Pubs & bars and Budget
- The Canon's Gait
Impeccable gastro pub food, Royal Mile’s best real ale, with cellar bar available for hire - El Bar
Edinburgh's only dedicated flamenco Spanish tapas bar! - Bennet's Bar
over 100 malts whiskys, traditional food and ales…..just perfect!! - Black sparrow
Black Sparrow offers traditional pub food and wide ranged drink list
The King's Wark
36 The Shore,
Edinburgh,
EH6 6QU
The term ‘gastropub’ does not get a lot of airing north of Hadrian’s Wall, but it is an apt moniker for the King’s Wark. On one hand, this is a solid old Leith pub, all dark wooden nooks and crannies, that serves up ales to a mixed crowd of tourists…
99 Hanover Street
99 Hanover Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 1DJ
Past a burly bouncer, the high doorway of number 99 Hanover Street opens out into a wide, low-lit space with decadent vintage furniture and tables nestled at the edges. This can make for a somewhat gloomy lunch spot unless you get a window seat, but in…
Barioja
15-19 Jeffrey Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1DR
The older establishment of the burgeoning Edinburgh tapas bar scene, Barioja remains a popular and central destination for diners looking for quick snacks or an evening meal. Its red-hued interior is fresh and modern, and makes a centre-piece of a…
Chinaski's
239 North Street,
Glasgow,
G3 7DL
Even if Charles Bukowski – whose biographical alter-ego Chinaski’s is named after – mostly lived off a liquid diet, this dark, discreet hipster haunt just off the main drag of Sauchiehall Street is as much about its food as it is its drink. A huge…
El Bar
6–8 Howden Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9HL
It’s a tapas diner, it’s a friendly local bar and, in an interesting twist, it’s a dance studio on the side. El Bar might be just one part of Alba Flamenca’s Southside corner premises (at one time a more old-fashioned local bar), but this sleek and…
Iglu
2b Jamaica Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 6HH
The name Iglu suggests a frostiness that couldn’t be further from reality in this warm and welcoming eatery. Iglu’s ethical approach to food and drink is worn large and its daily-changing menu of locally sourced, seasonal and welfare-rich food is…
The Rio Café
27 Hyndland Street,
Glasgow,
G11 5QF
There aren’t many places where you find fashionable students sitting next to an anorak-clad granny who's sitting next to a couple on a date, but that’s what you get at the Rio Café – and it works. Step inside and you enter a 1950s diner – the red…
The Street
2 Picardy Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3JT
Within close proximity to some of Edinburgh’s best LGBT venues, The Street acts as a lively pre-club pit stop. Disco balls reflect off the floor-to-ceiling windows at the front, which allow views of the passing nightlife, and catchy chart tunes are…
Bacchus
80 Glassford Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1UR
Weekends are busy at this Merchant City bar, catering for the post-work and pre-club crowd. The interior is stylish, with comfy low cushioned benches, bar stools and standard tables offering seating options to suit your night. Be careful to arrive…
Brel
39–43 Ashton Lane,
Glasgow,
G12 8SG
Namesake Jacques Brel would definitely recognise this informal wood-filled bar as a distinctly European approach to dining and beer. The former stables at the end of Ashton Lane has the air of a Gallic tavern with its oak-lined walls, wooden floors and…
Firebird
1321 Argyle Street,
Glasgow,
G3 8TL
This well-established neighbourhood bar and bistro makes sense whatever the occasion. The intelligent, free-flowing layout means you can dine more formally at the rear, sip a cool microbrewery pint perched at the curved wooden bar, or snack and watch…
Villager
49–50 George IV Bridge,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1EJ
Villager was the bar which started the trend for pared-down cool with its retro stylings, vintage paraphernalia and stencil-graffiti art adorning the walls. These days other places have followed suit so it feels a little less unique and a little more…
The Cloisters
26 Brougham Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9JH
Situated in an old church in Tollcross, Cloisters is a dependable, straight down the line pub. Here you will find an open fire, large solid wooden tables and a bunch of friendly locals enjoying a pint of ale from the well stocked bar. There isn’t a…
Hillhead Bookclub
17 Vinicombe Street,
Glasgow,
G12 8BE
With a table tennis area, drinks served in gramophones, DJs playing eclectic funk and soul, and a menu littered with puns and witty comments, it is easy to see why Hillhead Bookclub has a burgeoning reputation as the best quirky hang-out in the West…
The Holyrood 9A
9a Holyrood Road,
Edinburgh,
EH8 8AE
The menu at this smart Old Town pub cuts to the chase with its mission statement of ‘Great beers, great burgers’. Six ounces of beef, in a sourdough bun, can be teamed up with toppings including smoky bacon, ‘death sauce’ or rosemary-scented wild…
The Tearoom @ The Butterfly and the Pig
153 Bath Street,
Glasgow,
G2 4SQ
The unique interior of welcoming shabby chic makes this a pleasant gem of a place to catch your busy urban breath over a quick wholesome soup and sandwich lunch, or a leisurely afternoon tea. The food is excellent. Here they do justice to the classic…
Baby Grand
3–7 Elmbank Gardens,
Glasgow,
G2 4NQ
Just a few short steps from Charing Cross station, the Baby Grand is by day mainly filled with office workers and commuters who do lunch and coffee in the long thin room, but by night the mood changes to a more leisurely vibe as the pianist takes over.
Nobles Bar
44a Constitution Street, Leith,
Edinburgh,
EH6 6RS
Nobles is a very real contender for one of the best pubs in Leith. The Victorian building has been revamped just enough so that it feels fresh but mercifully there are no vacuous style-bar trappings to be found here. The large, dark wood bar takes…
The Basement Bar and Restaurant
10–12a Broughton Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3RH
While the bustle of city life proceeds at street level, down below, and largely hidden from view, drinkers in this traditional bar sip beers from around the world, whether it’s the local Innis & Gunn or far-travelled favourites Corona and Tiger.
The Grosvenor Café
The Grosvenor Theatre, Ashton Lane,
Glasgow,
G12 8SJ
With its filmic décor and location above the cinema, the recently rebranded Grosvenor Café offers a great opportunity for a movie and a meal night-out. The striking and cavernous venue, lit by spotlights adorning the walls, has silent movie clips…
Heavenly
185 Hope Street,
Glasgow,
G2 2UL
Glasgow’s vegetarian and vegan dining options are hardly extensive so a new arrival such as this City Centre café-bar is something of a godsend. Heavenly joins the city's small but established vegan/veggie scene, offering a similar philosophy of…
Sloans
62 Argyll Arcade, City Centre,
Glasgow,
G2 8BG
It claims to be Glasgow’s oldest bar and restaurant and set over three levels this venue has retained some of its original grandeur. Set off Argyle Street in a cute wee lane (or via the Argyle Arcade) the bar is the first place you come across. It is…
The Standard
24 Howe Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 6TG
With four large TV screens this is a popular location for watching live sports, especially rugby internationals when free pies are served during half time. The decor has a 1930s American feel with fixed red leather seats, deco-style lights and framed…
Bar Ten
10 Mitchell Lane,
Glasgow,
G1 3NU
Bar Ten’s style is trendy but effortless. Fairy lights are dotted about the bar and a high ceiling makes it feel spacious. Metal benches and tiled walls give it an almost industrial feel too. Celebrating its 20th birthday in 2011, the bar remains a…
