Hello there and welcome to ‘a room in… Scottish bistros and Teuchters bars.’ Modern and homely Scottish cooking, brought to you by Peter Knight and John Tindal, the two people behind Archie & Richie LTD.
We currently have two bars and two restaurants, ‘a room in Leith and teuchters’ landing’ and ‘a room in the west end and teuchters bar’ which offer the best of both worlds by giving you the choice of a either a bar or bistro experience or both! Places where you can spend the whole day…or evening.
Peter Knight, who originally hails from Halkirk near Thurso, studied hospitality at Napier in Edinburgh, whilst John Tindal, from Airlie near Kirriemuir, studied (briefly!) hospitality at Robert Gordons in Aberdeen. The two highland lads met when they were both working at the Bank Hotel on the Royal Mile; where they came up with the concept of ‘a room in…and Teuchters bars.’ Peter and John envisioned a place serving fantastic food without the hindrance of paying a fortune for wine or exorbitant corkage. They wanted to create a place where people would feel instantly relaxed and at home, whatever the occasion. And so they opened up the first venue in 1996, called “a room in marchmont,” a small Scottish Bistro, seating 25 people. The venue soon became extremely popular and 25 seats was just not enough, so realising their vision was viable, they established ‘a room in the town’ in August 1998.
Peter and John then went on to open ‘a room in the west end and teuchters bar’ in 2001 and ‘a room in Leith and teuchters landing’ in 2008, which are the two venues you will find today. The name for Teuchters, originally came from Peter’s brother who said to Peter and John; “but you’re just a couple of teuchters,” when they decided to pursue their vision of the Scottish Bistros. The word ‘teuchter’ is a contemptuous word for a highlander, often meaning uncouth and rural; and seeing as John and Peter both come from up north, the name stuck.
The two venues have a similar theme and style but they each have their own menu and individual atmosphere. Both Teuchters bars have a unique mug menu where food is served in actual mugs. All of our food is homemade and fresh, and our ingredients are all sourced as locally and responsibly as possible, giving you the best of what Scotland has to offer.
a room in the west end is situated below the Teuchters bar in the bustling West End of Edinburgh, and a room in Leith is situated across the courtyard from Teuchters Landing, down on the beautiful shore of the Water of Leith. Teuchters Landing is home to a floating pontoon and enormous beer garden which is always fully packed during the summer. Both bars offer an astoundingly large range of wines, Scottish whiskies and draught cask and craft beers, ensuring there is something to cater to every taste.
Peter and John are constantly investing and evolving the business, making exciting changes and additions. Our menu is constantly changed to give you the best selection of everything, especially what is in season and to ensure that you don’t get bored.
We have also received a bunch of awards which we are quite proud of:
Voted top 100 bars in the UK by Famous Grouse
Scotch malt whisky ambassadors
Hit Listed in the Scottish Eating and Drinking Guide 2012/2013
CAMRA Good Beer Guide 2014
SLTN Highly Commended for Best outdoor area 2013
Dram whisky bar of the year highly commended 2013
Dram beer pub of the year highly commended 2013