Edinburgh Retro: 25 great pictures of restaurants and cafes in the 1960s and 1970s

Published 27th Nov 2025, 12:11 BST

Updated 30th Nov 2025, 04:45 BST

Tastes and habits have changed since the 1960s and 1970s - and today’s cafes and restaurants are very different from the eateries of those days.

But here is a selection of pictures from the Evening News archives to take you back to the Edinburgh of five or six decades ago.

Scroll through the black and white photos to get a flavour of the Capital’s restaurants and cafes in the 1960s and 1970s and the atmosphere of the times.

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Waitresses at the Doric Tavern in Edinburgh in February 1973.

1. Doric Tavern, Market Street

Waitresses at the Doric Tavern in Edinburgh in February 1973. | TSPL Photo: Hamish Campbell

Interior of the Golden Egg restaurant in Princes Street Edinburgh, July 1970.

2. Golden Egg restaurant, Princes Street

Interior of the Golden Egg restaurant in Princes Street Edinburgh, July 1970. | TSPL Photo: Joe Steele

Interior of the Crown Room at the Cafe Royal bar/restaurant in West Register Street, Edinburgh, December 1976.

3. Crown Room at the Cafe Royal

Interior of the Crown Room at the Cafe Royal bar/restaurant in West Register Street, Edinburgh, December 1976. | TSPL Photo: Denis Straughan

The Loon Fung Chinese restaurant in Warriston Place, Edinburgh, in March 1974.

4. Loon Fung Chinese restaurant, Warriston Place

The Loon Fung Chinese restaurant in Warriston Place, Edinburgh, in March 1974. | TSPL Photo: Hamish Campbell

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