Edinburgh’s Hipster Food Court and the Butcher Bad Boy Burger

Foodie-worthy and hipster-appropriate.

That’s how I would characterize the outdoor food court at Waverly Mall in Edinburgh. Perched on the mall’s street-level “roof” above several floors of stores, the “Eats” area has a magnificent view of old-town Edinburgh. It feels like an upscale food truck park and bears no resemblance to the dismal dining areas you’ll find in most malls with their routine collection of fast-food chains.  Hipsters and tourists alike soak up the local color and atmosphere here at a collection of umbrella-topped tables with comfy chairs.

Lively vendors in small booths present a range of options, from coastal fare such as freshly-shucked oysters, lobster and fish ‘n chips paired with to hearty land-based selections like venison hot dogs, grilled portobellos and giant burgers. Drinks booths provide locally brewed craft beers, surprisingly inexpensive (and good) champagne and a variety of coffees and flavored teas in addition to the standard soft drinks. You can mix and match your sips and bites from the different booths to create the perfect casual al fresco meal.

So that’s what we did. Our group of four was captivated by one of the burgers from Butcher Boy, the aptly-titled purveyor of grilled-onsite meats. The burger was called the Butcher Bad Boy. It was, indeed, a Baaaaad Boy.  See for yourself from their description:

Candied bacon, cheddar cheese, sandwiched between two handmade patties, fried onions, and more cheese!!!!

Well, wouldn’t you?  We did.  The Butcher Bad Boy was a good burger, indeed.  All four of us chose it, without consultation.  It wasn’t necessary – we instinctively knew that this was the burger for us.

But back to that mixing and matching thing…we had a smoked salmon appetizer from one booth, our Bad Boy burgers from another, and our drinks from still another.

Burgers consumed, we turned to the view.  The sun came out for a few minutes in cold and misty Edinburgh.  Awesome blue sky!

The buildings were highlighted by the golden evening sunlight.

Foodie-worthy, hipster-appropriate, and with gorgeous views, too: I can highly recommend the Waverly Mall food court in Edinburgh.

Copyright 2017, Glover Gardens Cookbook

~ with thanks to my colleagues for their marvelous company, their input on this post and their pictures ~