Cold Town House
Scott Campbell cooks at Badger & Co for a living, and this is the Grassmarket room he brings his own kids to.
Why go
The Grassmarket fills before anywhere else in the Old Town, and almost nothing on it will seat six people who turn up without a plan. This will, across several floors. Campbell's brief for it is family time, a range of pizzas and finger food, and enough room that children can be children. He is straightforward that he drinks in this operator's houses by preference, which is a fair thing to weigh.
Order this / avoid
- Order: salt and pepper wings and the Grange pizza. Those are Campbell's family's own picks, in his words.1
- Avoid: coming here for a quiet drink. It is a large multi-floor room on the busiest square in Edinburgh.
What locals & experts say
- Scott Campbell, head chef at Badger & Co (The Scotsman, 2025):
Cold Town House is more for family time, with a great range of pizzas and finger food. It allows my kids to really go wild. Our family favourites are salt and pepper wings and the Grange pizza.
1 - Campbell's own disclosure, same piece:
I tend to drink bars owned by Signature, including The Queen's Arms and Cold Town House.
He is naming a house he already favors, which is worth knowing about the weight of the recommendation.1 - City of Edinburgh Council rated the premises Pass under the Food Hygiene Information Scheme on 7 April 2026.2
Good to know
- Timing: all day and late. Check the venue site for exact hours.
- Booking: recommended for a group, though the size of the room is the reason it can usually take you.
- Getting there: on the Grassmarket, minutes from the Old Town venues and a short climb from the Bristo Square cluster.
- Hygiene: Food Hygiene Information Scheme Pass, inspected 7 April 2026.
Verdict
could-visit — A big Grassmarket house under the Castle, and the reason it earns a place in a Festival guide is a use case rather than a kitchen: Scott Campbell, head chef at Badger & Co, says it is where he takes his family in August, that it 'allows my kids to really go wild', and names salt and pepper wings and the Grange pizza as what they order. Room to seat a group at short notice in the middle of the Old Town is genuinely scarce that month. He also says he drinks in this operator's pubs by preference, which is worth knowing about the vote. The food is good pub food and nobody has claimed otherwise.