Lying directly to the south of the Meadows, Marchmont has developed a reputation as a genteel residential area populated by a mixture of well-to-do professionals and students from nearby Edinburgh and Napier universities. With most of the building constructed shortly before the end of the nineteenth century, the area has an elegant grace, its sleepy streets of Victorian tenements belying its proximity to some of the city’s main thoroughfares. Today, though mainly residential, Marchmont is home to any number of exciting independent businesses catering to the area’s residents.
Black Medicine Coffee Co.
108 Marchmont Road, EH9 1BG, 0131 622 2660, www.blackmed.co.uk
One of three Black Medicine cafes spread around the southside (the others can be found on Nicholson Street and the junction of Barclay Terrace and Bruntsfield Place), the Marchmont branch is an excellent place to stop for a coffee or sandwich. The décor is an eclectic mix of wooden poles and support beams combined with totem poles and tribal-style artwork, creating an almost voodoo-esque vibe. The coffee is excellent and the food menu extensive, with fantastic sandwiches, bagels, rolls, paninis and more, all with a huge choice of fillings. Staff are friendly and service is swift, though during busy periods can sometimes seem a little rushed.
Marchmont Gallery
56 Warrender Park Road, EH9 1EX, 0131 228 8228, www.marchmontgallery.com
Marchmont Gallery has been helping to promote up-and-coming Edinburgh artists since 2005, allowing them to showcase and sell their works to the city’s art collectors. With Edinburgh College of Art and any number of other sources of inspiration nearby, the gallery chooses a featured artist every month, offering much needed exposure to talented creatives. As well as more traditional art sales, Marchmont Gallery also offer a selection of gifts to buy, many of which have been handmade by local artists. Through a partnership with sister company Leith Framing Studio, the gallery is able to provide a comprehensive picture framing service, allowing you to choose the perfect surround for your own work or for gifts.
Doodle Ceramics
29 Marchmont Crescent, EH9 1HQ, 0131 229 1399, www.doodlesscotland.co.uk
Create a truly unique gift at Doodles, Edinburgh’s first informal ‘paint your own’ ceramic workshop. Simply choose from a wide range of ceramics – tiles, egg cups, mugs, plates, ornaments, bowls, jugs and many more – and decorate to your own taste in Doodle’s well-stocked workshop. Mugs, plates and larger items can be glazed and fired in the kiln, making them food safe. Doodle Ceramics also caters for groups of up to thirty people in the studio, making it an ideal destination for birthday parties for both kids and adults. All pottery and paints are provided and the studio environment is laid back and friendly. Prices start at just £10 per person.
The Earl of Marchmont
22 Marchmont Crescent, EH9 1HG, 0131 662 1877, www.renroc.co.uk
Surprisingly for an area so closely associated with the quintessential Edinburgh student experience, pubs are rather thin on the ground in Marchmont. Urban legend has it that the area was originally envisioned as a dry zone, with licensed premises strictly prohibited but any such restrictions have long since been lifted. Today the Earl of Marchmont is an elegant yet comfortable family-run establishment, operated by the proprietors of the wonderful Renroc Café on Montgomery Street off Elm Row. An excellent place to go for a quiet pint, the Earl is warm and welcoming with a good selection of drinks and a food menu full of hearty and surprisingly affordable dishes.
Sweet Melindas
11 Roseneath Street, EH9 1JH, 0131 229 7953, www.sweetmelindas.co.uk
Edinburgh is hardly short of seafood restaurants but Sweet Melinda’s deserves a mention not only for setting up shop in a leafy residential area off the beaten track but for the quality and variety of fish-related treats on offer. Seafood is sourced from nearby Eddie’s, one of the city’s finest fishmongers, ensuring that fish are fresh and delicious when they arrive at the restaurant. The menu is diverse, with an impressive array of starters and delicious fusion dishes that see halibut, tuna, sea bass and cod transformed by a selection of exotic ingredients. Though token vegetarian and chicken dishes are available, Sweet Melindas is really all about the seafood and to pass up some of the menu’s tastiest offerings would be to do it a great disservice.
Have we neglected to mention any of your favourite Marchmont haunts? Let us know in the comments below.
