Student friendly
- The Tea Rooms at The Butterfly and the Pig
City centre gem serving Afternoon Tea, High Tea, cakes & delights - Bell's Diner
Visit this Edinburgh institution for a warm welcome and the best burgers in town - The Canon's Gait
Impeccable gastro pub food, Royal Mile’s best real ale, with cellar bar available for hire - Moskito
Moskito is a laid-back bar with an extensive drinks list as well as great food
Chinaski's
239 North Street,
Glasgow,
G3 7DL
Named after a Charles Bukowski alter ego, Chinaski’s maintains its underground roots by eschewing any signage on the exterior in an effort to deter large groups of rowdy drinkers from nearby Sauchiehall Street. During daylight hours the bar is bright…
The Basement Bar and Restaurant
10–12a Broughton Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3RH
Situated below street level, this bar looks like the sort of place American sitcom characters would head for after a hard day’s mirth-making, thanks to the obligatory neon sign, mustard-coloured walls and staff dressed in Hawaiian shirts. It could be…
CC Blooms
23–24 Greenside Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3AA
One of the city¹s most enduring gay clubs, with hi-NRG tracks every night of the week.
The Hive
15–17 Niddry Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1LG
The Hive is a popular late night haunt known for its generous promotions and varied music policy. Any given night you can be treated to pop and chart, indie and electro, rock and metal or drum and bass - so check listings in advance. Holding up to 650…
Glasgow Film Theatre
12 Rose Street,
Glasgow,
G3 6RB
Originally built as the Cosmo in 1939, this was the first art-house cinema constructed outside London. From 1974, the B-Listed building became better known as the GFT and now features two screens and hosts the Glasgow Film Festival.
Home
80 Albion Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1NY
The decoration at this city centre hang-out is indeed a bit like home – if you happen to live somewhere that’s the ‘before’ part of a makeover. The furniture is a random mixture of leather booths (some with ripped seats), squashy sofas and gaudy chairs…
Favorit
19–20 Teviot Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2QZ
Favorit is a late night diner for the young and hip and – most importantly – for those with the munchies. Black and white chequered tiles, retro tables and benches and a large, red neon Favorit sign set the scene. All that's missing is Pulp Fiction's…
The Cloisters
26 Brougham Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9JH
Despite the name and former-church setting, the only monks you’ll find in The Cloisters are those behind the bar – in the form of guest beers like the fruity (and potent) Westmalle, brewed by Belgian Trappists. They’d no doubt approve of the no-frills…
The King's Wark
36 The Shore,
Edinburgh,
EH6 6QU
First and foremost the King’s Wark is a good, solid pub. The dark wood tables and floors have been lovingly restored, Scottish ales are served on tap and the bar is well-stocked with a healthy combination of pub classics and well-selected imports. The…
Bell's Diner
7 St Stephen Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 5AN
If your restaurant is really only serving two things, you’d better make sure you do those things well. Bell's Diner has been doing steak and burgers well for over 40 years and there are no signs of things changing. Behind its anonymous exterior, there’s…
The Blue Parrot Cantina
49 St Stephen Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 5AH
Tucked away downstairs, this cosy basement cantina has been serving the residents of Stockbridge for almost 20 years. The open plan kitchen is the first sight to greet you as you enter; once into the dining room the mood is simple and stripped back with…
Iglu
2b Jamaica Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 6HH
For all that it is tucked at the far end of a side-street, Iglu has established an enviable profile, priding itself on serving seasonal, locally-sourced, organic and wild foods in the cosy upstairs restaurant and downstairs bar area. Proving high…
Electric Circus
36–39 Market Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1DF
Eclectic dance beats and indie plus private rooms with karaoke for a unique clubbing experience.
Mamma's American Pizza Company
30 Grassmarket,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2JU
This Grassmarket stalwart seems to exert a gravitational pull on small to medium sized groups of both locals and tourists looking for an impromptu food stop. Starters like sweet potato fries and macho nachos are decent enough, but their function is to…
The Street
2 Picardy Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3JT
With its Coronation Street-aping sign, its dual-aspect floor to ceiling windows and the big iron ramp which stretches almost the length of the bar and back, the Street is a landmark pub in the Broughton/Picardy Place area. Its main business is a more…
The Original Mosque Kitchen and Café
Edinburgh Central Mosque, 50 Potterrow,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9BT
First set up to ease the burden of daylight fasting during Ramadan on the congregation of Edinburgh's Central Mosque, this outdoor cafeteria-style restaurant has undergone several upgrades and upheavals down the years. Most recently the founders…
Big Slope
36a Kelvingrove Street,
Glasgow,
G3 7SA
It would be interesting to know how many folk come into Big Slope for a drink, but end up having something to eat. That's what makes a good bar food menu: perched on the table, teasing and appetising. Here we have pub favourites with lovely twists…
Barioja
15-19 Jeffrey Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1DR
Barioja has been dishing out its albondigas for over a decade, so could be considered a pioneer of the still relatively youthful Edinburgh tapas scene. Sitting alongside its big sister restaurant, Iggs, it’s seen competition come and go over the years…
