You would not notice it from the outside, but behind these massive doors, hidden away from the main…read moreroad, there lies a gem of a spacious Hall that can be used for all sorts of events. The one I went to was a Celeidh. The hall can easily hold about 200-300 people. I believe, we were about 70 -90 people and of which there was still plenty of space left for all the Celeidh dancers in the middle and plenty of tables on both sides. At either end of the room you could find the bar and the stage with the band playing the rhythms of traditional folk music. This Hall can be used for plenty of purposes, like weddings or parties or galas or......Upstairs are the toilets that are in ok conditions. Overall the place is clean and was nicely presented. Nothing fancy when I was there, but I can imagine it can be dressed up for special occasions. Personally I don't know the room rate or other costs, but I'm sure if you inquiry you will find out. The location is very central and only a 5-10 min walk from Grassmarket. Buses 2 and 35 pass by as well as plenty others.

Straight off our flight from LAX, walked in here and had a good meal. The staff were attentive and…read morequick. They have the standard beers and wines. I liked Tennet, which I think is a pale lager. My wife had the vegetarian haggi, which was quite good. I'd recommend it and I normally don't like vegetarian stuff! There's extra seating available downstairs. Also there was live guitar music. The guy said he usually comes in from 2 to 5pm on Wednesdays.

Hotel concierge referred me to Mercat as I wanted something nice, but not super fancy after…read morespending 12 hours on planes from LAX-LHR & LHR-EDI. Great little gastropub, with a variety of food choices for all palates. I will add that this particular meal I was dining solo, and it was perfect. I opted for the Mac n Cheese, as I am like a moth to a flame when it's on a menu. And why wouldn't one get Max n Cheese in Edinburg? I opted for the regular and didn't add in the bacon. It was delicious. I also enjoyed it with a lovely Spanish Tempranillo, just because. Additionally, the staff was very nice.

For picking a random pub to listen to some of the music which was being put on as part of the Leith…read moreGala, I couldn't have picked a better place than The Village. Thank you bar staff for not hating the cheapest table ever with one non-drinker on tap water, and 2 on fresh orange, although some more smiles would have been nice - some seemed to be quite bitter with their lot! Otherwise, the music (the music of folk that is, and it seems from the ole interwebs that this is seems to be a folk-music driven pub) was excellent - we did pay our fiver to listen and watch from the back area, but found it much more amenable to sit and chill in the front bar to catch up with an old friend. Definitely the kinda pub I would frequent if I lived in the area. Not sure if it does food. Definitely recommended!

Great bar, fantastic atmos and beers. Thanks so much for holding onto my phone when I left it…read morebehind - you saved me a huge amount of hassle, and expense. Top drawer work! Goto 'The Village now' ... Cheers Mark

Love this place! Everyones very welcoming and it seems to do everything! Cafe, artists studios,…read moreperformances, classes/workshops, occasional club nights, gigs, book sales, flea markets, veg' markets, DIY workshops, vintage sales and even wiff waff Wednesday (highly competitive - in a fun way) table tennis! There's probably more on offer but I've just not managed to see it all yet! I've had the fortunate experience to perform here with a dance group (Code Butterfly) a few years ago and we danced all around the space and the audience followed us. There is an amazing network of old tunnels that surround the main hall and maze of staircases that the normal Joe Blogs wouldn't be able to explore unless they came to the show! Blessed! That aside, the cafe is cheap and they serve a lovely brunch at the weekends. There is plenty of local information for groups and community happenings. The perfect place to go to find activities to do or groups to join if you are new to the city. It's a beautiful, quirky venue in an original Drill Hall. Staff are very helpful and friendly. There is a homely, nourishing, homemade, community feel about the place. Child friendly venue, although at the same time it's not over-run with noisy screaming kids. Out Of The Blue's sister venue is Bongo Club, which explains some of OOTBs ethos. The only downside I'd say about OOTB is it's a bit chilly, they do try to heat the space with heat lamps etc, but it must be hard to heat such a vast space. Just wrap up warm and grab a hot chocolate and you'll soon heat up! :)

Out of the Blue is an old TA drill hall just off Leith Walk, now converted into a local community…read morecentre. There's a big central area that usually houses some sort of art exhibition, there's a little dance studio, and there are lots of small offices around the sides let to local businesses. And there's a small cafe that does reasonable coffee and is quite popular at lunchtimes. It's an interesting space and worth remembering about if you're down this way. The cafe service could perhaps be faster when they're busy, but they do a good veggieburger and there are some nice comfy sofas to sit on. A few years ago they first used it as a Fringe venue and it's a great space for that. They often have concerts and other small events on at other times. But it's always worth popping into if you're in the area to see what's happening as there's always something going on, and if you're lucky (and it's quiet) it's a great refuge from the bustle of the city in which to unwind for a while.

Great venue for a more intimate party. So much character and history with this place…read more It's a shame that it's not accessible for wheelchair users but given its age and quirky layout and basement location, there isn't really any way that they could make it accessible. Their other venues at The Rowan and the Caves are suitable for wheelchair access. The vaulted ceilings and stonework make this place pretty cool. I like all the wallpaper and candles too.

