The Counting House

What keeps me coming back? Free fringe, that’s what! And the Famous Grouse Ginger Beer!
So it’s in a fairly central location, which is close to other pubs and eateries and the Uni — which is pretty handy, Right?!
It has a few rooms to occupy the free fringe but I’ll warn you that the temperature will get very hot on our summer days with the amount of people crammed into to see them, so it’s worth grabbing a refreshment to take into the shows with you.

Came here for a free comedy event during the fringe. Apparently it used to be a rock venue, now it is used more for comedy. In the back room there is a small stage and this is where they were showing the comedy. Drinks aren’t too badly priced and the location is quite close to the centre and just off the Royal Mile.

Just realised the only time I end up here is for the Free Fringe.
Decent location just off Newington/​Edinburgh Uni, all sorts of acts appear here for free every year — comedy, cabaret, drama, etc.
I came here for Dusty Limits after seeing the 5.30 taster (Worth checking out and I loved the show but a gay cabaret artist and mental illness might not be to everyone’s taste). I didn’t go to the bar so no comment on the prices here after being ripped off at 56 North. Didn’t visit the Ladies but standing beside the men’s whilst waiting to go into the Ballroom and they smelled and looked clean.
No issues with sound and lighting in the venue — all good and no restricted view in the Ballroom. Appears to be a wee bit of a maze as lots of rooms on different floors but you really could arrive here and spend several hours here bouncing from show to show without leaving the building.
Worth checking out — looks like some good stuff on here :-)

My first experience of The Counting House was many moons ago when a friend rented it out for a ceilidh to celebrate her 21^st birthday. And since then almost every time I’ve been back has been to dance!
Edinbop, one of Edinburgh’s swing dancing societies, hosts the regular Shoe Swing night on a Wednesday from 7pm. The floor is usually nicely slippy (except for rare occasions when whatever varnish they use leaves it a little tacky), and jugs of water and glasses are supplied. The room with the bar is shut off, but the small room at the back is also used by us. The only issue would be that in the summer it gets very very warm!
Sometimes they have bands rehearsing in the attic area, which can be very noisy, but it’s not really a problem as our own music often drowns it out.
Plus, it’s used as a Free Fringe venue during August with a decidedly varied selection of acts (both in terms of content and quality). It’s worth popping by just to see what’s on, especially given its proximity to the George/​Bristo Square area.

I highly recommend the counting house as a venue. It has character, space and great staff. My brother had his wedding there and it was fab. The grandness of the room gave the wedding such ambience. It was great for a ceilidh and didn’t mean you were dancing on a postage stamp like some hotels. They provided a great buffet and the staff were up for a laugh. It’s well priced to hire and I’d recommend it for any function.
They also hold themed evenings once a month and their vintage evenings are the best. I really enjoyed their 1940’s and 1950’s nights. The counting house is also ideally located for students as its right by the Edinburgh uni campus!

I thought for ages that The Counting House was a pub, but it was only when I went into it that I realised that it was a function room for the Peartree House pub.
Situated just around the corner from the main University campus, George Square, The Counting House is very localised and close to the city centre and so it is a convenient place to reach.
I have only been into The Counting House once, and it was several months ago for a birthday party. The venue consists of a lounge, a ballroom and, my my favourite aspect, a bar! The ballroom itself is quite spacious, with a large wooden floor and it is very light inside as there is a huge dome glass ceiling, whilst the lounge is relatively small and when it gets busy, it can feel quite cramped inside. It has a full bar upstairs which stocks a wide range of spirits, ales and ciders.
The Counting House cater for a wide range of different events including weddings, Burns Supper, Ceilidhs, Party’s and Business Conferences. The large ballroom is also used during week nights for professional dance classes, which one of my friends goes to and she says the space is really ideal as it is big enough for their group. However, when I was in the ballroom at the party, it got pretty crowded when everyone was on the dance floor and it was difficult to move.
The Counting House would be a great place to hold a decent sized party or event, however, if there were going to be a lot of people attending, I think this place would not be large enough to accommodate them all.

As the previous review quite rightly says, The Counting House is a function room located above the The Peartree House pub. Climbing the stairs from street level, you enter into the main function room, which is nearly square in shape, with a bar off a corridor on the right hand side. There are also toilets on the same floor.
I’ve been in the building a number of times for two different occasions. One of these was as part of the Edinburgh University Tango Society, which used the venue for tango lessons. The room was perfect for this, with a wooden floor and plenty of space to accommodate all of us as we danced. The other was for a pub quiz event put on by the Edinburgh University Christian Union. Whilst the room was perhaps a little cramped at this event, the availability of the bar on the same floor was a huge plus, for providing ‘oil’ for the brain.
Judging from the website, the venue is aiming to cater for a high calibre of events. I think it will quickly rise for a venue of high status, and I can imagine that when kitted out for a wedding reception or ceilidh, it would look a picture.

Located above and essentially part of The Peartree House pub, The Counting House is a private function room which I must admit I have only been in once, a long time ago for a party.
From what I remember, the Counting House is above the Peartree, and consists of a traditionally styles main function room and a staffed bar area to the side of this function room. My overall impression was that this place was a bit too classy for what it was, but that was just my opinion. The Counting House also provided food, and generally we had a good night.
I would love to review this place again, but from what I remember the Counting House was simply a classy venue for a party/​function.

Very central and very local at the same time — one of the gems in the Edinburgh University area. The pub is based in an 18^th century house property of a former merchant, and became popular as a venue for all types of social events: weddings, ceilidh, fund raising projects. It comprises a main banqueting hall and an intimate lounge with a self-​contained bar, allowing for a total capacity of 249 guests It is a popular place for tango lovers. Each Sunday eve the floor is open from 6 till 7pm for free beginner’s class and after 7.30 the floor is filled with professional tango dancers whose fiery movements can raise the temperature to the highest degrees.