The Tap - Music Lounge in Edinburgh, City of

Extremely bored and unfriendly waiter. Order was brought incorrectly, no side dishes at all. The food was really good. But the service was a disaster. I didn't feel very comfortable.

This was our first time in Edinburgh and The Tap Bar was just around the corner. The food was excellent. Really tasty. The fish was super juicy and the salad was also excellent. The service was great and the atmosphere was also very nice. A very relaxed and great atmosphere.

Very fresh premises. Nice staff and super good food!

Food is ok, decent size portions. 10% service charge added at the end.

Immaculate vibes. Came in for a decaf latte which was soooo good and to watch the rugby World Cup. So the vibe

Blimey, Edinburgh during the festival. A pint of Paolozzi lager and a small Sauv Blanc... £16.20 Avoid. Shame as it's so handy for the book festival.

Very convenient in the Novotel Hotel, good selection of drinks, cocktails and the all important whisky! Nice atmosphere too for a week night, very relaxed and informal.

This bar adjoins the hotel where my wife and I spent two nights at the weekend at the end of our two week tour of Ireland and Scotland. We were over from Canada looking at my family history. We had some drinks in this bar on Saturday night and had a mixed experience. We were going to walk by but noticed they had a musician playing live music and we wanted to listen to it after a long day. He was a great, Scottish performer with a wonderful voice and he played great acoustic covers of Bob Dylan, Neil Young, REM, and many others. He even sang a version of 'My Way' in Spanish which my wife was impressed with because she used to teach Spanish in a school! I asked if him if he knew any John Prine but he didn't, sadly. However, I did ask him to play one of his own songs, which he did and it was as good as the covers he played. We didn't get his name before he left and there weren't any promotion posters up in the venue to say there was music on or who was playing which is a real shame because, if all the musicians are as good as this guy, they deserve promotion! My top recommendation is that, If you are staying here at the weekend, check out the live music. It's really high quality. I don't usually leave reviews like this but wanted to give the musician some recognition since the bar didn't have any promotion materials up. As for the bar itself, they only had one person serving and, when, we went up to order, we had to wait at least 10 minutes to be served. When we were served, the waiter was quite rude and impatient. They need more staff at the busy times of week and year, I think. The drinks themselves were pleasant and went well with the excellent live music but were really overpriced. We went to a bar nearby afterwards and got the same drinks for cheaper, quicker and with nicer staff. The food wasn't great, either. It tasted and looked like it had come out of a fat fryer. I would avoid it as it was overpriced, like the drinks. In all, if you go by and see a musician playing, stop in and have a whiskey but not much more.

È il punto bar e ristorante del Novotel ed è arredato con gusto e in modo originale. Ha due entrate una dall'albergo e una dalla strada, dall'esterno, e la zona ristorante alla mattina diventa la sala colazioni. Il menù è semplice, con poche portate: insalate, burger, pasta, un paio di portate di pesce e qualche dessert. Carta dei vini internazionale con proposte di diversi Paesi. Prezzi accessibili e ottimo rapporto qualità-prezzo.

Pani na barze codziennie wstaje lewą noga z łóżka , niemiła obsługa klientów przy barze nie polecam 😃

Nice atmosphere, but service is a disaster. The lady behind the bar was dissatisfied with serving us for no reason. Laughing in your face while making drinks is inappropriate. If you don't like working with people, you shouldn't work with them. Customer service should be the same regardless of age. I'm definitely not coming back.

Now part of the Novotel hotel, a bright modern, open trying-to-be-trendy bar and needless to say not really a patch on the previous Tap o’ Lauriston late 80s/early 90s hangout of anarchist punks Not keen on them adding an automatic 10% ‘service’ charge for food & drinks either!

thought it’ll be more convenient to just take the elevator down from the hotel room to the restaurant for Christmas dinner - we regretted paying for it first then food. The dinner was £38 per person for Christmas buffet! So little food choices and so expensive for no reason. Disappointed Christmas dinner…

One of the iconic places in the past which was closed but reopend in 2018 and they have lot of memories of the old tap . Food is ok ok .service is great. You get your drink and food

We visited the tap during our stay at Novotel Edinburg stay. The restaurant is part of the hotel and is a very warm and welcoming place for families. I tried their fish and chips and pizzas. They were superb. The staff was friendly and helped with many of our queries as tourists :). The restaurant is kids friendly and they give colours and drawing paper for the kids to draw and keep themselves engaged. They have a separate kids menu. Ambiance is warm and spacious and comfortable. Will visit again.

Beautiful bar, very good people, kind and gorgeous! The place is clean and stunning drinks and cafes! I like too much!

