Glamorous new Edinburgh cocktail bar promises to ‘bring the unmistakable beat of New York’ to the city

A glamorous new cocktail bar and restaurant is coming to Edinburgh – and it promises to “bring the exciting unmistakable beat of New York” to the Capital.

Manahatta Edinburgh, which will be Arc Inspirations’ tenth UK venue, is set to open this summer. The exciting new venue will serve a selection of drinks with a main focus on handcrafted cocktails, where guests can order supersized versions of their favourite drinks, as well as mouth-watering food options inspired by NYC, such as The New Yorker Burger and Steak Frites, as well as vegan, vegetarian and gluten free dishes.

Manahatta already has bars in several cities across the UK – including Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Manchester and Newcastle – and is known for its incredible themed bottomless brunches, something that is sure to be a hit with Edinburgh locals.

The Evening News understands that plans have been submitted on behalf of Arc Inspirations to transform an abandoned building on Rose Street into the new two-storey bar and restaurant.

The news of Manahatta Edinburgh follows the announcement that Arc Inspirations has raised £7m after securing a £4m loan from its banking partner, HSBC UK, and a £3m equity injection from its shareholders, including BGF which has backed the business since 2022.

The investment will, says the group, accelerate its expansion across the UK as it gets ready to deliver at least four new openings per year over the next five years. The company is also eyeing further launches in London, Liverpool, and Cardiff in 2024.

Co-founder and CEO, Martin Wolstencroft, said: “We’re grateful to the HSBC UK team and to our shareholders who continue to believe in our business and support us on our ambitious growth journey. Together we have achieved a number of key milestones, with four successful new site openings in 2023, and our most successful festive period to date. Each success is testament to our team and culture, and I thank each and every member of our team as we continue to build what we believe is the best bar business in the country.”

James Sawley, Head of Retail & Leisure at HSBC UK, said: “Arc Inspirations is a homegrown success story and we’re delighted to build on our relationship and provide further investment to this resilient and ambitious business.

“Arc has already achieved impressive scale, and our support has enabled Martin and his team to deliver significant growth in recent years. With a strong balance sheet, outstanding leadership team and proven concepts, we are confident in Arc’s ability to succeed in new, untapped markets across the UK, and we wish the team every success with the next stage of their exciting growth plans.”