Pubs & bars, Child friendly

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…

Brightening up Partick for several years now with its 1950s American diner-style décor and assorted retro touches such as big tubs of sweets behind the bar, Rio Café offers a little something for everyone. Serving food from breakfast through dinner…

Microbrewery appreciation starts early at Mono, where vast silver vats line one wall, piping homemade lemonades directly to the bar for a refreshing alternative to the usual drinks, which are of course also available. Young parents bring their kids to…

The Orchard is a popular stopping point for passers-by heading to and from the Botanic Gardens and tempted by a refreshment in the wood panelled bar or possibly at the outdoor tables if weather permits. It also has a loyal band of regulars and is a…

Kyloe (meaning ‘cattle’) is looking to fill a niche in the Edinburgh restaurant scene, and that niche is meat, meat, meat. Cows are everywhere – the statue outside, the paintings on the wall, the cowhide furniture and the board that displays all the raw…

Anyone with an interest in Scotland’s liquid refreshments should visit one of the two Teuchters, both of which offer an encyclopaedic selection of the country’s whiskies and beers. The Leith version has the added attraction of being housed in a cosy…

Happy birthday to the Traverse Theatre. In 2013 the venue celebrates its Golden Jubilee and to mark the occasion its fondly regarded basement bar/cafe has an updated menu. Fried sea bass with crushed new potatoes, or tagliatelle with mushrooms…

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…

It’s beginning to test the meaning of careworn slightly these days, but there’s still no café in Glasgow homelier than Offshore, nor even as homely. Hugging the corner of Gibson Street where it crosses the River Kelvin, with leafy views to the park…

Bigger and with a slightly more sophisticated vibe than Boda, its nearby sister venue, Victoria is able to fill up its extra space with clientele ranging from pushchair-wielding parents in the daytime to a fairly cosmopolitan crowd of an evening, with…

Despite being festooned with an abundance of fairy lights and flickering candles and boasting a burnished golden ceiling, the dining room of this converted church has an intimate, relaxed feel. Chef Jonathon Macfarlane (formerly Ubiquitous Chip) is a…

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…

Meaning ‘home’ in Swedish, Hemma is the latest addition to Mike and Anna Christopherson’s string of Scandinavian style bars. And with its soft furnishings and quirky interiors, it does indeed have a laidback, homely atmosphere, despite the modern feel…

A competition saw this bar named after the decadent 17th-century poet, the 2nd Earl of Rochester, but here’s nothing debauched about this Libertine, which neatly balances daytime bistro and night-time bar. Tall windows line both aspects, allowing diners…

Despite being opposite Edinburgh University’s main halls of residence, the Salisbury Arms, with its subtle, rustic elegance and light, spacious dining area, is a far cry from the restored Georgian building’s previous incarnation, popular student…

As Edinburgh’s oldest pub, having first opened its doors as far back as 1360, Duddingston’s Sheep Heid Inn has a true country pub feel despite being just a few minutes’ drive from the centre of town. Inside the bar’s main area, the decor is understated…

Sea bass with crispy skin and a delicate white sauce in a Glasgow pub for under a tenner is a very rare thing – and when done this well it’s certainly worth seeking out from a menu that exceeds what you’d expect from a bar and represents excellent value…

Tucked away behind the King's Theatre, this brasserie has been on the city restaurant scene for 20 years. The layout includes a long, thin bar with an open kitchen, a blackboard showing specials, quirky artworks and candles flickering on black tables.

Closed in 2012, the Captain's Rest is much missed, as a bar and especially as a gig venue. But its effective successor Broadcast – situated much more centrally, practically eyeball-to-eyeball with nearest rival Nice 'n' Sleazy – promises to be just as…

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…

New breweries are springing-up across Scotland amid the craft beer revolution, but the country’s only German-style microbrewery sits apart from that trend, by drawing its inspiration from centuries-old Bavarian traditions. WEST can be found in most good…

If you are a lover of both wine and jazz, then Whighams has pretty much got it covered. Their Sunday-night jams and monthly wine-tasting events are in with the West End bricks, occasions suitably enhanced by the bar’s candlelit cellar atmosphere. The…