Bar 50

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The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.

Edinburgh's Smart City Hostel is in the heart of the Old Town and offers budget accommodation for visitors and students. Bar 50 is their popular restaurant and drinking den sited in an expansive basement that opens out onto the Cowgate (with some outside tables). A recent refurbishment has seen the place decked out appropriately for its youthful and exuberant clientele, with cosy booths and sofas, large screens with Sky Sports and a pool table. Hostel guests, students, backpackers and locals come to enjoy the funky and friendly atmosphere alongside a menu of keenly priced snacks, sandwiches and pub grub. Decent burgers, stoned baked pizzas, nachos and steak ciabattas are the order of the day and most exceed expectations, offering some genuinely good value for the hungry and cash-strapped. The bar's range of drinking options include cocktails, sharing pitchers and a number of single malts. For those who overindulge in the aforementioned beverages, there is always the famous £4.95 Scottish breakfast buffet to help you through the hangover!

• High point: Great value grub, student discounts and lots of promotions
• Low point: Not so easily spotted from the street