The Real Mary King’s Close has received a special award from VisitScotland – for the second time. This is a café we know quite well as it is right next door to the City Chambers, but we are not sure that local people know about it well enough. We can tell you that the soup and sandwiches are freshly made to order, and the armchairs are a very comfortable place to settle for an hour or so!
There is also a gift shop full of lovely things to give as gifts and perhaps sometimes to keep for yourself.
The award just made to the café housed in the former Burgh Court room recognises the quality Scottish food and drink served there.
The café is named after The Royal Exchange Coffee House which was situated there between the 18th and 19th centuries. This was one of the main talking shops at the time of the Scottish Enlightenment.
We spoke to Craig Miller the General Manager about winning the award:
The @MaryKingsClose Coffee House has just won an award for its great Scottish food. Have you been along yet? pic.twitter.com/kHmz3L1cUk
— Edinburgh Reporter (@EdinReporter) May 9, 2017
Since it began in 2013 over 1,000 Scottish businesses have taken part in Taste Our Best – the VisitScotland’s accreditation scheme which recognises and celebrates businesses which not only offer a quality experience, but also provide locally sourced food and drink, prepared with care and delivered with passion.
The recently launched new menu at Mary King’s Coffee House is packed with local Scottish produce. Fresh soup and sandwiches are made daily on site, and all cakes, pastries and tray bakes are made locally by Edinburgh’s Saltire Patisserie. Mary King’s Coffee House also serves Brodies Fairtrade Tea and Coffee, which is roasted in Musselburgh, just seven miles from the site.
In addition, for the fourteenth year in a row The Real Mary King’s Close has been awarded a five star VisitScotland rating. This tour around the hidden streets under the Royal Mile will show you how things were in the 17th century. You will be guided by characters from the period and the numbers on each tour are restricted so that you can see everything on the way. These are uniquely preserved streets which were sealed over and hidden.
Since opening as a visitor attraction, The Real Mary King’s Close has retained its five star status and has attracted over 2 million visitors. Maintaining its five star accreditation continues to position The Real Mary King’s Close alongside Edinburgh’s elite five star attractions which include Edinburgh Castle, Camera Obscura, The Royal Yacht Britannia, and The Scotch Whisky Experience.
Craig Miller, General Manager of The Real Mary King’s Close comments:
“In this year of History, Heritage and Archaeology, we are absolutely delighted to receive a ‘Taste Our Best’ Award 2017/18 from VisitScotland to add to our five star visitor attraction rating. At The Real Mary King’s Close are committed to offering our guests an authentic, quality experience, and this award is a recognition of our dedication to serving quality Scottish produce in Mary King’s Coffee House.”
The Real Mary King’s Close is operated by Continuum Attractions.
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Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