The jazz duo created a lovely mellow chilled vibe. The swirling saucer stools are an accident waiting to happen. The nibbles of chicken goujouns & fries were surprisingly very tasty and served hot! Staff unfortunately were dead slow and stop - not great in a full bar, creating lengthy waits. Little initiative also, opportuntites to clear plates continually missed. Training? Common sense really - when youre passing.....

Great atmosphere and beer , live music and hotel all so if you are looking to stay.

Popped in when passing by after seeing a live music performer,both myself and my partner liked the look and feel of this place I asked for a stella and a gin and Tonic and left my cash with my partner to pay for the drinks while I took natures call,when I got back my partner had been told they dont accept cash only cards,and they had already poured the drinks I choose not to use a card when I go anywhere as it is too easy to overspend,the staff insisted there were signs up saying this...not on the entrance we used nor were we told anything while ordering so thank you for the embarrassment we wont be stepping foot in here again

Friendly, spacious, good performer.

Fantastic bar for a quick drink.

There were about 5 customers total and 3 servers. Took 25 minutes to be served, then another 20 minutes after we were clearly finished our first round of drinks. Once they took our second order of 2 drinks we waited 30 minutes, never received them. The sever didn’t know what alcohol they had and there was no menu he could give us either. Went to pay for our first drinks, told it was table service only, so we would wait for someone to serve us (even though servers were standing around doing nothing). Finally paid, HOWEVER, they had charged us for the second drinks yet never gave them to us. Terrible behaviour, the bar was near empty and we could barely get service. Imagine if it were full. They need staff that will do their job instead of stand there talking to each other

Read really good review so came here for food.Turns out it was horrible.Really salty and greasy pork belly and too salty chicken goujons.Beef burger was ok.Service was really bad.When its daytime only three tables，staffs still keep ignoring us.

This place is awesome. I looked at the menu and thought interesting, best Noddle's and spicy sauce sambal in town 👍👍👍👍..I walked in and it changed my life. This is such a good place and I will definitely be back. It's so good...they take such good care of details and this makes my experience fantastic

Even though this venue had music at lunch time as part of the ed fringe, the bar staff were totally uninterested in serving any food. What a wasted opportunity.

Came here as part of the Fringe to watch a Flamenco performance. The performance itself was 5-star worthy but as a music venue this place is poor. The room is too brightly lit and the side windows look out onto the street, with the distraction of passers-by stopping to stare at the performers. To make it worse the route from the kitchen to the bar goes straight through the room, so there is a steady-stream of serving staff to-and-fro during performances. As I said the performers, Daniel Martinez and TuFlamenco, were excellent and are well worth seeing.

Stopped by twice while staying in Edinburgh, family of 5 . Limited menu at moment , but great value for money , burger deal , with soft or alcoholic drink £10 . Food was tasty and hot , staff friendly, bar is part of the hotel , we didn’t stay in this hotel but was just up road from us

I loved their hamburger and fries. Its very tasty. A bit expensive also, but I think worth it.

The restaurant is decorated well. The food itself was tasty but too expensive for what it is, even in the city centre.

Ambiente molto confortevole e cibo ottimo. Il locale è parte del novotel city center. Camerieri molto gentili

Good Cosy bar with nice food. The mediterranean sharing platter was tasty. Decent selection of beers.

Randomly stumbled upon this cosy place. Not busy, nice ambience, comfy chairs, great selection of whiskeys and gins. We were on Friday night - and they also played live music! For this 5 stars; service wise - staff was not proactive, so if you want your drink - go to the bar without waiting for the waiters to come.

Local muy agradable. Bonito decorado y buen ambiente con música en directo. La comida está muy rica, además todo muy natural. ¡Merece la pena!

We were staying close by and made The Tap our temporary "local" Liked the open feel of the place, the funky furniture, the efficient staff, and good food and wine by the glass options

Wouldn't serve me cocktails at a cocktail bar.

I was at the bar, delicious cocktails, amazing staff, some days there is live music, I would go back

Lovely decor. Interesting cocktails (The Emerald is superb), limited selection on draught.

Nice selection of Whisky and Gin

Nice whiskey and good castle view

It is a very cozy and beautiful restaurant. The food is delicious. We tried pizza, chicken tikka, and beef sandwich. They were all very delicious. Their soup was also really good. I highly recommend dining in their restaurant while in Edinburg.

We came back twice to this relaxing bar serving great original cocktails - we tasted 4 which were all so refreshing! The place is nice, the food was also very good and the service awesome. Thank you! Will come back when visiting Edinburgh again!

