The Abbotsford was originally built for Jenners across the road and is an early 1900 listed building. It replaced the earlier Abbotsford Arms which was demolished to make way for Jenners. It's name is taken from Sir Walter Scott's baronial mansion.It has an impressive Spanish-mahogany island bar, a restaurant upstairs with a nice menu including Cullen Skink. It has a wonderful interior with a Jacobean ceiling and is architecturally beautiful with a real Edinburgh feel.
The Abbotsford has attracted the great and the good of Scottish cultural life over the years, including actors, politicians, and poets such as Sorley Maclean, Iain Crichton Smith, Norman MacCaig, Hugh MacDiarmid, George Mackay Brown, Sydney Goodsir Smith, Edwin Morgan, and Robert Garioch were all regulars.
Good selection of whiskies, real ale including Abbotsford Ale (4.1%) and even a real fire for cauld dreek winter nights. Lovely stuff.
