3/7/23, hitting this place at 8:30pm to look for something to grab. Largest grocery store I've…read morecome across here down the street from a Double Tree Hotel. Wondering what they may have inside for me before going off to dinner. 1 star and work my way up like usual. 2 stars. Several isles not full of items. Customer service was good. Bought a few smoothies and some veggies for snacks. Hard to rate since I bought just 2 items and they close at 10pm, aka 2200. See photos.

Is this Sainsbury's ever not busy? We came a couple times to pick up a few items, but it was always…read morechaotic, people jostling past each other to quickly grab the last ______ (fill in the blank item) on the shelf (especially ready made meals, sandwiches, etc). I love Sainsbury, don't get me wrong, and this location is incredibly conveniently located! But this store is more of a headache than I need; one shouldn't be planning their shopping around when they think something is going to be entirely out of stock for the day, y'know?

Despite getting the wellies out, the poncho's purchased and the ark carved for Taste, it was sadly…read morecancelled, so Saturday was spent checking out the great places Edinburgh has to offer. Also, thanks to twitter, I found out that we could still 'taste' as The Bon Vivants Companion and Sipsmith had hastily arranged a tasting in place of the scheduled stand at Loch Meadows... The Sipsmith tasting was fab and the Summer Cup with its fresh hints of cucumber (which I normally loathe) was a revelation and has ruined Pimms for me due to its superiority. The Sipsmith Gin was also great - even neat and is a new favourite. Could I be biased about TBVC? Well, as someone who loves the Bon Vivant, I've also checked out TBVC which is also totally fab all of the time and never disappoints which is why all these reviews are all 5 stars. . Staff really know their stuff - I hate discovering a certain type of wine when I've been travelling to discover, I'll never see it again just because I've returned home and I speak to someone in a Wine Merchants who has no idea and won't offer to do a bit of hunting for me. Not the case at TBVC and even 'Its really rare' won't put them off. If you are looking for some of the rarer spirits and great wine, this is the place to come as a first stop instead of trudging round town and getting sore tootsie's. Yes, there is some high end stock but there's also some reasonably priced bottles. It is definitely the place to come for some special occasion wine or a boozy gift :-) I'm hoping to attend some of the regular tastings held in the basement this year now I'm twitter stalking and at the risk of letting the secret out, this is a great way to find out what is happening here. The guys at the Bon Vivant and Bon Vivant's Companion are great at posting events on twitter, hence attending the last minute Sipsmith tasting. TBVC - just awesome and I love it :-)

I've joined the raving party as The Bon Vivant's Companion literally made my night after a…read moredisappointing meal out. Anchor Steam? In Edinburgh? Snuggled in beside Le Chouffe? Interested in my recommendation to check out Lost Coast (Downtown Brown and Tangerine Wheat Beer.... YUM) to import? Bring these babies in as well as the summer beer from Anchor Steam and you have my heart in your hands. Oh and Zichichi wine too, please. When the designated driver more excited about finding beer than eating food, you know you are onto a winner. Hugs to this place, and lots of them!

The most smiley staff ever, really polite at the till, lovely and refreshing…read more Handy wee shop, especially for their £3 meal deals for lunch.

Sainsburys being my supermarket of choice, I was hopeful when they opened this Local a few years…read moreago that it would be a great place to pop in and grab a few emergency groceries on the way home from work. Unfortunately their stock is extremely limited, with a very restricted range of even staples such as breads. They layout is hard to navigate and in some ways illogical, and the queue for the tills often snakes round through the aisles which makes it impossible to view the shelves. They do have a small selection of sandwiches suitable for lunches for workers in the nearby financial quarter, but this is again quite limited. All in all a disappointment.

Was in here recently, and the selection of beer is superb. Some brands I had never heard of, but…read morethankfully the friendly guy with the beard and hat, was brilliant. Seemed to have an encyclopedic knowledge and helped me select a few based on my tastes. Some absolute crackers. Will be going back again soon to try out a few of the others he mentioned.

