12 Loveable & Local Leith Spots
For centuries, Leith was Edinburgh’s gateway to the seas. It was a pandemonium-riddled port town that fed the whole country. Whisky went out. Spices came in. Silks and sugars and wines were traded and smuggled. All that’s now the backdrop to what’s surely one of the most upcoming quarters of the Scottish capital. Replete with roastery coffee joints and leafy parks, art galleries and curious cocktail venues, it’s a major gastronomy and culture hotspot.
This guide runs through 12 places that we think everyone passing through Leith should know about. They’re curated suggestions that have come straight from NEAR’s own founders. It’s a varied mix, including taste-bud-tingling Italian cafeterias, coffee houses in the old port area, and a smattering of hearty Scottish pubs with more whisky than you can shake a haggis at. Let’s get started…
1 | The Bonnington
Our very own NEAR founders say The Bonnington is their favourite gastropub. Period. Big words but why not? This one brings a hearty Scottish welcome, a crackling wood fire, and a menu that fuses the likes of sweet-potato mouse with pan-roasted duck breast in miso and honey glaze. Mouth watering yet? So it should be. On top of the grub, there’s a bout of Tiny Rebel ales sourced from South Wales and Glenfarclas Scotch aged 15 years. The interior is a no-fuss medley of mahogany booth seating with touches of tartan – all very cosy in the winter months.
2 | Pilrig Park
Occupying a big cut out of a block on the southwest side of Leith, Pilrig Park is the very definition of a local green space. It’s a hubbub of dog walkers, five-a-side footie showdowns, picnickers, strollers, and even sword-fight re-enactments. When the weather’s nice, it’s one of our favourite places to settle in with a coffee – both The Remedy and Artisan Coffee are within a 10-minute walk down Balfour Street and do some of the best brews in the area. Be sure to take along a good book or just go for some good old people watching.
3 | The Water of Leith Walkway
Look at The Water of Leith Walkway as a sort of green metro line running through the whole of Edinburgh. It’s a paved riverside path that links the suburbs on the Firth of Forth with the roaring terraces of Murrayfield Stadium and the UNESCO streets of the New Town. In the Leith area itself, the walkway links up Keddie Gardens and St Marks Park with leafy tracks that are perfect for cyclists. You can also hop on and hop off the walkway, to drop into the quirky Pitt Market or the cutting-edge art workshops of Coburg House to name just two attractions roughly close to its route.
4 | Victoria Bar
Victoria Bar sits smack dab in the heart of the buzzy gastronomy and nightlife quarter of Leith Walk. It’s run by Boda Bars, who specialize in bringing a little bit of that Scandi-cool vibe and Swedish hospitality to the Scottish capital. There are quirks all over, too – just check out that backlit crocodile or the art-house prints of Bowie and Iggy Pop on the main walls! The menu offers loads in the way of locally made craft beers, top-quality Scotch whisky, and some off-beat cocktails (sample ‘The Naked Viking’ for something truly special!).
5 | Nauticus
Calling all seadogs and swashbucklers – Nauticus is the place to go in Leith for a night of shanties and Scottish produce. The bar radiates a vintage charm and style that aims to transport you back through the centuries to a time when Leith was a hotspot for smugglers of spices, wines, and whisky. Even the menu traces the various epochs of the neighborhood’s development. It goes from the Spice Routes to the Whisky Boom, offering cocktails inspired by the various wares that passed through the local ports.
6 | Williams and Johnson Coffee Co.
Perched right on the edge of the Water of Leith in the old custom buildings of the aged port, Williams and Johnson Coffee Co churns out some of the most curated beans in the city. Seats are spread across the cobbles of the central Leith quaysides, which adds up to a place that’s perfect for that morning people-watching session. There’s a stripped-down, Scandi-style bar inside with an adjoining shop that sells all sorts of coffee-related paraphernalia. Expect brews that follow the seasons, ranging from Finca La Falda Colombian coffee to Banco Gotete Ethiopian coffee.
7 | Leith Farmer’s Market
No matter if you’re on the hunt for a real, homemade Scotch egg, some Scottish salted butter, or some Highland honey, the Leith Farmer’s Market is the place to go in this corner of Edinburgh. It takes place on the flagstones of Dock Place once a week, from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays. The first Saturday of the month has a heavier focus on vegan produce. Oh, and it’s not just locally sourced goodies, because you can also find artisan bakers with French baguettes and Italian delicatessens with buffalo mozzarella and whatnot.
8 | Dominico’s
Domenico’s champions the Scottish-Italian connection with authentic grub from The Boot on the east side of Edinburgh. You’ll need to search for it behind the cobbles of Sandport Street in Leith centre, where it stands out from the crowd thanks to a Chianti-red façade. Inside, it’s like a scene from The Godfather – think red-chequered tablecloths and dim lighting all around. Menu wise, you’re looking at bruschetta with tomato and basil, melanzana aubergines, and even mishmash dishes like haggis pasta.
9 | The Barologist
Welcome to The Barologist, a world of zapping Van de Graf generators, humming filament bulbs, and big copper distillery tanks. Yep, this drinking hole in the very heart of Leith looks more like a mad scientist’s laboratory than it does a classic Scottish pub. The cocktails follow suit, too. They have been meticulously crafted to ooze intriguing flavours. Some have even been aged in-house for several months! We especially love that the drinks change with the seasons, so expect spiced anejo tequila bases in winter and fresh ginger-lime cordial tops in the summer. There’s also food, in the form of light tapas dishes like patatas bravas and king prawns in garlic and chilli oil.
10 | Teuchters Landing
Teuchters Landing (pronounced took-ters) straddles the old quaysides of downtown Leith and even spills out onto the Water of Leith itself – there’s seating on a bobbing barge deck that’s perfect for those balmy summer evenings in Edinburgh. The vibe here is that of a classic Scottish freehouse. You’ll sample ales from across the country, oat lagers and chocolate porters, not to mention one seriously fantastic array of Scottish whisky. Teuchters Landing doesn’t take bookings, so you’ll need to get in early to grab the best seat. That’s especially true during Six Nations rugby days, when this pub bursts at the proverbial seams!
11 | Qupi
Unassuming Qupi coffee shop can whisk you away from the old Victorian walks of Leith and down to the sunny climes of southern Europe. It offers a medley of Greek and Mediterranean fare that’s served up in a simple setting with both indoor and outdoor seating. The selection of pies and sweet pastry deserts is what usually gets the locals queuing – everything from spinach-packed spanakopita to scrumptious baklava doused in syrup is in the mix. We’d also say that Qupi has some of the best oat-milk chai lattes in town.
12 | Cafe Praline
Cafe Praline brings a touch of class to the buzzy strip of Leith Walk. From the outside, it’s got the air of an elegant Parisian coffee shop. Inside, there are touches of cosy Scottish traditionalism, what with booth seating surrounded by hardwood walls. Praline has risen to become something of a favourite haunt for Leith’s digital nomads in recent years. The coffee is cracking, the WiFi is free and fast, and there’s plenty of space to open up the laptop for a day’s work. And that’s not even mentioning the cakes – think cherry-bomb ganache and gloriously sweet pecan pies.
