A lively student-leaning rum bar with surprisingly broad pub-grub options, strong burgers and fries, but inconsistent food, occasional service lapses, and some genuine complaints about value and cleanliness.
Greenmantle Rum Bar & Kitchen delivers solid pub fare with strong burger and fries execution, backed by knowledgeable staff and warm service. Inconsistent food quality across the menu, from excellent burgers to dry steaks and soggy sides, prevents a higher grade. The casual, university-area setting works well for late-night visits and drinks, but lacks the polish or distinctive identity to elevate the overall experience.
Greenmantle feels like a lively, slightly scrappy Edinburgh pub that has grown into a rum-heavy bar with real food ambitions. The best reviews talk about warm staff, a pleasant buzz, live music or sports, and a menu that lands best when you lean into burgers, fries, haggis, and late-night pub snacks. The less happy ones complain about slow food, drinks that feel expensive, and occasional cleanliness problems, so this is more of a characterful hangout than a polished dining room. The cooking is classic pub comfort with Scottish touches rather than chef-y reinvention: burgers, loaded fries, scampi, breakfast plates, steak, desserts. That means it suits people who want satisfying, familiar food with a pint or a rum cocktail, not diners chasing precision or finesse. When it’s on form, the food sounds hearty and fun; when it slips, the complaints are usually about quality consistency rather than concept. Kids could manage a few familiar items like burgers, fries, mac and cheese, toasties, and desserts, but this is not really a family-first room. The menu is more pub-led than kid-led, and some reviews suggest the atmosphere can get noisy or a bit rough around the edges. If you’re bringing children, stick to the simpler food and earlier hours; if you want a relaxed grown-up pub meal, it makes more sense.
Area vibe: Historic, tourist-heavy area with a mix of nightlife and student life.
Safety: Generally busy and well-lit in evenings though quieter streets can feel isolated late at night.
What's nearby: Near the Royal Mile, Holyrood Park, University of Edinburgh student areas, pubs and casual restaurants.