Black Bull
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Monday
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Tuesday
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Wednesday
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Thursday
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Friday
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Saturday
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
Sunday
12:00 AM - 1:00 AM
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About
The Black Bull is a vibrant pub located in the hustle and bustle of Edinburgh combining friendly service with a warm and inviting atmosphere. Enjoy well loved pub staples like burgers and pie alongside our classics drinks range, but with a twist! Join us for a business lunch, catch-up with friends or as a pit-stop whilst exploring. In the pulsing heart of the city, Black Bull is an energetic hub where everyone is welcome. Create new memories and celebrate old traditions, regardless of the occasion.
Suggested duration
2-3 hours
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The area
Address
Neighborhood: Broughton & Calton
Lying where grandiose New Town townhouses give way to malls and utilitarian housing, Broughton and Calton have long been transitional neighborhoods with a mixed identity. It’s here that Edinburgh’s gay village found a home in the 1980s. But gay culture is anything but overt along bustling epicenter Broughton Street; even if polished pubs, hip bistros, smart delis and art galleries all speak of affluent good taste. The top of Leith Walk is more ragged. This major thoroughfare boasts a famously gritty gay club, as well as a strip of good Indian restaurants. Regal Georgian and Victorian townhouses preside over largely deserted streets in Calton, where only the occasional restaurant or hotel brings much life. Even so, a steady trickle of idlers and picnickers pass by to climb Calton Hill for its wide-open lawns, wonderful city views, and curious monuments – an Athenian-style temple among them.
See what travelers are saying
  • Dorothy M
    2 contributions
    Cracking place!
    Popped in here on a Saturday night as it was the first place with enough seats for 5 of us. The bar staff went out his way to move seats around for us so that we could sit together while still adhere to covid regs. I wasn't expecting much and certainly didn't expect the amazing bar staff. I was with friends from Europe and the staff were so attentive and helpful while carefully and without fuss refusing rather a lot of passing drunks. The music is rocking which might not be to everyones taste but I loved it and the general things lying around like the Motorhead bourbon is pretty cool. The staff are extremely Covid aware and the time I popped to the toilet and forgot my mask, I was quietly reminded by them. This looks to be driven by the staff and management themselves which is quite impressive for a Managed House to bother to make sure everyone stays as well as can be in this climate.
    Hello! Thank you so much for this amazing review. Andy will be so pleased at this and the rest of the team. We are so happy to have you in and for you to feel safe as well. Please come back soon and thank you again for being so awesome to take the time to leave us such brill feed back! The Black Bull Team
    Written January 21, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited January 2022
    Written January 18, 2022
  • nancyrcurtis
    Florida45 contributions
    A welcome little find
    Edinburgh is a huge, bustling city with crowds and noise and something demanding your attention at every turn. Discovering the Black Bull Tavern was a delightful bit of peace. We'd been traveling for three weeks and this little pub was like wandering into our local "joint" back in the states. We were welcomed like friends, served a proper pint, and enjoyed bantering with Andy, our new favorite bartender.
    Thank you so much Nancy for the lovely review! We’re so glad you enjoyed your visit and felt so welcome. We hope you’ll pop in and visit us again and will pass on your lovely comments to Andy! The black bull team
    Written August 29, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2022
    Written August 26, 2022
  • Paul C
    49 contributions
    Great pub
    One of our favourite pubs to have a couple of pints beer and a few games of pool . The bar staff are really friendly. On our last visit in August 22 the barman was excellent with a great sense of humour unfortunately we didn't get his name, he was a big bearded young fellow. We only call in at around dinner time and it is nice and relaxed.
    Thank you so much for your review Paul! We’re so glad to hear that you love our pub as much as we do. Will pass on your lovely comments to Andy :) The black bull team
    Written September 2, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited August 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written August 30, 2022
  • pete_henley
