Deacon Brodies Tavern. It surprised me.
Disclaimer 1: I am a big Harry Potter fan, but not enough to do a tour.
Disclaimer 2: I came to Edinburgh as a tourist in 2018, rented an Airbnb right on Grassmarket, and loved it.
Disclaimer 3: I should put on record that while the Cold Town House on Grassmarket could be accused of being geared towards tourists rather than locals, its beer is good.
With the exception of the Blue Blazer, the Bow Bar is the best pub in the world. My wife and I have spent many hours in the window seats with friends, watching all the world go by, passing the happiest of hours.
Probably my favourite bar in Edinburgh