Element

Service is a little slow, but the food is great. I had the chicken and my husband the trout, which he says is one of the best pieces of fish he’s ever had — and that’s saying something. Pleasant atmosphere as well.

Element is a very anonymous-​looking bar about halfway down Rose Street that’s very easy to walk past. Whether I’d recommend it or not depends entirely what time of day you’re visiting and what you’re after:
The first time I went was for a quick lunch during the week with some of my colleagues. The dining area at the back of the place is quite nicely appointed, with brand-​new looking furniture and comfortable seats. The dining space is small and cosy, but I’ve never had trouble getting a seat. The lunch menu was small but reasonably varied, with the prices being around £10 per person (without drinks), which is pretty much standard for Edinburgh lunch-​menus.
The lunch food was tasty and seemed like a good deal. If it were just on the basis of lunch, I would give Element a solid 4 stars. Definitely a good shout for a quiet business-​type lunch.
The next time I went was on a Friday evening for a drink after work with my colleagues again. We walked in and then walked straight back out again. The bar area lacks any sort of character, charm or any general appeal that would encourage you to stay for a drink. There’s a shortage of places to sit and it was absolutely packed to the rafters. If this review was purely on the basis of Element as an evening bar, it would get a big fat 1-​star from me. For a weekend evening drink, go elsewhere.
The last time I went to Element was for a quick dinner during the week. After my experience with lunch, I thought the restaurant part of Element was worth another visit. I was wrong. The dinner menu is really rather boring and ridiculously over-​priced. I couldn’t believe how much we were being charged for simple things like a bowl of soup or a (measly) serving of gnocchi. The service was curt, slow and frustrating. The food was fine but really nothing to write home about. Probably two stars for that effort.
So I’m giving Element a 3-​star aggregate rating:
— 4 stars for lunch
— 2 stars for dinner
— 1 star for drinks
I don’t think I’ll bother with Element again. It’s not like you’re hard up for choice in the centre of the New Town.

Late arrival on a Monday night, nearly empty dining room at 9:30 PM but they were still willing to serve. Appetizer was an amazing lightly marinated salmon. Delightful combination of flavors; distinct yet compatible and mysterious.
Entrée of lamb rump was perfectly fine, not terribly remarkable but very well prepared and presented.
Biggest mistake was my wine selection before selecting the entrée. Should have waited!

Yay Im definately a fan.
Me and Sharona decied to stop of here for some lunch after Spa In The City shenanagins. We bothe opted for Chilli nachos and for £5 — they were awesome! Lots of chilli and cheese! Just what I like, we also had a bottle of Prosecco, which we agreed wasnt the best, but it was only £15 so we didnt grumble. The waitress that served us was busy buy still very polite and attentive. Décor Is modern and its a well presented pub. Would definatley go back! Nom X

On Rose Street you’ll find a variety of bars, some are cheap ass (few) some are upmarket like expensive. Element falls just into the latter category.
In essence it is a Cocktail & Champagne Bar. Providing classic and newish cocktails for their punters. They have a restaurant in the back but the main bar is geared for cocktails of many sorts. We had a Friday evening visit and we were pleased that the private ‘booth’ was available. This is a leather corner seating with plenty of pillows and a iPod/​iPhone dock to play your own music. Also the table is large enough to play a decent board game or poker game (if you so wish).
The drinks are not the cheapest, but this is usual for the location.
Service is quick, friendly and cocktail wise pretty confident.
I haven’t eaten here for a couple of years, but I remember it from back then to be pleasant, but quite forgettable.
I like it when I am in town and it would be on my list to visit, but wouldn’t seek it out as one of my favourites.

Perfectly nice and adequate bar along Rose Street. It’s quite modern in décor and appearance so stands out a little from all the traditional pubs along the stretch. It’s also very often rammed to capacity as the after work crowd seem so enjoy coming here.
There’s plenty space through the back of the pub and ample seating, so if you hang about a bit you can usually manage to grab a seat within a short space of time.
The bar is well stocked with a good range of beers, both on draught and bottled. Typical city centre prices though — you won’t get a pint for much less than £4 in here. Ouch!
I haven’t eaten here so can’t comment, but as watering holes go it’s a safe and central bet.

In a long row of pubs, this place has a modern interior and more evolved menu. Lots of cheerful and attentive service and free wifi. My server recommended the chicken pie and it did not disappoint.

Popped in for a drink on Sunday after a long walk and we were pleasantly surprised — the outside doesn’t bely the lovely interior. Didn’t eat, but the menu looked fine and everything we saw on other tables smelled good! It is a bit expensive drinks wise, and the beer selection isn’t brilliant, but if you’re in need of a nice place to have a seat and a drink on Rose Street then Element is as good a place as any!

Service the usual bad… at least for me.
Very busy and quite noisy.
Staff friendly and helpful-​mostly.

Not too bad for an unplanned lunch. Cullen Skink soup with a cheesy crust sounds wrong but works surprisingly well. Usual beers on draft and attentive service. No worries about returning here.