    10 contributions
    Friendly Rock pub
    Martha, Suzy and the rest of the team were all really friendly and helpful. The pub had some great beers and great music (Rock/Metal) and great people enjoying the night. Can't wait to visit Edinburgh and the Black Bull again.
    Visited February 2022
    Traveled with friends
    Written February 27, 2022
  • Patchesonelbows
    151 contributions
    Rock on
    We popped in here on the off chance. Friendly enough. Decent selection of beers. If you like rock music this is the place for you. Bit heavy for my more gentle musical tastes but that's my look out. Also a good place to hear real Scottish/Edinburgh people (having walked round the city all day I'd only heard tourists).
    thanks for taking the time to leave us your review Patchesonelbows our jukebox does have a brilliant selection of classic rock, the music does vary depending on the taste of who has selected their choices at the time. we hope you'll pop back in and see us again soon! the black bull team
    Written January 17, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited December 2022
    Written January 15, 2023
  • Tim M
    1 contribution
    Grand little rock pub
    It's always a good night out in The Bull, if you like rock, metal and great barstaff then this is where you want to be. Marta, Andy and Emma are incredibly welcoming and a great bar team - I've found myself going in just to say hello and chat with the guys on occasion. Great place, great folk and all the bourbon you could ask for!
    Visited March 2022
    Traveled as a couple
    Written March 19, 2022
  • Mark D
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom1 contribution
    Night out
    Popped in for a catch up with friends. Great staff and good selection of drinks. Amazing juke box. Love this place and still a good buzz after popping in for over 20 years ! Plenty of hand sanitizer and safety precautions too so you can enjoy a night out without any stress. Again. Big shout out to the hard working staff !
    Thank you Mark for the 5 stars! So glad you enjoyed yourself and hopefully see you again soon! Team Black Bull
    Written January 15, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited January 2022
    Traveled with friends
    Written January 14, 2022
  • Jolene Edwards
    Portland, Oregon148 contributions
    Great Hang Out
    Great down to earth place for a couple of pints. We loved the atmosphere, and the staff is very friendly; we had a great time hanging out here. The prices were very good, and it stand out as a straightforward bar that's fun to be at.
    thank you so much for the 5 stars and lovely review! we really appreciate it. So glad to hear you enjoyed your visit with us and we hope you'll be back to visit us again soon! the black bull team
    Written December 29, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited September 2022
    Written December 27, 2022
  • Andy Lees
    Edinburgh, United Kingdom1 contribution
    The original Edinburgh Rock Bar (and in my view, still the best)
    I've been coming to The Black Bull since the late eighties - I used to practically live in the place when I lived in Calton Road. A fantastic rock bar which (credit to whoever has owned it throughout the years) has never lost its focus or theme. Bannermans is good, but it wasn't always a rock bar. A decent range of ales and a great selection of bourbons (of course!) are available - the staff are excellent, always attentive during busy periods and quick to serve. Andy, the current Manager runs the ship well. There have been a few small changes over the years, but all for the good, especially the upgrading of toilets - a slightly longer bar than the 80's, upgraded juke box, and pool table. Nice to see they are still doing the regular quiz nights, which were always popular back in the day.
    thank you so much Road93156 for taking the time to leave us such a great review and for the stars we really appreciate it. We're very proud of our bars history and being able to maintain ourselves as one of the last remaining rock bars. I will pass on your lovely comments to the staff and also to our brilliant assistant manager Andy who I agree, is a credit to the bar. we hope you we can continually impress and serve you :) the black bull team
    Written February 18, 2023
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited February 2023
    Written February 16, 2023
  • Darren B
    1 contribution
    Pre night out drinks
    Great place, good music and great service. Marta and the rest of the staff made sure I never had to wait long when needing to be served and on a busy weekend night. This was great
    Thank you Darren! So glad you enjoyed yourself, we hope to see you again soon! Team Black Bull
    Written January 15, 2022
    This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
    Visited January 2022
    Traveled solo
    Written January 14, 2022
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions

