A stylish underground cocktail bar with real food ambitions: go for the mood, cocktails, and shareable plates, but expect uneven dining consistency and occasional service chaos.
Lady Libertine delivers solid food quality and strong design appeal in a characterful basement setting that draws both casual drinkers and planned nights out. Inconsistent execution on busier nights and uneven service attentiveness across seating areas prevent a stronger grade, though knowledgeable bartenders and reliable favorites keep regulars returning.
Lady Libertine feels like a moody city-centre hideout that knows exactly how to stage a night out. The decor, lighting, and downstairs speakeasy vibe get a lot of love, and the cocktails are the real star of the show. When the room is on form, it sounds like a glamorous little Edinburgh secret; when it isn’t, the cracks show quickly, especially at the table and on busy nights. The cooking leans into Middle Eastern-leaning small plates with a few brunch and larger-plate crowd-pleasers, so this is more stylish share-and-sip territory than classic sit-down comfort dining. The best hits are the dishes people keep naming again and again: baba ganoush, calamari, ox cheek, truffle fries, and the cocktails. But the kitchen’s consistency is uneven enough that a bad night can feel a lot worse than the menu suggests, particularly if you’re expecting a polished dinner service rather than a bar-first experience. Families are not the natural audience here. The menu does have a few familiar-ish items like fries, burgers, and salmon, but the overall setting is dim, lively, and geared more toward cocktails, dates, and groups than children. Older teens might manage a meal, but picky eaters will have fewer safe bets than at a standard family restaurant, and some reviewers explicitly found the age/ID rules and limited menus awkward.
Area vibe: Elegant Georgian commercial and nightlife district with shopping and bars.
Safety: Generally safe with good evening footfall but nightlife areas can get lively and rowdy late at night.
What's nearby: Close to Princes Street, George Street, Waverley Station, and numerous bars, restaurants and theatres.