📷 2
Photos
Shot by a City Insiders curator.
Cold Town House
★ 4.0(1 review)Restaurant
livelyloudrooftop
About the Vibe
Cold Town House is where you go when you want the full Edinburgh experience — fresh beer brewed on-site, Neapolitan pizza, and a rooftop terrace with one of the best Castle views in the city. It's loud, it's fun, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else. Skip the novelty cocktails and stick to the Cold Town Lager — you'll taste the difference when it's poured straight from the tanks.
Why it's worth it
On-site brewed Cold Town Lager, Neapolitan pizza, and a rooftop terrace with unbeatable Edinburgh Castle views — loud, fun, and unapologetically lively.
Highlights
rooftop terracebrewed on-siteCastle viewsNeapolitan pizza
Before you go
Head up to the rooftop terrace early on a sunny evening to grab a spot with the best Castle view before the after-work crowd fills it up.
Known For
- •Cold Town Lager brewed on-site
- •Rooftop terrace with Edinburgh Castle views
- •Neapolitan pizza
- •Novelty cocktails
Best For
group nights outsunset drinkspre-festival pints
1 review
City InsidersEditorialMarch 31, 2026
Lively brewery bar with killer Castle views
Cold Town House is a no-brainer if you're looking for a lively night out with a view. The rooftop terrace is genuinely one of the best spots in Edinburgh to soak up the atmosphere while staring down at the Castle — it's impossible not to feel a bit of that touristy buzz, but in a good way. The beer is the star here: their own Cold Town Lager is crisp, refreshing, and you can taste the freshness since it's brewed on-site. The pizza is decent Neapolitan style, nothing fancy but perfectly serviceable if you're working up an appetite between pints.
It's not a quiet, intimate spot — expect noise, crowds, and a certain chaotic energy that some might find exhausting. The service can be hit or miss, especially when you're trying to order at a packed bar, and some of the novelty cocktails are more about the gimmick than the flavor. But if you're with a group, want to people-watch, and don't mind a bit of a racket, this place delivers. Just go with expectations set: it's a fun, loud brewery bar with a killer view, not a refined dining experience.
The Grassmarket location means you're right in the thick of Old Town nightlife, and the place has an electric energy that's hard to replicate. Live music adds to the buzz, and the brewhouse setup means the beer genuinely is as fresh as it gets in Edinburgh. Winner of Best Beer Bar at the Scottish Beer Awards 2021, so they're doing something right.