The Oxford Bar in Edinburgh, City of

Old school, stripped back bar probably best known nowadays for the connection to Ian Rankins Rebus. Great service, no gimmicks (or fruit machines!!) and well made and reasonably priced rolls. Probably hasn't changed at all in the last 80 years.

Visited because of the Rebus connection and loved it. Genuine old fashioned pub with an open fire and good ale.

As a regular I can't be expected to provide a fair review. What I can say is that it is a provider of great ale and an even better provider of good company whether you're new or have been scores of times.

We came in for a couple of drinks. Good beer and great vibes. The guy at the bar was extremly friendly and when he heard we were tourists, he started givings us some very helpful suggestions for our itinerary.

Of all the bars I have visited in Edinburgh, it is perhaps the most special. And I can't figure out if it's because of how cozy it is or because of the special people there. If you go, try to talk to one of their clients, you will be very surprised

Brilliant as usual, Kirsty looks after us well. The other customers make the experience even better. Can't wait to go back

This is a fantasticly good pub. Conor deserves special recognition for the warm welcome, very interesting chat and helpful recommendations. 10/10

Gran bar hecho famoso por las novelas de Rebus de Ian Rankin. Tomé un par de copas antes del rugby en el bar. El hombre del bar era amable y había buen craic con un par de compañeros bebedores. El bar estaba bien surtido, y unos tragos me pusieron de humor para el internacional de rugby

Just a lovely wee boozer down a backstreet away from the hubbub. Well worth a visit, especially if you like it quiet.

Fantástico, agradable, acogedor e histórico pub en Edimburgo. Hecho famoso por los libros de Rebus, pero tiene un gran ambiente a pesar de (o tal vez porque) es tan pequeño. La noche que fui (12 de enero) el barman, Milo, tocaba música de los Beatles. ¡Terminó como un karaoke grupal! ¡Muy divertido! Me encantó

Traditional pub with a very relaxed and welcoming vibe. Always good beer and good music with friendly staff. Lovely back room fire too.

Lovely quaint pub in the centre of Edinburgh, sat next to a lovely open fire and enjoyed a pint of Pentland IPA. Nice end to a day in Edinburgh

I went in, asked for a pint of Guinness Barman said “Nae Guinness” That was kind of it. It was a bit grim and dead. Probably because they’d nae Guinness.

Great bar on a backstreet in Edinburgh new town. Made famous as the watering hole of Rebus. Very nice range of cask ales and whisky.

Lovely wee pub with an open fire and pews.

Fantastic little pub. No music. No pretension. Just a great pub with brilliant staff and amazing juju. Would be my local if I lived here

Lovely little place not too busy, feels like it's been unaffected by time!! Not too expensive for middle of Edinburgh

Nos alojamos en el hotel de al lado, nos encantó. Muy acogedor bar justo en el centro de la ciudad, pero en una calle tranquila. Los precios son mucho mejores que en Londres. Camarero que nos atendió fue muy agradable

Maldito horrible. Barmaid inútil Vaca esnob por la parte trasera atesorando asientos para amigos que no estaban allí No te molestes Tengo que escribir cien palabras

Nice little boozer. Nice pics of rebus/Ian rankin around the place. Friendly and cosy.

A proper pub, best pint of 80/- I've had in ages. A lovely atmosphere - old school with people budging up and sharing space and conversation. Loved it. And we'd travelled up from Oxfordshire the day we visited, and had the same emblem on my partners Oxfordshire RFU coat.

A classic and cozy little pub made famous by Ian Rankin books.

Great traditional bar, good range of drinks, real ale on tap

Sólo tenía que venir aquí mientras estaba en Edimburgo. Un poco fuera del camino, pero vale la pena decir que he estado aquí. Pub apropiado. Personal decente.

Had to find this wee pub as I'm a big rebus fan..imagine the excitement when Ian Rankin walked in 🤩

Great little pub. Good enough for John Rebus, good enough for me.

Very fine pint of Jarl, kept to perfection.

Great wee pub, very basic. Good beer.

A must for all Rebus fans, you might even meet Ian

En lo que respecta a los establecimientos de Edimburgo, esto es allí con los menos amables y hemos estado en abundancia a lo largo de los años en nuestra visita nos trataron como algo en el zapato de camarera de bar pegado, sin importar que soy mejor de lo que parece que obtuvimos de los 3 chiflados que sostienen el bar. Obviamente, nunca pasamos su prueba de olor por qué vienes aquí (aparte de ellos totalmente vacío). Si Ian Rankin obtiene inspiración allí, realmente es un genio. Nunca Más podría ser un buen nombre para su próxima novela , no te molestes en ir no vale la pena pasar tiempo fuera de tu vida .

