Compass Bar

We were in Leith on holiday and our Airbnb host recommended Compass Bar as it was very close to where we were staying. It looks like Compass has undergone recent renovations to the interior and menu (something to note based on past reviews). From the outside, it has the appearance of a possible dive bar, but it is so posh and cosy inside! The interior is airy and light and beautifully decorated. We ate here twice whilst on holiday, dinner in the restaurant and brunch in the bar, and were very pleased with the service and food. Compass is dog friendly in the bar. The staff treated our dog like a rockstar when we brought her along for brunch.
To set the scene: We spent all day Tuesday hiking around Lake Lomond and got back to Leith late at night. After a day of hiking and a 2 hour drive back, we were starved for something warming and filling to eat. Compass serves food from 10am-​10pm, and is open for drinks until 1am. It was perfect for us For dinner, I ordered a hotdog with chips. Oh my goodness! It was a HUGE and tasty meal. It was so filling, I wasn’t able to finish everything. The hotdog meat appears to be house-​made or locally made and is spiced somewhat like a sausage, and measures in at a foot long. The kitchen fried the dog, which I normally don’t like but absolutely loved the preparation for this dog. The dog was topped with caramelized onions, yummy mustard, and crispy bacon bit. The most delicious heart attack you’ll ever eat. The chips were cooked to perfection — fluffy inside and crunchy outside.
For brunch, I ordered the french toast topped with bacon and maple syrup. Absolutely incredible. The brioche style bread was thick-​cut and pan cooked to perfection. The maple syrup is thick and glossy, grade A Canadian. The bacon at Compass is the best I’ve had in the UK. It was lightly salted and really fresh. It was a flavorsome balance for the french toast and overall very filling.
Compass is such a versatile location. It would be perfect for a date night, casual dinner, or mimosas for brunch with friends. I’d highly recommend Compass to anyone who likes good food.

Compass Bar is a well sited bar and restaurant, occupying the corner of Constitution and Queen Charlotte streets in Leith. When I first arrived in Edinburgh on holiday, it was highly recommended by locals. Honestly at night it looks a bit of a dive bar from the outside, so Brittany A. and I weren’t sure what to expect going in for dinner our second night in town.
Compass is physically divided into a bar at the entrance that can seat about 30 people, and a traditional looking restaurant located half a story up in the building that is good for groups. Both the bar and restaurant sections are served by staff, so you won’t have to worry about ordering at a till.
The interior looks like it was recently renovated. Original plaster details on the bar ceiling accent the warm wood and rock walls. A large hearth offers a visually intriguing focal point. The restaurant is decorated with large French posters and features a wood plank ceiling. A clear line of sight into the kitchen lets you watch your order creation.
Our first visit was for dinner around 9PM in the restaurant section. Food is served for twelve hours, 10AM — 10PM daily. Compass has a good number of vegetarian options on the menu. I opted for their vegetarian club, a giant sandwich stuffed to the gills with hummus and halloumi, served with a side of chips. It’s an incredible entrée that requires a big appetite. I tried one of the Innis & Gunn beers on tap in addition to their complementary tap water infused with cucumber and mint. The dinner service was prompt and professional, and our entrees were out in a jiffy.
We enjoyed the food so much we came back on our final day in Edinburgh for an 11AM brunch. We tend to take our dog with us on our travels, and Compass allows pooches in the bar area. The bar is very relaxed with some comfortable window booth seating and free WIFI. This is the kind of place you can get some real work done. I tried their small vegetarian breakfast, a full plate with vegetarian haggis, sausage, hash brown, beans, mushrooms, toast and more. For a small portion I once again was left completely full. It was honestly one of the best veggie breakfasts I’ve tried in the UK. We stayed for a bit, enjoying the music and several excellent espresso drinks. Overall Compass Bar is a great neighbourhood institution offering top notch service, great prices, and delicious food all day long.

Great pub food just between the Shore and the Links. Popped in for an impromptu weekend lunch — lots of tables booked but staff found us a spot. Food was great, well cooked and nicely presented. It’s possibly more of a restaurant than a bar — I can’t imagine staying there for a session all afternoon, but prices are reasonable and the atmosphere is lovely.

Excellent smoked fish pie, soup. Generous portion. Ample variety of beer and ale. Reasonable prices. Neighborhood atmosphere. Lovely staff.

