Location(s)

In spite of its proximity to Princes Street and Waverley Station, Cafe Royal is not a pub you stumble upon easily. That's both a pity, but it's also part of the appeal.

Cafe Royal is a good-looking, traditional bar both inside and out, which has managed to maintain its unique period character and yet remained refreshingly low-key at the same time.

You get to the bar from Princes Street via the alleyway or narrow, crooked path, or take the cobbled lane from St. Andrew Square. The building and entrance is on the street corner, at the alleyway's end.

Inside is an airy and well lit room with a wooden circle bar at its centre, and booths with comfortable leather seating under the tall windowed side of the bar. Tiled floor, a large Victorian wooden fireplace and ornate mirror, and gas lamp style lights of that era, help conjure up a sense of stepping back in time. Also, on the far wall are the Doulton murals - John Ayre's workmanlike tile portraits of six famous historical figures - which date back to late nineteenth century.

Beer drinkers have been known to complain about the limited choice of ales on tap, but in the absence of background music and television noise, it makes a great place for a quiet afternoon pint and a read of the newspaper, or get-together over wine and oysters with friends. Its central location does mean that it can get busier as the offices turn out at the end of the work day.

Upstairs at the Voodoo Rooms (the former Cafe Royal Bistro), you can find a good selection of food from brunch to supper.