A small, traditional and very basic pub. But somehow it hits all the right buttons. It's easy to mix with locals, tourists and the barman around the small bar. It also has some tables in the adjoining room.

Good bar to stop by and get some beers.

Legendary place. I had a great welcome and a fantastic night. Tranmere supporting barman is a legend.

Went for the rebus connection. Nothing like in the book. But just a nice little friendly pub, that serves a nice pint.

The fact that this bar exists is proof that the Scots will never die out. An original, a must for everyone who is fed up with all the mainstream pubs...

Welcoming barman, made to feel at ease as a stranger. Nice atmosphere inside and tasty ales

Nice quiet little local boozer with good prices and well kept beer

Adam is fantastic barkeep and a fount of knowledge for local places.

Stop in for a pint, a dram and a chat. Great wee place.

An unspoilt gem. Comfortable, atmospheric and good cask beer.

Gran pequeño bar independiente. El personal es muy amable y acogedor. Tan diferente, en el buen sentido, de su pub sin rostro habitual de hoy. ¡Ian Rankin estaba en la noche anterior aparentemente!

Great little bar, famous from Rebus

As advertised a great location for a quiet pint in the new town some genuine locals as well. I can see why a certain author enjoys spending time here.

Going to pub alone on a Friday night is always tricky but this is one of those places not feeling the overwhelming social energy and have a drink.

Went in for a beer,enjoyed it so I had another. Very friendly place with a good choice of beer and malt whisky’s.

A must every time I'm in Edinburgh 💗

If you’re familiar with the Rebus TV series and novels, then you’ll know this little bar in Edinburgh’s New Town. It’s got plenty of history and plenty of regulars - although during the day, it gets plenty of Rebus fans too. It’s small, nicely kept, has great beers and is an old school no telly/no music pub. Well worth a visit if you’re in the area.

Great place for a whisky and conversation. 12 stars🙂

Great to visit an old school boozer

Stopped in for a half pint. Great atmosphere. Understand why it's a haunt for Ian Rankin.

As an Ian Rankin fan this was always going to be a must see. I had no expectations so was happy just to visit. To hear Ian visits and staff so happy to see a fan (I did bring 5 other friends along) I was very happy with my visit. Easy to find and well worth the visit. Highly recommended if you a Rebus fan.

Iconic pub, excellent as always.

Kirsty the manager/owner is so friendly. All the staff are except one nasty one, who I think hates me, I don't know why, maybe she hates autistic people

A real pub - not many left like this.

No food for us, just a quick one for the road after a tour of a few drinking establishments in Edinburgh. From the front door, you walk straight into a room with the bar on your left, a seating area with a few tables on your right, and a further small table ahead. I didn't explore deeper to see if there was more seating elsewhere. The bar area was comfortably full, with a variety of friendly patrons with the barman expertly managing the needs of all whilst welcoming us. A great range of ales available and a good selection of spirits. The establishment is nicely lit, courtesy of large windows on the front of the building, and whilst cosy and fairly busy, we quickly found a table to continue our conversation in comfort. I'm not sure how easy it would be to get in with a wheelchair (there may be a rear entrance). One thing that struck me was suitability in a zombie apocalypse. The windows felt to be fairly high from the road side (although I had had a few by this point) which would be a useful positive for defence as the Zs couldn't just fall into the building like most of these new cafes bar places, but there was certainly sufficient large tables to ensure you could barricade easily. Entrances both front and back within clear sight of each other means you can avoid surprise flanking although it does have the problem of being overrun in one wave, but the reduced space may mean your choice of weapon is restricted to shorter bludgeon types. Likely to be a good range of snacks to tide over a small group for a few days.

If you are a fan of the Ian Rankin books, it was worth seeing. Good beer and scotch selections. Very small.

Enjoyable friendly pub in the heart of Edinburgh

Hadn't changed in 15 years. Still nice

A real old school pub. Great drinks, tiny with amazing amazing atmosphere.

We have been meaning to visit this well known pub for years and finally succeeded! Pub retains its history and hasn't given in to modern trends. Highly recommend.

Made to feel really welcome. It would be our regular place if we were a bit closer.

Lovely traditional pub with good real ale

We followed in the footsteps of Inspector Rebus, like most foreigners. We found what Racklin described, a classic, non-touristy place with good drinks. The toilets are cramped but very clean and the prices are reasonable. Racklin's photos on the walls. Pass by.

Traditional old style bar recommend.

Pleasant quiet bar, beer was good but decor was a bit tired. Fine for a few pints, I would not take my girlfriend or wife here.

Never again , the bar maid and locals couldn’t be less welcoming and dour ,plenty material there for Rankin . Don’t waste your time overrated unless your face fits .

