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The pub’s story
Metro Bar & Brasserie is the public restaurant and bar at Apex Grassmarket Hotel, on the south side of the Grassmarket with Edinburgh Castle filling the outlook. It belongs in a view collection for that near-vertical Castle backdrop, not because it is a rooftop: it is a street-level hotel venue with outward-facing tables and an outdoor patio. The wider hotel has a clearly documented modern story. Apex began here in 1996 with its first property, converting a former university building into the hotel; the current Metro brand should not be treated as a centuries-old Grassmarket pub. Apex has continued to refresh the property while retaining the same central proposition. Food, drinks and a short walk from the Royal Mile and Castle. Request a Castle-facing table if the view is the aim. Metro is practical, accessible hotel hospitality rather than an intimate historic bar, and its breakfast, all-day dining and bar service may vary within the published opening window.
What to notice
- 01
Metro is street-level, not a rooftop; the Castle view comes from its Grassmarket-facing setting.
- 02
Ask for a Castle-facing table or patio seat rather than assuming every table has the outlook.
- 03
Apex lists a daily 07:00-20:45 opening window; breakfast, dining and bar service can vary within it.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Apex records that the building which became its first hotel had been a university building; this is property context, not Metro’s history.
Apex opens its first hotel, Apex Grassmarket, in Edinburgh’s Old Town.
Apex marks 25 years of the Grassmarket hotel, identifying it as the group’s original property.
Apex announces a refurbishment programme for the Grassmarket hotel’s bedrooms and corridors.
Apex lists Metro as the hotel’s public food-and-drink venue with Edinburgh Castle as its backdrop and a daily published schedule.
Sources & confidence
Apex’s own history and current venue pages distinguish the 1996 hotel from the present Metro brand. Current visitor details and the Castle-view positioning are checked directly with Apex and corroborated by the booking listing.
Research reviewed
- About Apex HotelsApex Hotelsofficial
SupportsApex’s origin in 1996 with a single hotel in Edinburgh’s historic Grassmarket.
- 25 Years of ServiceApex Hotelsofficial
SupportsFirst-hand Apex account that the original Apex International/now Apex Grassmarket was converted from a university building and dates from 1996.
- Celebrate 25 Years With UsApex Hotelsofficial
SupportsApex’s published chronology naming Apex Grassmarket Hotel as its 1996 first property.
- Apex renovates GrassmarketCommonwealth Unioneditorial
Supports2024 report of the Grassmarket hotel refurbishment programme.
- Apex Grassmarket HotelApex Hotelsofficial
SupportsCurrent hotel location, Metro relationship, public food-and-drink offer and Castle-backdrop positioning.
- Metro Bar & BrasserieApex Hotelsofficial
SupportsCurrent Metro identity, 31-35 Grassmarket address, Castle backdrop, menus and daily published opening period.
- Metro at Apex GrassmarketOpenTableeditorial
SupportsIndependent booking listing corroborating Metro’s Castle view, public bar, patio/outdoor dining and reservations.
