Pubs & bars

The Illicit Still is a bit of a Jekyll & Hyde – is it a pub or a bar? Head downstairs to find a warm, pub atmosphere with a maze of nooks and crannies. The sofas, seats, booths and tables are great for cosy conversations, especially around the real…

Hyde Out is somewhat less demure than its name suggests. Located by the canal terminus at Edinburgh Quay, it took over from the old Embark with a splash of publicity and a blizzard of blingin’ style in the autumn of 2010, providing a reinvigorating if…

Sleazy’s, as the city’s hipsters so fondly call it, is a Glasgow institution as far as music/arts venues go, and among those rarities with a 3am licence all week. The interior may feel like a well-worn leather jacket, dragged through the bowels of…

Flaming torches above the door light the way to one of Aberdeen's smartest bars for an affluent, togged-up over 25's crowd. Stone floors and lots of brickwork give the place an edge over its blond wood and brushed steel competitors. Mid-week lunchtimes…

With Edinburgh University around the corner, it is little surprise that the Meadow Bar has long been a favourite of students and academics. Those in the know forsake the self-consciously happening haunts in this part of town for the understated cool of…

Our beautiful Manor house is situated in the heart of the Welsh Valleys and easily accessible from both Cardiff and Newport. The Manor is within minutes of the small town of Blackwood, which has a good variety shops and facilities including golf…

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…

Suspicious diners may wonder - with essentially two distinctly different menus on offer - if the Stair Arms Hotel has a slight identity crisis. Nothing, however, could be further from the truth. A family restaurant with its roots firmly planted in the…

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…

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…

The Ale House Bar is a well known music venue throughout Edinburgh. During the daytime and evening the bar provides excellent meals and a range of cask ales and malt whiskies.