10 Best Breweries and Beer Places in Calton Hill

"Cold Town House is situated in the famous Grassmarket area of Edinburgh and has a range of traditionally brewed offerings along with their signature dish, the stone-fired Neapolitan pizza. There is a full roof which is rolled back when the rain stops, revealing ‘that’ Edinburgh Castle shot. There’s a decent selection of drinks including Cold Town Beer, which is freshly brewed on the premises and served by the glass or in the six-pint tower."

"This new pub and brewery caused quite a stir when it opened on the Grassmarket at the start of 2019. Cold Town House is one of the few places in the city where you can sip a cocktail on a rooftop bar with a cracking view of Edinburgh Castle. Based in a former church, its arrival revives the Grassmarket brewing tradition which dates back to the 16th Century."

"Cold Town House is a venue on Grassmarket, at the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town. It is owned and run by the local brewery Old Town Beer. The brewery’s own craft beers, as well as prosecco and several whiskeys, are served in a relaxed urban atmosphere with a spectacular view of the castle."

"In 2007, founders James and Martin started BrewDog with a mission to make other people as passionate about great craft beer as they were. BrewDog’s HQ can be found in Ellon, Aberdeenshire. The state of the art Scottish eco-brewery is also home to Overworks Brewery, BrewDog’s testing lab for sour beer."

"Brewdog is a popular anti-mainstream Scottish brewery, established in 2007. Its Edinburgh HQ is a former karaoke bar, renovated with stainless steel fixtures, reclaimed furniture and lots of exposed brickwork. Basically, it’s one of the coolest stag party bars in the Old Town."

"Offering some of the best beers in the city, BrewDog's Lothian Road is about both quantity and quality. A huge space boasting over 20 craft beers as well as a menu of hearty eats, from beefy burgers and healthy salads to delicious chicken and cauliflower wings."

"Perhaps a controversial choice as an essential Edinburgh craft beer, given that Paolozzi, the Edinburgh Beer Factory's flagship brew, only launched on October 18 - but in that short time, the crisp, sparkling lager has gained enviable comparisons (in our local bottle shop, anyway) to Munich's much-revered Augustiner Hell. Perhaps such a success straight off the mark is due to the wealth of experience behind it - the EBF is headed up by John Dunsmore, former boss of both Tennent’s owner C&C Group and macro brewing plc Scottish & Newcastle. Of course, the beautifully-labelled bottle (sporting designs by Leith-born Pop Art figurehead Eduardo Paolozzi) makes it a lovely drink to be seen holding as well."

"Combining old and new ideas and techniques, Edinburgh Beer Factory create beer inspired by the Edinburgh-born ‘Godfather of Pop Art’, Eduardo Paolozzi. Their brewery tours include a walkthrough of their lager-making process, from blank canvas to final product. You’ll even get the chance to taste the raw ingredients and the unfiltered brew!"

"Founded and operated by veteran brewer Andrew Barnett in the Summerhall former vet school, and on the site of the historic Summerhall Brewery (demolished circa 1913), Barney’s is a micro-brewery literally rooted in tradition. There’s no pasteurisation or filtration in the process, which is 100% natural. All of Barney's beers – including the humbly-named Good Ordinary Pale Ale plus a lager, a red beer and a dark porter – are cask-conditioned or bottle-conditioned."

"Barney’s Beer is a craft brewery located at the southeast corner of Edinburgh’s Meadows in Summerhall. Ranked as one of the best Edinburgh breweries, Barney’s Beer is housed in the stables of the city’s old vet school. Barney (Andrew Barnett) started working in his hometown brewery in Wolverhampton back in 1983 at 16 and has been in the industry ever since."

"Barney’s Beer offers public and private tours|Courtesy of Barney’s Beer. Housed at Summerhall in a former vet school’s stables, Barney’s has been brewing for the people of Edinburgh since 2010. The use of the Summerhall site as a brewery actually predates its use as veterinary college."

"With over 80 different flavours of chicken wings on the menu – including blue cheese, lemon pot noodle rub and maple bbq dill bacon bits – this is you one-stop destination for all the wings you could ever consume. Each bowl comes with six wings topped with your choices of sauces and seasonings."

"Specialising in budget-friendly chicken wings, Wings has over 50 different kinds on the menu. Each bowl comes with six wings topped with your choice of sauces and seasonings, from spicy pineapple jerk rub to maple barbecue sauce. Visit: 5/7 Old Fishmarket Close, EH1 1RW - wingsedinburgh.com"

"Wings is Edinburgh’s first and only restaurant dedicated to chicken wings. Every bowl comes with six wings, topped with a choice of seasonings and sauces. The venue ranks the spice of its options in ascending order from zero to five."

"Choose from The Piglet, The Oink or, our favourite, The Grunter (which is £5.80) – all served in soft (brown or white) roll, topped with your choice of sauce: sage & onion, chilli relish, haggis or lashings of apple. And if you’re hoping to chow down on some crackling *dribbles* then you’ll need to arrive early. It’s also worth noting that all the piggies are from farms located in the beautiful Scottish Borders – so only good, honest, meat is on the menu!"

"Average spend: £10 lunchtime deal of chef’s selection tapas for two, 12.30-5pm daily Tapa plates around £5 each individually. Whatta bargain – get six tapas dishes, bread and salad to share between two for just £10 every lunchtime. Tapa staples include griddled chorizo with tomato salsa, Iberico ham, squid with aioli and aubergine crisps drizzled with honey."

"Out of all Edinburgh's restaurants, Tapa lures me through its doors most often. The attraction is the fun and authentic Spanish tapas coupled with a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere. Load up on patatas bravas, meatballs and the most perfect tortilla you will ever eat."

"A post shared by Adam chorizo (@adamsfoodedinburgh) on Oct 6, 2016 at 1:24pm PDT. This French restaurant in Edinburgh serves no fuss, simple food. Whether you order from the a la carte menu or one of the set menus, you will definitely get a good selection of food."

"The People’s Story sits on the opposite side of the street from the Museum of Edinburgh, and is housed within the Canongate Tolbooth, which has stood on the Royal Mile since 1591. The tolbooth was a once a courtroom, a prison, and a place of gathering for the town council – if only walls could tell tales!. Nowadays, the iconic clock and pretty turrets epitomise Edinburgh’s Old Town charm, and are frequently photographed by passersby."

"Canongate Tolbooth, Royal Mile, Edinburgh EH8 8BNOpen Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday: 10am - 5pm; Sunday 12pm - 5pmFree to enter, donations welcome. The People's Story museum is located in the Canongate Tolbooth, which is a historic landmark in itself built in 1591. It provides visitors with a realistic and fascinating look at what life was like for Edinburgh citizens in days gone by."

"The Physicians' Gallery is a free public exhibition space which is part of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. Our exhibitions are based on the wealth of historical medical material which the College has collected over the last 300 years. ‘Moonstruck: 500 years of mental health’ is our new free exhibition– opening on 14 June 2019 and running until Spring 2020"

"Located inside Edinburgh Castle, the museum explores over 400 years of the Scottish military experience. Exhibits include weapons and uniforms from various conflicts, a gallery of military paintings and recruitment posters, and occasional weekend events…"