The Devil's Advocate

The Devil’s Advocate is one of Edinburgh’s newest and most vibrant bars. Located in the remodelled and refurbished ground floor of the former Evening News boiler house building, known as the Tower Building on Advocate’s Close, the interior design has taken inspiration from the rich history of the area, particularly from the period around the Scottish Enlightenment.  The space was originally a single volume.  This has been exploited to form a new mezzanine level below which there is a snug boothed seating area. The lower level also contains WC’s, the bar’s kitchen and service area.  The upper level is predominantly used as a dining space and opens out on to an external terrace.

Natural materials have been combined with fittings that echo the pre-industrial era to evoke a warm and welcoming atmosphere. All of the timber used in the panelling, seating, bar and furniture has been taken from reclaimed structural beams removed as part of the redevelopment works to the wider area. Some of those timber beams date back to the 17th century.  The natural stone walls have been left exposed, together with other structural elements to inform a sense of history within the space. These marry together with new exposed brick walls, the reclaimed timber and the new zinc bar surface.