Best Dog Friendly Restaurants Edinburgh – “Is Edinburgh Dog Friendly?” I am often asked that. Edinburgh is a truly dog-friendly city. However, while we travel often, we rarely get to spend time exploring Scotland’s capital with the boy. We were long overdue for a weekend at home, so when Hotel Indigo invited us to check out their boutique hotel at York Place, we jumped at the chance.
The hotel is located in a row of Georgian town houses in the heart of the new town. Shops, restaurants, bars, visitor attractions, parks and more are on the hotel’s doorstep. It is within walking distance of Edinburgh’s mainline train station. The airport tram also stops outside, so the hotel is a great base for exploring Edinburgh.
Best Dog Friendly Restaurants Edinburgh
Hotel Indigo has 60 rooms ranging from comfortable doubles to luxurious suites. Facilities include a fitness room, bar and breakfast room. The hotel doesn’t have a restaurant, but there are many on the doorstep, so no deal.
Dog Friendly Days Out In Scotland
We stayed in the “Supav Stays” package. For £15 a night, your four-legged friend can stay with you and enjoy a dog-friendly Edinburgh holiday. The Supaw Stays package includes healthy meals, as well as the use of a dog bed and bowl.
Our superior king’s room was spacious. It had a large bed and sitting area, as well as a mini bar (with free snacks).
Decorative and soft furnishings include elegant calf leather accents – adding a modern twist to a classic Georgian interior.
It was a wonderful place to rest and relax – but first we had a city to explore.
Pet Friendly Places To Eat And Drink In Windsor And Maidenhead
After checking out of the hotel, we exchanged Georgian architecture for the tall buildings of the Old Town, the medieval heart of the city.
Our Old Town walk took us to Blair Street outside the Cowgate. One of our favorite dog-friendly restaurants in Edinburgh is on Blair Street, so it seemed like the perfect time to stop for dinner.
City Cafe is an American-style restaurant serving Edinburgh residents hot dogs, burgers and milkshakes since the early 80s.
We’ve been given a choice of tables inside and fine tunes for a 1950’s style booth and the food and drink options on the menu are even better.
Dog Friendly Restaurants In Edinburgh
We both ordered ice cream floats – cherry cola for me and regular cola for Mr G.
To eat, I loaded up on fries topped with beef chili, cheese and a generous sprinkling of jalapeños. He was amazing. Mr. G had the macaroni cheese and chips and was equally happy with his choice.
After dinner we wandered down the Royal Mile towards the Palace of Holyrood. The palace is the official royal residence of Scotland and the former home of Mary Queen of Scots.
From Holyrood, our Old Town run took us through New Colton Cemetery. The quaint Georgian cemetery has a watchtower built to deter body robbers. Many graves are decorated with skulls and crossbones.
A Pawsitively Perfect Guide To Uk Dog Friendly Places To Eat
Now it was time to rest. The boy curled up in his dog bed and mr. G and I settled into our comfy bed to watch TV.
We woke up the next morning, took a bath and got ready for the next day. The sun was shining and we were looking forward to spending the day pottering in town with the boy – but first, breakfast.
I wasn’t sure how good breakfast would be at a hotel without a restaurant, but I was pleasantly surprised. A large selection of breakfast is served, including several cooked options and a large range of continental breakfast items.
We both opted for a cooked breakfast – I opted for the ‘full Edinburgh’ (minus the beans) which was delicious, especially the haggis. Mr. G had his old favorite egg king and the dish did not disappoint.
Dog Friendly Cafes In Edinburgh
Our first stop was St. James at the threshold of our hotel. The gallery opened to much fanfare in the summer of 2021, with the new gallery attracting a number of high-quality shops and restaurants in Edinburgh’s east end.
The gallery is dog-friendly, with dog watering stations throughout and strollers available for rent, if your four-legged friend doesn’t have as much shopping stamina as you. A number of shops and restaurants are dog-friendly, including the prominently British John Lewis – we went there.
