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The pub’s story
Forth Floor Brasserie & Bar is Harvey Nichols Edinburgh’s elevated food-and-drink level above St Andrew Square. It opened with the new Scottish Harvey Nichols store in 2002, conceived as a restaurant, bar and brasserie behind a glass frontage with a full-length terrace and a panorama from Edinburgh Castle to the Firth of Forth. The venue’s history is therefore modern retail architecture, not that of an old New Town pub. A 2014 refurbishment retained the Forth Floor’s high, view-led character while remodelling the restaurant, brasserie and bar. Today it remains a polished option for cocktails, Champagne, wine or a meal where the skyline is part of the table setting. It is high-floor rather than a standalone open rooftop, and store access and restaurant service should be distinguished: the department store’s trading hours are not necessarily the Brasserie & Bar’s. Book a view-facing table if that is the reason for the visit.
What to notice
- 01
This is a high-floor indoor bar/brasserie, not a separate open-air rooftop.
- 02
Book a view-facing table if the skyline matters; not every seat has the same outlook.
- 03
Restaurant hours can outlast store trading. Use the Brasserie & Bar’s schedule rather than the shop’s hours.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Harvey Nichols develops its Edinburgh store over roughly three years, with a top-floor restaurant, bar and brasserie included in the plan.
Harvey Nichols opens its first Scottish store at St Andrew Square.
The Forth Floor restaurant, bar and brasserie opens as the store’s top-floor food-and-drink destination with terrace and city views.
CDA completes a refurbishment of the existing Forth Floor restaurant, brasserie and bar.
Harvey Nichols lists the Forth Floor Brasserie & Bar as its current Edinburgh dining venue, with a published weekly schedule.
Sources & confidence
Contemporary reporting, the original architect’s project record and Harvey Nichols’ own current pages establish the 2002 opening, 2014 refit and present operating details without presenting a modern venue as historic.
Research reviewed
- Edinburgh welcomes the arrival of Harvey NicholsThe Guardianeditorial
SupportsContemporary report that Harvey Nichols opened its first Scottish store in Edinburgh in August 2002.
- Bites: The latest hip lunch spot? Why, it’s your local department storeThe Independenteditorial
SupportsContemporary opening context: three-year Edinburgh development and Forth Floor’s planned top-floor restaurant, bar, brasserie, balcony and views.
- Harvey Nichols Restaurant, EdinburghCDA Groupspecialist
SupportsArchitect’s record of the 2002 store/Forth Floor and the 2014 refurbishment of the restaurant, brasserie and bar.
- Forth Floor Brasserie & BarHarvey Nicholsofficial
SupportsCurrent Forth Floor identity, food-and-drink offer, skyline positioning and weekly opening hours.
- Edinburgh store detailsHarvey Nicholsofficial
SupportsCurrent 30-34 St Andrew Square address, store trading hours and access context.
- Harvey NicholsTime Outeditorial
SupportsIndependent explanation of the ‘Forth Floor’ name and its fourth-floor views over the Forth.
