Places to eat or drink near the King's Theatre
We've rounded up the best spots to grab a drink or a bite during festival season
Bars
The Belfry
1–3 Barclay Place
A bar for locals as well as whisky enthusiasts. Their selection of around 100 bottles isn’t the biggest in town but it’s been carefully thought through, scouring auction sites and specialist dealers to find those one-off bottlings and delicious drams you just won’t find anywhere else. Head here for a surprising snifter.
Bennets Bar
8 Leven Street
As the King’s emerges from its massive refurb, the bar next door still matches the historic ambience; in fact, there’s been a pub on the site since 1839. There’s plenty of lovely period details to enjoy, like stained glass, tiles and brass taps, as well as cask ales, whiskies and contemporary cocktails.
The Blackbird
37–39 Leven Street
There’s lots to like about The Blackbird. There’s a huge cocktail menu to work your way through (including some excellent alcohol-free choices), plus a £10 lunch menu definitely hits the spot. Best of all, there’s a surprisingly sizeable beer garden tucked through the back, which is a bit of a best-kept secret.
Cloisters Bar
26 Brougham Street
In a former parsonage, this is one of the city’s proper real-ale locations, with up to ten cask choices, ten on keg and a bunch of drams besides. Heavenly Scran is in charge of the kitchen, so expect classic pub dishes like fish and chips, burgers, and mac and cheese.
Lauri
105 Lauriston Place
Self-deprecatingly calling itself ‘a dilapidated auld tenement bar’, local breweries are on tap here alongside new-wave Scottish ciders and natural wines. Well-kept beers change frequently so there’s always something new to try, with the odd tasting event too. Food comes from the pizza van on the next corner.
Seamus’s
15 Brougham Place
The team behind Auld Boy Pubs (motto: old man pubs for all ages) might just be onto something here. The formula is simple: comfy pubs with regular live music, decent drinks, plenty of games, a week-round student discount and, crucially, a laser focus on snacks through their wine and crisps pairing menu.
The Wildcat
11–13 Tarvit Street
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 and don’t forget to peruse the blackboard on the way in, as there’s usually a bargain to be had.
Cafés and Quick Bites
A Wee Taste
36 Leven Street
This owner-run operation is ideal for a quiet drink before a show, or equally you can make a night of it with a grazing board of local cheese and meat alongside pinchos-style bites of tinned fish, padron peppers or a Scotch egg. Hits that ‘casual, cool, cozy’ nail firmly on the head.
Artisan Roast
138 Bruntsfield Place
This dinky wee café is one of four Artisan Roast spots around town: you’ll also find them in Broughton Street, Leith Walk, Stockbridge and a wee van at St James Quarter. You’ll also end up drinking their wares in many of the city’s cafés and restaurants. Open from 7am, this is the place to start your day.
Beatnik
2 Brougham Place
Blink and you’ll miss this ultra-cool coffee shop. It may be small but it’s got a TARDIS-like quality: pure minimalism makes it feel spacious and light. Hand-poured and espresso machine coffees are served on platters with a glass of water, just like the hip coffee bars of Berlin. Pastries tend to sell out around lunchtime, so get in quick if you’re hungry.
Confelicty Bakery
167 Bruntsfield Place
Being diagnosed with coeliac’s disease led to a career pivot for top chef James Chapman. This new bakery is dedicated to experimentation, creating fantastic gluten-free breads, cakes and cookies that are a clear departure from the ultra-processed alternative baked goods you’ll find on supermarket shelves.
Kate’s
116 Causewayside
Nearly everything at this bakery-café is homemade, from the elderflower cordial used to soak sponges to the rhubarb jam that accompanies the scones. Cakes and bakes are seasonal, making the most of Scotland’s natural larder. Think fresh strawberries topping Victoria sponges in June and sharp hits of rhubarb in May. Artisan venison or pheasant sausage rolls provide tasty savoury options for a quick lunch.
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Kuba
1 Dundee Street
Edinburgh Printmakers’ striking red-brick building is home to galleries, workshops and a spacious café. Kuba’s brunch/lunch menu of colourful, freshly cooked options seem conventional enough but deeper exploration reveals a number of African touches such as Ghanian shakshuka or ful medames stew. Keep an eye on their extra-curricular events including a monthly jollof Sunday roast.
Modern Standard Coffee
49 Barclay Place
With its striking blue livery, this speciality coffee shop serves espresso-based and filter coffee from beans roasted by the company in Glenrothes, Fife. You can pop in for takeaway, pick up bags of single-origin coffee and espresso blends (ground to order if required) or linger in the upstairs seating area with a pastry or banana bread.
Starter Culture
43 Argyle Place
2026 arrival Starter Culture is an expansion of a concept born in Glasgow. A sleek, all-day and all-evening café and wine bar, their specialities are cheese and meat platters with select wines. Coffee, pastries, toasties, oysters or even ice-cream are also available at the appropriate time of day or evening.
Restaurants
Fin & Grape
19 Colinton Road
An unpretentious Southside neighbourhood bistro that’s quietly made a name for itself. The main menu is relatively compact, with carefully crafted fish dishes to share along with a daily market special and some exceptional wines. The bar snacks tilt to Mediterranean tinned-fish choices along with nibbles and sides.
Harajuku Kitchen
10 Gillespie Place
A hybrid of endearing neighbourhood bistro and more-than-sushi Japanese specialist, this is a place to explore new flavours, eat well and feel looked after. Go beyond sushi to try their gyoza, curries and donburi. You’ll also find them at Edinburgh Street Food, as well as popping up at local markets.
Kome Izakaya
13a Brougham Street
Casual Japanese bar-dining culture is de rigueur at Kome Izakaya: small bowls of seaweed-infused rice topped with runny egg, mini yakitori skewers in a sweet-salty glaze and sandos on soft shokupan. Craft cocktails are as prettily presented as the food and there’s a vast choice of sake for connoisseurs.
Leftfield
12 Barclay Terrace
The kind of neighbourhood restaurant everyone wants in their ‘hood. Perch at the bar or take in calming views from the modest main room. Chef Phil White’s speciality is seafood but you can equally be charmed by plates centred on roast cauliflower or venison. Sister spot Margot is equally brilliant for a coffee or casual wine.
Muna’s Ethiopian Cuisine
8 Gillespie Place
A little slice of Ethiopia in the Southside, where meals are based around injera: a sour, yeasty and delicious pancake-like bread which serves as an edible plate to tear, dip and dunk into deeply flavoured wots (spicy stews). Order a combo platter to try as many as you can; eating with your hands recommended.
Pomelo
27 Sciennes Road
A tiny restaurant with a huge personality that’s big on flavour and well worth the table squeeze. It could be mistaken for a funky wine bar but there’s an infectious youthful earnestness in the contemporary, pan-Asian food. The combinations are rich, tingling and filling, including chewy, slippery, spicy signature hand-ripped noodles.
Yamato
11 Lochrin Terrace
This masterclass in relaxed yet serene Japanese fine dining is the perfect spot to escape the hustle for a while and sink into unflustered dining joy. Expect top-notch sashimi, nigiri and maki rolls alongside izakaya (small plates) and the chance to sample high-grade tuna, wagyu beef and sake.
Main picture: Tina Leahy.