Under the Stairs

Under the stairs is a funny old place because on the one hand it's secluded and atmospheric enough to be awesome, whilst on the other it's cool and kitschy enough to be kind of annoying.

That dichotomy is true of most things with this bar and more than for most other places for every negative, there's a clear positive that stands in opposition to it.

Under the Stairs is in the minority of bars in the area that run exclusively on table service; meaning if the place is full when you arrive, you're not getting in. Taking the obvious limited space problem out of the equation (which in itself can either be brilliant as it keeps the place from becoming another city centre meat market) the table service is still a double edged sword of sorts with the most sway coming down on how attentative the staff are. If there are enough people on and they keep a good enough eye on how you're progressing with your drinks and food then it can be a great experience. If however you're having to get up and chase them down every time you want something else to drink then it makes the whole idea of not being able to go to the bar pretty redundant.

I've been a couple of times before and find the staff and most of the clientele to be pleasant enough and it's quite reasonably priced for a "cool" city centre bar. The selection of beers is nice and varied and the food I've had was worth the money I paid for it (even if the falafel is a little bland - bloody good sweet potato fries though!)

It's four stars then as long as it's on the right night and you get the service you deserve. If you turn up and it's pretty busy, it might be wroth knocking one of those bad boys off. I'd definitely check it out though and make your mind up for yourself. I'll be going again.

Just make sure you check your bill - mine had an extra ten pound added on for something we didn't have which in these trying economic times is enough to feed a whole bunch of hungry Yelpers a whole load of fudges...

This was a standout lil place downstairs that takes you out of the fray of tourism into a hip gastro/bistro atmosphere. Terrific food, unique local menu, tremendous small, choosy list of whisky, wine, beers. The beer pickled mussels amazing. Cheese plate terrific. Had a cod over white beans in tomato sauce. Smoked kipper pate. What I loved most is that the staff, kitchen , chef served really great food, cared about the ingredients, and just offered a hip environment. Highly recommend! Servers were cool and nice to us.

Excellent choice. Nice mix of people and the staff was very helpful. Recommend the mutton and the toffee pudding in picture.

I don't know who the creative screwball in the kitchen is, but.... Amazing! We went here on our last night in Edinburgh and Scotland, and what a wonderful choice. The staff was friendly and responsive. The cocktails were VERY creative and delicious, and the food even more so. Can't detail all of it, but dessert involved beets, whipped yogurt, chocolate/hazelnut and ice (?). Sounds crazy: was mind blowing. Thanks for the great experience.

Every time I am in Edinburgh, I gravitate to Under the Stairs. In the summer months, it gets packed, especially later in the night. The first time, we arrived around 10 pm on a weekend. Thankfully a couple left just as we arrived so we were able to snag a table pretty easily. The drinks are lovely and the flavor profiles are rather unique. I love spritz drinks so I really enjoy that they rotate the flavors seasonally at least.

The last time I was in Edi, I stopped by maybe 2-3 times on my way to or from dinner for a cocktail. I tried to order different cocktails off the menu to taste as many as possible. I enjoyed every one of them which is surprising. Sometimes when a place tries to be different and interesting, the drinks can fall flat. These were exactly as described!

I don't often eat here but one afternoon, we grabbed a cheese board, roasted turnip and hummus. The turnip was DELICIOUS. I was shocked since I never really care for them most days. I liked that the hummus was served with (i think) endive leaves. It added a nice crunch to the bite. The cheeses and bread were great. I have never seen one particular item before.... Pickled grapes. Wow. They were so interesting. The vinegar flavor was not strong but it added such a unique flavor to the otherwise sweet fruit.

I was in Edinburgh for work last week and since I had no idea where to eat on my short lunch break, I used the yelp monocle (looooooove it). Under the stairs seemed like a great choice: good ratings+quirky location. Sign me in! I unfortunately didn't have much time so I went for the easy choice: veggie burger and sweet potato fries. The fries were nice and crispy, and the burger came with a dollop of raita (would need more to be honest).
The restaurant itself is really cool, with a lot of mismatched retro furniture. The staff is super nice, and they made sure I would be in and out within 30 min.
I enjoyed my veggie lunch by a nice fire, in a completely deserted room. I asked why that was, and the staff explained that they had just opened 10 min ago, they don't usually have a lot of people in for Sunday lunch. Fair enough.

Would definitely return, need to try their dark chocolate beetroot cake with white chocolate mascarpone.

Holy **** this place is amazing. Went here on a day off from touring and it was the best meal I had all tour. Get the fish board. It's to die for. Prices are also super reasonable. Hidden gem

I hear it's owned by Scandinavians.. You can tell by the minimalist style and underground comfort.

Peppered with vintage style, mismatching furniture but a ice-cool white tiled DJ booth it's incredibly "fashionable" without being something that will date. Friendly, laid back service and is genuinely somewhere you can spend hours in.

My friend introduced us all to the Falafel burger with smoked cheese and caramalised onions. I think I may have kissed it and then her, and then took credit for finding it, which I now admit to be wrong. The sweet potato chips with 2 special little dipping sauces is exactly my kind of thing.

Possibly one of the best meals I've eaten in Edinburgh.

I've heard a lot about this place from friends so we chose to go here for a meal and drinks with my work colleagues. It's dark inside which I quite like. I was told that there used to be a lot more soft seating. It is now tables and chairs all cramped together. I felt like I was intruding on the couple that were sitting at the table behind us.

I have also been told the food and drinks menu has changed a lot. Any way I had a look through the menu. It's a selection of small, medium and large plates and sharing platters. I chose the cuttlefish ink risotto with smoked eel, apples and pork crackling. This was divine. I've never had ink risotto before so was pleasantly surprised by the plate full of blackness. For a large plate this was not enough for me though. I have to say I probably have a bigger appetite than the average person. So of course I had dessert. I got the hazelnut cookies with ice cream. I was expecting a soft warm cookie but it was very hard. Still tasted nice but it was difficult to cut with a spoon. I ate it all, obviously.

I felt the drinks menu was just a bit too expensive, however I have kept in mind it is Edinburgh, and the Grassmarket. I was having cocktails which I enjoyed most of (there was one I didn't like and gave it to my friend) and by the sounds of it everyone I was with had a nice time. I'm going to give 3 stars because I probably wouldn't chose Under the Stairs again if I were to choose where to eat in Edinburgh. It was nice but not great.

Great food and ambience, awesome service, a bit pricey but ideal for special occasions or once in a while. Give it a try!

Tucked away literally under some stairis is this Grassmarket gem. Great drinks, ambiance, and food with friendly service.

In town for the week and looking for places to check out; was recommended here thanks to yelp and I'm happy I stopped in hungry.

I had the soup of the day (hearty and peppery celeriac, parsley and parsnip) with crusty grain bread and the blackened trout over a bed of leeks, fennel and grains in a spiced and just a hint sweet buttery cream sauce. It was really lovely and I highly recommend.

I only wish they would've still had some the dark chocolate beetroot cake left as well to top off such a tasty meal. Next time i hope.