Element is a bar, the only one on Rose Street, as opposite to the array of terrible pubs that street holds. It would probably be more in its place on trendy and overpriced George Street, but it is a good meeting point in the centre.
You can book the sofas area at the back for birthdays and so on, which is quite nice.
Not being a pub, the selection of beers on tap is pretty poor and the drinks are slightly overpriced. A place where I would not spend the whole night (although I have on occasion for birthday parties) but OK to go for a drink or as a meeting point. I have no idea what the food is like, but I wouldn’t dream for a second to have my lunch there!

I came here for the first time at New Year 2008/​2009, and was so impressed with it that I’ve lost count of the amount of times I’ve been back.
It is your typical Rose Street pub but a bit classier. They have really cool furniature and really nice décor, it’s one of the trendier places to be. When I came at new year I asked the lady behind the bar to give me something festive and she gave me a drink that literally tasted like christmas. It was warm and tasted like apples and cinnamon. YUM!
The price isn’t too bad either! The only criticism I do have is that their wine isn’t that cold, I’m a sucker for a nice cool glass of wine. But it’s nice to sit outside and watch the world go by too! I wish they had more outdoor seats though, but hey, it’s lovely inside!

Quite a bit different from the pint and pork scratching hostelries that make up much of Rose Street’s boozing venues, Element looks and feels more like a style bar which has been thrown up on the cheap, which is more or less exactly what it is.
Having only had a very brief visit, I can’t say I was particularly impressed. It felt quite dark and claustrophobic, and the fellow punters all seemed to be a bit too drunk for my liking considering it was about 6pm on a weeknight. The Scottish tapas style menu does look moderately interesting, but I can’t see me rushing back here in too much of a hurry.

A friend who works on Rose Street met me here for after works drinks recently. A little more upmarket and trendy than the usual Rose Street bars, Element is perhaps more at home on the next street over (George Street).
We had one drink here before deciding it was too expensive and heading somewhere else. The bar and surroundings were comfortable, but just a little but pricey for my liking. If I wanted overpriced drinks, I would go Yah it up on George Street.

When you consider all of the older, more ‘traditional’ bars along Rose Street, Element kind of sticks out.
Its much more modern, but maintains its Scottish heratage, not more so than in its food menu, which most certainly has a Scottish theme. Haggis balls anybody, they are pretty damn good.
Trouble is that Element is a tad on the expensive side, and I wouldnt come here for a big meal, I guet the impression that this place is trying to do the Scottish version of tapas — lots of small nibbly plates to go with your drinks. I mean, dont get me wrong, there are propper sized meals in the restaurant area of the pub, but its just a little lacking in certain areas.
On saying that though, I had quite a nice time, and the food is good — drinks are well priced too, so over all, you may end up having a good time.

Identifying the new fad for ‘nibbles and drinks’ the Element lays out its crisp, elegant bar complete with low tables and candles as an appealing platform to serve platters of bite size favourites including mini beef burgers, haggis balls, spring rolls and chicken liver pâté on oatcakes.
As it so often is with these bars a you end up feeling like your paying for style and not substance. The prices are steep, the food isn’t anything special and somehow you get the feeling that plush environment is just a guise for an upmarket Wetherspoons.
A ‘one off’ then.

This pub is probably the most modern one on Rose Street, but that does not mean it’s not traditionally Scottish at heart.
The menu is predominantly Scots influenced with macaroni cheese, haggis and lighter bar bites if you fancy a wee nibble with your wine.
It is expensive but not ludicrously so; I probably expected it to be much more pricey because it’s that little bit different. The clientele was definitely young and fashionable, and they all pretty much looked the same, which isn’t as fun as people watching in other pubs on the street.
It’s ok, just as long as the other ‘rougher round the edges’ pubs don’t all follow suit.

Element is definitely one of the nicer pubs on Rose Street. The décor is modern and stylish, and it manages to be a cool place to eat and drink without being at all pretentious. The bar staff are smart and friendly and will do table service if you’re eating (and when you’re drinking if the place is quiet). The front part of the pub has a number of high tables with stools, whilst the back room is more like a restaurant with tables and chairs, there are some sofas for lounging too.
The food menu is influenced by Scotland and most of the items have a Scottish twist. For a light bite, the haggis croquettes with drambuie sauce are divine. The mains are equally good and the Aberdeen Angus burgers and the Mull of Kintyre macaroni cheese will have you feeling full all day.
There is an excellent selection of whisky on offer and they also sell bottles of spirits for pretty reasonable prices, if you’re with some friends and planning to make a night of it this is a good option.
If you’re looking for a pub with a little more style than some of the other pubs in this street, Element is a good choice.

I like Element, but it’s very much a bar rather than a pub and it feels like it belongs more on George Street than Rose Street. Sadly, not only is this reflected in the décor but also the prices.
That being said, if you prefer bars to pubs then perhaps this is the rose-​street option for you. It’s the sort of place you’d go to start off you’re night out on the town (coaktails? Hmm) rather than a mid-​week stop for a pint.

This used to be an old fashioned pub called Brecks, and I really wish they hadn’t changed it. I found element to be rather soulless, the atmosphere nothing more than pretentious and the prices much too high for the likes of me. It’s all fancy lighting, ‘fashionable’ furniture and ludicrous cocktails.
For me, this is just another George Street-​style stainless steel nightmare.