Edinburgh to get new 63rd+1st cocktail-led bar and restaurant at former Cafe Rouge in Frederick Street

Edinburgh’s Frederick Street is to become home to a new cocktail lounge, offering visitors a taste of New York glam.

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The new “63rd+1st” bar is to open in the former Cafe Rouge and will be the brand’s fifth location in the UK following the opening of bars in Surrey, in May 2021, then Glasgow, Harrogate and Cambridge.

Owners Hostmore plc, the restaurant operator behind the Fridays chain, formerly known as TGI Fridays, floated on the stock exchange in November and say they hope to have ten or more sites across the country by the end of 2023.

The new cocktail-led bar and restaurant will be in the former Cafe Rouge on Frederick Street.

63rd+1st takes its name from the address of the original Fridays in New York, which opened on the corner of 63rd Street and 1st Avenue in 1965.

The new bar and restaurant spans approximately 3,500 square feet and will include a spacious lounge area adjacent to the restaurant space, seating over 100 guests inside, with an additional 26 covers available on a heated outside terrace.

The company indicated it aimed to attract customers from the business community, locals of all ages and visitors.

It said the new venue would boast handcrafted cocktails, an eclectic wine list and a beer selection from across the globe, as well as a diverse food menu all day. Inspired by the “street food” scene in Manhattan, the menu is centred on smaller sharing plates.

Robert B. Cook, chief executive of 63rd+1st, said: “We are delighted to be bringing the fifth 63rd+1st to the capital of Scotland, a city we know well, and in doing so continue to share the 63rd+1st experience with guests from across this great city and region. Situated a stone’s throw from George Street, and a short walk from most of Edinburgh’s great hospitality venues, we simply love the location of our first Edinburgh venue.

“63rd+1st represents the coming together of people, culture, tastes and styles. Our menu will undoubtedly entertain and excite all our guests courtesy of fantastic cocktails created by a team of expert bartenders and our New York City street food inspired menu, all of which emphasises our brand premise that ‘Life Tastes Better Shared”.

“Whether it’s business or pleasure, student or tourist, you will be made to feel at home in our beautiful venue, which has been inspired by over 50 years of unique heritage and is guaranteed to be the place where ‘great things happen’.”

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