Leith Guide: From Leith Walk to Newhaven

Leith: From Leith Walk To Newhaven

Leith will forever be one of our very favourite Edinburgh neighbourhoods. It’s a neighbourhood of so many layers-historic and modern, industrial and creative, urban and waterfront. Not to mention its indomitable community spirit. We can’t get enough of it. We always think a great way to start to get to know it a little is to walk through it. Start at the top of Leith Walk lined with indie shops and cafés. Make your way into the historic heart of Leith and onto the waterfront at The Shore. From there head down to Newhaven Harbour.

Leith Walk is having a moment. Packed with indie cafés, vintage stores, bookshops and some of the city’s best food spots it’s one of Edinburgh’s most interesting streets right now. Our only gripe is the Deliveroo bikes hurtling down the cycle lanes.

History

Stretching from the city centre to The Shore, the route dates back centuries. Once a footpath connecting Edinburgh with its bustling port, it became known as The Walk as wheeled traffic wasn’t allowed until the late 1700s. You’ll pass restaurants and food shops reflecting communities from all over the world, alongside long-established local businesses and a new generation of brilliant indie spots.

Indie Leith Walk

This is what we absolutely love about Leith Walk, there’s always a new find just waiting to be discovered. We can happily get lost for hours browsing vintage clothes, second-hand books, antiques and records. And these are some of the most unique, soulful and welcoming shops in the city.

Vintage Clothing

You’ll be spoiled for choice if you’re seeking out vintage clothes, accessories and homewares too. Two of our very favourites in the city are Pascal & Co a little gem of a boutique. It was founded by the lovely Edinburgh artist and writer Asta Petkunaite and it’s a place where every piece tells a story. And secondly, 5^th Season Vintage again beautifully curated with the coolest 70’s vibe. This is the place to come if you’re after a unique leather jacket or pair of cowboy boots. For antiques and homewares once you step into Folly Antiques you’ll wonder how you’ve never been there before and wonder whether you could seriously consider buying the entire stock.

Books

If you want to get lost in books head for Topping & Co, in its beautiful, historic building. You’ll find floor to ceiling bookcases, and dreamy rolling ladders. You’ll even be offered a complimentary pot of tea to enjoy at one of their window-side tables. Or if you’re looking for Scotland’s oldest second-hand and antiquarian books McNaughtan’s Bookshop is the one for you. Established in 1957, we love its historic building with  its curved façade and cosy window seat. And finally, head for Argonaut Books a community-focused bookshop to find a well-curated selection of old and new books and knowledgeable staff which also offer events and book clubs.

Creative.

A great creative hub tucked away in Leith is the community arts centre  Out of the Blue Drill Hall. It’s home to a thriving arts community holding regular exhibitions, workshops  as well as some brilliant fleamarkets not to be missed.

Food & Drink

Leith Walk is regularly top of our list for food and drink. There are long-established local favourites alongside incredible new restaurants, wine bars, local pubs and cafés with inventive menus. The list is far too long to mention all, but here’s our shortlisted line-up:

Bites

Mirin is another brilliant neighbourhood dining spot that everyone’s talking about. Here you’ll find inventive Asian Fusion with delicious noodles, dumplings and small plates. Snag a table at Eleanore if you can-you’ll be in for beautiful comforting food in a relaxed family-run neighbourhood restaurant from one of the city’s favourite chefs, Roberta Hall McCarron. When you quickly want to dive in and out of somewhere delicious and reasonable for lunch with no fuss you need to try out The Bami. Amongst our favourite dishes are the delicious BBQ Pork Summer Rolls and Honey Chicken Bahn Mi. It’s a brilliant go-to when you’re nearby and a firm local favourite.

Sips

Again there are too many to mention but a few of our favourites spots here: You’ll find us at the beautiful light and airy space of Spry or in the recently opened Leith Wine Kitchen enjoying the delicious wine and small plates. And one of our all-time favourites is Ante on Haddington Place. Find a sunny spot, watch the world go by and settle in with a seasonal special and one of their beautiful pastries, or hyper seasonal dishes, absolutely delicious. Or head for Lounge 33 the listening lounge built around music and local community where you can enjoy some coffee along with the vinyl.

