- Edinburgh
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- drinking
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United Kingdom
A visit to Edinburgh wouldn’t be the same without a pint in a traditional British pub. With a handful of universities and a horde of students in the city, finding cheap beer is relatively easy. Three Sisters was the best of the lot with three bars inside and a spacious courtyard.
139 Cowgate, Edinburgh
A website with loads of information on Scotland with accommodation, maps, castles and whisky distilleries.
An award-winning chippy in the New Town. Enjoy a range of deep-fried treats, including haggis pudding or battered pizza with your chips, all covered in an Edinburgh-wide chip shop specialty, brown sauce (half HP, half vinegar, all fantastic).
While the food is good, the range of booze is amazing; especially if you fancy a jeroboam of champagne to wash down your chips.
Henderson Row, New Town
Best kept pub secret in Edinburgh.
Minutes from the hell of the Grassmarket and refreshingly free of stag parties and tourists.
A fantastic selection of ales, cracking selection of whiskies, gins, rums and vodkas, friendly staff and friendly locals (albeit friendly by Edinburgh standards).
A proper, old fashioned free house.
2 Spittal Street, in between the Grassmarket and Tollcross
Cosy pub on steep and curvy Cockburn Street. Loads of whiskys (they have a 20 page printed list with taste notes and prices) and good selection of ales. It gets the tourists right enough, but has a good crowd of regulars and enough randoms to ensure an entertaining time. Get a booth at the window and watch the world go by.
11-15 Cockburn St
Right up the road from Waverley Station.
It is a small, cosy, beautifully thought out bar on Queen Street away from the crowds of George Street. Lovely generous cocktail menu, gorgeous friendly staff, perfect lighting, comfy seats and cocktail menus bound inside the shells of literary gems (the guts of which went to a good home). It's the attention to detail which stands out here.
Weekends see decent house music played by friends and guests. Just don't tell anyone you don't like about it.
Queen St, Edinburgh
Great food, big portions, and reasonable prices. Free internet too, although no printing facilities. Try the chocoholic fantasy on the dessert menu! Mmmmmmm.
1a Market St, opposite Fruitmarket Gallery and Waverley Station;
tel: 0131 226 9560;
www.clg.co.uk/sportsters
This is a typical Edinburgh 'boozer'. If you want to see what a good Edinburgh local pub is like go to this place. There is a good quiz here on Thursday nights where anyone can take part. The banter can flow here, especially on Thursday nights.
203 Easter Road (on the corner of Iona Street); tel: 0131 554 5180;
Directions: take any bus down Leith Walk (no 7, 14 or 22) or Easter road.
Great pub on Edinburgh's Grassmarket. Can I say anymore? Well, ok, I will. Few of the pubs on the Grassmarket are worth recommending but this is definitely one. Staff are friendly and the food is good, and at very good prices. A lunch here would not put a dent in your pocket and leave plenty of cash for drink. I have recommended this pub to many folk around the world and they have not been disappointed.
74 Grassmarket, EH1 2JR;
tel: 0131 225 4851
Still thirsty after a night of partying? At 6am, the Penny Black is the earliest opening pub in the city, offering you the chance to enjoy a wee dram with the city's most hardcore drinkers.
17 West Register St, EH2 2AA;
tel: 0131 556 1106
Up in the newly regenerated Fountainbridge area, once home to the city's many breweries, Cargo is tucked away in a shiny glass-and-steel building with all the charm of an office block. But walk inside, and out back, and you'll find yourself transported as the bar backs onto the canal. In a nice way. It can get a little overrun with office drones from the nearby insurance companies come 6pm but during the day, it's a real sanctuary.
Edinburgh Quay
Fountainbridge
EH3
0131 659 7880
Nestling at the bottom of Arthur's Seat, in Duddingston, this pub is the perfect antidote to the hustle of Edinburgh's city centre - especially at this time of year. In its long history, it counts Bonnie Prince Charlie and Mary Queen of Scots among its visitors and is a real, proper Edinburgh institution. Off the beaten track, perhaps, but as close to a country pub you get in the city.
43-45 Causeway
Edinburgh, EH15 3QA
0131 656 6951
Teuchter's is a fabulous, easy, cool and friendly spot in the heart of the busy West End area. It's close to local offices and yet it's full of a mixture of folk who gather for the old favourite tipples and and real ales. In colder climes the wide range of single malts pulls in those in need of warmth and welcome. It’s notable for its friendly feel and old dark wood furniture.
For a central bar, happily, the sport is not intrusively (always) shown as the place is a haven for girls wanting a house white as well as corporate boys and sporty beer folks. I won't stretch you to an appreciation of the Highland title - that can be something for you to find out.
26 William Street, EH3 7NH;
tel: 0131 226 1036
Fancy bank-turned-pub on George Street. An absolutely fantastic place on a Sunday afternoon - live jazz - and you cannot fail to be impressed by the main floor, and especially the domed ceiling from which it gets its name.
14 George Street, EH2 2PF;
tel: 0131 624 8624;
www.thedomeedinburgh.com
This small pub is a hidden gem. Head towards the back of the bar to find a cinema. Lay back on the matresses and cushions (there is no floor space) and enjoy a great selection of dvds. A list at the bar allows anyone to chose a film and chill out for a good couple of hours. The only rule is one drink per film. And with hot chocolate with whipped cream and maltesers on the menu this makes for a perfect Sunday afternoon during those bitter Edinburgh winters.
14 Drummond Street, off Nicholson Street.
This pub is always busy at weekends and full of football fans (the Hibernian stadium is just around the corner) and students. There's no food but the conversation, ales and malts add to a great atmosphere.
367 Leith Walk, Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 554 6850
This fantastic pub in Leith has spectacular views of the Firth of Forth (try and get an outside table for the best views) and the staff are really friendly. It is 'the' place in Leith to grab a drink or a quick meal (the lamb stew is the best dish). It's great for families as children are allowed in the conservatory upstairs.
Trinity Cres, Leith, Edinburgh
Tel: 0131 552 1233
www.oldchainpier.co.uk
This street is great for shopping with the smaller shops selling souvenirs and kilts and the outside stalls selling handcrafted goods. It is really peaceful too as cars are banned from this street.
It also has a buzzing atmosphere in the evening with people drinking in the many pubs and eateries with funny names like Filthy McNasty and Dirty Dicks. It's a great place to mingle with the Scots.
Rose Street runs parallel to Princes Street between St Andrews Square and Charlotte Square.
A stand-out bar wedged in between the Grassmarket and the go-go bars of the West Port. The best cocktails in town cosy up to flock wallpaper, choice pieces of furniture, friendly and unpretentious service, uniquely decorated walls, and a carefully programmed iPod. The icing on the cake is the grand’s worth of collectable adidas trainers topping the best stocked bar in Edinburgh. She's a peach, but is also very small, and it can be tough to get a seat. Mine’s an Ape Expectations.
52 West Port, Edinburgh, EH1 2LD;
tel: 0131 228 4543;
www.dragonflycocktailbar.com/
Rick's is a great bar/restaurant with rooms on Frederick Street just off Princes Street.
The food is lovely and the place very buzzy. The rooms are pretty stylish in a luxurious minimalism sort-of way. Rooms with breakfast cost £129/night - pretty good value.
Frederick St, Edinburgh
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