Edinburgh with teenagers

[PeaStalks]

We are having a short break in Edinburgh at half term. DS2 is 16 and while I think we can find plenty to see during the day I am not sure about evenings.
Any suggestions please for evening entertainment?

Check the local listings for shows etc. tonnes of venues in Edinburgh.

A ghost tour is always a good laugh too. I liked mercat tours. They meet outside St Giles

I second the Mercat tours, you can pay a couple of £s extra and end up in a pub with a drink and the guide telling spooky stories!
There's a good Hard Rock Cafe on the road running parallel to Princes St,

Thanks. I find city breaks involve enough walking during the day I will be worn out even if DS is not. The Hard Rock Cafe sounds like just the sort of thing I want. Not a nightclub but somewhere to have a drink with a bit of atmosphere and where you can take an under 18. We live in a tiny village so anywhere to go of an evening is a novelty

My friend reckons that Hard Rock is really good - her young teens loved the 'mocktails', and the atmosphere was great - made an evening of it!

The favourite places to eat amongst my DC of that age are Nandos, Wagamama, Cosmo (huge buffet range of Asian, Mexican, Italian, for fixed price and a chocolate fountain too included !). www.cosmo-restaurants.co.uk/Edinburgh-restaurant.php Also great stone fired award winning pizza restaurant La Favorita www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Restaurant_Review-g186525-d951521-Reviews-La_Favorita_Restaurant_Leith_Walk-Edinburgh_Scotland.html

Evening entertainment - we have loads of cinema, bowling, theatre and music options to suit all tastes. For live music venues you will need to check the age criteria as many will be over 18 but there may be concerts on in the Usher Hall or the Queens Hall for your dates that are open to all. Www.list.co.uk is your go to site for listings of all types of events.

The ghost tours are truely brilliant, really excellent evening of entertainment.

For bars/restaurant there's Frankenstein's on George VI Bridge. Hardrock cafe on George st or TGI Fridays. For a very special meal the Witchery on the Royal Mile is recommended or 'Kitchin'. Also your usual nandos etc in the Omni centre which also has a Vue cinema. You could catch some comedy or see what us showing at the Playhouse/Kings/Festival theaters. There's ten pin bowling and Cineworld at fountain bridge.

Thr Dominion is a really cool cinema with comfy couches and armchairs. Or the Cameo is another independent cinema.

I love Edinburgh .

Khublai Khan.
It's a Mongolian restaurant, it's like a BBQ. Everything cooked in front of you and it's a complete experience.
www.khublaikhan.co.uk

Thanks for all these. I think we need more than two nights to try all these lovely restaurants. I suspect DS would choose TGIs and an Italian.
3nations The list link is great. Do you think I would have a problem bringing a nearly 17 year old to a foody pub with music?
Cinema is one of the few things DC can do at home so probably wouldn't bother with that. What we don't have within reach are restaurants and live music. We are staying quite near the Dominion cinema so some places might be a long walk?
Is the Scottish parliament worth a look?

The issue with under 18s in pubs in Scotland is that they have to have a special license and most of the pubs don't bother due to the additional cost and facilities required under the rules. Some will allow under 18s up to 9pm if they are eating but the law requires them to be out by that time if they don't have the appropriate license. Pubs with music are less likely to be pubs with food really as most are one or the other due to space restrictions.
You could try contacting somwhere like www.whistlebinkies.com/ directly and asking about their policy.

Yes Whistlebinkies was somewhere I had in mind. I do find with older teens in the UK it can be a pain. It's not as though I would be buying them alcohol or having a pushchair in the bar and he likes this kind of thing. There was a pub with folk music listed on your link, might try them as well. Otherwise DS and DH would love the Pink Floyd tribute act at the Usher.

Have a quick look around the university area if you have time - save you coming back next year!
Edinburgh Uni Tour

We are already booked on a mini tour, that is the main reason for going . DS is in Y12 so this summer will have a lot of open days to do and I thought we could tick one off early.

My teen would tell you to head to Rose Street to Shakeaway. She's obsessed with the place.

Wind chill is a bit of a shocker sometimes in Edinburgh so bring woolly hats. Also ride the buses when you can because you see so much more.

Have a great trip!

A woolly hat! That would ruin his hair.

The best tip was for the woolly hat.
Trip well worth it for the uni tour. DS's verdict was he liked the uni but not the climate

Ha! If he didn't like Edinburgh weather he'll not like Aberdeen (colder) or Glasgow (wetter) either.

Glad the uni tour went well. It's a great city. I was there for a short time as a student and loved it. Where are you off to next in your zig zag tour of the UK?