I was a little underwhelmed at visiting the Hanging Bat after reading that it was the best bar for craft beer in Edinburgh. There was mainly one brewery available to try, the food was meh, and the service was responsive but not friendly. We visited...the Hanging Bat on our first full day in Scotland, a Saturday, around midday. I was excited to try a bunch of Scottish beer. We arrived and found a straightforward seat-yourself-order-at-the-bar establishment. The most striking thing about the Hanging Bat at this point was its interior, which you can virtually explore on their website. Very multi-dimensional. The place was empty except for one table downstairs. We chose a table near a window for peoplewatching. Because I'm very much a try-as-many-breweries-as-possible beer drinker, I was a little disappointed to find they had recently hosted a tap takeover (one brewery showcases many different beers), but at least they had plenty of styles to choose from for both myself (who loves IPAs and other pales) and my husband (who prefers dark beers and the occasional bready light beer). They had some cask ales, but most were offered on draught/keg (my preference). Beers are not available in full pints (20 oz in the UK), but can be ordered in 1/3 or 1/2 pint sizes. However, the bartender did not bat an eye when my husband ordered three 1/3 pints of different beers he wanted to try. My husband and I shared a large plate of pork nachos. The pork was hidden within the mound of nachos rather than added as a topping, and when we unearthed it, it was very tasty. The rest of the dish tasted very storebought. The salsa was sweet, with chunks of like mango or pineapple in it, which I enjoyed, but still very much tasted like it came out of a jar. It was just about the perfect amount of food for two of us to split after a long morning of walking around sightseeing. The staff were attentive but not particularly friendly. They used their downtime to chat with friends or sit in the corner on their phone, but I never had to wait for service except when they were helping other customers.More

We visit Hanging Bat for some food. Amazing Burger and steak sandwich lots of garnish inside. We would like to recommend that place for families. Great selection of soft drinks too. Definitely come back again

Once upon a time the Hanging Bat was a bar that offered a diverse and thoughtful selection of beers and spirits and a small menu of good BBQ style food. Years have passed however - craft beer and BBQ are fairly commonplace and good examples...of both are readily available in many places in Edinburgh. The Hanging Bat is not on that list. On the day that I visited approximately half of the beer taps had nothing on them, and most of the remaining taps were pouring stouts and porters. There was one lager and one IPA on warm day in June. The back bar, which used to have an interesting mixture of unusual bourbons, tequilas, whisky, and rum, is now pedestrian and uninspiring. The bottle and can selection looked more promising, but the length of time that it took the bar staff to get round to serving me wore down my patience so I didn't bother investigating. It wasn't especially busy. The pilsner that I ordered was completely fine. The food on the other hand, was absolutely not fine. A burger with a price tag of nearly £11 should not require an extra £2.75 to come with cheese - and if it does, that cheese should be a hell of a lot better than just a slice of plastic American cheese. The burger managed to be incredibly dry at the same time as having far too much of a sauce that tasted suspiciously like BigMac sauce. Onion rings, at nearly £5, should be sizeable and freshly made. A serving of 7 small rings, clearly just deep-fried from frozen and served with a horrible garlic dip, don't really cut it. My companion's Sloppy Joe was equally disappointing. A dessert-spoon sized dollop of lukewarm chilli on a Warburtons roll and a small side of scraggly chips from the bottom of the fryer is not a meal. The size and diversity of the menu suggests the approach to food at this place leans heavily on the Wetherspoons school of thought. Which would be totally fine if the prices were 1/3rd of what they are. The Hanging Bat seems to continue to trade on the reputation it earned years ago - clearly a few changes of management and a changing market have left it in the dust. This place can be, and has been, better. RIP old friend.More

We made the choice from reviews and presentation for a genuine pub. We did not meet a friendly smile from either of three staff during stay. The tables was dirty and still undone after almost 15-20 minutes of waiting. The service in the bar was...so tired that you almost felt that you were a disturbance. The food (F&C) was quite nice and tasteful. Perhaps a bad staff day or something. I would however not recommend friends and family the next visit. Perhaps a late night pub tour visit on a better day/night.More

Amazing steak sandwich and fish & chips, food freshly made to order. Great cocktails too. Definitely come back again. Thanks a lot Mike

I ordered the beef stew. When it arrived it was very peppery and the temperature was so hot it blistered the roof of my mouth. I was unable to eat the food. I called the waiter over and complained. He took my meal away and...returned with the following statement from chef... There is no issue with the seasoning. it is as it should be. The temperature is the legal set temperature for food and since you have eaten most of it, I cannot refund you. Well chef, it may fine for you, but you do not have my palette. It was too peppery for me and nothing on the menu led me to believe that this was a spiced stew. As for the legal temperature, no other restaurant food blisters my mouth. Very disappointing outcome. Chef will be delighted to hear that I will not be back. Disappointing because we were showing our friends the best of edinburgh. Clearly this was not it.More

My mate and I went in for some drinks and food and loved the selection of drinks available. Small but good menu of food. The staff were very friendly and helpful. My only criticism is that it could have done with being a bit cleaner,...not dirty as such but bar needed a wipe for sure. On the whole, I'd recommend for a great selection of cocktails and eats.More

The Hanging Bat was always a bit on the expensive side, but it had a good atmosphere, knowledgeable bar staff and was a fun place to be. Not any more - the bar staff have changed, the place is getting dirty and the original flaws...are still there. They don't sell pints. Oh no, you can only get 2/3rds of a pint, which costs a bit more than a pint anywhere else. 2 days ago they were selling a beer for £10.70 for 2/3rds which is £16.05 for a 10% one, and about 9 quid a pint for an ordinary Stewart brewery pint. The cheapest was £6.60 and was frankly horrible. The board tells you what the beer's name is but not what it is like. Most of the time you just hope for the best - they are good at letting you taste one or two beers and you can ask for a recommendation, but it gets boring not having tasting notes. Never the same beer twice. It's a good thing and a bad thing, for fairly obvious reasons. Beers tend to go in themes. One day it might be sour beers, and if you don't like sour beers, you are fairly screwed. Avoid. There are plenty of places to go with better vibes.More

Bar looked good enough but we ended up walking out in 15min. Staff were very rude and treated us like we didn't exist, clearly they hate their jobs. Been a while since I've experienced service this bad. Avoid avoid avoid.

Used to be a good hangout when it was one of the few places with a changing beer selection. These days however bars with a changing beer menu are all over edinburgh and hanging bat looks tired and dirty. Desperately in need of a refurb.

We went here as my husband loves Beer and he wasn’t disappointed! An overwhelming selection of incredible beers from sours and wheat beers to stouts and ales. Not only this but a good selection of tasty cocktails too! The serving staff had excellent knowledge Eid...the drinks and there was free wifi.More

Very nice place ,vast choices of beers just had some home made chips they were very nice , staff very pleasant and give you samples of beers to try 👍🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