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The blue front of Hey Palu on Bread Street in the sun, with its red sign, wooden slatted windows and the words Modern Italian Bar on the glass.
Edinburgh

Hey Palu

An Italian cocktail bar on Bread Street off Lothian Road, opened in 2019, pouring aperitivo, modern classics and its own drinks from a great collection of amaro.

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Welcome

Hey Palu is a small Italian cocktail bar on Bread Street, just off Lothian Road, and one of the best places in Scotland for a drink before dinner.

It was opened in 2019 by Alex Palumbo and Rachel Bailey Palumbo, a husband-and-wife team. Palu is a nickname, short for Palumbo, which means pigeon in Italian, so keep an eye out for the pigeons dotted around the bar. The menu celebrates the Italian aperitivo, with Italy's classic serves, modern classics and drinks of its own, and the back bar holds what it calls the largest collection of amaro outside Italy. There are Italian meats and cheeses and little bar snacks to go with your drink, and non-alcoholic cocktails too. Hey Palu is number 17 on the list of the UK's Top 50 Cocktail Bars. It opens every day from 4pm until 1am, keeps space for walk-ins and takes bookings online for up to four. Well-behaved dogs are welcome.

Round the cornerGreek Artisan PastriesA Greek bakery and cafe on Bread Street off Lothian Road, baking spanakopita, tiropita and bougatsa, with Greek coffee, and a second shop in Portobello.1 min by roadSee itThe navy front of Greek Artisan Pastries on Bread Street, under a striped awning, with yellow cafe tables and chairs outside on the pavement.
Before you go

Open every day from 4pm until 1am.

Some space is kept for walk-ins, and tables for up to four can be booked online, the last at 9.30pm.

Where
49 Bread Street, opposite the DoubleTree hotel, EH3 9AH.
Open
Every day, 4pm to 1am.
Booking
Online for up to four; larger groups by email. Walk-ins welcome while there is room.
Food
Italian bar snacks, meats and cheeses.
Children
Until 8pm, seated at a table; mention them when you book.
Dogs
Well-behaved dogs welcome; mention them when you book.
Phone
07869 710695

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
4pm–midnight
Tuesday
4pm–midnight
Wednesday
4pm–midnight
Thursday
4pm–midnight
Friday
4pm–midnight
Saturday
4pm–midnight
Sunday
4pm–midnight

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Where it is

On Bread Street, just off Lothian Road, EH3 9AH.

Close byTollcross, the West Port and the castle.
  1. TimberyardTimberyardA family-run restaurant in an old warehouse on Lady Lawson Street, cooking from Scotland's larder, with a Michelin star since 2023.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. DragonflyDragonflyEdinburgh's oldest cocktail bar, in an old fire station on the West Port, with a double-height bar under chandeliers and a mezzanine above.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The deep blue shopfront of Edinburgh Books on the West Port, books in both windows.Edinburgh BooksEdinburgh's largest second-hand bookshop, on the West Port above the Grassmarket, with four more rooms of books in the basement.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. The dark front of the Source Coffee Roasters at 4 Spittal Street, with a caffeine molecule drawn on the window and benches along the pavement.The SourceThe coffee bar of the Source Coffee Roasters on Spittal Street near the Grassmarket, pouring single-origin filter, espresso and pour over from beans roasted in Edinburgh.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. KanpaiKanpaiA Japanese restaurant of sushi, sake and tempura on Grindlay Street, behind a sushi bar built of stacked cedar blocks.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Bedrock Coffee, EdinburghBedrock CoffeeA small coffee bar on the West Port, opened in May 2026, pouring coffee from Leith roasters through a vintage lever machine.Under a mile 1 min by road
  7. Edinburgh CastleEdinburgh CastleA royal castle on its rock at the top of the Royal Mile, in its time a palace, garrison and prison, and home of the oldest Crown jewels in Britain.Under a mile 2 min by road
Directions
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