Edinburgh Playhouse opens Little Picardy bar and café as iconic venue celebrates 95th birthday

Little Picardy will serve up artisan coffee and pastries in the morning followed by expertly crafted cocktails, local and international beers and wines, and bar snacks in the latter half of the day. A full food offering will launch in autumn of this year. 

Opening its doors for a soft launch last week, the new venue celebrated its official launch on Monday, August 12 which coincided with the Playhouse’s 95th birthday.

Edinburgh Playhouse's new bar and cafe, Little Picardy, officially opened on August 12 - coinciding with the theatre's 95th birthday | Rob MacDougall

Gordon Millar, theatre director at the Edinburgh Playhouse said: “Our 95th birthday felt like the perfect moment to launch Little Picardy. As a venue that’s welcomed tens of millions of audiences and endless memorable shows, Edinburgh Playhouse has had lots to celebrate over years, but Little Picardy is extra special.

“It is a completely new and exciting venture for us that we are delighted to finally welcome our community into. We hope that the opening of Little Picardy marks the beginning of another 95 years of unforgettable experiences for Edinburgh locals, tourists, and theatregoers alike.”

The sleek and sophisticated building is a welcome dog-friendly spot for locals and has an outdoor seating space. Audiences can enjoy pre and post-show drinks before heading through the internal Little Picardy doors, straight to their seats in the theatre.

Little Picardy will serve up artisan coffee and pastries in the morning followed by cocktails, beers, wines, and bar snacks in the latter half of the day. A full food offering will launch in autumn of this year | Rob MacDougall

Speaking to the Evening News, Gordon Millar said: “We’re not here just for people coming to the Playhouse, we are very much a standalone bar - this was a bar before and that’s what will remain and it will be here for people every day all day. During our soft launch people were trying everything from beers, cocktails, wines, pastries and coffee and they have all gone down a real treat.”

The name, Little Picardy, derives from the 18th century when weavers from the Picardie region of northern France settled in the area, building a commune of 13 houses and naming it Picardy Village - which later became known as Little Picardy.

Although originally designed as one building in 1929, the lower part of the venue had various uses through the decades - having been an Astra Radio shop in the 1970s and more recently Café Habana. The venue was purchased by the Edinburgh Playhouse last October following the retirement of Café Habana owner, Lorraine Rourke.

This landmark birthday falls in the middle of a busy Edinburgh Festival period where the theatre is set to welcome international comedy, music, and dance acts such as Jimmy Carr, Fern Brady, Declan McKenna, Grupo Corpo and Cat Power to their iconic stage.

Being the UK’s largest all-seated theatre, the Edinburgh Playhouse is known to have been a favourite venue for many of the famous faces who have tread its boards as well as for the critically acclaimed musical productions who have wowed Edinburgh audiences over the years. The theatre is set for another stand out 12 months, welcoming Donny Osmond in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat as well as opening the first ever world tour of Moulin Rouge! The Musical.