Southside

Home to Edinburgh University and much of the Edinburgh Fringe, the Southside is where to fi nd cheap eats, green spaces and a laidback air

Edinburgh’s Southside is right in the thick of the action; a buzzing, central neighbourhood that nevertheless feels local rather than touristed. Home to the main campus of Edinburgh University, this is where the students hang out, so there’s a wealth of diverse and notably cheap eateries, and excellent cafes perfect for bunking down with a good book or two. It’s also home to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as the typically peaceful green expanses of The Meadows and George Square Gardens are transformed into a veritable carnival of performance tents and street food stalls.

Edinburgh Festival Fringe, as the typically peaceful green

Getting there, and getting away

The Southside is a short walk away from, well, pretty much anywhere central, and almost every bus route passes along its main artery, the confusingly named North Bridge/ South Bridge/Nicolson Street/South Clerk Street (it’s all one road, we’re just quirky that way).

By the same logic, it’s also easy to leave, although if you’re looking for a more interesting exit, hire a bike and sail down the Innocent Railway Tunnel, once home to Scotland’s fi rst railway station. Not only does the Tunnel feature a rotating gallery of street art and Gaelic graffi ti, but it also leads to a cycle path round the back of Arthur’s Seat that can take you to the beaches at Musselburgh or Portobello, or to Rosslyn Chapel of Da Vinci Code fame.

Drinks

The drinking landscape in the Southside is – thanks to its high student density – pretty laid-back, but this is by no means code for boring. The area boasts some of the city’s artsiest, quirkiest, and honestly plain weirdest bars, revealing a side to Edinburgh that is far removed from the polish of the New Town or the charming cobbles of the Old.

As the name su ests, Paradise Palms (41 Lothian St) has a tropical dive bar feel, with Hawaiian shirts and dive bar feel, with Hawaiian shirts and stuffed animals sa ing from the ceiling and an excellent array of spirits crowding its neon bar. There are similar vibes at the chaotic Dog House (18 Clerk St), while The Royal Dick bar in the Summerhall arts complex (1 Summerhall) is inspired by Summerhall’s previous life as the university’s veterinary school. Also of note is subversive pub Brass Monkey, with actual beds to lounge in (14 Drummond St), and the ever-reliable Dagda (93 Buccleuch St) and The Auld Hoose (23 St Leonards St) for a solid pint.

For a less boozy day, there’s many a cafe to while away a drizzly afternoon. Thomas J Walls (35 Forrest Rd) and Kilimanjaro (104 Nicolson St) both offer a great brunch menu and relaxed atmosphere, while coffee enthusiasts with a taste for the industrial should head to Union Brew Lab (6 S College St) and Cult Espresso (104 Buccleuch St).

Indie shops

There’s not a ton of shopping to be found in the Southside, but there are a few cute indie places worth poking your head in en route to the next cafe. Edinburgh’s radical, queer bookshop Lighthouse Books (43 W Nicolson St) is a veritable haven of excellent reads and community spirit. Five minutes away is Tills Bookshop (1 Hope Park Cres), with a great secondhand collection that often includes new releases, and a newly transformed ex-policebox fi lled with translated reads just across the road. There are also two Armstrong’s vintage shops fi lled with retro gems (14 Teviot Pl, 64 Clerk St), while the Great Grog Bottle Shop (2 Dalkeith Rd) and Jordan Valley (8 Nicolson St) are must-stops for foodies.

Things to do

The Southside is typically the heart of the Fringe, and some of its best venues are located here. Summerhall boasts one of the festival’s best programmes as well as regular exhibitions, while Assembly Roxy (2 Roxburgh Pl), The Queen’s Hall (85 Clerk St), and

Image: courtesy of El Cartel

El Cartel

the Festival Theatre (13 Nicolson St) are all within a short stroll of each other.

The National Museum of Scotland (Chambers St), Dovecot Studios (10 Infirmary St), Talbot Rice Gallery (South Bridge), and Surgeons’ Hall (Nicolson St) span everything from avant-garde art to gruesome human remains and dinosaur bones. And during the relative warmth (although please manage your expectations) of the festival summer, the tree-lined expanse of The Meadows and the crags of Arthur’s Seat have been transformed into some of the city’s key hangout spots.

Food

for as little as a pound and change; The Original Mosque Kitchen & Cafe (50 Potterrow), whose plates piled high with homemade curry come to a fiver; pizza slices at Civerinos Slice (49 Forrest Rd); a modern take on Thai food at Ting Thai Caravan (8 Teviot Pl); and delightfully aesthetic bakes at 101 Bakery (101 Newington Rd). Civerinos also used to be in residence at The High Dive Bar (81/85 St. Leonard’s St), but that has now passed into the more than capable hands of Sando, whose Japanese-style sandwiches will change how you think of the lunchtime staple forever.

For something a little more sit-down (but still very cheap), Syrian restaurant Erbil (55 W Nicolson St) offers an incredibly friendly atmosphere and some of the best Middle Eastern food in the city, while Ikigai Ramen (13 W Crosscauseway) is cosy in both vibes and warming meals. Kim’s Mini Meals (5 Buccleuch St), meanwhile, is one of Edinburgh’s hidden gems, whose innocuous front hides a renowned family restaurant widely considered one of the best in the city. El Cartel (15 Teviot Pl) crafts its tacos like little works of art, with great attention paid to unique flavours and details.

Photo: Shannon Tofts

The Sudanese Nile Valley Cafe (6 Chapel St) offers freshly-made falafel wraps piled high with grilled aubergine and special peanut sauce, while The Shawarma House (119 Nicolson St) does exactly what it says on the tin. Popular with students are Sister Bao (32 S Clerk St), with steamed buns