The starters, drinks and prices and ambience are all OK but the main courses served up to us were unacceptable. The fishcakes and smoked salmon starters were actually quite nice.
The main course was an unmitigated disaster and there’s no point in talking to people who get their food this badly wrong. I’m a good cook and discerning foodie myself, so perhapsa tad fussy, though I never give reviews this bad to anyone, nobody should have to eat this stuff.
I had a risotto which consisted off over-​cooked pudding rice cooked in plain water with a few other ingredients chucked in at the end as an afterthought and the combination was not a good one even if the risotto had been correctly prepared.
Risotto is properly cooked from raw arborio rice with a hot half half stock and wine mix added throughout cooking until the risotto reaches a creamy texture, parmesan cheese is added towards the end. You have to stand over the pan for 30 minutes. Busy experienced chefs can manage this juggling with other dishes, but no such luck here.
Taking shortcuts with this process is very dodgy territory at the best of times but serving up the watery mush that is delivered here is completely beyond the pale.
The «home made burger» was also 100% unacceptable, of a very dry grainy completely grey texture, Deep frozen then rapidly microwawed on full power to destruction. Massive amounts of ketchup and mayo needed to make it edible.
The clientelle all looked mature in years so maybe over-​cooking the rice suits them.
I’ve been in Scotland a year and this is the worst rubbish served up at any establishment.

Compass is somewhere I’ve walked past often, but never been inside — until the King’s Wark was fully booked and we were in need of some food Leith style.
We had a booking, but a fairly rubbish table at the back next to the loos — woo… Wines were on the slightly dearer side, and food was averagely priced. It was however pretty disappointing, with my steak pie consisting of a stew of dry beef and a slab of blackened pastry on top — this is NOT A PIE. Chips were a bit meh too. Cullen Skink looked nice mind.
Service wasn’t as slow as some other reviews have suggested, but was a bit sloppy (such as having to ask for a spoon for the soup). Oh and the wine had already been opened before being brought to the table, which you shouldn’t do.
It’s not an awful restaurant, but there’s a wealth of choice down by the Shore that you’d be better off spending your money at.

cracking food at good prices. best pub food down the shore by a mile.

Really nice food, but had to wait absolutely ages for it. This is a bit of a problem when you’re on a one hour lunch break and really need to eat in that time.
When the food finally arrived, it tasted wonderful and that just about made up for the wait, until I realised I had to scoop it in about fifteen seconds. Boo! I went for the veggie tart with tattie salad — it’s one to go for if you have more time on your hands.
I think there’s a decent selection of beer, but as I was on lunch the booze was out of bounds. I liked the atmosphere and décor of the place though, and the guys behind the bar were pleasant and fun.

Recent trip back to my home-​town had us ending up in this cool place. (Last time I was in Leith, this place was called «Slammers» and — needless to say, its reputation reflected its tasteful name. I did not go there — ever!) SO I was pleasantly surprised to find Slammers transformed into this great Scottish Bar & Grill.
Great service and outstanding food. I had the pork — cooked to perfection with tasty flavorful sides including wild mushroom mash! yum! Bf had the herb & steak pie — delish (says him) with chips. Wine by the glass was excellent — as was the espresso AND the price. HIGHLY recommended — next time you are in Edinburgh/​Leith.

Compass used to be my local for years. So much so I used to eat there more or less once a week. I couldn’t rave about this place enough up until about 6 months ago when I think the quality went down a notch or two.
This lovely little bar in the heart of Leith has a great atmosphere and usually you can just walk in and get a table though that’s not to say it is really quiet.
I always thought that the food menu was great value, main meals ranging between £7-£13 for great quality, local produce such as seabass, venison, steak etc. However, lately we have been in less frequently as we have noticed that the usually extensive menu has turned more pub grub like with everything battered and accompnied with chips.
I wouldn’t rule it out though as it is a good place. Definitely worth a try.

I’d like to thank those of you on Qype who have reviewed this venue already I was killing time in the area yesterday (a Thursday evening) and decided to treat myself to dinner. After finding the reviews here I decided to do the 2 minute walk from The Links. The two staff on duty were very friendly and attentive, I thoroughly enjoyed my pint and the menu was very fitting to the surroundings. I opted for the Stilton and Apple Salad for a starter (also appears to be available as a main course) and it was delicious. Sometimes stilton can be so strong it makes me weep but this was just perfect with a great dressing that wasn’t poured on by the gallon thankfully. For main course I opted for the Wild Boar Sausages, which came with an excellent and plentiful garnish of parsnip crisps. While only two (large) sausages came atop the mash, they proved to be (almost) too much of a challenge for me, as they were very meaty and not full of the usual crap that make up sausages and really filling! The desserts were tempting me as I had managed to seat myself in plain view of the blackboard advertising such curiousities as a ‘Pimms Cheesecake’. However, being a greedy chocoholic I ended up with the chocolate truffle with raspberry coulis slightly (very slightly) disappointed it appeared to be a pre-​portioned bought-​in effort but it was lovely and very moreish. Everything was presented wonderfully and even down to my indulgence of a double espresso, the bill ended up at just over £22 which was WELL worth the delicious meal. Suffice to say I don’t treat myself to a three-​course meal as much as I’d care for, and extremely glad I chose this place. I wonder what it is like on a weekend night as the bar looked inviting to sit at. If this place does live accoustic music it would fit right in with a selection of lovely rums. Pros: Almost everything about my experience. Music, atmosphere, candles, lighting, beer, menu choice, attentive yet unobtrusive staff, no twats in drinking Tennents.
Cons: Not enough stomach space to sample more! Maybe there should be comfy tub chairs scattered around some (round?) tables to make the arrangement less perpendicular ;)

