Euro Lodge Hostel and Cheap Eats in the West End – Edinburgh, Scotland
It is not really a hostel, it is a 3-storey house. Our room was located on the first floor, which suited me just fine, the less stairs I have to do with my 20kg pack the better. Our room had 1 single bed, and then a set of bunk beds – the bottom bed was a double and the top a single. Kind of weird but the beds were comfy and inviting.
As we had the only room on the bottom floor of the house, we pretty much had our own bathroom out in the hallway, a mere 2 meters from our room. The garaged beside our room had a washing machine and powder which we could use free of charge. Bonus.
The kitchen was the next floor up with everything you could want to cook a decent meal. Including an oven, which I have found rather non-existent in most hostels. The kitchen also had a small dining room and TV. Apparently we were a week too early for TVs in the room, so I presume if you stay there now you will also have a telly in your room.
It was an awesome place to stay for 5-nights in Edinburgh however the only downside was that the wooden floors meant it could get noisy at nights if people were roaming around a lot. Unfortunately we had some pretty noisy Aussie’s above us one night that even managed to knock down the smoke alarm in our room due to their stomping around and what sounded like the crocodile hunter impressions of jumping on crocs. It is also annoying that there are no room numbers as we regularly had noisy people coming in or trying to get into our room on various occasions.
I must admit since this was near the end of our trip we were getting pretty lazy in the respect of cooking for ourselves to save money so we did eat out a bit. Here is what we found the best deals in the area;
1. Indigo Yard
This caught our eye as they have a 2 for 1 lunch deal. Two main courses for £10. It is a gorgeous little restaurant and the food is tasty with great presentation. When we went I opted for the club sandwich which was okay and my man went for the 80z ground steak burger with smoked bacon, isle of Mull cheddar and hand cut chips. One of the best burgers he has had in awhile apparently. On Friday’s they also have drink deals so you can get a decent 250ml glass of wine for £3.20 and 500ml bottles of beer set you back about £2.50. It was great to break up the meals of pot-noodles with a fairly ‘flash’ lunch out.
7 Charlotte Lane West End
Edinburgh EH2 4QZ, 0131 220 5603
2. The Grosvenor
The Grosvenor hails from a chain of pubs like the Wetherspoon chain. However from my point of view the standard of food & the deals aren’t as good. I opted for the ‘Brunch’ here; egg, bacon, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomato and chips. Not bad. The burger menu looks delish however the meals start at around £7. They have grill/burger/curry nights where you can get a meal for around £7 including a drink.
26-28 Shandwick Place
Edinburgh
Midlothian
EH2 4RT
3. AuBar
Literally a 2-minute walk from the hostel. No great deals here, meals are on average £7. Unfortunately I thought I would try something new and it was good however not to my taste buds: sea bass on a bed of red lentils. Therefore that is bad ordering on my part. My partner had a great serving of chicken curry, chips and naan. Also the baked brie on the starter menu is to die for!! Draught beer is about £3.45 per pint and 175ml glasses of wine start at £3.30. Loved the art nouveau decorating approach and I must admit the servers are extremely attentive here.
101 Shandwick Place
Edinburgh
EH2 4SD, 0131 228 2648
4. Wannaburger
We were recommended this burgery however it is not the tasitest burger I have ever had. The shakes are fantastic, especially the chocolate and peanut butter flavour. I had a double bacon cheeseburger, they are freshly made and definitely a step up from McDonalds. However after finishing I felt robbed of my £5’s. Perhaps it was just an off day, as like I said the locals highly recommend it.
8 Queensferry Street West End, Edinburgh EH2 4PA, 0131 220 0036
As I said earlier, the kitchen at Euro Lodge is pretty equipped so if you are in for a home-cooked meal the Co-op on Shandwick Place will be your number one stop. It is a great little supermarket with some great deals. We picked up a pizza for a mere £2 – we added some extra meat and that’s a meal for 2. Super cost-friendly.
49 Shandwick Place, Edinburgh EH2 4SD, 0131 221 5280