Al Capone and Tony Soprano are regulars in this new Edinburgh bar, Badabing… but only on the walls.
Badabing is a sister bar to The Ratpack Piano Bar and is a new American gangster themed bar located in Fountainbridge Square.
Owner, Tony Pia decided to open the venue following the success of his Badabing bar in Wishaw.
Says Tony, “I have always loved American gangster movies and there is nowhere else like it in the city, so I thought why not?” The 400 capacity bar and grill is specialising in serving up classic American- Italian comfort food. An array of live musicians will also be providing entertainment in the evenings.
Wolf & Water is the newest drinking den to grace The Shore in Edinburgh. Owner Kenny Waugh is following in the footsteps of his father Kenny Waugh Senior who used to own Festival Inns.
The Shore in Leith may have served as the port of Edinburgh since 1329, but since 1996 when the Scottish Parliament opened its Victoria Quay offices at The Shore, the area has become a top dining and drinking destination in the city. Wolf & Water is in good company with Michelin star restaurant The Kitchin as a next door neighbour. The site was previously home to cocktail bar Bond No.9, which was a popular after work drinking spot with workers from the surrounding offices. Kenny acquired the lease of the venue in April of this year and in under a month has transformed the space into a laid-back drinking lair.
There is no hidden reason behind the bars name, other than acknowledging the location by the water and liking the roll off the tongue alliteration of Wolf & Water. Says Kenny, “I liked the thought of having an animal as the name of the bar and what’s better than the wolf? It’s such an iconic animal. I had over 100 different names when I started but Wolf & Water just had a certain ring to it.” From the outside, Wolf & Water is mysterious and it’s hard to judge what will greet you once you step off the cobbled streets of The Shore. The bar is housed in a modern building on Commercial St, with only the neon wolf sign hanging outside inviting you in. The sign is a striking geometric image which features throughout the venue and gives the new bar a strong sense of identity
Inside lies a spacious wooden wonderland, like the treehouse we all dreamed of as a child. It is dark and undeniably cool with only the neon signs providing any source of colour. In the run up to opening, Kenny looked at the interiors of a number of bars in major cities including London and New York before finally deciding that he liked the simplicity and minimalism of Scandinavian design. The structural wooden beams inherited from the building have been embraced, plunging through the middle of some of the bar tables, giving the impression that they have been added specifically for this venue. Lighting is minimal- dimmed to the right level so you can still read the menu, but dark enough if you want to escape from the Scottish weather and enjoy a drink from the varied selection of cocktails and draught beers.
The seating in the bar is varied with large booths and communal high bar stools making the venue an ideal drinking spot for larger groups. By the windows at the front of the bar, the booths are upholstered with black leather chesterfield seating and are roomy enough for up to eight people. Kenny explains, “There was no fixed seating in Bond No.9 so that was the first thing we added. We wanted to make use of the windows at the front and making sure the bar was comfortable was definitely one of our main focuses.”
All of the walls inside have been stripped back, to reveal rough stonework with one feature wall featuring dark wooden cladding, almost like the inside of a garden shed. A cryptic neon green sign reading “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” hangs on the wall at the back of the venue, beside the entrance to the beer garden.
Outside, the beer garden sits beside a small water display on the docks of The Shore. Benches made from the same heavy reinforced wood as the tables inside provide seating for around 40 covers and an outside bar has been set up for when the sun is shining to save customers from having to ever shy away from its rays.
At the back of the venue lies a sizeable south facing glass conservatory. During the day, the space is bathed in natural light with candles providing a romantic atmosphere in the evenings. The back wall of the conservatory is stripped right back to reveal the natural stonework of the building and unique seating is provided where the stonework has been chipped away to provide seats within the wall. Wolf like fur throws cover all of the seats giving the venue a little feminine touch. Kenny explains, “My girlfriend obviously had to put her stamp on it and we are definitely going to be adding more. Customers have been loving the fur.”
Whether you want to gather your wolf pack to enjoy an alcoholic slush puppy in the beer garden or nurse your hangover in a dark corner with brunch served until 4pm, Wolf & Water has a spot for everyone. And as Kenny says, “If we’ve already got regulars after only being opened for a few weeks, then we are definitely doing something right!”
Craft beer brand Innis & Gunn has announced plans to open its first bar and restaurant in July.
The Beer Kitchen by Innis & Gunn will be on Lothian Road in Edinburgh which is already home to craft beer bars The Hanging Bat and The Red Squirrel.
The bar will house three exposed 2.5 hectolitre beer tanks which Innis & Gunn say will provide ‘the freshest, most flavoursome pint imaginable’.
The food will be a twist on the classic seasonal dishes to be paired with the range of beers on offer.
This will be the first in a number of Innis & Gunn on-trade outlets. It plans to roll out another five pub venues and a boutique style hotel, to the rest of the U.K by 2017. The new venture is being Spearheaded by David Hall, (previously of Edinburgh’s Tigerlily, Opal Lounge and Rick’s).
Akva is a new Swedish cafe and bar opening in the former Cargo by the canal in Edinburgh’s Fountainbridge.
It is the latest venture from Anna and Mike Christopherson who are behind five other popular bars in the capital Sofi’s, Boda, Joseph Pearce’s, Hemma and Victoria.