From the owner: Marlins Wynd specialises in weddings, birthday parties, private functions, corporate events and…read moremusic events

I had a brilliant service with Stems florist. They had a large variety of beautiful flowers and…read moreadvised me on the best look for the venue. I was very impressed by their professionalism and attention.

Can I give 10 stars?!!! Stems of Edinburgh definitely deserves the BEST rating possible!! I found…read moreout about a funeral of a family friend on very short notice ... just the evening before. Being in Chicago I had to google in the middle of the night to try to find a florist who might be able to send flowers from us for that same day in Edinburgh, and Valentine's Day too no less! Google said "Open 24 hours" with a 5-star rating. Well, true to their word, Katrina answered the phone at 4:30 in the morning, half asleep and guaranteed that she would not disappoint us. Within just hours, on the busiest day of the florist business, Katrina delivered!!! Wow, I've never experienced customer service like that before!!! The flowers were perfect and stunning.

I didn't know anything about this place before, it's a former church now being run as a conference…read moreand event centre. It has some truly spectacular murals covering the walls, and the ceilings in the side chapels, painted in an arts and crafts style and positively dripping with gold leaf. They are absolutely stunning and well worth a look if you can finagle your way inside. They host a lot of weddings here, and you could hardly ask for a better setting once everything is lit to your taste (you can choose your own colour scheme). Downstairs they have toilets (sorry ladies, yours is 2 floor down) and breakout rooms for conferences, plus access to a secluded garden area out back.

Like a scene from a movie. That would probably be the best way to describe this venue. I recently…read moreattended a wedding here and it was done up to perfection. The venue was visually stunning on entry and they make great use of the hall splitting it into different sections throughout the day. The service from the staff was excellent and attentive. Always on hand to supply drinks from the bar or even to provide a safety pin for a button when it was needed. In terms of visuals and service I can't fault it. My only negatives are that I felt it lacked a wee bit of atmosphere and the food quality did not match the levels that you would expect from such a high level venue. It it hard to judge on the latter completely as it depends if that was what was actually chosen at pre event tastings or if the standard dropped on the night. Still all in, if you can afford it this will provide a great setting for any event you may have and is certainly worth considering.

Spent an afternoon here hot-desking. Reliable wifi and plenty of power outlets. Free coffee and…read moretea. Some different seating arrangements available, so you can likely find the style you're looking for, though I didn't see any counters or standing desks, if that's your thing. Slightly odd, but for the drop-in fees, they only took cash. The scale is by the hour, capping at £25 for the entire day if I remember correctly. The staff is friendly and helpful. The place overall has a good vibe. Bathrooms: Generally clean and functional.

The Melting Pot is a great resource for anyone needing hot desking space in Edinburgh, or anyone…read morewanting a cheap meeting room (the latter is what I use it for). They've several rooms of different sizes, and we find them really good for team away days - with coffee and tea, pastries, sandwiches etc available for extra cost. The rates are all reasonable, and the staff respond very quickly to enquiries. If I needed to hot desk, I'd come here too. The facilities look great, and there are membership options for anyone who's likely to become a regular, not to mention mentoring opportunities and events around social entrepreneurialism (possibly a word I just made up) and innovation. It's all eco-friendly, and the whole place is run with a really inclusive ethos. The Melting Pot is probably one of Edinburgh's underdogs, but it's a really great and important space that deserves a pat on the back.

Had a lovely stay here for a couple of nights in April. After dorm-style housing and modest B&B…read moredigs, RSC was opulence itself. Staff was never less than friendly and professional and there is lots of character to the place. Room had a nice view of the neighborhood and didn't feel too stuffy. Everything was clean. Bathroom was relatively spacious, too. All in all, not bad for about $150/night.

I recently organised a meeting here and I must say it was fantastic…read more I originally chose it because of the price, they charged a very reasonable price per delegate, whereas most places charge a set price for the room/food/equipment assuming you'll have 20 odd people there. I work on a very strict budget and this worked out fantastically as we were only 12. The organisation was very easy, a minimum of emails and everything was arranged, no fuss! Everyone I spoke to beforehand was lovely and polite. When we arrived there was a slight change to the schedules and when I informed them of this they adapted quickly. Our 'guy' for the day was Patrick and he was not only fantastic in helping us get set up but also very quiet when he needed to set things up at the back of the room while someone was presenting. The food was excellent. Morning coffee was perfect with a small selection of biscuits, tea, very smooth, good coffee and a selection of green and fruit teas. Lunch was a wide selection of sandwiches, and I mean wide, served with prawn skewers, chicken skewers, twisty fries, falafel and some Tunnocks tea cakes for authenticity! For afternoon tea we were given a selection of hot drinks with warm fruit scones and a selection of jams. After our lunch we were given the key to Queens Street Gardens, and despite the rain a few of us headed out. I thought this was a nice touch as, I know it's just a park, but it's somewhere you don't get the chance to check out very often! The equipment was great, instead of a projector and white screen we were supplied with a massive flatscreen TV which was great for our needs. Although the older ones thought it made the text in presentations too small! And the usual, pencils, writing paper, sweets and water were up to scratch. All in all, it was a really nice experience, everything went off without a hitch and considering the price, particularly in comparison with the rest of Edinburgh, it is a stellar venue for small meetings!