34 Grassmarket
Edinburgh
EH1 2JU
0131 226 2806
The White Hart is said to be the oldest pub in Edinburgh with records of it traced back to 1516, though the current building (photo 1) is more recent, dating only from 1740! Poet Robert Burns stayed here on his last visit to Edinburgh in 1791 and Dorothy and Mary Wordsworth were guests in 1803. Grassmarket was the main starting and finishing point for coaches and the White Hart served as a coaching inn for a period.
The attractive green and white frontage and painted, carved inn sign (photo 2) had the same appearance for many years but the pub has recently been ‘gastro-ed’ with an anonymous charcoal finish.
It’s surprisingly small inside with a traditional layout, and serves food all day. There are two real ales, a house bitter from Greene King and a changing beer from Belhaven.
My sister and I visited the White Hart inn in Grassmarket on 31st August 2023. We really enjoyed our meal and the night. Fantastic atmosphere.
I took many random photos inside, and today I was enlarging them and noticed a strange figure in the corner. What attracted my attention was all the folk eating/drinking in the pub that night were in colour, yet this man in the corner was all grey, no colour whatsoever and a strange face too. I thought how odd. Happy to share photo with you.
Sounds spooky! Yes please share the photo. Maybe email it to dermot@pubgallery.co.uk? Thanks.
Would love to see that phoyo