Best bars in Edinburgh: where to actually drink
Edinburgh: pub crawl 7 bars with 6 free shots
What are the best bars in Edinburgh?
The Bow Bar (Victoria Street) for whisky and real ale; The Oxford Bar (New Town) for no-nonsense local atmosphere; Panda and Sons (Queen Street) for creative cocktails; Brewdog Edinburgh or Hanging Bat for craft beer. For the full picture by area and style, read on.
Edinburgh’s bar scene, honestly assessed
Edinburgh has a drinking culture built over several hundred years. The city has more whisky bars per capita than anywhere else in Scotland, a strong real ale tradition anchored in the Edinburgh brewing heritage (Belhaven, Stewart Brewing, and others), and a growing cocktail scene centred on the New Town and the hipster-adjacent parts of the Old Town.
What Edinburgh does not have, in the Royal Mile area, is great bars at tourist-friendly prices. The pubs immediately adjacent to the castle esplanade and the main Royal Mile thoroughfare serve mediocre beer at inflated prices to people who do not know better. Walk two minutes in any direction and the picture improves dramatically.
This guide points you toward the good ones.
The best whisky bars
For whisky specifically, see the best whisky bars in Edinburgh guide. The summary: the Bow Bar (West Bow) for the best combination of selection, knowledge, and fair prices; Cadenhead’s (Canongate) for independent bottlings; Boisdale (St Andrew Square) for the premium experience.
Traditional pubs: Old Town
The Bow Bar, West Bow
Already named in the whisky guide but worth repeating here: the Bow Bar is one of the finest pubs in Scotland by any measure. Excellent cask ales (Deuchars, Timothy Taylor, rotating guests), the whisky selection already noted, and a physical space — wood-panelled, unhurried, genuinely comfortable — that feels like what a pub should be.
Address: 80 West Bow, EH1 2HH. Noon–midnight.
The White Hart Inn, Grassmarket
Edinburgh’s oldest pub on its original licence. Burns and Wordsworth. Good pints at fair prices. The Grassmarket setting is among the most atmospheric in the city.
Address: 34 Grassmarket, EH1 2JU. Daily from 11am.
The Last Drop, Grassmarket
Comfortable, no-nonsense, with a decent whisky selection and food that is better than the tourist location might suggest. The upstairs room is good for groups.
Address: 74–78 Grassmarket, EH1 2JR. Daily from noon.
Deacon Brodie’s Tavern, Royal Mile
The exception to the rule about Royal Mile bars: Deacon Brodie’s is genuinely historic (named after the eighteenth-century town councillor by day, criminal by night who inspired Jekyll and Hyde), and while it is unambiguously tourist-facing, the quality of the beer and the pub atmosphere are not compromised. Worth a single pint for the history. Named after the Old Town’s most famous hypocrite.
Address: 435 Lawnmarket, EH1 2NT. Daily from 10am.
Traditional pubs: New Town
The Oxford Bar, Young Street
Famously Ian Rankin’s favourite pub and the model for the bars in the Rebus novels. The Oxford Bar is the anti-tourist Edinburgh pub: tiny, dark, serving only drinks (no food, no quizzes, no themed events), with a clientele of regulars who are extremely likely to include actual Edinburgh residents having actual conversations. It is not unfriendly to visitors; it simply has no interest in performing for them.
There are more comfortable pubs in Edinburgh. There are no more authentically Edinburgh pubs.
Address: 8 Young Street, EH2 4JB. Daily from noon.
Milne’s Bar, Rose Street
A literary institution — the “Little Kremlin” of Scottish literature, where Sorley MacLean, Hugh MacDiarmid, and Norman MacCaig used to argue about poetry. The poetry connection has faded but the pub itself is still excellent: proper ales, no-nonsense service, the kind of atmosphere that does not try too hard.
Address: 35 Hanover Street, EH2 2PJ. Daily from 11am.
Guildford Arms, Register Street
Victorian grandeur applied to a pub — ornate ceiling, mahogany fittings, a first-floor gallery dining room. The Guildford Arms is a beer-drinker’s pub with an exceptional range of Scottish real ales and a relaxed, non-precious atmosphere. The Fringe festival crowd discovers it every August; it handles them well.
