Off on my work travels again, and will be up in Edinburgh next week. So looking for suggestions for:

– somewhere to get a decent coffee / quick lunch near the central train station

– where to go for dinner and / or a drink? will be staying in the centre, so somewhere in town would be good (that’s safe for me to walk to / from on my own)

Cheers peeps! (and if anyone fancies joining me, let me know. We could have a STW celtic nations gathering 🙂 )

Cafes near Waverly…tons there, but I don’t know them – I suspect many will be tourist fare.

Dinner – Dogs resturants are my fave in town, rustic without being pretentious and great value.

Drinks, decent pubs are rare, even the Thistle has lost its real ale, plenty glitzy places on George Street tho.

I like Teuchtars (west end), The Jolly Judge (up the High St), Black Cat (Rose St).

EDIT I only like good real ale pubs, YMMV.

Walter scott tea room ( I think its called) on princes street – fabulous views and posh cream teas

Town centre is pretty safe to walk around

Waht sort of dinner / how much do you want to spend?

It would be nice to catch up for a blether.

“Drinks, decent pubs are rare, even the Thistle has lost its real ale, plenty glitzy places on George Street tho.”

Depends what your after. I had lunch and spent the afternoon drinking and reading the paper in Abbotsford Bar whilst Mrs FD did an exam, a very pleasent place indeed if you like real ale and good food.

http://www.theabbotsford.com/

(Thats not me by the way!)

How close to Waverley ? I usually go for Spoons if I need a cafe in that part of town, the stuff around Princes St/Royal Mile is very chain store touristy. It is where JK Rowling wrote those books in a former permutation (what were they called ?) in spite of claims made by other places.

Or come up to the Museum, the coffee and cakes aren’t cheap but the view from the balcony cafe is rather good.

Central Edinburgh does lack decent boozers. I like Under The Stairs if you like cocktails and quirky furniture. Poncy Italian wine place right next door if you want to push the boat out.

There is always the Bow Bar in Victoria st proper real ale pub, they have a no hen/stag parties rule due to proximity to grassmarket.

Either try wellington coffee on corner of George and Hanover St, or Artisan Roast – a little further to walk but the best coffee in edinburgh (imo)

Sea dogs and urban angel are nice and central for dinner. For veggie, hendersons bistro is nice, in fact even if you aren’t veggie, its nice – homemade veggie food cheap.

+1 for teuchtars.

When are you here?

OMG how could I forget ! The Basement Bar, top of Broughton St. Staff in Hawaiian shirts and the restaurant next door does Mexican and is awesome vale.

Does the Cafe Royal not do food?

EDIT – yep.

http://www.caferoyal.org.uk/

was Papii coffee house on hanover St recently, good coffee and nice lunchy type food.

Pubs – Cask and Barrel, Blue Blazer, Holyrood 9a, Cumberland… depends whereabouts you’re staying

We could take you around a few pubs to see which ones you liked?

My list was not exhaustive! And I tend to forget Rose St as touristy I’m afraid 😳

Oooh Cafe Royal is good but avoid on Rugby weekends.

Real ales: Blue Blazer, Cloisters, Holyrood 9a (I am told) Bow Bar (ditto)

+1 Cafe Royal. 2 mins stagger to Waverley Station and the Pish-head Express back to Fife and all points. Decent food as well as good ale.

Milne’s Bar on the corner of Rose St and Hanover St – a long-time favourite of mine.

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions – will check them out in more detail later.

Re somewhere for lunch – needs to be very close to waverley as I don’t have much time before heading for a meeting

Dinner – well I’m a veggie / fish eater, so a steak house wouldn’t be great! Probably more a decent pub with food rather than anything more fancy.

TJ (and Mrs TJ) / DGOAB – I’m free next Thursday (26th) evening if you’re around? (No bike I’m afraid as I’m up for work)

TJ – sounds good! STW pub crawl 🙂

Don’t think many of the pubs mentioned do food other than the Holyrood – I haven’t been since I stopped eating meat so don’t know what the veggie options are like.

Don’t forget Edinburgh is small so nowhere is all that far away.

p.s. Papii is 101 hanover st if you want to check times/distances and hendersons veggie place is just across the road and urban angel a bit farther down.

SeaDogs

http://www.seadogsonline.co.uk/

I’ll refund your money if you’re not happy. Seriously. I like it that much.

Cafe Royal is 2m from Waverly, would be my choice for a lunch.

“Re somewhere for lunch – needs to be very close to waverley as I don’t have much time before heading for a meeting”

The one I recommend above is 5 mins from the station and does food. Not sure about its plant eaters food though as I ordered Haggis 🙂

Whats the Guildford Arms off Princess St like these days? It used to be a cracking place for beer!

Don’t think many of the pubs mentioned do food other than the Holyrood – I haven’t been since I stopped eating meat so don’t know what the veggie options are like.

Woah woah woah, you’ve done what now?

It’s brainwashing I tell thee!!!

Its nothing to do with me!

Woah woah woah, you’ve done what now?

Since about March I think – still occasionally have some so long as it was happy before it was sliced and diced 🙂

It’s brainwashing I tell thee!!!

ROTFL 😆

p.s. get thyselves to FB and get a decision made!

EDIT Al-is that offer open to all? 😀

Decision made. Check FB. Cask, Broughton Street.

Artisan Roast is as good as coffee gets in the UK.

Since about March I think – still occasionally have some so long as it was happy before it was sliced and diced

Thanks TSY – i think Andy needs to be having a word with himself. Or i might sort it this evening in the boozer.

Just shove a sausage down his throat.

Oh. Wow.