Pubs & bars

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…

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…

Please note this listing is for the gig venue. To find out more about the bar/restaurant, read our Eating & Drinking Guide review of King Tut's.

Reopened in February 2013 after a substantial refurbishment, the Melville Bar has been transformed from traditional boozer into a modern space with the tired surroundings replaced by clean, slick décor and candlelit tables. The attempt to appeal to a…

If you’re an Edinburgh WAG looking for a bite to eat before a night on the town with your footballer boyfriend, Le Monde will be one of your first choices. The world is your oyster in this boutique hotel with international themed bedrooms, dining areas…

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…

In our age of smart phones, Twitter, citizen journalism and plummeting newspaper sales, theming a bar on a newsroom seems almost quaint. But while the newly refurbed Newsroom plays a certain homage to hot metal with famous front page wallpaper and a…

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…

For a Ship that's firmly anchored to the Shore, albeit just a clam shell's lob from the Water of Leith, this is a properly nautical experience. Admiralty charts serve as wallpaper, oars hang from the ceiling and blackboards at every turn list the…

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…

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…

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…

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…