A good old fashioned boozer. Hasn't changed in many years since I last drank there. Took a lady friend from Canada, who is a Rebus fan, to see it. No food available

Great bar friendly was quiet when I went in which was really nice a good chilling vibe

Really atmospheric pub with lovely bar staff. The fireplace made it extra cosy and the beers were nice.

Local bar for local people vibes when we walked in.

John rebus and Ken stott, respect given

We went to this bar because Rankin mentions it in a book. It's a boring bar, atmosphere is sad, no place to come back to. We had one drink and left within 15 minutes.

The good old Oxford - best pub in Edinburgh

Only one other customer in the pub. Landlady was very pleasant. This wee pub maybe off the main drag but deserves a visit . Had a pint of hand pump ale. Very nice.

A proper, old fashioned pub, it refuses to go trendy or touristy to cash in on it's literary connections, remaining a proper, old school Scottish pub

Basic bar, the haunt of Inspector Rebus. Cosy, log fire, decor a bit dingy. Tiny bar, you take your drinks off to a side lounge. Interesting ...

A Proper Pub. Does not serve food. This is the way we like it. Friendly people and good beer. Thank you for welcoming us all the way from Wales

Great old-fashioned bar with great beer, lovely real fire and a wonderful welcoming atmosphere. The Rebus connection is a big bonus but this is NOT a tourist trap. It is lovely and an authentic old pub.

Nice pub and friendly staff and tried to see my favourite author but no luck on this trip

This is a proper pub and has none of the fancy affectation you might get in some chain pubs with regards to the decor. It's clean and comfortable though. In through the front door and you're immediately at the bar area which is compact. There's a snug/lounge area up a few stairs and to the right. There was a few different beers/ales to choose from and a decent range of spirits and wines at reasonable prices. Staff were friendly and attentive on the Friday night we were in. (19/01/2024) Wasn't too many people in but it filled up a little bit around 2230 of memory serves. Worth a visit if you want a proper pub.

Was quite quiet when we were in. It's a good 'old school' type pub.

My husband, a family friend, my son and I popped in here for a drink after spending a lovely day in Edinburgh. We ordered our drinks (two pints, a white wine and a coke) and paid for the drinks. During the pouring of said drinks (pouring three out of the four), we were asked for identification for our (clearly) 13 year old son. When asked why we needed ID for a coke, we were told that under 18’s were not allowed on the premises AT ALL, and told he’d have to go outside. Surely the bar staff should have asked BEFORE we ordered and paid for our drinks? Needless to say, I left my drink untouched, as I absolutely refuse to ask my child to stand outside a pub whilst I am inside drinking. I won’t be back.

A very interesting pub a Ian Rankin haunt. Good fire and interesting photos and pictures.

I like the sound of people talking instead of music. That's what this bar is about.

A day out in Edinburgh would not be the same without a visit to this historic bar.

Well... the smell of fresh urine was very nice as we first walked in.🤮 Finally got served by a young man in a turtle neck jumper and had a drink. A welcoming couple let us sit at their table however I think it was because they wanted our car keys in a bowl. Toilets were dirty. Seats were stained. Artwork was amazing on the walls for sale. I loved the lion king sketch and the budgie one was amazing I just wish I had £430 on me. Gutted

Great service, great history. Nice Guinness

Top pub, one of the best places to go for a drink and chat with friends in Edinburgh.

An Edinburgh institution. Enjoyed my most recent visit.

What a place. If you’re looking for a pub that isn’t full of neds or weirdos, come here. It’s quiet, relaxed. Would also be a good place for a pint and studying, it’s got the right atmosphere for it. Bartenders are polite and are friendly enough for conversation but won’t talk your ear off.

As a massive fan of the Rebus novels by Ian Rankin this was a must visit. Can imagine Rebus and Siobhan sitting in the corner discussing their latest case. Brilliant

Reminded me of a little Irish bar. The actual bar are was smaller than I expected, but the seating area was what I expected from the books. It had a good vibe.

As an avid fan of Ian Rankin's Rebus novels I had to visit. Wasn't disappointed as I could just imagine Rebus sitting in the corner drinking and trying to solve his cases. Though small, it wasn't cramped and lovely to see it busy on a Wednesday lunchtime. The landlady was welcoming and happy to talk about the books.

Hadn't changed in the ten years since I was last there fantastic to see . Great staff, great atmosphere great ales ,a real pub not enough off these places left ..

We went in for a quick drink, got talking and ended up staying for over 4 hours!! Fab wee bar. The Rebus/Ian Rankin connection is a great draw but as a bar it's fantastic. The staff who were working (2 females) were so friendly and welcoming.

Quiet, just how we like it. An escape from the busy streets of Edinburgh.

very rude female bar attendant. nice pub but no atmosphere the lady who served us was rude,unhelpful and very dismissive.

Very rude female server , disappointing

A real no-nonsense pub serving real ales.

My favourite central Edinburgh bar