Pubs & bars

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…

A pub since 1850, the Prince of Wales is known for its beer not its décor, although it features a locally renowned fitting: one of the longest bars in Aberdeen. Boasting its own brew, it also has an impressive selection of Scottish and English ales 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…

Now firmly established after its rebirth from the Liquid Ship, this revamped bar is ideal for weekend and post-work socialising. The menu is a considered improvement on the predecessor's which felt like an afterthought – now there are even cheese and…

The Greig Street Bridge crosses the River Ness taking you away from the mercantile city centre to Huntly Street. The friendly, traditional Waterfront pub is 100 metres to the right of the bridge, its golden signage shining across the river at night.

Located in an old tobacco merchant’s house on the periphery of the Merchant City, Babbity Bowster is a pleasantly secluded place for a drink and some good food, particularly in the beer garden if the sun is shining on this evocative street. Babbity…

Taking inspiration from New Orlean’s ‘Holy Trinity’ Cajun cooking, this American-themed venue has a combined focus on soul food, music and cocktails. Divided bar/lounge style, with one area focused on food the other on drinks, with décor that may feel…

The best in world and arthouse cinema is always on offer at this international film centre. Three screens show a variety of new, classic and archive releases, with films for a fiver on Tuesdays. Elsewhere in the building there's the Mediatheque…

This small cantina-style bar is best in the sunshine when the front opens up but it’s cosy on colder days too, and into the late-opening nights. While size dictates limited draught choices the well-stocked fridge has a smartly chosen selection to…

Bloody Marys this good can make the rest look bad. That’s not so much of a surprise; enjoy some more while looking at the name on the sign outside – it’ll all make sense. This stylized and lightly eccentric bar in the heart of the West End gets away…

New Ownership from March 2013 and is now a Freehouse serving Harveys and other seasonal guest ales.

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…

Recently acquired by the company behind city-centre boozers the Abbotsford and the Guildford Arms, the Cumberland Bar falls into the same category of old-fashioned Edinburgh pubs that enjoy a sense of character even without having been tampered with in…

If you were ever in any doubt that this is a Scottish bar, a warm greeting from a rugged gent in a rugby-style shirt awaits. Surroundings are of a distinctly rustic and wooden nature while a piano sits desperately wanting to be played, all of which…