The Edinburgh Fringe Festival is almost upon us and the capital will soon witness a temporary population boom.
People are expected to pour into the city from across the globe to witness the world renowned arts and entertainment event, which takes place fully for the first time since 2019 due to the obvious covid-related curtailments.
It's set to be an extra special one too, with 2022 marking the 75th anniversary of the Fringe.
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As usual, the likes of theatres, pubs and exhibition centres will be packed out to see thousands of performers take to the stage, across comedy, dance, circus, cabaret, musicals and more, while the streets will also be lined with entertainers too.
And while tourists and locals will be in town for the shows, it's also an important time for Edinburgh's hospitality scene , with festivalgoers keen to tuck into some tasty scran and unwind with a few drinks before they take their seats across the city.
In a bid to help you with some recommendations, we've put a list together of some of the recent additions to the capital food and drink scene - including rooftop cocktail joints, a ballpit bar and a must visit for all beer fans - that you might want to consider booking into for the Fringe.
Have we missed somewhere from our list you'd shout about? Let us know in the comments!
Here's where we recommend:
Dulse
A beautiful restaurant and wine bar set across two floors, celebrity Edinburgh chef Dean Banks' new venture Dulse is now serving up sensational seafood on Queensferry Street.
The bar, which offers high end cocktails, wines and delicious-looking small plates based around Dean’s love of Scottish produce, as well as his own premium drinks brands Mond Vodka and Lunun Gin as house spirits, opened earlier this month.
And now the upstairs restaurant has launched too, serving up fresh Scottish seafood in stunning, cosy surroundings.
For more info, click here.
Skyline Sips
Edinburgh has seen yet another addition to the St James Quarter in recent weeks, with a brand new skyline bar opening up inside.
Brand new rooftop bar, Skyline Sips, which boasts skyline views over the capital opened last week.
Run by Sips Events, the Edinburgh pop up bar company are known to have run some fantastic events throughout the city over the years, with their mobile and traditional bars.
Promising an array of cocktails and summer drinks, this will no doubt be near the top of your list for the next sunny day.
For more details, click here.
Lilith's Lounge
Lilith's Lounge, located on the Cowgate, is the newest addition to the House of Gods Hotel and boasts a 3am license.
The bar has a Garden of Eden theme with jungle animals and dark tones throughout and celebrates Lilith from the bible who was supposedly Adam's first partner and was later banished from the garden.
The bar has dark themes with the new menu printed on tarot cards. It's the perfect setting for a night of debauchery and indulgence.
Our reporter went along to give it a try and here's what they thought.
The Spence at Gleneagles Townhouse
The Townhouse, Gleneagles' first ever expansion outside of its Perthshire home in its 96-year history, has recently opened after a long-anticipated wait.
It boasts a roof terrace bar, 'Lamplighters,' with views across the capital's iconic skyline, as well as an opulent all-day restaurant, The Spence, which will be headed by award-winning chef, Johnny Wright.
The Spence is an airy, social space which will offer modern style brasserie-dining, from Bloody Mary breakfasts all the way through to dynamic dinners.
Within The Spence, a central bar sits underneath an extraordinary glass-domed ceiling serving up a seasonally rotating, locally inspired list of cocktails, local whiskies, beers, spirits, and wine curated by bar manager, Stefanie Anderson.
For more info, and a look inside, click here.
Counter
Native Aparthotel has recently opened its doors to visitors after an incredible 14-month renovation to completely transform the site.
Coinciding with the re-opening, Native Edinburgh is launching a new speakeasy bar; Counter. Counter will serve coffee by day and cocktails by night providing an undiscovered destination bar in the heart of city centre for guests and locals.
And late night summer programming will see the venue host a range of acts from neo-soul jazz nights and vinyl DJs to spoken word poetry.
To read more, click here.
Ballie Ballerson
As we exclusively revealed on our site recently, Ballie Ballerson, the iconic London ball pit for grown-ups that transports its guests back to a carefree childhood, is set to open its doors right here in Edinburgh this summer.
With theatrical cocktails, the coolest illusion lighting, and insta-worthy backdrops, McSorley’s Irish Bar on Forrest Road has been transformed into Ballie Ballerson's first venue outside of England.
The ball pit cocktail bar will include a waist-deep, wall-to-wall mirrored ball pit filled to the brim with clear balls, that are cleaned, disinfected, and dried regularly, and change colour with the vibe of the LED disco bottom.
Ballie Ballerson will open in the coming days. For more on this highly-anticipated opening, click here.
DUCK
Locals were recently left devastated to hear much-loved cafe and wine bar Mayvn was to be replaced by another operator at plush capital accommodation Eden Locke.
However, in its place has arrived a new pop-up that is serving cocktails, natural wine, craft beer and speciality coffee during the day.
DUCK pop-up, which will be in place at the stunning George Street hotel until mid-September, comes with quite the reputation having appeared at various venues across Glasgow - to much success.
Here's everything you need to know.
Sen Viet
Edinburgh's vegans have been waxing lyrical about a new restaurant which serves the 'best Vietnamese food outside Vietnam'.
Hugely popular in London, where it is 'proudly the first and number one Vietnamese vegan-only restaurant' in all of the UK capital, Sen Viet's second restaurant is now welcoming in customers in Edinburgh.
Occupying the former Passorn Thai restaurant at 23 Brougham Place, customers have already described the new restaurant as 'exactly what Edinburgh needs', urging others to pop by.
For more info, visit here.
Porty Vault
A new Vault City Brewing bar has opened in the heart of Portobello after getting an immense backing from the public through a successful crowdfunder.
The bar offers an array of flavours through their 36-tap bar selection as well as a wide range of American smokehouse cuisine. Co-founder Steven Smith Hay described the opening of the bar as a “dream come true” and it certainly went down a treat as members of the press got a sneak peak into what residents of Edinburgh can expect.
The Porty Vault Bar is situated just round the corner from the Portobello brewery and those looking to enjoy a fruity sour or a beer packing a punch will not be disappointed.
To find out more, view our article here.
63rd+1st
Edinburgh New Town has welcomed a further addition to its dining and drinking venue with a new Manhattan-inspired cocktail bar and restaurant, which opened at the start of July.
Located at Frederick Street, 63rd+1st bar and restaurant has partnered with the Secret Garden Distillery - one of Scotland's most respected and acknowledged drinks brands - to offer an exciting cocktail menu in time for the summer season.
The new venue occupies the former Cafe Rouge spot and promises to bring a true Manhattan vibe to the Scottish capital. The place - owned and operated by Hostmore plc, the same company as the popular American-inspired dining chain Fridays - features an extensive menu featuring sharing plates and bespoke cocktails.
For the all info, click here.
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