Edinburgh sports bar Belushi's is moving across the road from its present home as part of a £2.3 million investment.
The pub on Market Street is get a new look in a larger premises beside owners Beds and Bars' extension to its St Christopher's Inn. Belushi's will vacate its well-known location under the existing hostel.
Belushi’s is a popular venue for young sports fans to watch football, American and Australian football on multiple screens.
Bar manager Olivia Callaghan, said: “We’d have to say this is a dream move for us. It’s a transfer that takes us into a different league. We’ll have more space, more screens and more choice both at the bar and on our food menu – and we’ll be able to offer live music and become even more of a party venue. It’s an incredibly exciting move for us and we’re really looking forward to welcoming many new customers.”
Beds and Bars has bought the former fruit market and Edinburgh Tattoo office and is spending £2.3 million on the bar, an extension for the 180-bed hostel for young backpackers and on the original hostel with a revamped reception, chillout and breakfasting area. The new property is to have 139 hostel beds, spread across 18 rooms.
The company, which operates backpacker bars and hostels in nine European cities across seven countries, has operated in the capital since 2001.
As part of the sensitive refurbishment of the two-storey building, 10 historic “phoenix columns” will be incorporated into the design. The unusual, iron, hexagonal columns were patented by Samuel Reeves of the Phoenix Iron Company in Pennsylvania in 1862 and are renowned for their immense load bearing weight.
The stone and steelwork has also been restored and will be left exposed. Original doors and windows will be restored, while ironmongery will be sourced to carefully match what would have been there originally.
The new Belushi's will be designed to accommodate live music. Callaghan added: “It’s been really important for us to provide a new space to accommodate up and coming music talent. With limited venues on the circuit nowadays, this was something we wanted to get right and have invested a lot into.”
