Tucked into a basement on Frederick Street, Kitty O'Shea's is the kind of unapologetically old-school Irish pub that Edinburgh's New Town didn't know it needed. You come here for a proper Guinness, live music, and big-screen sports — not for craft cocktails or minimalist decor. It's loud, it's lively, and it doesn't pretend to be anything else.
Basement Irish pub on Frederick Street with a genuinely good Guinness, live music, and big-screen sport — the kind of place you stay far longer than planned.
Get there early on match days — the basement fills up fast for GAA and Six Nations, and tables go quickly.
A proper Irish pub in a New Town basement
Kitty O'Shea's doesn't try to be clever, and that's exactly why it works. Tucked away in a basement on Frederick Street, it's a proper Irish pub in the most traditional sense — dark wood, big screens, live music, and a pint of Guinness that genuinely holds its own. Reviewers consistently praise the pour, and the staff are the kind of friendly that makes you want to stay for one more round. If you're looking for a spot to watch a GAA match or Six Nations game, this is where you'll end up anyway, so you might as well go early and grab a table.
The atmosphere is what sells it. It's late and lively, with a crowd that's there to enjoy themselves without any pretension. Live music features regularly, and the pub has that buzzing, slightly chaotic energy that you either love or find a bit much on a packed Saturday night. The basement location gives it a cosy, subterranean feel — you're cut off from the street above, which only adds to the sense that you've found a proper old-school drinking den.
It's not a food destination, and it's not trying to be. Come for the Guinness, the craic, and the sport. It's the kind of place where you pop in for one and leave three hours later wondering what happened. For a no-nonsense Irish pub experience in the New Town, Kitty O'Shea's delivers exactly what it promises.