Despite only being handed the keys to the site on 6th May, plans are in place to open before the end of June.
As a result, renovations are in full swing, with furniture coming from Sweden and lots of planning for the new Swedish style menu. Anna, who is originally from Sweden, said, “It’s a quick turnaround and its such a big space with a capacity of 500.”
Two new Slug & Lettuce outlets have opened in Glasgow and Edinburgh. The Edinburgh venue is on George Street beside Charlotte Square, not far from the cities first outlet in the Omni Centre at the other end of George Street.
The Glasgow bar (pictured) is situated in the former Living Room unit on St. Vincent Street which has received a six figure transformation.
Tracey McAdam, manager of the Glasgow venue said, “Whenever we open a new site we enjoy the opportunity to entice new customers with our unique cocktails and fun party atmosphere so Glasgow is the perfect fit.”
The chain is owned by The Stonegate Pub Company which has 70 other venues across the UK.
Tucked away in the underground of Edinburgh’s Cowgate lies Ox184, the latest addition to FullerThomson’s successful portfolio of bars and restaurants. The space, which has been home to many nightclubs over the past few years, most recently Capital nightclub, has been stripped of its disco balls and dance floors.
This modern building has been transformed to exude the edginess of a converted warehouse with influences coming from popular Brooklyn haunts Spritzenhaus 33 and Fette Saus. Director Gary Thomson explains, “We wanted it to have that inside/outside feel and we worked closely with KBA&D architects to achieve the look we desired.”
Scents of smoked wood and searing meat will greet you as you enter this spacious late night venue. Floor to ceiling windows fill the room with natural light and the draped velvet curtains framing the windows and entrance add an element of luxury to the venue.
Raw and rustic heavy timber tables fill the more casual downstairs area to allow large groups to share. Glass demijohns hang above the bar top and these can be filled with a gallon of craft beer to share amongst friends. Similar features of FullerThomson’s other ventures still reside here, “We kept some of our signature looks like the rotational beer taps but we’re moving things on too,” says Thomson. As with their other bars, including The Red Squirrel and Holyrood 9A, Tempus Brewing Co. in Tweedbank are supplying the house beers on tap and there’s an octet of beers on rotation. Colourful, eclectic art with cattle as the main focus is displayed – an ode to the bars location and also its menu.
Large custom built cages house over 100 whiskies. With the drive to create fresh new drinking experiences with a sense of fun thrown in. For example, picklebacks (a shot of pickling brine served with a shot of whisky) and boilerbacks (beer teamed with whisky) are on offer. On Friday and Saturday nights a number of different DJ’s play underneath the caged whisky display. Music varies but you won’t need to worry about having to shout over loud music to converse with friends. “The music is unobtrusive, the DJ’s play to the vibes in the room. It can be blues one minute and house the next. It’s there as a backdrop to the buzz and chatter going on explains operations manager James Stuart-Gammie. Tucked away beside the whisky cages is a wood burning log fire that staff are regularly topping up to heat the room, further accentuating the inside/out vibes.
A cast iron spiral staircase leads to the cosier, more formal mezzanine level upstairs. While downstairs is great for larger groups. There is also the option to dine in this more intimate area. Comfy black leather booths fill the majority of the upper level with each booth featuring its own curtains for added privacy. Also available on the upstairs level is a small private area for parties of up to 20. The space has already played host to Ox184’s own tasting sessions from their whisky library. For this, they have teamed up with Royal Mile Whiskies to offer an exciting array of whiskies from around the world. “The list is divided into categories to make it accessible to everyone. We want to welcome everyone from young professionals to tourists,” says Stuart-Gammie.
The open kitchen on the mezzanine level also allows for olfactory entertainment and you’ll smell the rich fragrance before your juicy piece of beef even hits the table. Locally based blacksmiths G Fitzsimmons & Son have designed a wood-fired grill for Ox184. The grill uses sizzling hot embers to cook the meat slowly, caramelising the meat and producing more enhanced flavours. The smell is sure to make it hard for anyone who popped in for ‘just a drink’ to resist the mouth-watering BBQ menu. Locally sourced quality meat is a focus here with well-respected Lauder butcher Shaw Fine Meats supplying a range of prime organic meat, including rare breed beef and pork. But don’t be mistaken for thinking that Ox184 solely caters for carnivores as around a quarter of the menu offers vegetarian options with the burnt beans already receiving rave online reviews.
Ox184 is clearly a meticulously planned venture, from the interior, to the drinks and the menu. Many different features intertwine with each other. The beef stock made in house is also used in their Bloody Mary’s. The pickling brine for the picklebacks is also used to pickle their onions in the kitchen and the smoked bananas used in the banoffee dessert are also used in the banana daiquiri. The staff are also clearly passionate and knowledgeable about the products they are selling which makes the experience even more enjoyable. The Cowgate area was once famed for its herds of students and stag dos, however Ox184 is part of the movement changing this stereotype.“ The Cowgate is a heritage site that’s being rejuvenated with bars and hotels opening,” says Stuart-Gammie. “We’re excited to be part of it”. Director Gordon Fuller sums up Ox184 as “specialising in craft beers, world whiskies, bourbons and barbecue food featuring live acoustic music and DJ sets,” but following a visit, you’re sure to find there’s lots more to this venue no matter what time – day or night – you visit.