4.5
142 reviews
Excellent
120
Very good
12
Average
8
Poor
1
Terrible
2

pete_henley
Nottingham, United Kingdom10 contributions
Feb 2022 • Friends
Martha, Suzy and the rest of the team were all really friendly and helpful.

The pub had some great beers and great music (Rock/Metal) and great people enjoying the night.

Can't wait to visit Edinburgh and the Black Bull again.
Written February 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Patchesonelbows
Liverpool151 contributions
Dec 2022
We popped in here on the off chance. Friendly enough. Decent selection of beers. If you like rock music this is the place for you. Bit heavy for my more gentle musical tastes but that's my look out. Also a good place to hear real Scottish/Edinburgh people (having walked round the city all day I'd only heard tourists).
Written January 15, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thanks for taking the time to leave us your review Patchesonelbows our jukebox does have a brilliant selection of classic rock, the music does vary depending on the taste of who has selected their choices at the time. we hope you'll pop back in and see us again soon! the black bull team
Written January 17, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Tim M
1 contribution
Mar 2022 • Couples
It's always a good night out in The Bull, if you like rock, metal and great barstaff then this is where you want to be. Marta, Andy and Emma are incredibly welcoming and a great bar team - I've found myself going in just to say hello and chat with the guys on occasion.
Great place, great folk and all the bourbon you could ask for!
Written March 19, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Mark D
Edinburgh, UK1 contribution
Jan 2022 • Friends
Popped in for a catch up with friends. Great staff and good selection of drinks. Amazing juke box. Love this place and still a good buzz after popping in for over 20 years !
Plenty of hand sanitizer and safety precautions too so you can enjoy a night out without any stress. Again. Big shout out to the hard working staff !
Written January 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Mark for the 5 stars! So glad you enjoyed yourself and hopefully see you again soon! Team Black Bull
Written January 16, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Jolene Edwards
Portland, OR148 contributions
Sep 2022
Great down to earth place for a couple of pints. We loved the atmosphere, and the staff is very friendly; we had a great time hanging out here. The prices were very good, and it stand out as a straightforward bar that's fun to be at.
Written December 28, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thank you so much for the 5 stars and lovely review! we really appreciate it. So glad to hear you enjoyed your visit with us and we hope you'll be back to visit us again soon! the black bull team
Written December 29, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Andy Lees
Edinburgh, UK1 contribution
Feb 2023
I've been coming to The Black Bull since the late eighties - I used to practically live in the place when I lived in Calton Road. A fantastic rock bar which (credit to whoever has owned it throughout the years) has never lost its focus or theme. Bannermans is good, but it wasn't always a rock bar. A decent range of ales and a great selection of bourbons (of course!) are available - the staff are excellent, always attentive during busy periods and quick to serve. Andy, the current Manager runs the ship well. There have been a few small changes over the years, but all for the good, especially the upgrading of toilets - a slightly longer bar than the 80's, upgraded juke box, and pool table. Nice to see they are still doing the regular quiz nights, which were always popular back in the day.
Written February 16, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
thank you so much Road93156 for taking the time to leave us such a great review and for the stars we really appreciate it. We're very proud of our bars history and being able to maintain ourselves as one of the last remaining rock bars. I will pass on your lovely comments to the staff and also to our brilliant assistant manager Andy who I agree, is a credit to the bar. we hope you we can continually impress and serve you :) the black bull team
Written February 18, 2023
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Darren B
1 contribution
Jan 2022 • Solo
Great place, good music and great service. Marta and the rest of the staff made sure I never had to wait long when needing to be served and on a busy weekend night. This was great
Written January 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you Darren! So glad you enjoyed yourself, we hope to see you again soon! Team Black Bull
Written January 16, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

andrewtullymurphy
Edinburgh, UK5 contributions
Feb 2022 • Friends
Absolutely amazing bar ! Fantastic atmosphere with great staff. Marta behind the bar was my favourite bartender of the night. She was so great. Knew just what you needed and had great chat to go with the great service !

I shall be back and recommend you come with with ;-P
Written February 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

Meat fiend 777
Perth, UK15 contributions
Sep 2022 • Friends
Passed by this pub a few times on the way to or back from gigs . Been in once years ago but thought we’d give it a try pre the nights main attraction of our gig . Was a Thursday night and was thriving with what looked like regulars and some tourists. We were quickly served a pint (West) and sat and people watched for a bit . Good mix of rock bar usuals and some cracking tunes on the juke box . Went up for a second pint and was served by a lovely lass , think her name was Kristy , she also up sold me a new rum they had introduced which when mixed with pineapple juice tastes like Umbongo ( Google it if your over 30 lol ) . A cracking night and good bit banter from the staff . Will be back next week to try the quiz .
Written September 30, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you so much for your review! So glad you loved your visit with us. Will pass on your lovely feedback to Kirsty - (rum ting is a staff favourite and definitely tastes like Umbongo!) We hope you’ll visit us again soon! The black bull team
Written October 3, 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

sallybJ4397DT
Barnard Castle, UK6 contributions
Aug 2022 • Couples
We came in on a Monday night for just a drink and stayed for the pub quiz. We lost but won a box of chocolates and felt so welcome here. So welcome we came back on the Wednesday, again were welcomed like we were regulars. Best music around. Thank you to everyone from both days
Written August 17, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.

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Black Bull (Edinburgh) - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go

Frequently Asked Questions about Black Bull

Black Bull is open:
  • Sun - Sat 12:00 AM - 1:00 AM


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