United Kingdom
A really decent pub.
This is part of the Belhaven chain and has a very good value drinks menu. Additionally the food menu is very reasonably priced and very tasty - a step above a lot of pubs.
In the less busy times of the week, there are great deals to be had on food and drink.
They even have a 'Man V Food' challenge on Tuesdays!
The pub is situated on the popular Shore area of Edinburgh (Leith) and feels like a pub that should be in a port with all the nautical memorabilia on the walls.
www.belhavenpubs.co.uk/pub/get_pub/77/
58 The Shore, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6RA
+44(0)131 554 2425
Google map: bit.ly/Ir9Y7H
The word 'gastropub' is so overused these days but this establishment certainly deserves that tag.
Have been here many times before and as usual it did not disappoint. Good food, friendly service and great value. There is a wide choice on the menu (and on specials board).
My wife had lentil soup as well as mackerel pate with oatcakes while I had the homemade burger. Portion sizes were big and together with two drinks only set us back £22.
This place never seems to be in various restaurant listing publications but it is well known to people from the Leith area as a place to be treasured.
Kitchen open 10 am - 10pm.
44 Queen Charlotte street, EH6 7EX Edinburgh
+44(0)131 554 1979
www.facebook.com/thecompassleith
Google map: bit.ly/z5Zxmi
Good location for food and drink. The menu while on the face of it looks like a typical bar menu is inventive. You'll find things like rabbit burgers and pheasant on the menu that you wouldn't normally find in a bar. The food is very much moving towards 'gastropub' territory.
On Saturday nights the bar is packed as they have live music. Even when it is quieter it is nice to sit down with a nice pint.
Family friendly.
www.noblesbarleith.co.uk/
44a Constitution street, Edinburgh EH6 6RS
+44(0)131 629 7215
Google map: bit.ly/z8TeR1
There's no better way to stretch your legs at Christmas than climbing the Sailsbury Crags and Arthur's Seat for spectacular views over Edinburgh and out to the Firth of Forth, before heading down past Duddingston Loch and its winter birdlife for a pint and a meal in front of the fire at the Sheep Heid in Duddingston - where you can have a peek at their historic skittles alley. The return, along Queen's Drive, is traffic-free on a Sunday, and deposits you back by the Scottish Parliament and the foot of the Royal Mile where you'll find plenty more pubs.
The Sheep Heid Inn
43-45 The Causeway, Duddingston, Edinburgh, EH15 3QA
www.sheepheid.co.uk
+44(0)131 6617974
Google map: bit.ly/dYve0Q
I was in Edinburgh for the festival, and oh boy was this place full of fun and all free. I stayed for two weeks and almost every night would end up there. They have live music and very delicious food ... but I think what made this place shine for me was the friendly staff. It is an Irish bar and you sense that throughout - be it the traditional design of the place, or Irish bar staff, or the fresh soda bread that you can have for lunch.
14 Forrest Road, EH1 2QN
Nearest station: Edinburgh Waverley
www.malonesedinburgh.com
+44(0)131 226 5954
Google map: bit.ly/bsISa0
The Blind Poet is a small cosy pub with comfy, sink-into sofas and a friendly atmosphere. A great place to watch the footy, listen to Wednesday night’s regular live band or test your brain in the Sunday night pub quiz, its walls are scattered with famous quotes while the gents is famously adorned with clippings from certain popular men’s mags.
Below is Khushis Diner, a local institution, which produces fine and original curries at reasonable prices . Bright and buzzing, it’s a perfect place for a good catch up or a pre-show bite to eat and the open kitchen just adds to the atmosphere. There’s a huge selection of homemade curries on offer but it’s hard to resist the temptation of old favourites cooked to perfection such as their sweet, coconutty lamb korma.
Khushi’s BYOB policy means you can bring your own wine, or better still a cold pint from the Blind Poet upstairs. A perfect combination before heading next door to sample some free festival comedy in the Counting House.
Blind Poet Pub,
32 West Nicholson Street,
Newington, Edinburgh
Khushi's Diner
32B West Nicholson Street
Newington, Edinburgh
0131 667 4871, khushisdiner.com
Google map: tinyurl.com/2vrrcrk
This public house just two minutes from the castle is a great place to unwind after the day or build up to a night out. It's a sociable place to talk and drink with no piped (excuse the pun) music played. The furnishings are basic but comfortable enough and its location on the endlessly fascinating Victoria Street cannot be bettered. Real drinkers need only apply for a round.
80 West Bow
Edinburgh
EH1 2HH
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.
The Water of Leith Walkway will take you along about 12 miles of river through the heart of Edinburgh from Balerno to Leith. One of the nicest stretches is the walk from Stockbridge to the Dean Gallery and Modern Art Gallery, which consists of a mile of picturesque woodland, including a Victorian mineral well guarded by a rather grand nymph-type and wander through the very pretty Dean Village. The best bit is that when you get to the fantastic galleries, you can reward yourself with chocolate cake (Dean Gallery Cafe - highly recommended). Alternatively, walk in the opposite direction (towards Leith) and after three miles pop out onto The Shore in Leith for an excellent feast and pint at the King's Wark.
Water of Leith: www.waterofleith.org.uk/
National Galleries of Scotland:
www.natgalscot.ac.uk/
King's Wark:
www.bestpubs.co.uk/layout0.asp?pub=143236
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
A lovely out-of-town place with a wonderful pub, The Cramond Inn, which has a big beer garden and parking space, and serves loads of good and traditional food for really good prices and has also drinks from a small, independent brewery Scintilla and spectacular beers and ales.
Its near the wonderful seaside promenade, with about 45 min if walked in full.
The path to Cramond Island is only walkable when the tide is out, so take some water with you in case you'll get trapped there with the tide rushing in.
Nice for doggies, kiddies and their owners as there is a big beach, too.
Take bus no 41 directly to Cramond or 42 to first walk the seaside promenade to Cramond;
Cramond Inn: 30 Cramond Glebe Road, EH4 6NP;
tel: 0131 336 2035;
www.undiscoveredscotland.co.uk/edinburgh/cramond/index.html
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
To get out of the city (though not necessarily away from the crowds on a hot day!), head to Portobello, Edinburgh's seaside. The sandy beach, with a promenade, is about a mile long, clean, and reasonably wide when the tide is out. The bustling High Street has various cafes and pubs, and the Dalriada pub on the prom has a beer garden looking out to sea.
The High Street is served by bus no. 26 from city centre, then head for the shore;
Dalriada: 77 The Promenade, Portobello;
tel: 0131 454 4500;
www.dalriada-restaurant.com
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 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 pub is very upmarket and expensive but serves great food and has a startling array of malt whiskys, wines and beers. The menu is top class and food is served until 10pm (7pm at weekends). The pub has a sedate atmosphere at the weekends. A couple of tables outside allow you to watch the world go by in the evenings.
Dirty Dicks
159 Rose St
Edinburgh
EH2 4LS
Tel: 0131 225 4610
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