Review: Red Squirrel, a gastropub on Lothian Road

The Red Squirrel sits directly on Lothian Road, holding down a prime position in Edinburgh’s theatre and cinema corridor. Billing itself on its orange shopfront as an independent gastropub, the venue offers a distinct step up from budget pub chains for people visiting the West End. It provides an immediate refuge for audiences heading to screenings at the Filmhouse and the Cameo, or concerts at the Usher Hall and the Royal Lyceum Theatre.

Inside, the venue balances the feel of a traditional Edinburgh drinking tavern with a casual dining room. Dark wood panelling, mounted stag antlers, and chalked drinks boards give the front bar a warm, bustling character. Toward the back, smaller tables provide space for diners, though the arrival procedure can feel informal. You can stand and wait for a greeting or simply grab an empty table. If you take a seat yourself, menus are not always waiting on the tables, but the staff are quick to step in, hand over food menus, and take your order with good humour.

Campervan pie and pub classics

The kitchen menu stays tightly focused, avoiding the sprawling lists of multi-cuisine pub menus in favour of well-executed Scottish staples and burgers. The dishes are designed for comfort and ease, offering the hearty fuel needed before an evening event.

The Campervan steak pie is the menu’s clear highlight. Cooked with Leith brewery Campervan’s Extra Black porter, the beef arrives tender in a deep, glossy gravy beneath a crisp disk of peppered puff pastry. Flanked by smooth mash and balsamic roasted root vegetables, it delivers rich, dependable comfort food. The kitchen also turns out reliable plates of haggis, neeps and tatties with whisky peppercorn sauce, alongside Leith Juice beer-battered haddock and chips.

Lighter appetites and table sharers can order wee plates like cajun nachos smothered in aged cheddar and guacamole, or haggis bon bons served with neep and honey purée. The burger list covers solid ground, from the house Red Squirrel steak burger with beer-battered onion rings to a wild boar and apple burger topped with Highland blue murder cheese dressing. A dedicated children’s menu covers simple favourites like cheeseburgers and sausages until 10pm. For dessert, the boozy sticky toffee pudding comes heavily laced with spiced rum, providing a rich, warming finish.

Seating flow and pre-theatre speed

The Red Squirrel’s greatest asset is its kitchen turnaround. When curtain call at the Usher Hall is less than an hour away, lingering service becomes a hazard. The kitchen here works efficiently, delivering hot food to the table quickly without cutting corners on presentation.

The bar maintains a thoughtful line-up of Scottish craft draughts and bottled beers, making it just as appealing for a quick pint at the counter as for a full dinner. It doesn’t chase the cutting edge of modern fine dining or niche brewing, but it does its job. It serves honest, unpretentious food at a sensible price, catering to diners who need a reliable meal on a tight schedule.

Lothian Road is the night out engine room of Edinburgh’s West End, packed with historic venues and constant foot traffic. Film buffs can catch independent festivals and arthouse releases at the Cameo or the Filmhouse. Live theatre and orchestral performances dominate the calendar at the Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Usher Hall.

Reaching Lothian Road is straightforward using the city bus network, and Haymarket railway station sits just a short ten-minute walk away. Visitors coming from further afield in Scotland or England can book train connections and schedules through Trainline.

If you plan to explore the Lothians or head out towards the Pentlands, arranging a vehicle via Enterprise makes regional travel simple. West End hotel rooms and city apartments can be reserved on Booking.com. For those already settled in local accommodation who prefer dinner delivered to their door, local takeaway collections and orders are available through Just Eat.

Overall

The Red Squirrel delivers exactly what Lothian Road requires: dependable pub cooking, good Scottish craft beer, and speedy kitchen service right beside Edinburgh’s top entertainment venues. It doesn’t aim to reinvent gastro dining, but for a solid, fuss-free meal before showtime, it does the job.