Mac Rating: 5.00 | Votes: 1 | Date: 20/06/2026 18:27:00

The Ghillie Dhu is a traditional Scottish bar, restaurant and live-music venue in the West End of Edinburgh city centre, set in a beautifully converted former church. Combining a busy main bar with an award-winning event auditorium, it offers food, drink and live entertainment in a striking historic building. The building was constructed in 1843 as St Thomas's Episcopal Church, designed in the Neo-Norman style by the architect David Cousin. A-listed in 1970, it later served as a heritage centre, tourist office and casino before being remodelled and reopened in its current form in 2010 by the Glasgow-based G1 Group. Its name comes from a forest sprite of Gaelic folklore, the guardian of the trees. On the ground floor the traditional Scottish pub offers cosy snugs and booths, an extensive drinks list including whisky flights and cocktails, and hearty Scottish fare drawn from suppliers across the country. Live music plays every night on the main bar stage, showcasing local talent, while major sporting fixtures are shown on big screens, with famous match-day atmospheres when the national teams play nearby at Murrayfield. A weekly Burns Supper Club adds ceilidh dancing, live bands and a three-course dinner. Upstairs, the award-winning auditorium retains a fine Norman arch, a groin-vaulted ceiling, ornate cornicing and an original wooden organ case, making it a sought-after setting for weddings and events. A whisky garden on Shandwick Place provides an outdoor space through the summer. Open from morning until the early hours, and twice named Best Small Venue at the Scottish Event Awards, the Ghillie Dhu has become something of an Edinburgh institution. Its blend of heritage architecture, Scottish hospitality and nightly music gives it a distinctive place in the city's West End.