Pubs & bars, Budget, Wi-Fi within 5 miles of Edinburgh

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…

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…

With its classic interiors and traditional pub front, one could be forgiven for mistaking the Auld Hoose as a run-of-the-mill, slightly antiquated boozer. But with a jukebox featuring the best of goth, punk and metal music, and being a meeting place for…

With Boswell and Johnston supposedly meeting here, The White Horse has pedigree and 250 years on it remains popular with a diverse clientele. The stone walls provide some historic character but friendly bar staff and comfy seats contribute more to the…

Floor-shaking stamping, plaintive strains of Spanish guitar and passionate cries of ‘ole!’ might well accompany your meal at La Sal, thanks to regular performances from Alba Flamenca, the dance school next door to the restaurant. Formerly known as El…

Ending Easter Road’s exile from the Leith pub revival in some style, the Mash Tun (formerly misguided ‘style bar’ venture Utopia) is notable for the skill with which it does the simple things. The interior is a contemporary blend of freshly plastered…

Anyone who lives in Edinburgh will tell you that perhaps the city's busiest dining thoroughfare, at least during the summer peak season, is also its least inspiring. There are a few gems on the Royal Mile, but statistically you're more likely to venture…

Ideally positioned for much of Edinburgh’s student population, the Greenmantle is a busy Southside local. Offering a meeting place for university societies, as well as hosting their own quiz nights, live music, poker and Spanish nights, this bar always…

A hot spot for beer drinkers, the Southern is the ideal watering hole for those looking for a decent pint. Housing a great range of beers, both bottled and on tap, many are from Scottish breweries such as Williams Bros’ Caesar Augustus, a refreshing…

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…

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…

Hardened patriots might lament this venerable old boozer’s transformation from dingy haven to high-end Swedish ϋber-pub, but only the most misanthropic skinflint can really resent its success. Indeed, JP’s has an uncanny knack of catering to wildly…

With new management since August 2012 there has been a renewed focus on the quality of the wine and food. There is an Italian focus to the wine list but it also features interesting choices from around the world, with 30 or so available by the glass and…

In the heart of Edinburgh University’s busy student zone in Chamber Street you will find what years ago was the Edinburgh Dental Hospital. Today there are happier reasons for opening your mouth wide and more sociable anaesthetics. Revolution, the 60+ UK…

One of those versatile bars that often seems like a good idea for its perky cocktail list (a modernised one will be introduced very soon, retaining six old favourites and the same proactive attitude to decent ingredients), comfy sofas, and very…

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…

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…

With walls emblazoned with an improbable selection of cartoon characters, and primary colours very much to the fore, Treacle is clearly not aiming for understatement, and it succeeds in pulling off an atmosphere that is breezy and upbeat. Food-wise…

The Causewayside stalwart is a popular spot with Southside drinkers who know their stuff. This is a place with character in abundance, with walls sporting original wood-carved panels and a carillon of bells hanging from the ceiling. Low-lit lamps and…

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…

The latest addition in the effort to turn Leith Walk into Edinburgh’s premier street for welcoming and quirky local boozers, the Brass Monkey is the sister venue of Drummond Street’s long-established original branch, a bar with a mainly studenty crowd…

Some restaurants are all about the expectation game. Launched in London over 40 years ago, the Hard Rock has since exported its rather cookie cutter approach all over the world, but should you go in expecting generous portions of decent, if rather…