Edinburgh Fringe 2017: The best food & drink pop-ups

Paolozzi at the Arches

A pop-up bar presented by Edinburgh Beer Factory and pulling together some of the leading lights in Edinburgh's indie food and drink scene. Besides the beer, there's a wine selection put together by Stockbridge bar Smith & Gertrude, mixed drinks courtesy of the Cocktail Kitchen, and food from the ever-present and always on-point The Pitt. There will also be art installations, a pop-up cinema, and the chance to get your hair cut. Thumbs up all round. 8-28 Aug, midday to 1am.

Edinburgh Cocktail Festival

At first glance this sounds fairly straightforward, until you dig a little deeper. There's a Bloody Mary Kitchen run by Ketel One in which you can design your own Bloody Mary, and your gin and tonics will be 'flash-infused' with fresh ingredients from the Tanqueray Future Forest. Elsewhere on the programme are masterclasses and talks on how to do all this cocktail stuff for yourself, but suffice it to say this is one worth checking out. 4-28 Aug, 12-10pm, Sibbald Walk. 

Eating House at the Meeting House 

A festival diner from Ian Wilson of veggie street food truck Susie's Wholefood Wagon, and Ben Reade of experimental dining colossus Edinburgh Food Studio. The pair's August plans centre on providing a healthy, interesting and constantly evolving option in the midst of constant boozing and Fringe-related stress. Expect foraged, fermented and organic ingredients, exciting flavour combinations, and to never be served the same thing twice. 7-26 Aug, 12-8pm, 7 Victoria St.

Bramble x Custom Lane

Good news for the people of Leith, or anyone who wants to take a brief break from the Old Town's wall-to-wall jugglers and avant-garde theatre-makers, as top-notch cocktail bar Bramble are running their first ever pop-up bar this month. Bramble x Custom Lane takes up a spot in the new development at Custom House at the Shore alongside local coffee aces Williams & Johnson, and will serve up tasty, tasty cocktails down by the water each weekend of the Fringe. Edinburgh; it's not just about hills and having flyers thrust in your face any more! Fri-Sun until 27 Aug, 67 Commercial St.

Blood and Wine

Everyone's favourite Game of Thrones-inspired subterranean bar is back for the Fringe; you’ll find it located in the cellar below Daylight Robbery bar on Dublin Street. Grab a mead and enjoy the Martin-ian ambience safe in the knowledge you almost certainly won't be beheaded or double-crossed in the course of your evening. 5pm-1am, 8pm-3am from 5 Aug, 24 Dublin St.

Gin, Gin Everywhere

There's a new G and T in town for this year's Fringe; the Gin brand and sponsored Terrace. This August, Caorunn Gin take over the courtyard at Hotel du Vin on Bristo Place for gin and tonics and cocktails in a secluded setting; 56 North's Tanqueray Secret Gin Garden returns for gin and tonics and cocktails in a slightly different secluded setting; Daffy's Gin have commandeered the G&V Hotel courtyard on the corner of the Royal Mile and George IV Bridge for... well, you can guess by now. Meanwhile, Hendricks change things up entirely with their Perilous Laboratory for the Absorbent of Natural Teachings (P.L.A.N.T.) at Assembly George Square Gardens. As far as we can tell, there are musical cucumbers and lots of gin involved, so we're intrigued (3-13 Aug).

Brew Lab 2: Electric Brew-galoo

When your coffee shop is overrun by Fringe-goers, you have two options: 1) hide under the counter as your regulars are trampled underfoot, or 2) prepare for the place to be packed to the gunnels from dawn til dusk. Brew Lab, one of the Edinburgh coffee scene's most ingenious stalwarts, have hit on secret option number three – just open a second shop right next door to your first one on South College St. The takeaway space is open 9-6 daily throughout the Fringe, with the same great coffee from down the road but with more manageable queues. Bravo, chaps!

Jones & Son at Mary King's Close

Toby Jones makes some of the best burgers in Edinburgh, and for this year's Fringe he's sited on Mary King's Close in a rather nifty bespoke burger hut. The chance to get away from the hustle and bustle of the Fringe's heart of darkness AND get your hands and face on one of the city's best sandwiches? Sold, to the food writers with mustard all over their beards.

The Gunpowder Wok

The food and drink sleeper hit of the Fringe so far is a graffiti-clad boat in the alley behind an art gallery. On-board you'll find an impressive selection of local and international craft beers, and elsewhere they've somehow managed to cram in a second bar, a DJ booth, and space for some Asian street food. The vibe is great, the tunes come from some of the city's best-loved DJs, and the whole thing is located directly opposite Holyrood 9A so there's no missing it. Go immediately.

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We'll be updating this page throughout August as we spot the best pop-ups and unexpected food happenings; let us know what we've missed at peter.simpson@theskinny.co.uk