Grassmarket, Edinburgh
Historic square that learned to feed itself very well.
Updated weekly
About Grassmarket
Grassmarket is a neighbourhood in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, home to 15 ranked independent restaurants and bars. All trending hot this week. Rankings updated monthly from 49,359 live Google reviews.
The Grassmarket is one of Edinburgh's oldest marketplaces, dating back to the 14th century, and it carries that weight visibly. The cobblestones have absorbed centuries of commerce, executions, murders and riots—history isn't decoration here, it's embedded in the stone. What began as a livestock market transformed into a public gathering space, and now it's a destination where food, drink and history collide in ways both obvious and subtle.
Today the Grassmarket operates as Edinburgh's most concentrated eating and drinking zone. There's more restaurants, cafés and bars here than you can reasonably catalogue, and they range from casual to formal, Scottish to international. The space itself—a large open square surrounded by tall buildings—creates natural theatre. By 8pm on a Saturday, it's full. By 9pm, people are standing three-deep at the bar. Makars Mash Bar sits at the top of the ratings with 9465 reviews and a Hot Score of 88.23, serving well-executed Scottish pub fare to a constant stream of both locals and visitors. Gurkha Bar and Restaurant Edinburgh holds a 4.9★ rating across 2674 reviews, proof that the zone attracts serious cooking alongside the casual.
The Grassmarket's appeal lies in its honesty. It doesn't pretend to be undiscovered—it knows exactly what it is and executes accordingly. Society Bar & Kitchen and Tattu Edinburgh pull consistent crowds because they understand the assignment. The zone works because it's transparent about being a destination, which paradoxically makes it feel less touristy than neighbourhoods that insist on being 'unspoilt'.
The Changing Face
The Grassmarket has long since completed its transformation from market to dining destination. What's changed is the calibre and consistency of the venues. Where once it was a place to drink, it's now a place to eat seriously. The ratings data shows 10 analysed venues with an average of 4.7★—this is a zone that's consolidated its reputation rather than chasing it.
How to Get There
From Edinburgh Waverley station:
- Walking:10 mins south-west via George IV Bridge, or down the Royal Mile and through Victoria Street
- Bus:2 bus from Princes Street to Grassmarket, about 5 minutes
Lothian Buses Ticket Info
Single bus fare. The Grassmarket is easily walkable from Waverley - buses are more useful for the suburban zones.
Local tip: Walk down Victoria Street from the Royal Mile for the best entrance. The curving colourful street opens up dramatically into the Grassmarket square with the Castle above. For a quieter experience, visit on weekday evenings when the day-trip tourists have gone.
The Grassmarket Hot List
Rankings for March 2026
This Week
Every venue on this week's Grassmarket chart is a new entry, which tells you something: either the zone's had a quiet few months, or we're looking at a genuine shift in what's drawing folk through the cobblestones. Makars Mash Bar sits at #1 with nearly 9,500 reviews behind it—proper footfall, proper staying power. It's the kind of gastropub that doesn't apologise for doing basics well: pies that aren't trying too hard, ales that taste like they should, tables you can actually sit at without your elbows in someone else's dinner.
Gurkha Bar and Restaurant comes in at #2 with a 4.9 rating on 2,674 reviews, which means people are talking about it with intent. Hey Palu at #6 sits just below 4.9 as well—a smaller operation (953 reviews) but the kind of bar that's already got regulars. Tattu at #4, Society Bar & Kitchen at #3, and Hawksmoor at #9 round out the stronger performers. What's worth noting: you've got gastropubs, proper restaurants, and specialist bars all trading well within the same square. That doesn't happen everywhere in Edinburgh.
Fresh Arrivals
15
new entries this week
Rankings updated monthly based on composite scoring methodology · Only positive movements shown — every venue here is winning
What Should I Try in Grassmarket?
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Grassmarket Venue Map
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Gurkha Bar and Restaurant Edinburgh sits at 4.9★ with 2,674 reviews and a Hot Score of 83.39—momos and curry that reviewers won't stop talking about. But it's tourist-heavy. Walk 2 streets back from the main square and you'll find quieter spots doing the same work.
Hey Palu hits 4.9★ across 953 reviews with a Hot Score of 73.89—proper cocktail bar, not a tourist trap. Copper Blossom runs 4.5★ with 1,362 reviews if you want something slightly less crowded.
Tattu Edinburgh at 4.6★ with 3,211 reviews and Hot Score 80.19 does the job without the Grassmarket circus. But Leith has The Little Chartroom at 4.8★ with only 458 reviews—quieter, less performance, better value.
Makars Mash Bar runs 4.8★ with 9,465 reviews and Hot Score 88.23—gastropub classics at £12–16 a plate. It's the highest-traffic venue here, so arrive before noon on weekends or expect 45 minutes standing. (No reservations, arrive before 12:30 or wait an hour on weekends.)
Society Bar & Kitchen at 4.8★ with 6,029 reviews marks vegetarian options clearly on the menu. Vittoria on the Bridge at 4.5★ with 5,774 reviews does Italian, so pasta options are solid.
Grassmarket's got 10 venues averaging 4.7★ across 1,920 reviews—mostly tourists, 3% native-language reviews. Leith matches the venue count and rating but feels less staged. Stockbridge runs 10 venues at 4.6★ average—slightly lower rated, genuinely less crowded.
Weekday lunches before 1pm, or after 9:30pm when the stag dos thin out. Grassmarket's a performance venue, not a neighbourhood—treat it that way and time accordingly.
Still have questions? The best answers come from locals at the venue.
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Ask DOW on ChatGPTRankings recalculated weekly from live Google review data. Our Hot Score weighs review velocity, recency, profile completeness, and baseline rating — no editorial picks, no paid placements.