Last week I was lucky enough to attend a blogger photo walk with 8MS and Yelp on a mission to discover Edinburgh's secret bars. Starting out at Panda and Sons we were not disappointed. A hidden gem along Queen street Panda & Sons is a beautifully designed speakeasy with a nod to a vintage barber shop. Attention to detail is everything here and the cocktails were divine. The perfect spot for an impressive date!
Next up we arrived at Hoot the Redeemer. This bars location shocked me the most. Slap bang in the middle of hangover street right next door to Bella Italia is a mysterious door that leads you to the most incredible bar. "It’s the 1950s and you are in New Orleans embracing a vintage funfair. There’s a Tarot reader ahead of you, a claw crane machine on your left, and an ice cream parlour on your right with a happy ice cream pot on the sign. No, this isn’t the beginning of a very strange dream – it’s what it’ll feel like walking into Hoot The Redeemer." This is the best description I could give you. Hoot the redeemer literally transports you to a different world. They offer alcoholic ice cream, slushies and a claw machine where you can grab your own random cocktail flavour. Also serving beer, wine and cocktails this place is something else and not easily forgotten.
The third bar we ventured to was Secret Arcade, a vodka bar. "A secret is worth sharing and so is our Secret Arcade Bar; a vodka drinker’s paradise, deep in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, but first you need to know where the Secret Arcade vodka bar is. On Cockburn Street, find the Arcade Haggis and Whiskey Bar, take a wander down the little lane next to it named Jackson’s Close and hey presto you are there. Many treats await those who venture into the Secret Arcade’s welcoming doors, as there are over 100+ vodkas to choose from!" Like the others this bar was up a tiny alleyway and through a dark door, completely hidden away. I'm a vodka girl through and through and the vodka was so good I could've had ten, not sure if that's a good or bad thing but for once I wasn't on the Glenns.
Our final stop was Under the stairs, a bar that is literally under the stairs on Merchant street in beautiful old town Edinburgh. A sophisticated bar and restaurant with good enough atmosphere and comfortable enough sofas to keep you there all night. Stepping off the cobbled streets and the warm and inviting Under the stairs with it's exposed brick and happy to help staff is the perfect way to spend a chilly night in the capital.
Find the full walk here and enjoy the perfect guide to the hidden side of Edinburgh that's yet to be discovered.
