The Beehive — a new buzz in the Grassmarket and a Sunday Lunch

A £1m revamp has breathed new life into this 400‑year‑old Grassmarket pub, adding a handsome whisky bar and refreshed dining room without sanding off its character. We dropped in for Sunday lunch to see whether the Beehive’s new buzz is worth the trip.

The Grassmarket isn’t an area I wander into often, but perhaps that’s on me. With Mary’s Milk Bar, Cold Town House, Divino Enoteca and the new Skoll and Hati from The Cocktail Geeks just around the corner on Merchant Street, it’s hardly short of reasons to visit. And now the 400‑year‑old Beehive has had a facelift too. Mr Bite and I headed over for Sunday lunch to see what all the new buzz was about.

The venue is spread across several levels, with a tiered beer garden and iconic castle views tucked away at the back. There’s a sprawling pub on the ground floor and a comedy attic–cum–private dining room on the third, but we make for the second floor, newly reimagined as a lush dining and whisky bar. Fresh paint and wallpaper sit comfortably alongside heritage touches, including a wonderfully old‑world door leading to the loos.

We settle into a peaceful corner by the tall narrow sashed windows; the perfect perch to watch the ebb and flow of the Grassmarket below whilst admiring the area's traditional tenement charm.

The menu centres on pub classics and crowd‑pleasers — exactly what you’d expect from a venue that feeds millions each year. It’s a Belhaven pub now under the Greene King umbrella, which explains why the Potted Crab I start with has travelled up from Devon. It’s mostly brown meat, rich and buttery, and does the job. I wash it down with a no‑nonsense pint of soft 0% Estrella.

Across the table, his nibs has the Pea and Mint Soup: clearly homemade, properly seasoned and far tastier than its humble billing suggests.

The main courses, though, are where things really lift. I choose the Sirloin Steak (it is Sunday, after all), served with triple‑cooked chips, vine tomatoes, pea shoots and a pot of Béarnaise. It arrives exactly as ordered — perfectly rare — with chunky, golden chips and a tarragon‑forward sauce that’s bright, tangy and generous. It feels like the ideal Sunday treat.

Mr Bite is equally content with his Steak Pie: mash, gravy and Hispi cabbage on the side, and inside the pie itself big, tender chunks of beef in puff‑pastry. It’s the kind of classic that lands exactly where it should. 

He’s on the Belhaven Black — a chocolate‑and‑coffee‑leaning malted stout that turns out to be an excellent match for dessert. We share the Chocolate Caramel Torte  with clotted‑cream ice cream, a rich little number that lands with all the indulgence you want at the end of a Sunday lunch.

A small note: calories are printed beside every dish. My main clocked in at around 1,000, and frankly it was worth every one. You won’t need dinner.

The Beehive’s £1 million refurbishment has clearly been put to good use. What could easily have been a generic spruce‑up has instead created a multi‑layered space that feels considered and where the building’s character hasn’t been polished out in the process.

With a refreshed menu, an expanded line‑up of Belhaven beers and a team who seem genuinely energised by the relaunch, the Beehive feels ready for its next chapter. It’s still a pub at heart, but now one with enough range to handle everything from a casual pint to a proper Sunday lunch. 

For a venue that’s been part of Edinburgh’s story for centuries, it’s good to see it buzzing again.

Related: Discover more Edinburgh pubs

The Beehive Inn - 18–20 Grassmarket, Edinburgh, EH1 2JU

Opening hours

• Monday–Thursday: 11am–12am

• Friday–Saturday: 11am–1am

• Sunday: 11am–12am