Versatile Space at Slow Progress Records and Coffee

Event Space in a Cafe
·
Private space
53 Blackfriars Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1NB
Old Town, Edinburgh

About this space

Previously the space has been used as an Edinburgh Fringe venue, a meeting space, a space for art, music and writing workshops, our monthly open mic session, local music social events and pop up markets. If the event you have in mind isn’t on this list we would still love to hear from you and see if we can make it work!

We are located in central Edinburgh, less than a 10 minute walk from the train station and across the road from a multi story car park. There are hotels and hostels on our street too!


Prices

Monday
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Per hour
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Note: All prices include VAT.
Tuesday
Closed
Note: All prices include VAT.
Wednesday
Closed
Note: All prices include VAT.
Thursday
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Per hour
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Note: All prices include VAT.
Friday
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Per hour
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Note: All prices include VAT.
Saturday
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Per hour
10:00 – 17:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Note: All prices include VAT.
Sunday
11:00 – 16:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Per hour
11:00 – 16:00
from £20 hire fee per hour
Note: All prices include VAT.
Minimum booking duration: 2 hours

Capacity

Standing
up to 40
Theatre
up to 30
Boardroom
up to 10
Cabaret
up to 16
U-Shaped
up to 16
Classroom
up to 12

Catering and drinks

In-house catering available
Complimentary water
No external catering allowed
No alcohol provided by the venue
No BYO alcohol allowed

Facilities

Wi-Fi available
PA system / speakers
Natural light
Unavailable: Paid parking facilities available nearby
Unavailable: Projector
Unavailable: Flatscreen TV
Unavailable: Whiteboard
Unavailable: Flipchart
Unavailable: Conference call facilities
Unavailable: Air conditioner
Unavailable: Photo equipment
Unavailable: Video equipment
Unavailable: Lighting equipment
Unavailable: Greenscreen
Unavailable: Backdrops
Unavailable: Storage space
Unavailable: Quiet space
Unavailable: Dance floor
Unavailable: Soundproof
Unavailable: Mirrors
Unavailable: Accommodation is available on-site

Music & sound equipment

Play your own music
Unavailable: Bring your own DJ not allowed
Unavailable: No noise restrictions

Accessibility

Unavailable: Accessible toilets
Unavailable: Ground level
Unavailable: Accessible parking spot available
Unavailable: Lift to all floors
Unavailable: Cargo lift
Unavailable: Wheelchair accessible

Rules of the space

Allowed events

Promoted and ticketed events
Unavailable: No wedding licence
Unavailable: No temporary Event Notice (TENs) available

Host rules

No smoking inside the building.
No alcohol to be consumed in the space.
Please ask permission before bringing food into the space.

Cancellation policy: Flexible with Grace Period

Show cancellation details

Reviews and ratings

(32 reviews and ratings - )

Verified reviews come from Tagvenue users. All reviews are checked by our team to uphold our trust and safety standards.
WA
Washington A.
Verified review
Meeting · 10 guests · October 2025
Great location, brilliant venue, amazing staff and unbelievably great price. Thank you guys 🤩
5.0
SL
Susan L.
Verified review
Meeting · 8 guests · October 2025
Delightful space in a central, interesting street with cobbles, popular cafes and a large Victorian hostel with lovely window boxes of geraniums! Very good communication from venue, would recommend
Nothing
5.0
LM
Laura M.
Verified review
Auditorium / Conference Room · 15 guests · February 2025
Fantastic venue, will definitely be back!
5.0
MC
Mac C.
Verified review
Meeting · 4 guests · February 2025
A well-sized quiet venue in central Edinburgh with friendly staff and good coffee. Great for a small get together!
5.0

#Supervenue program is based on our customers' feedback and highlights venues that are most dedicated to providing outstanding hospitality, customer service and event experience. Read more
Customers rated communication with this venue and their event experience as Superb
Response time: within couple of hours
Response rate: 100%

About Slow Progress Records and Coffee

Versatile space in the back of a record and coffee shop in the Old Town of Edinburgh. Perfect for meetings, workshops, rehearsals, acoustic music/ spoken word performances. For meetings we can accommodate up to 16 people, and for performances we can fit a lot more.

The space has a calm and relaxed atmosphere, with a garden view out of the window and easy access to toilets.

The front of our business sells coffee and other hot drinks, soup and various snacks that you are welcome to take into the room with you. We also have a curated selection of new vinyl records for sale.

We currently do not have a full kitchen and also do not allow food to be brought into the room from outside the premises unless with prior permission.

Accessibility: the front of the shop is accessible, however the space is up 5 quite steep stairs so not wheelchair accessible. The toilets are on the same level as the event/ meeting space.

Slow Progress Records and Coffee is a Trusted Tagvenue Partner, validated by the Tagvenue team with a record of successful bookings on the platform.


Location

Location map

Meet your host

Connie Byrne-Shore
Member of Tagvenue since September 2023
32 Reviews
5 Rating
1h Response time
99% Response rate

Contact venue managers directly on Tagvenue. Keep all event communication here for a secure, seamless booking.