Bakeries

As well as Ante, Sloe Lane Bakery is a favourite sunny spot. If they have it, go for a chocolate and tahini cookie, alongside an iced latte with brown sugar. It’s a supercute spot. Or head a little further down the road to Krema Bakehouse where we like to take away one of their orange cakes, made to a traditional Greek family recipe!

Deli

And of course, we can’t fail to mention the great Edinburgh institution packed full of gorgeous Italian produce, that is the wonderful  Valvona & Crolla established in 1934.

 

PART TWO: CONSTITUTION STREET TO THE SHORE

On Constitution Street you’ll pass a mix of cafés and pubs, set among Georgian and Victorian buildings as well as creative businesses including Cockburn Collective a lovingly-restored merchant’s house that housed Cockburn’s of Leith, a prominent port and wine merchant from the 1840’s onwards. The building is now home to studios and exhibition spaces so look out for their events. Leith has long featured in both film and literature and Constitution Street has played its part. The iconic Port O’Leith pub was reportedly where Irvine Welsh spent countless nights writing Trainspotting. In Sunshine on Leith, when Davy and Ally sing ‘I’m on my way’ they go past it. They also pass Nobles Bar, and who should make a wee cameo, coming out of the bar? None other than Charlie and Craig Reid, aka The Proclaimers. Heads up, this is a good spot for live music too.

Old Leith Meets New

Leith was once Scotland’s biggest port. For centuries wine, spices, timber, tobacco, it all flowed through here. That outward-looking, industrious past still shapes the area today, with warehouses, bond stores and customs buildings now home to artists, makers and indie businesses. With its edge, confidence and sense of community, it’s now become a foodie destination with a vibrant, creative vibe and a distinct character you can feel the moment you arrive. All of this is perfectly embodied by the exciting opening of the stunning Brown’s of Leith at The Shore.

Food & Drink Leith

Coffee, Breakfast & Lunch

Start your morning in Custom Lane with a coffee overlooking the water from Williams & Johnson Coffee Co. one of the best sunny starts to the day you can have in Edinburgh. Or head inside Brown’s for a coffee at the very cool Haze. Ardfern is another real treat, serving an exceptionally delicious, top-end Full Scottish breakfast.

Edinburgh institution, Fishers is hard to beat at lunch time. Settle in with a big bowl of mussels and chips, or a seafood platter and a glass of chilled wine, either at one of the outside tables on The Shore or inside in the lively bar area, which feels reassuringly old-school. One of our top things to do in Leith? Head to Brown’s and grab a takeaway from Civerinos or ShrimpWreck. Pick up a drink from The Shore Bar, find a sunny spot to sit on the harbour wall and watch the world go by. Perfection! You’ll be spoiled for choice when it comes to dining in this neighbourhood, but Dogstar and Barry Fish continue to be two of the most talked-about tables in the city. Weeks later, and we still can’t stop thinking about the meals we had there.

Drinks & Pubs

Of course we’ve also got you sorted for drinks. For a waterside setting, grab a table at lively Teuchters Landing. Once the waiting room for the historic Leith to Aberdeen steamboat ferry, it’s now one of the area’s most popular pubs, with a spacious beer garden and floating pontoon. And then there are the three coolest pubs in Leith right now: The Finch in Bath Road is a friendly neighbourhood bar, with the coolest food pop-ups and a beer garden. Nauticus in Duke Street is firmly rooted in Leith, with a story behind every drink. And finally The Keelson right on The Shore: offering cold beer and delicious rotisserie chicken, alongside cocktails, bar snacks and a prime people-watching spot on The Shore, it’s a 10/10.

More Traditional Pubs Around The Shore

For a more traditional and cosy Leith pub, try The Shore Bar or Malt & Hops both much-loved pubs on The Shore where you’ll often find live music too. Or try another local favourite The King’s Wark which dates back to the 1400’s or the eclectic Roseleaf is another neighbourhood favourite.

