Pubs & bars

Independent is a relatively new arrival to the City Centre. In a playfully literal extension of its name, the (slightly shabby) black interior is covered by front pages from a certain liberal broadsheet (clue: it’s not The Guardian). Standing out from…

Fashionable Indigo Yard in Edinburgh’s West End packs in crowds of after-work drinkers in power suits and clean city Barbours, unwinding over cocktails, champagne, chilled pints and wines in showy shaped glasses. Food-wise, there's a customer-pulling…

Emerging from a complete refurbishment as we went to press in spring 2013, 99 Hanover Street has gone out of its way to grab the attention in elegant and dignified style amid the often gaudy city-centre bars. Catering to an intensely fashionable young…

Nowhere in Aberdeen are you are less likely to find a plasma screen or a trayful of Bacardi Breezers than in Under the Hammer. A mellow basement bar whose name refers to the auction rooms upstairs, it is frequented by a slightly older, sophisticated…

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…

The stylish City Centre branch of Bar Soba attracts a cosmopolitan mix of shoppers sipping wine, pre-clubbers enjoying unusual cocktails and diners looking for contemporary Asian food. All rub shoulders with ease as the bar area, with subdued lighting…

Tucked down an alleyway opposite the Lighthouse, this 1990s café-style bar is a befitting sanctuary to escape the hustle and bustle of Buchanan Street. This converted warehouse is as much an arts space as it is a watering hole. It has the feel of an…

The Black Sparrow attracts sophisticated patrons to its ornate and über cool abode. It has an old-fashioned bourbon bar look, with smoochy jazz/ambient beats mellowing the airwaves. It’s actually quite romantic. Dark burgundy leather studded booths…

Just as the cinematic offerings at the GFT are a million miles from the standard multiplex fare, so is the café a welcome departure from harshly lit popcorn pushers and hot dog dispensers. It’s a cosy haven, with low lighting, dark blue walls and a…

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…

From the outside there is nothing about this newcomer that shouts ‘hola che’ as you pass by, but here is a tapas bar with proud Valencian roots. Pronouncing the name isn’t required to enjoy the food, but perhaps smart choices are. The morcilla and…

Whistlebinkies has been bought over and is now called Conway's Bar And Grill, there has been a total transformation and this is now one the must visit places in Stirling, great selection of drinks, large beer garden, great food cooked by a excellent…

A real community hub, Peter McQuade's bar-restaurant hosts a steady stream of regulars serving a mix of modern pub staples such as fish and chips, popular Sunday roasts and hearty but not heavy finer dining.

{hb} has all the atmosphere of a club, yet bizarrely lacks books. But don’t feel short-changed – the menus have clever wordplay a-plenty to get literary tongues wagging. Enjoy a brunch, things involving eggs, connoisseur sandwiches, meaty stews and…

Pubs come and go, but the Horse Shoe endures - the literally horseshoe-shaped, longest continuous bar in Britain ensuring its fame, regardless of the gold and platinum discs donated by Travis, drummer Neil having once worked here. Halfway down a cobbled…

The name suggests Arctic chill but inside is a warm, softly lit bar, with exposed brickwork and book-lined shelves. The main restaurant is upstairs but food is served in both areas. Celebrated for being an ecologically sustainable restaurant (they boast…

There are no tacky cocktail umbrellas or blingy details in this understated, warm, generally excellent cocktail bar. Just very well mixed drinks, and the odd fancy toastie if you’re hungry. It’s a more streamlined update on its previous guise as The…

Weekends at this popular bar and diner feature live music and even a regular magician – helping to create a lively infectious buzz that is easy to get caught up in. Couples and groups are seated in leather booths, helping to break up the restaurant…

With bold patterned wallpaper, gilt frames and a blazing fireplace adorned with a dramatic stag's head, this expansive dining and drinking space is frequented by a mixed crowd of Morningside locals. Food is served from noon onwards, all day, every day…