The Edinburgh Festival is the world’s largest celebration of the arts. Theatre, music, dance, literature and every other imaginable activity that could possibly be described as an art form appear in a huge number of venues across the city.
Accompanying the performances, shows, exhibitions and street displays, are places of rest and sustenance. Restaurants, pubs, clubs and hotels in other words! Owners of these establishments see the month of August as being the most important and lucrative period of their year.
A tourist guide
Edinburgh Festival tourists – especially first-timers- can be as bewildered by the choice of drinking and eating establishments as by the choice of shows. Some may just select a place adjacent to their latest show for pre or post performance refreshments, but that random method can mean festival-goers miss out on the best that the city has to offer.
Most of the Festival events occur in and around the Old Town – the spine of the ancient city that runs east down the Royal Mile away from Edinburgh Castle – so the majority of pubs in this tour will be within this area. But the circuit will include a quick dip in and out of the New Town where the Festival also has a decent presence.
The Ensign Ewart (521-523 Lawnmarket, EH1)
Lawnmarket is the stretch of cobbled road at the very top of the Royal Mile. It gets extremely busy here during the Festival as people come and go between the Castle Esplanade, the site of the Military Tattoo. And you can continue the traditional military theme by popping in to the Ensign Ewart pub.
Named after the eponymous soldier noted for bravery during the Napoleonic Wars, the building which houses this pub is at least two centuries older than that. Tourists have been known to enter this darkened, rather cramped space with some trepidation but the atmosphere is soon welcoming, and they can sample what it might have been like drinking in a traditional Scottish howf many years ago. Just don’t forget the code for the toilets given to you by the bar staff!
The Villager (49-50 George IV Bridge, EH1)
As Lawnmarket becomes the High Street (both part of the Royal Mile) you can turn right onto George IV Bridge. A couple of hundred yards on the left sits the Villager bar, a modern joint that contrasts with the ancient feel of the previous pub. Unlike some of the more traditional bars around the Old Town, Villager does concentrate on its food offerings. Sunday roasts seem to be a real favourite.
Around eight years old it was one of the first to do the varnished floorboards, eclectic seating, mirrors and plants look. It is pretty spacious and attracts a young crowd, with a cocktail list to match.
The City Cafe (19 Blair Street, EH1)
George IV Bridge is above one of the main thoroughfares, the Cowgate, which hosts many Festival venues. To get there, you can continue along the road before taking a right down Candlemaker Row and another right onto Cowgate.There are many options here but this tour recommends taking in the City Café on Blair Street, which links the Cowgate with High Street.
The City Café has gone in and out and in to fashion again but that is of no concern if you are just looking for a decent drink in a place where the varied clientele always prove of interest whether the Festival is on or not. On a sunny day the small outside area is a great spot to watch the goings-on down on Cowgate or up in Hunter Square. As a bonus you may get to catch a free comedy show in the downstairs bar.
The Abbotsford (3-5 Rose Street, EH2)
After your pint and/or show continue up Blair Street and over the High Street to Cockburn Street, which leads to Waverley Bridge over the city’s main railway station. Princes Street lies ahead, the most famous street in the New Town.
Rose Street runs parallel to Princes Street and used to be the hub of the city’s drinking scene but it has lost much of its lustre and drawing power over the last two decades. However, some real historical gems remain, pubs that exhibit many decorative features from the late Victorian/Edwardian period of pub architecture. The handiwork of amazingly skilled craftsmen.
The Abbotsford is a prime example. Its green plasterwork ceiling and the intricately carved bar gantry and structure above the counter are both architecturally listed features. But The Abbotsford is more than a historical piece, it is still a lively establishment that attracts a shifting mix of tourists and locals.
The Whiski Rooms (4-7 North Bank Street, EH1)
Our circular Festival tour ends with a journey back across Princes Street and up The Mound past the National Galleries. Near the top of the hill, a new venue, The Whiski Rooms encompasses a bistro, whisky shop and bar in one interlinked site.
The large windows, rich creams and dark purples, and well-sourced photos of the whisky-making process create a fresh, elegant atmosphere. The best seats are either the prestigious booth at the back of the room or a little table outside. Here you can enjoy a whisky or a gin or any other spirit, wine or beer, and take-in the Edinburgh skyline. As long as you’re careful the glass doesn’t slip off the table, sloped as it is by the steep angle of the road!
This is round the corner from where the tour started and once your drinks are finished, you can have some more! Or you can move on to enjoy the many other delights of the Edinburgh Festival.
Ensign Ewart, 521-523 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PE
The Villager, 49-50 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
The City Cafe, 19 Blair Street, Edinburgh EH1 1QR
The Abbotsford, 3-5 Rose Street, Edinburgh EH2 2PR
The Whiski Rooms, 4-7 North Bank Street, Edinburgh EH1 2LP
Scott Graham - I've graduated twice from the University of Glasgow, both disciplines majoring in fiction, an MA in Politics and an MLitt in Creative ...
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