{"id":760598,"date":"2026-02-13T00:17:19","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T00:17:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/760598\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T00:17:19","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T00:17:19","slug":"review-king-pins-edinburgh-arcade-golf-and-bowling-hidden-under-princes-street","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/760598\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: King Pins Edinburgh – Arcade, golf and bowling hidden under Princes Street"},"content":{"rendered":"

King Pins has arrived at Waverley Market, and it is a massive, neon-soaked addition to Edinburgh\u2019s city centre. Spread across two floors, this venue is a dizzying playground that feels like a hidden subterranean city tucked directly under Princes Street.<\/p>\n

A Subterranean Party Hub<\/p>\n

If you catch a glimpse of King Pins from the corridors of Waverley Market, you might mistake it for a standard arcade. The ground floor is packed with \u201cHigh-tech Lo-Fi\u201d \u2013 modern, top-of-the-range versions of classic carnival games. Think whacking moles with more LEDs and throwing basketballs through hoops with high-definition scoring.<\/p>\n

However, the real magic happens when you descend. Beneath the arcade is a sprawling \u201cparty hub\u201d in the basement. It\u2019s dark, atmospheric, and surprisingly vast. Down here, you\u2019ll find the ten-pin bowling lanes that give the venue its name, alongside pool and snooker tables.<\/p>\n

The tech is impressive. The dartboards use real darts but feature smart interfaces that track your throw. The overhead screens are programmed with a sense of humour, flashing up memes to mock a poor shot or celebrate a bullseye.<\/p>\n

Inside, there\u2019s Marvin\u2019s Pizza & Chicken<\/strong> and Royal Treats<\/strong> for dessert. <\/p>\n

High Octane and Highly Organised<\/p>\n

The variety of entertainment is King Pins\u2019 greatest strength. Whether you want a casual game of mini-golf under the streets of the capital or a high-octane laser shooting match to outscore your friends, the venue caters to every speed. It\u2019s the kind of place that works just as well for a post-college wind-down as it does for a massive group celebration.<\/p>\n

What is perhaps most impressive is how quickly King Pins has come to life. In a city where \u201cComing Soon\u201d signs often linger for years, King Pins moved in and opened its doors with remarkable efficiency. That level of organisation bodes well for the customer experience; it feels like a venue that knows exactly what it\u2019s doing.<\/p>\n

Effortless Access in the Heart of Town<\/p>\n

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One of the biggest selling points for King Pins is its unbeatable location for anyone travelling into the city. Since it\u2019s literally built into the roof of Waverley Station<\/strong>, you can hop off a ScotRail<\/a> train and be at the bowling lanes in less than five minutes. It is the definition of \u201cconvenient.\u201d<\/p>\n

For locals, the transport links are just as strong. Every major Lothian Bus<\/a> route along Princes Street stops right outside the door, and the St Andrew Square Tram Stop<\/strong> is just a short 3-minute walk away. If you\u2019re planning a late-night session, being this close to the night bus hubs and the station taxi ranks makes getting home a breeze, even after a few pizzas and drinks.<\/p>\n

Overall<\/p>\n

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King Pins is a powerful new attraction for Edinburgh. It\u2019s a \u201cparty under Princes Street\u201d that makes ingenious use of space most locals didn\u2019t even realise existed. Whether you\u2019re a grey-haired snooker fan or a youngster looking for neon-lit arcade action, this is a venue to watch. The venue is 18+ at certain hours. <\/p>\n

Explore More On Edinburgh Reviews<\/p>\n

Searching for related content…<\/p>\n

Review: King Pins Edinburgh<\/p>\n

Andrew Girdwood<\/p>\n

A new high-energy social gaming venue in the heart of the city featuring everything from laser tag to pizza.<\/p>\n

Summary<\/p>\n

King Pins is a \u201cparty under the street\u201d that makes brilliant use of space with top-tier tech and a welcoming vibe.<\/p>\n

Note<\/strong>: Girdy attended the King Pins opening party as part of the press pack, which meant free games and food. <\/p>\n

\n\tRelated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"King Pins has arrived at Waverley Market, and it is a massive, neon-soaked addition to Edinburgh\u2019s city centre.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":760599,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[8816],"tags":[3002,83261,748,31367,1102,2826,4884,223454,223455,712,16,15,223456],"class_list":["post-760598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-edinburgh","tag-arcade","tag-bowling","tag-britain","tag-city-centre","tag-edinburgh","tag-golf","tag-great-britain","tag-king-pins","tag-princess-street","tag-scotland","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-waverly"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=760598"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/760598\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/760599"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=760598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=760598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=760598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}