I visited this historic and charming Edinburgh Old Town pub after £1million transformation
This place is one of the Capital’s iconic boozers
It’s been a while since I visited The Beehive Inn.
The last time was at an event, up on the top floor, and I remember that it was rather dark and dingy.
Despite that, this Edinburgh boozer, which is on the same cobbled stretch as other iconic Old Town pubs, like Maggie Dickson’s or The White Stag Inn, always had a unique atmosphere. It has, after all, been operating as a pub for 170 years and was a coaching inn from the 16th century. Apparently, Rabbie Burns once popped by.
Now, Dunbar-based owners Belhaven have given it a full £1m makeover, and it’s emerged smelling like fresh paint and new carpet. It’s glammed up with black and gold livery and WELCOME spelled out above the front door, underneath the original stonework beehive.
They’re hoping this look will help them tempt in a few lapsed locals.
“The chat we’ve been giving the team in the build up to this has been about bringing people back to the Grassmarket and to The Beehive. It’s been a really successful pub, but it’s been really tourist-led, which I think is what’s happening in the city. But this is a real opportunity for us to kind of lure people back that maybe haven’t been for a while,” says the general manager, David Race.
The downstairs area still has a suitably Victorian feel, with the wooden panelled bar and dark green walls, blue banquettes, and lots of artwork, including etchings of Auld Reekie and advertising memorabilia for the likes of Cutty Sark. There’s also a rather spooky mirrored portrait of a woman. Is that the resident ghost? Apparently not. Their in-house phantom is a bit younger.
“A few years ago, I got a call from Scottish psychic investigations people, and I thought it was a wind up. It wasn’t. They paid a rental charge, so we could open late. And this little troop came in and walked round the building with us,” says Race. “It was all very Ghostbusters. We left them to it, then came back downstairs later. I was like - any joy? - and they said, yeah, you’ve got one. It’s a young man, and he’s a Hearts fan.”
Apparently, they verified this by asking the ghost what that day’s England vs Scotland result was, and he got it right.
Race says there have also been occasional poltergeist reports of glasses flying off tables, but since there is usually alcohol involved, he takes these tales with a pinch of salt.
There have certainly been no spooky sightings in the huge wooden terraced beer garden at the back, which will be opening in the next couple of months. It’ll seat about 70 and they’ll eventually have a stretch tent for shelter and will show sports on a big screen. This is where they used to keep the old working beehives that gave the pub its name, and it has an incredible view of Edinburgh Castle.
However, despite this feature, Race seems most excited about The Beehive Inn’s new toilets. Apparently, the old ones weren’t quite so fresh and clean. Now, they have a beautiful white tiled and fragrant selection of powder rooms across both floors.
Personally, I’m thrilled that, on the stairwell, with its beautiful stained-glass cupola, they’ve kept the old condemned cell door from Calton Jail, complete with its food hatch and spyhole. It’s an esoteric bit of Edinburgh pub paraphernalia to rival something like the creepy figure of Deacon Brodie that always sits in the window of its eponymous pub on The Mound.
On the first floor of The Beehive Inn, with its view to the long queue at Mary’s Milk Bar, they’ve opened up the space, so there’s lots of room for eating, drinking and lingering.
According to Race, that’s the way the pub scene is going. People don’t want booze anymore, without some food on the side. The new menu here includes more interesting dishes, like a duck hash or hake and romesco ragout, but also classics like a sirloin steak, vintage cheddar mac and cheese, or steak and ale pie.
The same menu is served across the two levels, though the first floor looks smarter, with claret-coloured walls, recessed shelves that display decanters and drinks paraphernalia, as well as their shiny new wood panelled whisky bar. It serves over 100 varieties, with Glen Scotia, Tomatin and Laphroaig on display. If drams aren’t your thing, they can even put together a few cocktails, though they’re still “a pub, rather than a bar”, says Race. They’re also proud of their Scottish coffee, which is made with Glengoyne 12, coffee, honey syrup and cream.
However, most people will probably be here for the Belhaven beer from Scotland’s oldest working brewer. Until now, I didn’t know that their Belhaven Best is the best selling ale in Scotland, though, here, they also offer the new citrussy Twisted Thistle on tap and the rich and chocolatey Belhaven Black stout. That’s as well as the fruity Deuchars, which Belhaven took over when the Caledonian Brewery was closed by owners Heineken back in 2022.
The final part of my tour involved that attic event space, which is on the second floor and will continue to be used as an Edinburgh Festival Fringe venue.
It once had black walls, but is now freshly painted green, after they peeled back about six layers of paint and paper. On display are posters of those who’ve been associated with The Beehive Inn over the years. For example, there’s one that features Joanna Lumley, who presented a charity trophy at this venue in 1986. Or, Hollywood actor Emanuel Goldberg, who dined here in 1940, and Scottish Whisky Galore! actor Gordon Jackson, who visited in 1960.
Let’s see who’s next through the door. Ghosts, stars or locals, they’re all welcome.
The Beehive Inn, 18-20 Grassmarket, Edinburgh (0131-225 71717, www.belhaven.co.uk)
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