Edinburgh’s Best Bars and Pubs

Edinburgh is a city full of bars and pubs where you can always have a refreshing beer, a whisky or something quick to eat.

Pub or restaurant?

Scotland’s capital offers numerous establishments to cater for all tastes, but a favourite for most visitors is traditional pub food. Even though the opening times are less flexible, pub food is always filling and it is normally cheaper.

Scottish drinks

Scotch Whisky

Initially made for its health benefits, the production of whisky has become one of the most successful industries in Scotland.

Depending on the different grains used, there are various types of Scotch whisky:

• Single malt: From a single distillery. It is exclusively made with malted grain.
• Single grain: This variety contains barley and one or more cereal grains.
• Blended malt: A blend of several single malt whiskies from various distilleries.
• Blended: A mix of malt and grain whisky. 90% of the Scotch whisky produced in Scotland is blended. Some of the most famous brands are Dewar’s, Johnnie Walker, Cutty Sark, J&B or Chivas Regal.

Scotch whisky is mainly produced in the Lowlands, Campbeltown, Isay and the Highlands. The flavour and aroma vary from one region to another. If you visit the Scotch Whisky Experience you can learn a lot more about the country’s national drink.

Note that in Scotland, whisky is normally served by itself and without ice. Sometimes you can mix it with a little water.

Scottish beer

The second most popular drink in Scotland, after whisky, is beer. It has been produced in the country for over 5.000 years and there is a great tradition of going to the pub for a pint or half pint.

Traditional Scottish beer was divided into several shilling price categories. This system, assigned a value for each version of the same beer. Thus the stronger the beer, the more it costs and the higher the number of shillings. This is a distinctly Scottish contribution to the history of brewing, and although it has fallen almost totally into disuse, you still might see an old Scot ask for 'a pint of eighty'.

Although there are over seventy different breweries in Scotland, the two leading beer-makers are Tennents and McEwan’s. Although these two types of ale are excellent, why not try beers from smaller breweries as well? For example, Caledonian Brewery, the only surviving brewery from the nineteenth century, or Bellfield, Stewart and Top Out breweries, all from the local area.

Best bars in Edinburgh

Without taking food into consideration, these are some of the best pubs in the city and well worth discovering:

The Elephant House

Situated in the University area, The Elephant House (21, George IV Bridge) is one of the city’s top Scottish pubs. This is the pub where J.K. Rowling spent many hours writing the Harry Potter children’s books.

Deacon Brodies Tavern

Deacon Brodie is most likely the most popular pub on the Royal Mile (435, Lawnmarket). Opened in 1806, it owes its name to William Brodie, a respectable citizen during the day and cunning thief during the night.

The writer Robert Louis Stevenson was so inspired by William Brodie that he wrote the novel “The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde”.

The Dome

The Dome (14, George Street) was an old bank until it was transformed into one of the most popular bars in Edinburgh. It is luxuriously and exquisitely decorated with an enormous glass dome letting a beautiful light stream in on the Greek style columns and the mosaics.

Despite it being a little pricey, it is definitely worthwhile stopping at The Dome for a coffee to discover its unique atmosphere. If you are lucky and it is sunny outside, it has a pleasant terrace on Rose Street.