Utopia

This review appears in the The List's Eating & Drinking Guide 2008 – in the shops now or buy online.

Easter Road's first style bar was intended as a diamond in the rough when it opened in 2006, with a sleek brown interior and smart cocktail menu. It's no longer the head-turner it once was but the area is transforming gradually and Utopia sees itself as part of that process. Soft leather sofas in the corner normally make a pleasant, relaxing stop-off for cups of Illy coffee over a read of the papers. As we went to press the owners of the pub – who also run Cozi Bar on St Stephen Street – announced plans to shake up the catering on offer by introducing 'the sausage & burger bistro @ utopia bar' serving food through the first half of the evening and all day at the weekends. On offer will be five different types of Crombies' sausages, three different veggie sausages, four types of mash and two gravies: it's not hard to work out that mix'n'match will be the order of the day. Burgers will follow a similar vein with home-made half-pounder burgers made with prime steak mince available with a variety of different toppings including a choice of four cheeses, chilli, egg and haggis. [New menu not yet in operation at time of going to press]