The Edinburgh Grassmarket – our favourite place in Auld Reekie!

We are obviously biased but we think the Edinburgh Grassmarket is the best area in the whole of Edinburgh! A historic pocket of the city with plenty of independent shops, cafes, pubs and restaurants to stroll between and soak up the authentic Scottish atmosphere!

The Edinburgh Grassmarket sits under the imposing Edinburgh Castle, on the southern side. A true part of the Edinburgh Old Town this area, which has in it’s past been a marketplace, gallows for public executions, a refuge for immigrants and many more identities, is now firmly settled as a haven for independent shops, pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants! As part of the Edinburgh Old Town and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it is a wonderful place to soak up atmosphere of both old and new Edinburgh.

The Grassmarket was originally established by King James III as a market with grassy pens at the west, to keep animals fed and watered before selling. During the 1600’s it was a chilling place for public hangings and still bears a pub by the name of The Last Drop! They claim to be the place condemned men were given their last meal before a dram of whisky known as “one for the road”!

Nearby is another somberly named pub, Maggie Dicksons, named after a woman who somehow survived her hanging! From the 1800’s it became a place where immigrants settled including plenty of Italian families which has helped lead to Edinburgh’s rich tradition of excellent Italian restaurants and gelato or ice cream parlours. Thanks very much to those families for choosing Edinburgh and providing us with these delicious culinary options to this day! This grand tradition is carried on by Mary’s Milk Bar who offer incredibly creative flavours of ice cream and hot chocolate, year round. Look out for the queue that snakes down the Grassmarket as people eagerly wait to try the ice cream made that morning in store!

These days the Grassmarket features a wide range of independent shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and pubs as well as a weekly market on a Saturday, with even more small and local businesses attending. One of our own favourite attendees at the market are Barrhead Leather who make beautiful handbags, hip flasks, sporran purses and wallets from deerskin leather and Harris tweed.

In the evening the Grassmarket becomes a centre for good food, good drink and a place to meet with friends for a truly Scottish evening. Grab yourself a wee dram at one of our many pubs, treat yourself to a French, Italian, Mexican, Seafood or traditional Scottish pub meal – all the options are here in this beautiful part of the Old Town.

We also have wonderful independent shops here. Obviously we offer all your Scottish Knitwear needs at 66 Grassmarket but also check out Fabhatrix’s handcrafted headpieces, Mr Wood’s Fossils for unique fossils, gems and gifts or rummage through Armstrong’s Vintage for the perfect pre-owned piece that you never knew you needed!

Christmas is another beautiful time to take a stroll through the Grassmarket, especially after dark when our own Christmas tree is up and all the shops and restaurants decorate with beautiful twinkly lights. You’ll find it a historic reprieve from the music and rides of Edinburgh’s Christmas in Princes Street Gardens, definitely a good place for a visit to reset yourself after a spin on the big wheel!

Finally we love taking a little detour up the Vennel steps at one end of the Grassmarket for an amazing view of Edinburgh Castle! These steps featured in Netflix’s 2023 adaptation of David Nicholl’s book One Day and is a great place to take a picture to remember your trip by!

We hope this helps you with your visit to the Edinburgh Grassmarket! We think it’s the most beautiful part of the Old Town and gives a real insight into what life has been like at various points of this fantastic city’s history!