I was enticed in this place by all the yummy looking wines and whiskeys and all the other goodies…read morehere. They have a great selection of wines and other artisan spirits that you can normally find elsewhere in the city. There is a little shelf that has £7 and under selection so that's pretty cool I think! Also the staff are always good and charming . They will answer all your questions and help you decide what to try. I'm not sure if they ever do wine tasting here but if they did/do that's even better! They have some interesting stuff in here, I want to try the Japanese whiskey. For some reason that sounds really unique to me and that will be my next item to purchase . They are a bit expensive but I suppose that's understandable being an artisan wine and other-things-that-get-you-drunk store. So stop on in folks browse around and if you get anything that's super yummy let us know!

We popped in on a whim while on holiday because it was cold and I spied the liquor! We were very…read morepleasantly surprised. The ladies there were very knowledgeable, answering any and all questions we had, and offered samples as well! Who knew? The liquors we tried were all very good, flavorful, rich and definitely lend themselves to experimentation. My favorite was the Gooseberry however we enjoyed the Black Currant as well. Honestly, we didn't try one thing that wasn't exceptional. The down low is that if you use or enjoy oils, vinegars, or liquors, you really should stop in. Small batches of all these items. You get great information while trying before you buy. Bring back your bottles for discounted refills! We ended up making a purchase as a gift and some to fly home with. We most definitely will go back on all of our return trips.

I stumbled upon Demijohn by mistake and then entered the establishment with the express intention…read moreof not buying anything at all. What. A. Fail. Demijohn is a so-called 'liquid deli' on Victoria Street, right off the Grassmarket, which is, in my most humble opinion, the place for quirky shopping. It's also the area that will have your money flying out your pockets before you've had the chance to figure out what's going on. So, my flatmate and I stumbled into the shop, dazzled by the large curvaceous bottles on display in the shop window. These are the kind of bottles that look like they belong in an apothecary or in a giant's chemistry lab. All we wanted to do, in that very naive way of ours, was to have a few tasters of the delicious, decadent looking alcohol. The woman who worked there was very kind and patient, and not at all put off by our excited yelps at all the different delicious liqueurs and spirits that swam in the bottles, which were many times the size of our heads. Me, I'm a fan of port. I know some people find it sickening, but I'll choose port over dessert (almost) any day. I also love elderberries. Demijohn, would you believe, has elderberry port! We were sold. Apart from deliciously fruity liqueurs, whisky and sloe gin, Demijohn also has an array of olive oils and vinegars that look to die for. The deal with this place is that you have to buy a bottle. The apothecary kind. The prices range from 10 pounds up, depending on the size of the bottle. Then, you try the different delectable boozes, point excitedly at the one you crave, and get your bottle filled. Not only do you get tasty liquids from this process, but a pretty snazzy vessel for it too. You can come back and refill your bottle at any time so that you don't have to spend money on another. Demijohn is just plain awesome. I highly recommend stopping by to have a look. At your own risk, that is.

Whether it's a bottle of South African plonk you need for a poncey dinner party, or a half bottle…read moreof Scotch that's required for an afternoon sitting on a park bench soiling yourself, Oddbins is a pretty safe bet. Since the collapse of our economy most of the other off-license chains have went up the shitter, so for some more obscure social lubricants, it may be your only bet. Due to it's location in tourist town this branch of Oddbins particularly specialises in whiskey, from standard Whyte and Mackay to 25 year old malts.

Fair play to Oddbins, this is a great location for an off licence specialising in whisky. The…read moreselection of our nation's most famous export is interesting, varied and comprehensive. Everything is displayed in an enticing and attractive way and there are little notes next to some bottles to inform you of what delights lie before you. The staff here know their stuff and can advise you without appearing patronising or condescending. And, Oddbins being Oddbins ,there are always a few wee bargains floating around the place if you browse hard enough.