Upmarket Edinburgh wine bar to open plush new breakfast and brunch café in historic building.
Spry Wines, based at Leith Walk, have been open since 2019 and now they want to occupy the vacant premises under their shop.
They originally opened as a wine shop and bar and managed to remain open despite the pandemic so now they want to take the next step and expand the premises, whilst recruiting more staff from the local area.
The owners at Spry Wines, local couple Matt and Marzena, have been now given the go ahead to create the new café at the A-listed building on Haddington Place.
The audio retailer Hi-fi business last occupied the empty unit on the bottom floor of the building but it has been empty since 2019 but Spry Wines state on the planning application that the vacant is becoming something of an eyesore.
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They were granted permission by Edinburgh council today (December 1) to create the café on the lower floor, and expand into the morning coffee and brunch market.
There premises upstairs will continue to serve food but the main kitchen on the bottom floor, featuring a unique bread oven, will serve both units via an internal lift.
A representative for Spry Wines explained on the planning application that they are confident the local community in Leith Walk will welcome the new café.
They said: “This change of use will bring life back into an empty and dilapidated shop unit which no one else is interested in taking on, and will help improve the image of Leith Walk which is one of Edinburgh’s key retail streets and seen by thousands of locals and tourists every day.
“There is also a distinct lack of independent coffee and brunch cafes nearby, and the introduction of this new space will be well received by the local community.”
Spry Wine say that the installation of a new curved shop window at the entrance will enhance Leith Walk and the World Heritage Site by reintroducing a historical design feature.
Part of this window will also be an opening sash-and-case, allowing them to continue trading through a hatch in any future pandemic periods where access to premises is restricted for customers again.
The proposed opening hours (subject to conditions) will be: Monday to Sunday from 8am to 4pm for the café.
Upstairs in the wine bar it will be open from Tuesday to Saturday at 1pm to 10pm.