Address: 1–5 West Register Street, EH2 2AA. Daily from noon.
Craft beer
Hanging Bat, Lothian Road
Edinburgh’s most serious dedicated craft beer bar. Around 30 taps, with a constantly rotating selection that prioritises Scottish, English, and Scandinavian craft breweries. The food is good pub food that complements the beer rather than competing with it. Less central than some alternatives but worth the 10-minute walk from Princes Street.
Address: 133 Lothian Road, EH3 9AD. Daily from noon.
Brewdog Edinburgh, Cowgate
Part of the national chain but the Edinburgh bar is better than most: a large, comfortable space in a converted vault on the Cowgate with a reliable selection of Brewdog core range and experimental taps alongside guest Scottish crafts. Good for groups. Open late.
Address: 56 Cowgate, EH1 1JX. Daily from noon–1am.
Cold Town House, Grassmarket
A relative newcomer on the Grassmarket with a focus on Scottish craft and a large outdoor terrace that is excellent in good weather. The rooftop deck with its views up to the castle is one of Edinburgh’s best outdoor drinking spots.
Address: 4 Grassmarket, EH1 2JU. Daily from noon.
Cocktail bars
Panda and Sons, Queen Street
One of Edinburgh’s most praised cocktail bars — a basement speakeasy styled as a barber shop, with creative menus based around Scottish ingredients and seasonal produce. The bar staff are knowledgeable without being precious. Booking recommended for weekend evenings.
Address: 79 Queen Street, EH2 4NF. Mon–Sat from 5pm.
The Bon Vivant, Thistle Street
New Town cocktail bar with a strong food programme and one of the best Sunday brunches in Edinburgh. The cocktails are inventive without being perverse; the wine list is good; the atmosphere is relaxed and genuinely neighbourly.
Address: 55 Thistle Street, EH2 1DY. Daily from noon.
Lucky Liquor, Queen Street
Small, independent, focused on doing a short cocktail menu extremely well rather than serving everything to everyone. Lucky Liquor has won various Scottish bar awards and the reputation is deserved. Gets busy; no reservations on the main floor.
Address: 39a Queen Street, EH2 3NH. Mon–Sat from 5pm.
Late-night options
For drinking that continues past midnight, the Cowgate is the area. The Three Sisters (139 Cowgate) is the most reliable late-night option for a mixed crowd; Cabaret Voltaire (36 Blair Street) and Sneaky Pete’s (73 Cowgate) are better for clubbing than for drinking in the pub sense.
The Grassmarket and Cowgate nightlife guide covers the late-night circuit in full detail.
Edinburgh pub culture: context and character
Edinburgh’s pub culture has distinct characteristics that differentiate it from London, Glasgow, and most other major British cities. Understanding them helps set expectations.
The Scottish licensing regime: Scotland operates under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, which is broadly similar to English licensing but includes specific provisions around late-night hours and responsible service. The result is that most Edinburgh pubs close earlier than comparable London venues (1am on Friday and Saturday is the common maximum), but the culture around responsible service is generally good — you are unlikely to be served when clearly intoxicated, and refusals are handled matter-of-factly rather than aggressively.
Ale culture: Edinburgh has a strong real ale tradition linked to its brewing history. The Edinburgh and Lothian region was a major brewing centre for centuries, and Belhaven (still brewing in Dunbar) and the now-incorporated McEwan’s and Younger’s brands shaped the local drinking culture. Deuchars IPA (from Caledonian Brewery, now Heineken-owned but still Edinburgh-based) is the most widely available Scottish cask ale. Better options at the Bow Bar and Guildford Arms.
Whisky culture: As covered extensively in the whisky bar guide, Edinburgh has an exceptional concentration of serious whisky venues. What distinguishes Edinburgh from other whisky cities is the breadth: from the independent bottler retail experience at Cadenhead’s to the premium restaurant setting at Boisdale to the no-pretence selection at the Bow Bar, every approach to whisky drinking is available within a fairly short walk.
