The Lyon Public House has officially opened its doors following the six-month redevelopment of a historic Edinburgh auction house.
The new George Street venue from hospitality group Encore Bars brings together gastropub dining, an in-house bakery, live music and duelling pianos.
Customers can access 18 draught beers and daily entertainment alongside a late-night pie window serving until 3am.
The modern public house takes over a building that operated as an auction room for more than a century, incorporating its theatrical past.
Auction rooms were traditionally loud and reactive environments, with the crowd forming as much a part of the action as the auctioneer at the front.
The Lyon takes that same approach to hospitality, creating a space that evolves throughout the day before the entertainment takes over at night.
At the heart of the venue is Hammer Hall, home to two pianos and long beer hall-style tables.
During peak dinner service, pianists take requests from the floor, playing covers with a jazz and blues influence.
The duelling pianos take over later in the evening, with the crowd encouraged to become part of the show.
Beyond Hammer Hall, The Sale Room hosts live bands and performers, while the glass-fronted Courtyard opens the venue directly onto George Street.
Lot 51, a private room with its own bar, is available for private dining for up to 15 people and drinks for up to 30.
Food plays a central role, with Executive Chef Jake Clayton and Head Chef Andrius Sabanovas creating a menu of reworked pub classics.
Using seasonal produce from local suppliers, dishes include lobster roll, ham, egg and chips, and a Sunday roast set to be revealed soon.
At the centre of the kitchen is an in-house bakery making fresh pies every day.
When the main kitchen closes, the pies continue to be served from a late-night window until 3am.
The menu features steak pie, macaroni cheese pie and Lorne sausage rolls alongside two regularly changing seasonal options.
From 10pm, these late-night pies can also be ordered directly to tables throughout the venue.
Behind the bar are 18 draught beers, ranging from world beers and Scottish favourites to a rotating guest line.
Lyon House Lager, a 4% lager brewed in Scotland specifically for the venue, acts as the house pour.
Signature cocktails take inspiration from the building and the city, including Bonny White Glove, which nods to the auction tradition of presenting a white glove for precious lots.
The chocolate, marshmallow and vanilla Teacake Tipple takes inspiration from a Scottish teatime favourite, while the Smokey Wee Number is finished with orange and smoke at the table.
The building has been filled with historic pieces, including tapestries discovered at an estate clearance and original Victorian pub mirrors from the 1880s.
Antiques sourced from dealers and auction houses across the UK feature alongside a letter from Scottish artist Edward Atkinson Hornel to the Marquess of Bute.
Where reclaimed pieces could not be found, elements have been made specifically for the venue, including hand-built bars, custom lighting and UK-glazed tiles.
Gavin Currie, Director of Operations at Encore Bars, said: “The history of the building gave us so much to work with. For more than 100 years, people came through these doors for auctions that were loud, theatrical and full of characters, and we wanted to bring some of that energy back.
“There are little references to its past everywhere, but ultimately The Lyon is about creating a brilliant atmosphere and a place people will want to come back to again and again.”
