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Neighbourhood watch: Newington, Edinburgh

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This article is from 2011.

Neighbourhood Watch: Newington, Edinburgh

A guide to the ares of the Scottish capital dominated by Edinburgh University

What’s it like?
Okay, we’ll get the inevitable out of the way first. There are a lot of students living in Newington. And while we know some of our readers aren’t that keen on students, their presence does imbue the area with a certain bounce and life not seen in some of the quieter parts of the city. Plus: cracking views of Arthur’s Seat.

Where’s it, like?
About 15 minutes from the Royal Mile: walk up the Bridges and keep going until the people on the streets begin to get younger and posher-looking.

Who’s from there?
Harry Potter, thank you. Despite claims by other establishments, we all know the boy wizard was created in Nicolson’s, now Spoon, on Nicolson Street. And Inspector Rebus, although he lives in Marchmont, occasionally reports for work at the St Leonard’s Police Station. We can’t think of any real people off the top of our heads, although Walter Scott was known to be a fan of the area, as The Heart of Midlothian and cosy snug The Jeanie Dean’s on St Leonard’s Street will testify.

Why would I go there?
Because it’s home to some of the best independent shops and bars in the city. The Pear Tree and the Moo Bar are legendary Embra pubs, the Blind Poet has great real alehosts excellent spoken word night Blind Poetics on the first Monday, Word Power is a wonderful radical book shop with its own annual Fringe to the Charlotte Square festival, Hot Head give great hairdressing, and the hungry of all budgets are catered to with the excellent likes of Blonde, the Mosque Kitchen and the aforementioned Spoon.

This article is from 2011.

More: Days out, Neighbourhood Watch, Newington

Edinburgh Book Fringe
Date Location
Hosted by Word Power Books, this festival gives a platform to local publishers and writers, whether polemicists or comedians, during the capital's festival month. The Word Power bookshop is an intimate venue where authors can engage with their audience.
View full details (Edinburgh Festival Guide)
10 Aug–24 Aug Times vary Word Power Bookshop, Edinburgh
Blind Poet
32c West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 8DD
Blonde
75 St Leonard's Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9QR
Relaxed neighbourhood bistro Blonde occupies a quiet spot on St Leonard's, not far from the hustle and bustle of student-filled South Clerk Street. Its two unassuming dining spaces are clean, minimal and simply furnished, with blonde wood and large…
Moo Bar
24 Russell Street, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, CV32 5QB
The Original Mosque Kitchen and Café
Edinburgh Central Mosque, 50 Potterrow, Edinburgh, EH8 9BT
First set up to ease the burden of daylight fasting during Ramadan on the congregation of Edinburgh's Central Mosque, this outdoor cafeteria-style restaurant has undergone several upgrades and upheavals down the years. Most recently the founders…
The Pear Tree House
34 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DD
The grande dame of the Southside drinking scene has been standing proud on the spot since 1749, and 2012 sees the thirtieth anniversary of its current incarnation. The Pear Tree’s justifiably famed selling point is the large walled beer garden…
Spoon Café Bistro
6a Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DH
Home life getting you down? Move here. Seriously. It’s open from 10am till 10pm, serving everything from morning rolls through to a three-course dinner. There’s free wi-fi. People bring you drinks. The furniture is cool kitsch-retro-chic. If only the…
Word Power Bookshop
43 West Nicolson Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9DB

Comments

1. Noonoo, Edinburgh – 3 February 2012, 2:24pmReport

Don't forget Bonningtons Eaterie on Clerk Street - couple of doors up from the Queen's Hall - awesome coffee!

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