The student dimension: Edinburgh University and three other universities create a large permanent student population, and this has a significant impact on the bar scene: the Southside (around Newington, Marchmont) and the Old Town near the university buildings (around Cowgate, Blair Street) have a higher proportion of student-oriented venues that combine low prices with extended hours. During term time (October to May) and especially during freshers’ week in September, the Old Town becomes considerably busier and louder.
Fringe season: In August, every single aspect of Edinburgh’s bar scene intensifies. Pubs that are normally easy to get into at 8pm are crowded from 6pm. Street performers, festival-goers, and visiting comedians and musicians create a city-wide atmosphere that has no parallel at any other time of year. See the August in Edinburgh survival guide for how to navigate this.
Neighbourhoods and their bar characters
Edinburgh’s different neighbourhoods have distinct bar personalities:
Old Town (Grassmarket, Cowgate): The tourist-facing but genuinely atmospheric end of Edinburgh nightlife. Best for: atmosphere, history, late nights. Most concentrated nightlife geography. The tourist-trap pressure is real (skip anything with a pavement menu and photographs of haggis), but the good venues here are very good.
New Town (Rose Street, George Street): Smarter, more varied, good cocktail bars alongside the traditional pubs. George Street has several upscale cocktail venues; Rose Street has the traditional pub circuit. Less rowdy than the Cowgate; better for conversation.
Stockbridge: A neighbourhood pub circuit with no pretension. The Baillie Bar and the St Vincent Bar are both good examples of local Edinburgh pubs that serve the area’s residents rather than visitors. Good food at most of them.
Leith: The docks and Shore area has excellent bars with a waterfront character that is unlike anywhere else in Edinburgh. The Port O’ Leith Bar on Constitution Street is a Leith institution — narrow, bright, community-oriented, with nautical decor and regular music.
Bruntsfield/Marchmont: Student and young professional bars. Good prices, relaxed atmosphere. Drinkmonger for the specialist whisky and spirits dimension.
Afternoon drinking: the Edinburgh tea-time tradition
One underappreciated aspect of Edinburgh pub culture is the afternoon. Edinburgh’s pubs open from noon and the period from 3pm to 6pm is genuinely pleasant in the city’s better establishments — quiet enough to have a conversation, staffed by people who are not yet slammed with the evening rush, and in the Old Town pubs, offering the bonus of the afternoon light on the castle.
The White Hart Inn in the Grassmarket is particularly good in the afternoon. The Bow Bar on Victoria Street keeps its usual quality but with more room for conversation before 6pm. The Guildford Arms is excellent for a mid-afternoon cask ale in its ornate Victorian interior.
For visitors who want to drink whisky specifically in the afternoon, before the evening crowding, the Scotch Whisky Experience’s Amber Bar (open from noon) and Cadenhead’s Whisky Shop (open from 10am, tasting encouraged) are both worth considering as afternoon whisky destinations.
Edinburgh’s café culture also provides an afternoon-drink alternative: the coffee scene is strong, particularly in Stockbridge (Artisan Roast, Cairngorm Coffee) and in the New Town (Brew Lab, Cult Espresso). These are relevant for visitors who want to spend an afternoon in Edinburgh without focusing exclusively on alcohol.
Sunday in Edinburgh: the pub scene
Sunday is Edinburgh’s most relaxed drinking day. The pubs open later (typically noon rather than 11am), but the compensation is a crowd that is unhurried and unpressured. The Grassmarket pubs on Sunday afternoon, with the castle above and the sounds of the city at the weekend, represent Edinburgh at its most pleasant.
For folk music on Sunday: the Royal Oak’s Wee Folk Club starts around 8:30pm and is a genuine Edinburgh institution. Sandy Bell’s has Sunday sessions from around 7:30pm. Both are worth building a Sunday evening around.
The Stockbridge Sunday Market (10am–5pm on Saunders Street) makes a good Sunday morning activity before the pubs open — a walk through the market, coffee at one of the Stockbridge cafés, then a pub lunch at the Baillie Bar or the St Stephen Street venues is a classic Edinburgh Sunday.
