Overview

I visited The Street on a Wednesday afternoon, so you can imagine that I didn’t get to judge how wild the partying gets there. I did, however, get to take a good look at the architecture, which is as least as wild as I imagine Friday Night Karaoke to get. The staff were getting everything nice and shiny for Edinburgh Pride on the weekend, but were still more than happy to chat to me about their accessibility features and the troubles of wheelchair access in a listed building with weird stairs, innumerable nooks and split-level platforms. I was in good enough form to leave my powerchair at the top of the long, drawn-out flight of deep shallow steps to take a look at the downstairs, which houses the dancefloor, bathrooms, another bar and a photobooth. This wouldn’t be a good idea at busier times because it blocked part of the bar and if I had wanted to stay and party, I would have put the chair into neutral and wheeled it down the stairs, which are basically a very bad ramp. The staff told us about wheelchair users whose friends helped them and their wheels down the stairs before and I thought that was a great encapsulation of many queer spaces: not very accessible but full of community that makes things happen anyways.

Transport & Parking

I was wheeling from Princess Street via St Andrew’s Square and Elder Street. This is not the only way, but if you do go down Elder Street, keep in mind that only the left-hand sidewalk is step-free. The Street is close to the Picardy Place tram stop and the York Place (10, 11) and Broughton Street (8) bus stops. Leith Street bus stop is a little bit further but serves many more bus routes. There is no parking right by the venue. You might be able to find some on-street parking in a side street, but it would not be easy or closeby.

Access

Before we get to wheelchair access, let’s start with the lovely news that there is a braille menu and that you can get special cup holders from the bar that help prevent spilling if you struggle with tremors.The bar also offers drink protectors, which are plastic lids for cups and bottles with just enough space for a straw that make it difficult to spike your drink, but also minimise spilling if you knock over your drink. When it comes to wheelchair-friendly seating, the outside area is your best shout, as there are regular-height tables and moveable chairs. The chairs have a backrest that curves slightly around at the bottom. The doors are not automatic, but a decent width. They open to the inside and there is a pillar in the way, so turn slightly to the left when you come in. There are some slight bumps to get over as you cross the threshold. There is also a side door, but it is narrow and has a step and it was not in use when I visited. The ground level bar space is not very big, but there are a number of bar-height tables and stools. There is a stepped slope up on the right side with fixed bar stools leading up to some booth seating. The bar counter is quite high and there is no lower section. The stairs to the basement are almost like a ramp but with seven deep shallow steps leading halfway down and then another seven or so steps leading further down in the opposite direction. On the level at the bottom of the stairs in the photo both and around to the right past the bathrooms is a slightly secluded section with booth seating. The bathrooms are down a few more steps ahead of you as you pass the photo booth and behind you on the right are a few steps down to the small dancefloor. There are sofas on either side of the dancefloor and past it is another bar area with high tables and stools. The fire exit is also in the bar space, leading to a long stone staircase on the outside.

Toilets

The bathrooms are down the stairs and then down a few more steps. There is a bathroom at the end of the women’s toilets that is very large – and even has two toilets opposite each other for some unknown reason – but the doorway is small and narrow and there are no handrails. There are also stalls with cubicles and a handwashing area that is open to the rest of the space downstairs.

Staff

The staff were lovely and welcoming and it was clear that they were concerned about the access issues but at a loss of how to address them. The bartender told us about a friend with sensory issues who came in during the day first to get to know the place when it wasn’t crowded and they turned down the music to make it less overwhelming. So if there is something that would help you that’s easily done, tell the staff and I’m optimistic that they will do what they can!

Anything else you wish to tell us?

There is a basket with free condoms in the men’s handwashing area, but I didn’t spot any period products anywhere. Finally, mind your head when you come back up the stairs and are walking on the left – the metal bars supporting the railing on the stairs above stick out and you wouldn’t want to bang your noggin!

Photos