A couple of Saturdays back we were off to see our first fringe show, the brilliant Jimeoin (I thought his what seemed to be mostly unscripted / chaotic stand up routine was hilarious and would definitely recommend you go see him) . With some time to kill before the show we decided to stop off at The Safari Lounge for a beer and a quick bite to eat. The only reason I even knew of The Safari Lounge was thanks to some free beer tokens I had received a couple of weeks previous from Heverlee, which specified it as one of the bars participating in the offer. The Safari Lounge is situated in Abbeyhill, just a couple of minutes walk from the top of Easter Road so didn’t take us long to walk. As soon as we set foot inside I knew this was going to be our kind of place, the décor was quirky but not over the top, the food smelled fantastic and the bar had an interesting selection of beer taps. We were greeted from behind the bar by very friendly staff who took our free beer tokens and poured us a couple of pints of Heverlee (a lovely smooth Belgian beer, easy to drink and I will be back for more!). 

Here’s Miss Edinburger enjoying said pint of Heverlee:

We took our beers and headed through the back where there is a seating area for dining although eating is not a requirement and the whole place has a very relaxed, easy going atmosphere. There was more drinking to be done and a show to see so we didn’t want to be stuffed full of food so opted to share some light bites. We went for the Mussel Popcorn, Shanghai Pork Ribs, Pulled Pork Momofuku (still not sure I know exactly what this is but it was basically pulled pork on what was like a very soft pita bread type bun, whatever it is it’s delicious!) and some French fries.

The Mussel Popcorn was incredible, like a mussel pakora type affair. The portion size was also very generous. The pork ribs were also really tasty with lots of meat on them, fortunately for me they were a little on the spicy side for Miss Edinburger so I had to polish off hers also. The pulled pork buns with (if I remember rightly) beetroot slaw were fantastic. They come in portions of two so ideal for sharing as a quick bite. After we had finished our food one of the bar staff came over and sat down for a little chat to tell us a bit about the place and we also found out that they do various classes including Yoga and African drum classes!

The Safari Lounge is a great little bar, ideal for some very tasty, top value food or even just for a few drinks. We’re glad to have discovered it and will certainly be back for more.

Website: thesafarilounge.co.uk
Twitter: @thesafarilounge

Address: 21 Cadzow Place, Abbeyhill, Edinburgh | 0131 661 4741 | hello@thesafarilounge.co.uk

Also our image was just a quick snap and doesn’t do things justice but you can find some great images of the food available on The Safari Lounge Facebook

P.S – Follow @Heverlee on twitter for a chance to get your hands on your own free beer tokens!