Combining bars with a guided experience
If you want Edinburgh’s bar scene with guidance, the organised Edinburgh pub crawl with seven bars and six free shots handles the navigation and logistics. For food alongside drinking, the 3.5-hour guided food and drink tour covers the bar and restaurant scene in an afternoon and evening format.
For whisky specifically, the Edinburgh whisky and folklore tour visits several Old Town bars with historical context for each venue.
Beer in Edinburgh: what to order
Scotland is not as famous for beer as it is for whisky, but it has a genuine ale tradition worth exploring. Here is what to order when the whisky is not the right choice.
Deuchars IPA: The most recognisable Scottish cask ale, produced by Caledonian Brewery (now owned by Heineken but still brewed in Edinburgh). A 3.8% hoppy amber ale that is well balanced and reliable. Available on cask at most Edinburgh pubs and is the benchmark for Scottish real ale.
Stewart Brewing: Edinburgh’s most respected independent craft brewery, producing a range of ales from the sessionable (Stewart 80/- at 4.4%) to the ambitious (Radical Road Pale Ale, various seasonal releases). Look for Stewart taps at independent pubs across the city.
Belhaven Best: Scotland’s oldest brewery (Dunbar, 1719) produces Belhaven Best, a 3.2% smooth ale that is widely available. Reliably pleasant; not especially exciting.
Tennent’s Lager: Not a Scottish ale but the most popular Scottish beer in terms of volume, a pale lager brewed in Glasgow since 1885. A cultural fixture; ordering one in any Edinburgh pub is as Scottish as ordering a dram. Served cold from keg.
Craft beer options: Edinburgh’s craft scene is well represented by Stewart, Barney’s Beer, Pilot Beer, and Vault City Brewing (the latter known for sour and fruited beers). The Hanging Bat and Brewdog Edinburgh carry the widest rotating craft selection.
Food in Edinburgh’s bars
Most of Edinburgh’s better pubs serve food until around 9pm, and the quality varies as much as the beer selection. Some broad rules:
Traditional pub food (pies, stovies, fish and chips) is generally reliable at Edinburgh’s older pubs. The White Hart Inn and the Bow Bar both do this well. The gastropub model (more ambitious menu, higher prices, better ingredients) is well represented at venues like the Bon Vivant and the Doric Tavern.
For a pre-pub dinner rather than eating in a pub, the Grassmarket area has Maison Bleue (French, excellent) and the area around Stockbridge has consistently Edinburgh’s best density of good restaurants. The where to eat in Edinburgh guide covers the full picture.
Frequently asked questions about Edinburgh bars
What is the drinking age in Scotland?
- ID is required at any venue if there is doubt. The Challenge 25 policy is widely applied.
Are Edinburgh bars expensive?
Central Edinburgh bar prices are comparable to other major UK cities. Pints run £4.50–£6.50; cocktails £9–£14; whisky drams £5–£20+ depending on the expression. Avoid the pubs immediately adjacent to the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle for the best value.
Is there a dress code at Edinburgh bars?
Most Edinburgh bars and pubs have no formal dress code. Some venue-style bars and clubs (particularly on George Street and the Cowgate) operate one at the door on weekend evenings. Smart casual covers the vast majority of Edinburgh venues.
Do Edinburgh bars serve food?
Most traditional pubs serve food until around 9pm. Bar-focused venues (the Bow Bar, the Oxford Bar) serve drinks only. Cocktail bars increasingly run food programmes alongside the drinks.
What is cask ale and is it better than keg?
Cask ale (also called real ale) is beer conditioned in the barrel it is served from, without carbon dioxide pressure, and served at cellar temperature (around 11 degrees Celsius). It has a softer, rounder flavour than the same beer in keg format. Scotland has a strong cask ale culture; the Guildford Arms and the Bow Bar have particularly good cask selections. Whether it is “better” is a matter of preference, but in Edinburgh the cask version of a good Scottish ale is usually the recommended choice.
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