Under The Stairs

3A Merchant Street | Edinburgh EH1 2QD
Phone: 0131 466 8550

Easily missed if you don’t know it's there, Under The Stairs is exactly that – tucked under the stairs on Merchant Street.

With wooden floors, exposed brickwork, ever-changing exhibitions and mix-matched comfy armchairs and sofas, it manages to be both shabby hipster chic and homely all at once. They have a wide range of tasty food – from substantial burgers, to the more unexpected crab languini, or broccoli, mushroom and rosemary risotto cake.

Under the Stairs also offer a small menu of sharing platters, featuring delightful cheeses and antipasti - wonderful companions as you work your way through the aptly named (and equally wonderful) cocktails. The list is both hilarious and ever-changing (cast your eye over the current menu here), so here's a couple of our favourites at time of reading:

First up, the 'Sideboob', ft. smokehead whisky, merlet trois citrus, oloroso sherry, lemon, sugar, ginger and egg white. Need perking up from a snoozy state? Maybe try out a Pisco nap (named after its primary ingredient, aba pisco). But our all-time-favourite from the seasonal menu? That'll be the Incredible Gulp, please.

Under The Stairs is also a bit of a winner with our readers, too - literally! Once a year, The Skinny holds the annual Food and Drink Survey in which our readers vote for their favourite restaurants, bars, cafes and food shops. Under The Stairs was voted one of the victors within the category of Best Place for a First Date, along with haunts like Hula and The Vintage. If you're keen to learn more about where's best to take a first date, have a read of our feature on the best spots for takeaways, hangovers and dates. Or, if you want to take your research to the next level, check our our full list of the winners from the 2014 Food and Drink Survey, and stick around for the 2015 list too!

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    Under The Stairs
    3A Merchant Street
    Edinburgh EH1 2QD

    Under The Stairs

    Opening Hours:
    Mon: 12:00 - 13:00
    Tues: 12:00 - 13:00
    Wed: 12:00 - 13:00
    Thur: 12:00 - 13:00
    Fri: 12:00 - 13:00
    Sat: 12:00 - 13:00
    Sun: 12:00 - 12:00

    Phone: 0131 466 8550
    Web: http://underthestairs.org
    Email: info@underthestairs.org