Food & Drink

 

Edinburgh has a huge number of excellent pubs and restaurants, many of which are near our venue. There are also loads of smaller bars and cafes that set up specially for the festival. This list will be added to constantly to add links, opening hours etc. (and we’ll try to add a handy Google Map) but please do comment and add your own recommendations.

Pubs

  • PearTree – great nearby pub with an enormous and lively beer garden. Located just around the corner from the Informatics Forum on West Richmond Street
  • Teviot / Gilded Balloon – normally the student union but this bar becomes a much cooler space in the festival with comedians, performers and their audience grabbing drinks between shows. Located just round the corner from Informatics in Bristo Square
  • Potterrow / Pleasance Dome – also normally a student union this becomes a general hang out for performers and shows with several bars and cafes. Located around the corner from Informatics in Bristo Square
  • 56 North – cocktail bar (with food available) just down the road from Informatics on Buccluch Street.
  • Pleasance / Pleasance Courtyard – the place to be seen and bump into your comedy heros in August (normally a student bar) this is an increadibly busy series of bars around the Pleasance building located on Pleasance just 10 mins walk from Informatics.

Restaurants

  • Kalpna – excellent vegatarian and vegan restaurant which operates a tasty but basic all you can eat menu at lunchtime and an excellent a la carte menu in the evenings (try the cashew nut curry!). Located on Clerk Street.
  • Anna Purna – indian vegatarian and vegan cooking – homely and good quality. Located just off Clerk Street.
  • Hotel du Vin – modern European food with excellent wine menu. Located near the venue just off Teviot Row.
  • Mosque Kitchen / Mosque Restaurant – cheap and delicious food, perfect for those with huge appetites! The Mosque Kitchen is open during the daytime until 7pm, the restaurant (with an all you can eat format) is open later still. There is also now a kebab shop, ice cream shop and middle eastern shop all based in the block of buildings opposite our venue.
  • Spoon – excellent modern European food (including homemade lemonade, ginger beer and delicious chips), large restaurant, and a former J.K.Rowling writing space (in a previous incarnation).
  • Kim’s Mini meals – very small restaurant offering delicious traditional Korean cooking. Located on Buccluch Street.
  • Koi – loosely Japanese cuisine in a large lively space including some tables with hotplates. Food is good and the space is big but often busy during the festival.
  • Vittoria – Italian restaurant with all the standard things one would expect. Also does excellent takeaway icecreams. Located on George VIth Bridge.
  • The Mussel Inn – restaurant specialising in Scottish Mussels and seafood (though better in months with an “r” in them). Located on Rose Street.
  • No 1 Sushi – freshly made sushi, sashimi and various hot Japanese food with lovely service. Located on Home Street opposite the Cameo cinema.
  • Levens – Thai fusion cuisine that tastes extremely good. The ice cream with coconut rice is a highlight. Located on Home Street.

Coffee/snacks

  • Kilamanjaro – part of a small independent chain with award winning baristers selling Square Mile coffee, the shop is on Nicolson street very near our venue. The shop has a good range of breakfast and snack/lunch items.
  • Press – part of the same small independent chain as Kilamanjaro, this shop is on Buccleuch Place and has a more limited food menu.
  • Black Medicine Coffee Company – small independent coffee shop chain in Edinburgh. Nearest branch is on South Bridge.
  • Police Box Coffee – there are several of these around town, the nearest is on the corner of the road to the left of the main Informatics entrance.
  • Elephants and Bagels – bagel and coffee shop with, you guessed it, a strong Elephant theme. Located on Nicholson Square.
  • Elephant House – yes, part of same local chain as Elephants and Bagels. Elephant House claims to be the birthplace of Harry Potter and has an unmissably weird Harry Potter themed bathroom replete with Potter related fan graffitti. This does also make it very popular in the summer. Serves tasty if slightly basic food but the backroom has both a piano (which you can help yourself to playing) and a lovely view of Edinburgh Castle.
  • Chocolate Soup – a great place for very chocolatey drinks and snacks. Located on Hunter Square.
  • Starbucks – for those who like a big chain your nearest branch is on Clerk Street, with others on Forrest Row, Royal Mile, etc.

Takeaways

  • Los Cardos – burrito takeaway offering burritos and nothing but burritos. Delicious, quick, and very handy if you’re staying nearer Leith. Located at the Leith end of Leith Walk.
  • The Traditional Newington Fish Bar – a chippie specialising in freshly cooked and sustainably sourced fish (try their “fish of the week”). Located on Clerk Street.
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