Morten Andersen rates the Forth Floor as the most underused view in the New Town. It sits on top of a department store, which puts off the people who would love it most, and serves Champagne and whisky from a terrace that looks straight down the spine of the city. The shopping-bag set guard it well.
The Forth Floor Bar tops the Harvey Nichols building at 30-34 St Andrew Square, EH2 2AD, two minutes from the St Andrew Square tram stop in the heart of the New Town. The bar shares the top level with a brasserie, but the bar itself is the room to ask for: an intimate counter set against 32 metres of floor-to-ceiling glass with a wrap-around terrace (Harvey Nichols official site).
The terrace is the draw. It runs around the building and opens the outlook from Edinburgh Castle in the west to the Firth of Forth in the north, with the New Town laid out between (The Rooftop Guide). Since 2021 part of it has run as a Johnnie Walker Whisky Terrace, a dedicated outdoor whisky bar that suits the Scottish setting better than the usual rooftop spritz list (What's On Edinburgh).
The drinks lean into the address. The list covers cocktails, a deep range of wine and Champagne, and a roll-call of Scotch on the whisky terrace, set against small plates of Scottish produce. Order a dram on the terrace when the weather holds, or a cocktail at the glass counter when it does not. The bar is the better seat than the brasserie if drinks rather than a full dinner are the plan.
Beyond the whisky terrace, the bar list runs to well-made classics and a roll of Champagnes by the glass, set against Scottish small plates from the brasserie kitchen next door, smoked salmon, oysters and cheese among them. Order a dram outside in summer or a Martini at the glass counter when the terrace is shut. The seafood plates are the food to pair with a drink rather than a full three courses.
The crowd skews New Town lunch and after-work rather than late-night, with shoppers, business meetings and couples making up most of the room. Tripadvisor reviewers rate the view and the service highly and note the bar runs calmer than the brasserie at peak, which is the case for asking for the bar seat over a table (Tripadvisor).
Who it is for is the shopper who knows to take the lift one floor higher, the couple after a quiet terrace drink, and anyone who would rather watch the Castle than queue for it. It is right for an after-work glass, a whisky on a dry evening or a discreet date. It is wrong for a big group or a late night, since the room keeps department-store rather than nightclub hours. For the rest of the city's terraces, see our guide to the best rooftop bars in Edinburgh.
The room rewards timing and a clear sky. The terrace is open seasonally and fills on warm afternoons, while the glass-walled bar holds the same view through Edinburgh's grey months. Evening service runs Thursday to Saturday, so a weekend dusk is the slot for a drink with the lights coming on across the New Town.
Best time to go is a dry late afternoon, terrace side, dram in hand. For the wider plan, start with our Edinburgh bar guide, and for another high room with a serious list see Nor' Loft over the Old Town.
Sources: Harvey Nichols official site; The Rooftop Guide; What's On Edinburgh.
