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The blue front of The Bow Bar at 80 West Bow, its name in gold script between Spirit and Merchant, with the lit bar inside.
Edinburgh

The Bow Bar

A small whisky and real ale bar on Victoria Street in the Old Town, in a tenement of 1863, named Best Pub in Scotland at the Scottish Hospitality Awards in 2024.

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Welcome

There's something about a small Old Town bar with a gantry full of whisky, and The Bow Bar, at 80 West Bow on Victoria Street, is one of the best in Scotland.

It sits on the ground floor of a tenement of 1863, behind a deep blue front with its name in gold. In 2024 it was named Best Pub in Scotland at the Scottish Hospitality Awards, and it has won Best Bar in Scotland there three times, as well as Best Whisky Bar in Scotland at the Wee Dram Awards. Beer lovers will like it too: it calls itself the last bar dedicated to pouring through air-pressure tall fonts, with house cask ales from Cromarty, Cross Borders and Stewart and four guest lines. At lunchtime there are hot pies. Dogs are welcome, and so are other friendly pets. It's open every day from noon until midnight, and there's no booking, so just come in.

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The Daily for 31 October, from Scotland with love. A ring of standing stones set among mist and autumn birch
A short drive awayJolly JudgeA small pub at the foot of James Court off the Lawnmarket, with low beamed ceilings, a warm fire, real ales and a long list of malts.4 min by roadSee itJolly Judge
Before you go

Open every day from noon to midnight.

There is no booking; just come in.

Where
80 West Bow, Victoria Street, Edinburgh, EH1 2HH.
Open
Every day, 12pm to midnight.
On tap
House casks from Cromarty, Cross Borders, Stewart and Loch Lomond, house kegs, and four guest lines of each.
Food
Hot pies at lunchtime.
Dogs
Welcome, and so are other friendly pets.
Access
A wheelchair-accessible entrance.
Phone
0131 226 7667

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
noon–midnight
Tuesday
noon–midnight
Wednesday
noon–midnight
Thursday
noon–midnight
Friday
noon–midnight
Saturday
noon–midnight
Sunday
noon–midnight

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

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Where it is

On Victoria Street in Edinburgh's Old Town, at 80 West Bow, EH1 2HH.

Close byVictoria Street, the Grassmarket and the Lawnmarket.
  1. Whirlybird's dining room on Victoria Street, with wooden tables and chairs, a stone wall, fringed lamps and a tall window onto the street.WhirlybirdAn all-day café, bar and restaurant over two floors on Victoria Street, in a building more than 250 years old and in the Michelin Guide.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The green front of Maggie Dickson's on the Grassmarket, gold lettering over the door.Maggie Dickson’sA pub at the east end of the Grassmarket, named for Half-Hangit Maggie, with 92 whiskies, local craft beers and live music.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Green corner shopfront reading "I.J. Mellis Cheesemonger" with cream awning and wooden bench outsideI.J. MellisThe first Mellis cheese shop, opened on Victoria Street in 1993, selling farmhouse and artisan cheese matured in the company's own rooms.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Gladstone’s LandGladstone’s LandA merchant's tall tenement of 1617 on the Lawnmarket, its rooms furnished as three households lived in them, under painted ceilings of 1620.Under a mile 4 min by road
  5. Riddle’s CourtRiddle’s CourtA merchant's mansion of 1590 off the Lawnmarket, round a hidden courtyard, where James VI feasted and David Hume lived.Under a mile 4 min by road
  6. The long pale stone front of the National Library of Scotland on George IV Bridge.National Library of ScotlandScotland's national library on George IV Bridge, free to enter, with exhibitions from its collections, a cafe and a shop.Under a mile 4 min by road
  7. The WitcheryThe WitcheryA candlelit restaurant at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, opened by James Thomson in 1979 in Boswell's Court, a merchant's house of around 1600.1 mile 5 min by road
  8. The Scotch Whisky ExperienceThe Scotch Whisky ExperienceA whisky visitor centre at 354 Castlehill, at the top of the Royal Mile, with tours around a collection of 3,384 bottles, a shop and a restaurant.1 mile 5 min by road
Directions
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Recommend to a friend

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the Bow Bar, and when each is next free.

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  • A hotel
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Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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