The best haunts for Halloween in Edinburgh

The Cauldron’s 2023 event will include: one glass of Prosecco upon arrival, one Ectoplasm Shot of Death, one drink poured by magic wand, two Brew-your-own Drinks, magic wand and robe rental. It will last for one hour and 45 minutes and is an interactive experience for those of all ages. Tickets are priced from £37.99 for adults, £33 for students and £25.99 for kids aged five and over. Or you can reserve a table for DIY-free drinks, sampling the seasonal menu of theatrical molecular cocktails, or a Bubbling Shot of Death, at the Potions Bar. Those with a sweet tooth or kids in tow will love the Halloween Afternoon Tea experience, where gastronomy meets technology.

We’ve heard tell that this 17th century tavern has a resident ghost! It wouldn’t be surprising, given it’s the very haunted city’s oldest gastropub and is embedded in the Old Town’s warren of spooky cobbled streets, mediaeval arches and lantern-lit closes. The Doric is also opposite the Edinburgh Dungeon, so it’s a great place for a meal (served in the upstairs bistro) after a Halloween trip around the city’s popular and mildly terrifying immersive attraction. Its olde worlde decor is just the ticket for creating some atmosphere and providing a theatrical backdrop for some spirit spotting (even if it is mostly gin and whisky you spy, instead of a white lady roaming the rooms). The authentic and traditional Scottish decor consists of dark wood panelling and tartan upholstery, creating a cosy and welcoming ambiance.

Follow the display of hundreds of locally-farmed pumpkins, from the Royal Mile down a small alleyway, and you’ll reach the entrance of the most aptly named restaurant in town. The Witchery is nestled in the heart of the haunted Old Town, a glamorous and gothic institution serving fine Scottish fare. At this time of year the team, led by founder James Thompson, really go to town on the decorative embellishments. It’s a classy take on Halloween, with a meal in the 16th-century dining room or Secret Garden. Expect a dramatic ambience created with ornate wood panelling, lavish lit candelabra and elaborate flower arrangements. If your budget doesn’t stretch to a full-scale a la carte dinner, book for the sumptuous afternoon tea (with an optional glass of Billecart-Salmon Champagne) instead. And don’t worry about the pumpkin waste — all the decorative veggies are donated to food charities after the event.

Join the Cask Halloween Party beside Waverley Bridge. You can be sociable by drinking in the bar with the rest of the punters, or, from October, book one of the glass domes on the venue’s roof, where you and your mates can celebrate All Hallow’s Eve in exclusive privacy, watching the sights of the city go by from your own little pod of peace. Cask Smugglers is also dog-friendly. So much so that it held a Howl-o’ween bash for pups and their owners, back in 2019, shortly after opening. Bring your canine companions for company as you indulge in some seasonal drinks, like the Hades cocktail  — a liquid journey into the underworld.

Halloween weekend is a great excuse to explore some new venues that have recently popped up in your neck of the woods. This one is found in Leith (incidentally a great place for a pub crawl on 31st October) and is named after a Greek myth; the satyr is a male nature spirit associated with debauchery, whose ears and tail resemble those of a horse. It doesn’t get much scarier than that, so book a table, order a cheese board and experience some spirits of the liquid variety (as well as some of the more ethereal kinds). Try an appropriately named aperitif such as The Dark Mark, swirled together using Blackberry Makers Mark, Ramazotti, Fernet Branca and some deadly Angostura Bitters.

We all know how much our friends across the pond go crazy for Halloween, so an American-themed chain restaurant is a great place to soak in the buzz, not least if you have kids you want to take somewhere that won’t be too wild. There will be special alcoholic beverages for the grown-ups to enjoy, such as the Black Forest Martini (Dead Man’s Finger Cherry with coffee liqueur and espresso), Pumpkin Colada (pumpkin infused syrup, coconut cream, passion fruit and citrus juices) and a mocktail option — the Pumpkin Spiced Shake (vanilla ice cream, orange sorbet and pumpkin spiced syrup). Plus there will be all of Fridays’ amazing freakshakes and a pumping schlocky horror soundtrack to get you in the mood for some guising.

If you want your celebration to be a little more exotic, go for the Day of the Dead vibe with street food and tequila at Topolobamba. Dia de los Muertos is celebrated throughout Mexico and by people of Mexican heritage in other parts of the world, from 31st October to 2nd November, conveniently coinciding with All Hallow’s Eve. Book a meal here with the family to get into the spirit of the occasion, in a colourful celebration of life and death. Keep an eye on the small chain’s social media pages for themed giveaways and the like, created to mark the event.

Set halfway up an eerie narrow alleyway off the Royal Mile, this pub is often passed by ghost tours exploring the shadowy pockets of the city’s gothic UNESCO-listed Old Town. Once a Victorian Pump House, it’s named after the devil’s advocate in the Catholic Church, whose job was to argue against the canonisation of a candidate for sainthood (and its atmospheric location on Advocate’s Close). If you’re feeling brave (both in terms of the weather and the ghoulish passers-by), you can sit outside. It’s especially atmospheric on a misty evening with the flickering lantern light. Keep warm and courageous with a few drams from the bar’s 200 strong whisky collection and tuck into an internationally inspired menu.