'%20d='M32%203C16.4%203%206%2015.3%206%2031.2c0%2010.9%206.6%2020.1%2014.3%2026.2L32%2077l11.7-19.6C51.4%2051.3%2058%2042.1%2058%2031.2%2058%2015.3%2047.6%203%2032%203Zm0%2014c-8.8%200-14.5%207-14.5%2016.4V55h29V33.4C46.5%2024%2040.8%2017%2032%2017Z'/%3e%3cpath%20fill='%23C99B4A'%20d='m27.5%2055%204.5-24%204.5%2024h-9Z'/%3e%3c/svg%3e)
The pub’s story
The Fiddler’s Arms is a compact, current pub at the castle end of the Grassmarket, a medieval market district whose public-execution history belongs to the area. Not this venue’s proven founding. Its official site describes a sit-down pub built around conversation, Scottish-leaning food and weekend musicians from 21:00. CAMRA adds useful practical detail: it is a one-room bar with big windows, pavement tables and acoustic rather than amplified music because flats sit above. The operator, the Council licensing register and Forever Edinburgh use 9-11 Grassmarket; CAMRA’s separate record uses 11-13, so the address should be treated as a minor source discrepancy rather than “corrected” by guesswork. The pub’s story is modern hospitality in a historic streetscape, not an invented ancient lineage. Visit for whisky and manageable live music, not a historic-interior claim.
What to notice
- 01
Official, Council and Forever Edinburgh sources use 9-11 Grassmarket; CAMRA currently says 11-13. The app follows the operator and licence register, while retaining the discrepancy.
- 02
Weekend music is acoustic and unamplified, normally 21:00-00:00. Good for conversation, but confirm the line-up.
- 03
CAMRA says the handpumps were removed. Official hours are 12:00-00:00 Sunday. Thursday and 11:00-01:00 Friday. Saturday.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Edinburgh World Heritage traces the Grassmarket’s origins to the medieval period, with records as early as the fourteenth century; this is area history, not a date for the pub.
The Grassmarket served as a marketplace and public-execution site; this describes the surrounding district rather than the Fiddler’s Arms.
CAMRA published an exterior record of the Fiddlers Arms at the west end of the Grassmarket.
CAMRA’s venue record was last surveyed on this date, documenting a one-room bar, pavement tables and acoustic weekend music.
CAMRA updated its record to note that handpumps had been removed, so visitors should not assume cask ale is available.
The operator and Council register place the current licensed Fiddler’s Arms at 9-11 Grassmarket with weekend acoustic music and official late hours.
Sources & confidence
The official site supports current address, operating hours, whisky/pubs offer and the weekend acoustic-music format. Forever Edinburgh independently characterises it as a traditional Grassmarket pub with live weekend music. No unsupported building-age claim is made.
Research reviewed
- The Fiddlers ArmsThe Fiddlers Arms / Old Town Pub Co.official
SupportsCurrent operator address, published hours, sit-down-pub focus, food and drink offer, and free acoustic weekend music from 21:00 to midnight.
- Fiddlers Arms, EdinburghCampaign for Real Alespecialist
SupportsOne-room layout, large windows, pavement tables, acoustic-only weekend music because of flats above, removal of handpumps and the source’s conflicting 11-13 address.
- The Fiddlers ArmsForever Edinburgheditorial
SupportsCurrent traditional-pub description, 9-11 Grassmarket listing, whisky and weekend-music profile.
- Licensed Premises RegisterCity of Edinburgh Councilgovernment
SupportsCurrent licensed-premises entry for Fiddlers Arms, Iona Pub Partnership (Scotland) Ltd, 9-11 Grassmarket, EH1 2HY.
- The GrassmarketEdinburgh World Heritageheritage
SupportsIndependent context for the Grassmarket’s medieval origins, market function and execution history.
- Old Town Conservation Area Character AppraisalCity of Edinburgh Councilgovernment
SupportsBroader Old Town context: the Grassmarket and Cowgate suburbs existed by 1540 and were enclosed by the Flodden and Telfer walls in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries.