 

The Creative Shore

Leith’s creative scene has grown from its industrial and maritime heritage, with former warehouses and industrial buildings transformed into vibrant studios and creative spaces for artists, designers, photographers, illustrators, ceramicists, musicians and makers.

One of Leith’s most distinctive Georgian landmarks, Custom House offers a window into the area’s past. Originally built as a customs house for ships arriving in Leith, it’s now part of the neighbourhood’s thriving creative community. Custom Lane is a collaborative centre for design and making on Customs Wharf focusing on nurturing community and supporting the makers within its buildings. Look out for exhibitions and open studios where you’ll have the opportunity to meet the artists and makers who live and work locally. Places such as Coburg House a former granary turned home to over 70 artists, designers and makers showcases the breadth of Leith’s creative talent. It also offers courses and workshops as well as a gallery and shop that are open every weekend.

Things to Do

Markets

One of our favourite weekend rituals is a visit to Leith Market in Dock Place on a Saturday morning, where you’ll find some of the freshest local produce, artisan food and independent makers in the city. and we highly recommend stopping by Planet G Food.

Tours

Explore the Port of Leith Distillery and visit its rooftop bar; (the same team have also newly opened a whisky bar Whisky Quay in St Giles Street). Book in for the hands-on Woven Whisky Blending Tour, right on The Shore, where you can enter the usually hidden world of whisky and blend and take home your own whisky guided by Woven’s co-founder and whisky maker Pete Allison -we can confirm it’s so much fun. Or book in for a tour at Lind and Lime Gin in Coburg Street.

The Royal Yacht Britannia is well worth a visit. The ship was decommissioned in 1997 and is now permanently moored in Leith’s Ocean Terminal. It belonged to Her Majesty The Queen for 44 years and offers a fascinating glimpse into the royal past.

PART THREE: NEWHAVEN

From The Shore, you’re heading towards Newhaven. Newhaven has a distinct identity of its own. Its harbour, fishing history, historic buildings and evocative street names, such as Whale Brae and Fishmarket Square, offer a glimpse into a very different side of Edinburgh. Newhaven, meaning small harbour, is home to a harbour that still services a number of fishing boats today.

A Maritime Neighbourhood

Although now part of Edinburgh, it was once an independent village where generations of local people made their living from fishing and shipbuilding. A fishing hamlet existed here long before King James IV recognised the deep bay as an ideal location for his new Royal Dockyard. where Great Michael, one of the largest ships in the known world at the time was built. Between 1572 and 1890, Newhaven became a major oyster port and its lighthouse was built in 1869, adding another distinctive landmark to the waterfront. At its height, the harbour was home to around a hundred fishing boats, which landed their catches directly to supply the bustling fish market. The once-thriving market now operates on a much smaller scale, alongside a restaurant and museum. Today, Newhaven may be part of Edinburgh, but it retains a character and heritage that is distinctly its own.

Food, Drink & The Harbour

And then, finally, there’s the food. If you’ve made it all the way from Leith Walk to Newhaven, you’ve earned yourself a really great fish and chips. The Fishmarket is our go-to. There’s always something nostalgic about sitting by the harbour with a proper chippy. Go classic with haddock and chips, or try the salt and chilli cod bites, mussels marinière, battered squid or monkfish. Alternatively, head for Norah. It’s easy to see why this little spot has become one of our  favourites with its sunny yellow storefront, harbour location and the most wholesome vibes.

WHERE TO STAY

And if you’d like to stay in Leith to make the very most of all that’s on offer in this very special part of town, we have a strong contender for the perfect Edinburgh city-break base. Wake up to views along The Shore towards Calton Hill, then spend the day exploring the neighbourhood on foot.

Shore View, The Shore, Leith | Sleeps 4

 We hope you’ve enjoyed reading our Leith: From Leith Walk to Newhaven Blog as much as we’ve enjoyed putting it together. And we hope you’ve been inspired to take a trip to this brilliant neighbourhood.  We’d love to know what we’ve missed, so please leave us your favourite spots in the comments! And if you’re planning a visit to Edinburgh, make sure to explore our other guides over on our Blog.