I live at Queen Charlotte Street and used to go to Compass often, however I’ve had an awful experience and sore tummy after visiting them recently. The chargrilled chicken I ordered was completely black covered with a generous amount of seasoning. Moreover, I asked the waitress kindly before to serve me a moderately spicy chicken. My night out finished with a horrible pain in my stomach, however I didn’t drink any alcohol at all. I would not recommend this place to my friends due to the waitress’s lack of attention to details and the chef’s lack of skillful cooking.

My favourite pub in Leith for food. Always lots of good specials, the food is well cooked and the service is quick.

The food here is awesome! I’m sad that the vegetarian haggis burger and the fish and chips medley appear to have disappeared from the menu, but this is still definitely one of the best places to go for lunch if you happen to be on Constitution Street. Really good atmosphere.

This is a nice, laidback, local establishment in Leith, which is good for some decent food and a few bevs. The red décor and brick wall beside the bar make this an attractive wee place, which feels pretty spacious and beams in lots of light. There’s the traditional wooden chairs and tables thing going on, no sofas about, which makes it slightly more of a restaurant where you have to sit up straight at the table, rather than a pub and restaurant where you can lean back a bit more in comfier seating, and chill with both food and drinks.
It always seems to be busy here, and it is definitely really popular with the locals. The menu is really reasonably priced too, so this is a worthwhile stop if you’re drinking or eating in the Leith area.

Wholesome, hearty food with a homely feel. Think of the Compass’ offerings as your mum’s feel good grub with a professional guise.
Walking past the window of the Compass, I caught a glimpse of the chef slicing a big crusty bread loaf on a rustic wooden slab, slices of what looked like Brie and a bunch of fresh herbs nestled at the side. That image convinced me to dine there with little consideration and I was not let down.
Inside you’ll find a typical up market pub interior: stone walls, wooden tables and slouch worthy chairs. What sets this place apart is food. I tried a braised duck leg with a spicy potato stew — top quality stuff and under ten pounds too.

I went to Compass about a year or so ago and it was great, fresh fish and chips and my boss had a ‘boss” looking beef sandwiches. The stylish surroundings weren’t too overpowering and the sun was lovely as it streamed through the many, many windows.
Anyway, I was down that neck of the woods recently and went back and the food was pretty poor, I don’t understand it was a world of difference. Perhaps the place had changed hands or chefs but it certainly slashed my rosey memories.

Cosy, particularly last night now that the autumnal temperatures seem to be here, and friendly bar that to my mind only lacked a couple of decent ales in order to boost it’s profile.
Having now eaten here (July 2010) I’m more than happy to award it another star having experienced speedy and friendly service as well as very much enjoying my hake with salad.

Took my main squeeze out to lunch. We were heading for Suruchi too an old fav but it was closed so went a bit further down the street. Despite having curry on my mind, we decided to opt for this place.
A bar which serves food or a food place that serves drinks? Not quite sure where it comes but.
I ordered the seafood platter at £8.95 from the specials board. Whilst the good lady was perusing the board, the chef appearef and recommended the Peppered venison steak with brandy sauce & chunky chips! Always one to take a tip that’s what she ordered. Neither of us were disappointed! The venison steak was rare & beautiful, a tasty morsel & the suace was to die for. My platter incleded oysters, smoked trout, smoked salmon, smoked mackerel, and crayfish tails, excellent I have to say! Washed down with a bottle of Magners, we left with smiles on our faces & at £30 a smile on the bank managers face too!

Went here for lunch with my other half. It was quiet but still had a bit of atmosphere about it. I ordered the venison as it was recommended by the chef. I was not disappointed it was a delicious morsel, seved with chunk chips and a side salad as well as a brandy cream sauce! My cmpanion ordered the seafood platter from the specials board & that looked really good too! I would recommend a visitif in the area!