Inside, the boy made a beeline for the dog section. She stocked up on sweets, toys and stylish clothes from Barber and Joules.
After inspection, he selected a sweater and a toy from the Barbour range. His stern face was the picture as we carried him up to the cage to pay for his goodies.
The Cramond Inn, Edinburgh
Not being a shopaholic, our stroll through John Lewis was enough retail therapy for one day.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery is just a few doors down from Hotel Indigo. It was one of my favorite places in Edinburgh during my student days, but it’s been years since I visited. Standing on the doorstep gave me the perfect opportunity to make a long visit to the gallery.
The gallery is not dog friendly, but there is a leafy square next to it, so we took it in turns, the other sitting with the boy, soaking up the early autumn sun.
A visit to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery is a must when visiting Edinburgh – it is home to interesting works of art depicting famous Scots over hundreds of years – including Robert the Bruce, Mary Queen of Scots, The Proclaimers, Billy Connolly and A. a lot More The gallery has an interesting (and somewhat terrifying) collection of death masks, including those of the infamous Edinburgh serial killers Burke and Hare.
Dog Friendly Hotels In Edinburgh
And if seeing the abundance of good-natured Scottish faces isn’t fun enough, the inside of the gallery will literally knock your socks off because it’s absolutely stunning.
After art came coffee, Bur & Co, just off Edinburgh’s trendy George Street, is a modern cafe that welcomes people and food alike.
A hop, skip and a jump from the hustle and bustle of George Street, we arrived at the green oasis that is Princes Street Gardens. Before wandering into the West Garden, we stopped briefly in the East Garden to hear a wonderful street performer singing Con Te Partiro (Time to Say Goodbye) in perfect Italian.
The west garden with its children’s playground, beautiful fountain and cuckoo clock flower holds fond memories of my childhood. We timed our arrival right as the pie was about to appear. And the cuckoo’s famous call, cuckoo” That little song took me back to those days of my childhood.
Top 5 Dog Friendly Restaurants & Cafes In London
After leaving Princes Street Gardens, we returned to the hustle and bustle of the city, back to the historic Old Town – my favorite place to hang out when I was home.
There we heard our second street performer of the day – High Street Lawnmarket meeting busker and notorious murderer William Burke playing tunes directly opposite where his partner William was hanged for his crime. Hare turned King’s evidence and confessed to his crimes in exchange for his freedom.
There are some unexpected dog-friendly Edinburgh attractions on the High Street, including the amazing Camera Obscura and World of Illusions, the other being St Giles Cathedral, founded by King David I in 1124. Despite its gray appearance, thanks to its Victorian stonework, the interior of the cathedral is an architectural gem and a visit is like stepping back in time.
St Giles has witnessed much of Edinburgh’s history over the centuries – from invading English armies, religious unrest and Jacobite risings. Recently, the eyes of the world were on St Giles as HRH Queen Elizabeth stayed at St Giles for 24 hours.
Dog Friendly Restaurant In Morningside
Outside St Giles Cathedral the high street was bustling with tourists so thought it would be a good time to stop for some refreshments. We walked up Cockburn Road (pronounced Co Burn) and up the steep steps of Fleshmarket Close (not as scary as it sounds).
We were heading to one of our favorite traditional old town watering holes, Geordie Zinglin’s Bar.
Jinglin Jordie’s Bar is one of Edinburgh’s many dog friendly bars. It was named after George Heriot, goldsmith to King James VI. Heriot was so rich that it is said that his pockets jingled as he walked, filled with gold.
We found a table inside and ordered drinks. White wine for me and local lager for Mr. G – Aayai rest.
Indian Restaurant Hannover Street, Nr Edinburgh Old Town
After our juicy breakfasts it was time for dinner. We booked a table at Bruhemia at the foot of Fleshmarket Close.
Bruhemia is one of the most dog friendly places we have visited. A warm welcome, congratulations, water, cookies and bedding. The boy was in his element.
Bruhemia is Edinburgh’s largest restaurant