Very modern and open design. Great food and a good selection of wine & beer. This is our first time at Scotland and we couldn’t select a better place.

We visited The Tap which was close to our hotel and situated on a corner of Lauriston Place. Nice bright interior, good choice of draught beers all served in their correct glasses. The Stella was great. Nice interior with lots of seating. Also seating outside where you can watch the world go by. We had a couple of visits as it was very good and friendly staff.

Situato all’interno del Novotel, si mangia abbastanza bene e si beve meglio! Posto carino, prezzi medi

Just had lunch here; great place to work and hang out, friendly personnel, and the lamb rack with pearl couscous was absolutely impressive.

Great bartenders! Excellent entertainment!! Good drinks & excellent pizza!! Place was really jumping on a Friday night! Comfy seating & pub atmosphere.Definitely recommend!

Nice and cozy place to unwind and relax from a hectic day. Food and drinks are good and the staff is very friendly. Prices are reasonable.

Really cool place to have a quick bite, great pints and relax. Found the staff to be friendly and helpful .

While we always seemed to miss the live music, it looked super vibe. The drinks selection and staff were great; and the decor fabulous.

Oh. Schönes Restaurant.... tolle Bar

Amazing bar inside Novotel Centre open to everyone. Amazing selection of Whiskies (60+) and gins (around 40 or 50) and a great cocktail list, all originals and delicious. They also have live music there, and they sometimes host parties. This bar is an absolute tresor hidden in Edinburgh!

Un locale molto particolare con sedute e tavoli molto singolari. Sono stato con i miei due figli piccoli e per loro c’era un menu dedicato...sarebbe stato perfetto se la pasta la facessero come in italia...buone birre anche se non locali, ottimo il whisky e la disponibilità!

This was not a hot chocolate! Staff very unhelpful, I may have missed something but seriously was expecting it to be a hot chocolate with orange!

the service was bad. the food was good. expensive though

Great Art Deco bar lounge that also serves food. Relaxing and welcoming and a great place to meet up with friends and also child friendly. Can be a bit pricey but worth it.

Great Range fir breakfast including fresh fruit salad.

Had pizzas and they were delicious would definately recommend. Bar staff very friendly. Good atmosphere.

Nice bar, good to visit during Festival for live music. Didn't eat so can't comment on the food other than others looked good around me.

Nice new space with a bunch of old musical instruments and kit. Comfortable and pleasant. Connected with a hotel and it has hotel prices and atmosphere.

A nice place to relax and enjoy a drink and snack. Food not that great but we still came to enjoy a drink. Very comfy seats too. A large variety of cocktails.

Nous avons mangé dans ce bar-restaurant presque 4 fois. Bonne ambiance, super personnel, nourriture excellente surtout les soupes faites maison !

Great music and good atmosphere.

Ce pub, attenant au Novotel Centre, possède sa propre histoire ! Rendez vous punk dans les années 95, c'est un endroit chaleureux et branché.

The food was just OK. The service however was aweful ! I don't know whether the girls had been out the night before but they made us feel like they were doing us a favour by serving us. ( if we could find them that is). I live across the road but I wouldn't go back!

Mycket trevlig och mysig upplevelse på denna restaurang med god mat, livemusik i bakgrunden och superbra service från personalen!

The food is wonderful, all the barkeeps were great. Live music in the evenings. Large selection of brews.

The Tap is a nice and cosy bar, with some live entertainment that are worth it! Don't hesitate to spend the evening there !

Qui, negli anni '90, si suonava punk dal vivo. Si conserva tutt'ora l'abitudine di offrire musica dal vivo (jazz) in un ambiente con arredamento vintage. L'aperitivo viene servito senza alcuno snack, ma questo mi è capitato anche altrove.

We stayed at the Novotel so ended up here a few evenings. We even watched the World Cup here one night. Attentive staff, free popcorn, and ability to order food from the restaurant and have it brought to the lounge made this a good place to go without leaving the hotel.

Really nice place to hang out and drink, I went during fringe fest and they had jazz on every day at lunch time and in the evenings. Great vibe and friendly bar staff.

Uno schifo. Quasi 5 sterline per 2 caffe che sapevano di acqua sporca. Appena lo vedete cambiate strada troverete molto di meglio.

Wir hatten eine Pizza, amerikan Stil und einen Burger. Beides war gut. Herausgestochen ist die freundliche Bedienung vom ganzen Team.

