9 top spots to grab a drink near Edinburgh's King’s Theatre
Tollcross and the surrounding area has plenty of great pubs and bars for a pre-theatre pint
Bennets Bar
8 Leven Street
As the venerable theatre emerges from a massive refurb in summer 2026, this narrow pub right next door still matches it for historic ambience and treasured status. It’s all about stained glass, leather benches, an ornate dark-wood gantry, cask ales, solid whiskies and the chance of a diva or dame brushing past.
The Blackbird
37–39 Leven Street
A comfortable and easy-to-like independent bar at the heart of the Tollcross community with the usual range of drinks, some tempting cocktails, a spot of food and a surprisingly sizeable beer garden tucked through the back.
Cloisters Bar
26 Brougham Street
Now settled into a former parsonage near the Meadows for 30 years, this is one of the city’s proper real-ale locations. Like old-school spreadsheets, blackboards offer all the origin and ABV data you need, covering up to ten cask choices, ten on keg and a bunch of drams besides.
Lauri
105 Lauriston Place
A refreshing antidote to theme bars and faux traditionalism, the Lauri self-deprecatingly calls itself ‘a dilapidated auld tenement bar’. Local breweries are on tap alongside new-wave Scottish ciders, natural wines and they’ll draw your attention to the beaujolais nouveau when it’s in. Food from the pizza van on the next corner along.
A Wee Taste
36 Leven Street
An owner-run operation that’s ideal for a quiet drink before a show. There’s a tempting snacking menu with colourful grazing boards of local cheese and meats alongside pinchos-style bites of tinned fish, padron peppers or a Scotch egg. The personal care in menu composition extends to the wines, cocktails and non-alcs.
Wildcat
11–13 Tarvit Street
Low-lit and intimate, this cocktail bar has speakeasy secrecy even though it’s on the street right beside the King’s. Classic cocktails are served with finesse, but keep an eye out for their inventive signatures, not to mention some accessible price points for certain serves and nips.
Also try… The Belfry if you’re a whisky explorer, new arrival Seamus’s where old-man vibes target a youthful audience, and Margot for on-trend wines and small plates beside Bruntsfield Links.