Greyfriars Bobby

A historic establishment in a tourist popular area adjacent to Greyfriars Kirkyard it has a great vibe inside and out with a busy and lively atmosphere. All of out orders were good at prices one would expect but not overly inflated.

Bobby was the name of a Skye Terrier dog owned by John Gray, a night watchman for the Edinburgh Police. The two were inseparable up until Gray died of tuberculosis. He was buried in Greyfriars Kirkyard and it is said that for 14 years, Bobby faithfully kept constant watch and guard over his grave and never spent a night away from him. He was taken care of by residents throughout those years and was buried just inside the gate of Greyfriars Kirkyard, not far from his master's grave.

In honor of Edinburgh's most famous and faithful dog, William Brody sculpted this statue of Bobby and it was unveiled in November 1873, opposite Greyfriars Kirkyard.

Bobby's headstone reads "Greyfriars Bobby - died 14th January 1872 - aged 16 years - Let his loyalty and devotion be a lesson to us all".

If you look closely, his nose is a bit lighter due to tourists have started rubbing his nose for luck. It's a very cute, endearing story that reminded me of Japan's Hachiko.

After months of planning my trip across the pond, I took an unscheduled detour after a walking tour and found Bobby. This mighty terrier is easy to spot by its statue in front of the it's namesake bar. I didn't have a chance to frequent the bar, but that is a good excuse to come back. If you are in the area, want to explore around the National Museum, or stumble around then stop on by.

It is such a cute story. I'm not sure if all my facts are straight but the gist of it is this dog's owner, John Gray, was a night watchman who took the dog with him to work all the time. Even when John died of tuberculosis the dog would not leave his grave. For 14 years the dog was faithful in guarding the grave and townspeople helped the dog providing him with shelter in the graveyard.
With a touching sentimental story like that who wouldn't want to take a picture of this sculpture and give him a pat on the head for being so loyal.

After a day chalked full of awesome tourism we popped in for a quick nosh and drink. A deal of 3 for 16 pounds bar bites was the great solution. Chorizo, calamari and chicken bites. Had a double scotch and casked IPA for 33.17 . Fast poliute service. Splendid

What an emotional thing to see - this sweet pup.

Definitely a must see and to read about this story!

The reason the dogs nose is gold unlike the rest of his body is because people touch it for luck.

He was a loyal pup and deserves to be seen by all for sure - also the gift shop that is in his name was cute too, cute stuff and nice workers!

Statue review: some people were rubbing the nose of Greyfriars Bobby statue. I did not, but I did visit the grave and the restaurant for lunch after seeing the statue.

Pub review: Love this pub! The two gals were really working hard to serve everyone. This is a popular place. We didn't have trouble getting a table at exactly noon when it opened, but it was completely full when we left.

I had a half pint of Guinness and a lovely Chicken and Brie pie. The waitress recommended it, so go with her recommendations because the pie was excellent. I also shared a Cranachan (Scottish dessert) with the hubby because, well, when in Scotland, drink Guinness and eat dessert. Really, the saying is true, Guinness just doesn't travel well, so drink it in Ireland and the UK. The Cranachan was interesting, probably not something that I'd order a second time, but it is now off my bucket list.

Great pub, interesting story about Greyfriars Bobby. Don't forget to go inside the cemetery and visit the graves too.

Such a sweet tribute to a loyal puppy! It's a statue of a little doggie that guarded its owner's grave until he passed away himself! It's in a nice area by a good pub of the same name (in a separate review), so if you're in the area, it's worth a visit. I wouldn't go out of my way to visit just the statue itself unless you're just really into the story etc. but it seems to be in a main touristy area so not hard to stop by and see the sweet pup!

The statue is open 24/7. However, the adjacent pub/restaurant does not open until noon so you'll have to wait until then if you want a traditional pub experience.

This pub is immortalized by its namesake, Greyfriars Bobby. There is a statue to the endearing dog right beside the pub. There is information at the statue, on the walls of the pub and in the quiet graveyard behind the pub, where both dog and his master are buried.

If you are simply here to visit the memorial statue, you must also go into the pub and enjoy a pint of Jack Back to improve the experience. The food here is typical pub fare with fish and chips, meat pies, bangers and mash, as staples on the menu. (There is also haggis.)

When we arrived here, just before noon, we looked at the statue first but then, as we needed sustenance, we were the first through the doors of the pub. However, by 12:30, the restaurant was totally packed. The clientele was a mixture of tourists and families. The largest table can accommodate 6 people. Most of the tables are for two people.

You can choose just to visit the memorial statue, or you can double your pleasure and have a great meal at the adjacent pub as well.

I love a good story, especially one with a dog in it. Bobby was an old policeman's dog, who decided to get a small cute dog instead of a big one to cajole troublemakers into acting right instead of scaring them into it. Bobby means policeman in English slang.

As a story with a twist, our tour guide said this isn't even Bobby, it's a likeness of his girlfriend. Once Bobby's girlfriend found out Bobby was getting fixings and such from the butcher at his old master's gravesite she started sitting vigil with him. After the priests gave up trying to run him off they recognized the moneymaker of him sitting next to his master's grave they let him stay. After he passed away the priests had the girlfriend take his place and still fed her, and she continued to draw in people who would donate money. One last thing. Bobby isn't buried there since he's a dog, but that the priests placed a marker for him. Dogs aren't allowed to be buried on hallowed ground, or so says the tour guide. It's a great story.

What annoyed me to no end is the pub across the street from Bobby. They turned the statue around so that the pub is in the background when you take a photo, sort of like free publicity. I found this so tasteless I may just 1 star that pub on yelp.