Whistle Binkies

Reviews

• Don N.

  star star star star star_border 9 June 2026

  Edinburgh is a beautiful city. I have heard this over and over, but until you visit, you think it's another old city with some castles.  I only had one evening there and we ended up having a simple pub dinner and walking here for some live music.
  
  You never know what to expect, but wow this was a great pub and the music was awesome.  The band played rock covers from every decade. Good size dance floor, but it was packed. We had seats in the pub looking into the dance hall and we met a lot of nice local people.
  
  I must say both here and in Glasgow, the people are very friendly.  Sometimes, we had to just smile and laugh because Scottish English sounds like talking with ones mouth full of stones.  Add a few beers on both sides and forget it..

• Cathy O.

  star star star star star 1 June 2026

  We lucked into "band showcase" on Tuesday nights and scored a table within sight of the band. It got really crowded at 10:15.  Lots of wooden high tops.  Bar service was good.

• Kenneth M.

  star star star star_border star_border 30 May 2026

  Long established music venue which stays open quite late.
  
  Don't expect many original tunes as it mainly plays host to cover bands but most are of a good to high standard.
  
  Bar staff mostly easy on the eye, to the extent you have to wonder about the employment criteria applied and there's an extensive range of beers and spirits stocked.

• Trina D.

  star star star star_border star_border 27 May 2026

  We were led to Whistle Binkies by our illustrious tour guide from the Black Bull.  Whistle Binkies boasts some live music and cheap drink specials.  There was a packed crowd while we were there and I barely found a place to stand while my friends ordered drinks.  When you're walking around Edinburgh layered up in your warmest threads, walking into a stuffy, warm bar can really mess with you.  You start taking off your layers with nowhere to stash your coats, scarves, gloves, and hats.  People started piling them on top of the ATM!  
  
  I found a small table by the entrance and perched there.  There were some interesting folk milling about, locals and tourists alike.  I met some nice Brazilians while just hanging out.  I had a drink and we left shortly after as it was getting late.  It's fun if you start the night out here, not so if you end it there.  They are open til 3 am.  We left and caught a cab back to our hotel.

• Derek P.

  star star star star star_border 27 May 2026

  Loud fun bar with an open mic music scene.  Didn't have any food as it was late (bar is open until 3am) but the crowd was a good mix of students, locals, and tourists looking to prolong their evening.  Quality of music was better than expected as well.