Edinburgh

Sandy Bells

Likewise frequented by medical students, this has live folk music every night.

Mon-Sat noon–1AM, Sun 12:30PM–midnight · Wheelchair accessible

Holyrood Distillery

Small distillery making whisky, vodka, gin and rum. Established in 2019, their first whisky went on sale in 2023.

Sun -Wed 11:30AM-7PM, Thu-Sat 11:30AM-8PM · Tour £22

Teuchters Landing

Friendly pub with food in a former cruise liner waiting room. Lots of outside tables by the water so a great choice for a sunny afternoon. They have another branch in the West End.

Daily 10AM-1PM · Limited wheelchair access · Outdoor seating · Vegan options

Canny Man's

Volunteer Arms

Famously idiosyncratic pub with quirky decor, excellent range of ales, impressive choice of wine and whisky, and decent food.

Daily noon-11PM · Built 1871 · Outdoor seating

Golf Tavern

Good food and an outside seating area facing Bruntsfield Links. You can hire golf clubs and balls here to play on the Links.

Mon-Thu 2-11PM, Fri noon-1AM, Sat 11AM-1AM, Sun 11AM-11PM · Limited wheelchair access · Outdoor seating

The Cumberland Bar

Readers of Alexander McCall Smith's 44 Scotland Street will recognise this literary haunt. It's a traditional pub popular with New Town locals, students, the suits from local offices, pretty much everyone in fact. Gets very busy in summer thanks to its lovely beer garden - one of the few central pubs to have one. Plenty of drink options and decent food.

Mon-Thu 4:30-11PM, Fri Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-11PM · Outdoor seating · Dog friendly

The Pear Tree

Popular with students, this has a large beer garden and outdoor big screen for TV sports.

Daily noon-1AM · Limited wheelchair access · Outdoor seating

Nauticus

Nautical-themed pub with dark panelling, they have beer but are mainly a whisky and cocktail bar. No food.

Mon 5PM-midnight, Tue-Fri 3PM-midnight, Sat Sun 2PM-midnight · Limited wheelchair access

The Cask & Barrel

This often features in the novels of Christopher Brookmyre as the pub where journalist "Jack Parlabane" gets tip-offs from the police. The Cask is a proper boozer with a wide selection of Real Ale plus draft and bottled lagers and whisky. Great place to watch football or rugby as they have half a dozen TV screens.

Sun-Thu 11AM-11PM, Fri Sat 11AM-midnight · Wheelchair accessible

Bennets Bar

A good old-fashioned pub, now part of Kilderkin group, with a wide selection of real ale and whisky. It is traditionally the place for pre / post-theatre drinks, with the Kings Theatre.

Daily noon-1AM

The Basement

Nowadays specialising in Mexico, so this is the place for tequila or tacos.

Mon-Thu 4PM-1AM, Fri-Sun noon-2AM

The Bow Bar

Old-style boozer with a large selection of whiskies, selection of guest ales, and no background music.

Daily noon-midnight

The Jazz Bar

Live music every night, majoring on jazz; early shows are generally free, later gigs individually priced. Limited food or seating.

Mon Tue 7PM-midnight, Wed-Fri Sun 5PM-3AM, Sat 2PM-3AM

The Jolly Judge

Cosy independent pub with a good selection of beer and whisky. One of the few pubs on Royal Mile that's not a tourist trap.

Tue Wed noon-11PM, Thu-Sat, Mon noon-midnight, Sun 2PM-11PM

The Oxford Bar

Trad drouthy Scottish pub, often a setting in the Ian Rankin "Inspector Rebus" novels.

Daily noon-midnight

The Stockbridge Tap

Trad bar with a good range of ales and whiskies, and pub-grub. Popular place for TV sport.

Daily 1-11PM

Mathers

Traditional bar with a good range of real ales and whisky, reasonable pub food. Big screen for football and rugby.

Daily noon-11PM

Lind and Lime Distillery

They make gin, named for James Lind the Scottish surgeon who advocated the use of limes to treat and prevent scurvy at sea. In 1747 he conducted the world's first controlled clinical trial, comparing six different remedies for scurvy while aboard HMS Salisbury patrolling the western Channel.

Mon-Wed 11AM-6PM, Thu-Sun 11AM-8PM · Tour and tasting £30

Doctors

Now a Belhaven pub, this is a welcoming place with good ales and food. It was a few yards from the former Royal Infirmary, within bleep range and sprinting distance for the junior doctors.

Sun-Thu noon-11PM, Fri Sat noon-1:30AM

Leslie's Bar

A trad pub with charming 1890s interior, dog-friendly, changing guest ales and a decent selection of whiskies.

Sun-Thu noon-11PM, Fri Sat noon-midnight

The Kilderkin

Fair selection of cask ales and whisky, the food is so-so and the warmth of welcome varies. This is the original of a chain that now includes The Windsor on Elm Row, Blue Blazer on Spittal St and Bennets at Tolcross.

Mon-Sat 11AM-midnight, Sun 11AM-8PM

The Standing Order

A cavernous converted bank building. It's part of the JD Wetherspoon chain and always has a wide range of inexpensive drinks and pub food.

Daily 8AM-1PM

Edinburgh Gin Distillery

Micro-distillery producing gin in various styles. In summer 2024 they plan to move to larger premises on Market St near the station.

Daily 10AM-4:30PM · Basic tour £25

Barony Bar

Trad pub, dog-friendly, sometimes has live music. It calls itself a gastropub but customers don't much rate the food.

Sun-Thu noon-11PM, Fri-Sat noon-1AM · Outdoor seating · Wheelchair accessible

Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Connoisseur whisky-drinkers' private club, with other branches on Queen St and in Glasgow, trying to convey old-money opulence and exclusivity without snootiness and froideur. If you've genuinely got a nose for the good stuff and are in Scotland for an extended period then it's worth buying the annual membership. Otherwise it's just a marketing ploy to wannabes.

£85 per year

Voodoo Rooms

Over-the-top decor in this quirky pub, sometimes has live entertainment, mixed reviews for the food.

Wed Thu 5PM-1AM, Fri Sun 3PM-1AM, Sat 1PM-1AM

Starbank Inn

Fine real ales with a view over the Firth of Forth. Food available.

Sun-Fri noon-11PM, Sat 11AM-midnight

The Murrayfield

Friendly pub close to Murrayfield Stadium with screens for TV sport. Decent all-day pub grub.

Wed-Sun noon-10PM

56 North

Cocktail bar incorporating South Loch gin distillery.

Daily 11AM-1AM · Limited wheelchair access · Outdoor seating

Old Eastway Tap

Excellent dog-friendly pub with knowledgeable staff.

Sun Mon noon-11PM, Tue-Sat noon-midnight · Outdoor seating