Budget, Outdoor dining, Wi-Fi within 5 miles of Edinburgh

There’s a laidback, Australian vibe to the Esplanade – the ‘Espy’ – bar and bistro on Portobello’s beachfront, with its cheery service, beer, burgers, live music and comedy, and tables overlooking, okay, not the Indian Ocean, but the Firth of Forth to…

Bijou came under new ownership in 2011 but both head chef Alastair Berry and the quirky but useful menu formula of offering most items in bijou, medium or large size have remained. The low-key interior features a sprinkling of café-style tables, a small…

Over the past few years Urban Angel has established itself as an essential part of the vibrant dining scene around Broughton Street. The uncluttered and inviting main room is well run by simultaneously enthusiastic, relaxed and efficient staff. The…

From its location to its choice of pizza toppings, Kilderkin is slightly odd but pretty great. Initial impressions are of a slightly dodgy boozer, with its dim lighting, basic decor and unprepossessing exterior. Inside, however, you’ll find one of…

When you head to Tanjore, and it’s heartily recommended you do, there are two reasons to bring an appetite. First, this is where to sample the finest Southern Indian cuisine in Edinburgh. Second, you’ll be tempted to order everything on the enticing…

Beer and burgers are the main draw at Holyood 9a, and both are worth a trip to this corner of the Old Town. A selection of 11 beers is permanently on draught and, combined with another 10 rotational pumps, constitutes one of Edinburgh’s best selections…

Combining Old Town cellar with deliberately worn industrial touches, this is one of the city centre’s better looking bars. Coombed stones walls and low lighting make for an atmospherically louche hangout slightly at odds with the pumping bass on the…

Another Leith bar to make the rest of the city weep, Nobles is quite simply everything you could want from a local. With great drinks (Black Isle supply them with a custom-made Nobles IPA), a pub quiz every Monday, live bands all week and a stunning…

Recently taken over after a short spell unattended, the current incarnation of the Old Chain Pier breathes welcome new life into one of Edinburgh’s most distinctive pub premises. A split-level affair with both a mezzanine and a conservatory (the latter…

Despite new owners and a bit of a revamp in 2009 it remains business as usual with Bar Kohl continuing to serve over 50 flavours of vodka, as it has done since first opening in 1993. Exposed brick walls, chalk boards and standard wooden pub tables no…

A bar belonging to a fashion house will almost by definition be intimidatingly stylish: there cannot be many bars where the cocktail menu varies according to the colours and themes of the current fashion season. Nonetheless, the staff appear to be…

Given its neon signage and the staff’s long-standing penchant for Hawaiian shirts, the Basement has never been a byword for subtlety and sophistication, but instead is a slightly ironic slice of Miami teleported into a Scottish cellar. It’s clearly a…

With a colourful history and formidable reputation, the Canny Man remains a truly unique institution – how many pubs do you know that sell Salmanazars (nine-litre bottles) of champagne? Service from impeccably dressed staff is frequently charming but…

The bar and bistro arm of department store Harvey Nichols is a predictably chic operation, bristling with shiny surfaces, chameleonic lighting and designer furniture. What makes the space particularly alluring though is one of the best skyline views in…

Situated in among the pubs and clubs of the Cowgate, Bar 50 is an ideal place for students and backpackers to relax over a pint and a game of pool during the day, or kick start a great night out on a budget. With large pitchers of cocktails for under a…

The industrial metal interior is suitably on trend for the Edinburgh outpost of this headline-grabbing brewery. More radical though is the proud proclamation of ‘no football, shots or Stella’. A bar that sees serving good beer as its primary function is…

There are two Café Marlaynes: the bijou Thistle Street restaurant and the contrastingly informal Antigua Street branch, which is split into compact café and large dining room. The café does a standard line in coffee, croissants and chat, laptops and…

The pillars holding aloft the Georgian ceiling at Centotre and clever use of booths provide nooks and crannies for romantic tete-a-tetes and broader spaces for parties and business lunches. There is a clear focus on the ingredients here: mozzarella…

A First World War minesweeper boat anchored right at the heart of Leith’s bustling Shore district, Cruz has to be among the most distinctive drinking venues in Edinburgh. A popular watering hole with the area’s young party crowd, Cruz serves up an…

If you were ever in any doubt that this is a Scottish bar, a warm greeting from a rugged gent in a rugby-style shirt awaits. Surroundings are of a distinctly rustic and wooden nature while a piano sits desperately wanting to be played, all of which…