The Devil's Advocate
The head of bars at Gleneagles picks this Old Town close for its drinks list, and the kitchen at the same address holds a failing hygiene rating.
Why go
Michele Mariotti, who runs the bars at Gleneagles, picks it for its position and its list. Advocate's Close drops off the High Street in a steep flight of steps, so the bar is thirty seconds from the busiest street in the city. No named critic has reviewed the food.
The premises holds a current failing hygiene rating, set out below. Drink here and eat somewhere else until that changes.
Order this / avoid
- Order: a dram, or a cocktail standing at the bar. Mariotti rates the range:
a fantastic drinks' selection and a fun atmosphere.
1 - Avoid: the close itself if stairs are difficult. It is a steep Old Town wynd, not a street.
What locals & experts say
- Michele Mariotti, head of bars at Gleneagles (The Scotsman, 2025):
The Devil's Advocate is a great spot right in the heart of the action. A stone's throw from the Royal Mile, with a fantastic drinks' selection and a fun atmosphere.
1 - City of Edinburgh Council rated the premises Improvement Required under the Food Hygiene Information Scheme on 18 March 2026, with no re-rating pending as at 3 August 2026.2
Good to know
- Hygiene: Food Hygiene Information Scheme rating Improvement Required, the failing result in the Scottish scheme, from a City of Edinburgh inspection on 18 March 2026. The inspection is recent, and it is the published rating. Know it before you eat here.
- Timing: it runs late, and later still in August. Check the venue site for exact hours.
- Booking: worth arranging for a table in August; the bar takes walk-ins.
- Getting there: Advocate's Close, off the High Street between the Royal Mile venues and Cockburn Street.
Verdict
could-visit — It sits down Advocate's Close a few steps off the Royal Mile, which during the Fringe makes it one of the most usefully placed bars in the city, and Michele Mariotti of Gleneagles recommends it for exactly that: 'right in the heart of the action', with 'a fantastic drinks' selection and a fun atmosphere'. Against that, City of Edinburgh rated the premises Improvement Required under the Food Hygiene Information Scheme in March 2026, which is current and has to travel with the recommendation. Go for a drink with the finding known. That combination is why it lands at could-visit rather than higher, and the position is why it is not lower.