Friendly staff, pretty mediocre cocktails though

We came here to have a celebratory drink with friends. I have ordered a gin and tonic. The lovely Hungarian waitress ( sorry for not remembering her name) made me one with thyme and lime and all the trimmings. It looked and tasted fantastic. Thank You!

-The high stools near the window are a little bit groggy. The live music can be noisy:). +The interior is lovely. The young barwomen are very professional and friendly. The scotch eggs with haggis are good. The whisky is even better.

Love this place for having a drink with friends, very relaxing and welcoming and great Art Deco interior. Bit pricey would love to visit again and maybe try some food.

I was staying at the Novotel where this bar is located and it was very nice to have a drink after a long day walking the city. Bar staff very friendly, girl from Australia working there really nice person and always smiling.

They never came to ask how we were doing and even with multiple asks for seperate checks they did not do so. Additionally, the food was not great and very limited choice for those with alllergies or dietary restrictions.

Food is overpriced and poor quality - also is labelled pretenciously. During our visit staff did not come over to clear plates or ask if we wanted anything else so I was left for an hour to get a drink

carta restringida pero muy rico todos los platos que ordenamos. El lugar es pequeno pero suele haber lugar

The drinks menu of this restaurant is impressive. If you need help, then leave it to bartender - you will not be disappointed. The food is good as well & has something for everyone. Its a good place to go to with friends/family

Delicious food and great selection of drinks all served with a friendly smile all in a lovely atmosphere.

After a day sightseeing, I was great to have a nice drink from an extensive range, and listen to the music from Luke. Just one often musicians that gig's there. Very family friendly. The kids had their drinks and popcorn. Lovely atmosphere. Great end to a fantastic day

Food was good had nice local meals aswell as standered American sort of meals would recommend to a friend

sat and enjoyed an evening drink before going out to dinner , very relaxing atmosphere , good helpful staff

Ancien repère de punks (années96) selon eux.

Had lunch and a few beers here before hitting the Xmas shopping. Great staff and food is good and hearty. Prices are mid range so will not break the bank. Will return again if in the area.

Good bar with food availability. Had a guitarist singing in the evening was very good. Could have a few more comfortable seats instead of high backs.

We included breakfast in our hotel stay at the Novatel (see separate review). The restaurant and night time lounge is right in the lobby. The decor and furniture in the lounge area is very eclectic and modern. We heard live music one night. The buffet style breakfast is really good and good selection of breads, pastries, meats, eggs, fruit, cereal, etc. Very convenient if you're staying at the hotel.

Squeaky chairs within the lounge make the music experience less than enjoyable

It is not very nice to have a waiter who does not understand English. Moreover we were quite unlucky because today is the day when the menu changes and many things went wrong (no children's menu for instance). I was so desperate that I didn't order a dessert.

Redecorated since we last visited and I think I preferred it before however it's still comfortable with a pleasant atmosphere. There was no music on at the time of our visit so can't comment on that. I will say that we thought he drinks were very good expensive at £14+ for 2 pints and a G&T.; We only had 1!!

Located in a quiet area and offering excellent service, great music and good food. The menu although not extensive had all the usual you would expoect from snacky to a full three course. The staffs were friendly and the service was excellent. One felt no rush to move on. I would highly recommend this restaurant

Ambiente bom, pequeno mas bacana. Poucas opções de cervejas e comida, mas é uma boa alternativa para quem está hospedado no Novotel e quer ficar por perto uma noite. Nada extraordinário.

bar de notre hôtel lors de nos vacances en écosse ambiance très décontracte, décor original, nous y avons passe une soirée agreable...

The Tap Music Lounge was within our hotel during our long weekend away in Edinburgh and it was an absolute delight. Over the 4 days we were in Edinburgh we had numerous drinks in this bar and we were always incredibly impressed by the service. The drinks prices were reasonable and there was a vast choice.

the Tap was in the hotel we stayed in, so we ate there 2 times. The food was wonderful, the music nice, and the staff very courteous

Been there just for a quick pint with my gf, stumbled across a lad who says they only accepted card payments from that time. Spent about 20 mins there and he started turning off a few lights before their time to close(an hour and a half early, i checked their closing hours on their website). If it wasnt for that, i would have liked the place but it kinda ruined it for me.

Often there is a temptation when staying in a hotel close to the city to wander out in the evening. However on this wet and windy night it seemed sensible to stay in. The Tap has some interesting items around, guitars and music memorabilia which creates a nice ambiance. The entertainment was excellent a red bearded guitarist /singer who delivered familiar tunes in an engaging way.

stopped in for a bite somewhere close to where we were staying> it was early in the evening, so it was quiet dining - could get louder later on as they gear for a younger crowd, food was good