The White Hart Inn sits in the Grassmarket, distinguished by its low, beamed interior and a history that stretches back half a millennium. While the current structure dates to seventeen forty, the cellarage beneath the building originates…
Old Town Literary Pubs
Walk in the footsteps of Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, and twentieth-century folk revivalists through the historic taverns where they drank, argued, and wrote.
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1. The White Hart Inn
2. Sandy Bell's
Sandy Bell's, located at twenty-five Forrest Road, is easily identified by its small, traditional exterior and the frequent sound of fiddles, accordions, and whistles spilling out into the street. Though it appears to be a modest…
3. Deacon Brodies Tavern
Deacon Brodie’s Tavern on the Lawnmarket is marked by its prominent corner position along the Royal Mile and an ornately carved ceiling inside. It takes its name from William Brodie, a cabinet-maker and city councillor who lived here in…
4. Jolly Judge
The Jolly Judge sits at the foot of James Court, one of the narrow passages branching off the Lawnmarket. The low, beamed ceiling and exposed stone walls define the space, creating a quiet atmosphere tucked away from the busy thoroughfares…
5. The Royal Oak
The Royal Oak on Infirmary Street is identified by fourteen steps that lead down into the venue from the street level. This pub has been a fixture of the city for two centuries, though its identity as a folk music hub solidified after…
6. Tolbooth Tavern
The Tolbooth Tavern is marked by a prominent clock tower that overhangs the archway of the Old Tolbooth Wynd. Built in fifteen ninety-one, this five-story stone structure functioned as the administrative heart of the Canongate when it was…