I’ve spent two-thirds of my life in Scotland, and growing up here meant there was only one destination that was worthy of big nights out, and that was Edinburgh.
In my formative drinking years, I’d commit to the train into town and spend hours bundling down the city’s ancient alleyways and Edwardian avenues, exploring its pubs and bars. Back then, a good spot to me was measured on the spectrum of its special offers and its closing time, but I’m pleased to report that over the last decade or so, I’ve sharpened my standards. Now somewhat of a self-proclaimed expert on premium drinking dens, I’ve spent a wonderful amount of time weighing up the merits of cocktails and the rooms they’re served in.
I’ve sacrificed whole evenings of The Fringe to bar crawls and designed evenings around new openings I’ve wanted to try before the masses descend. At one point, I even began curating a whole Google Map around the top places to drink martinis. The result of all this research is that I’m an opinionated and self-congratulatory critic.
Leith’s Nauticus is a forever favourite for me when you want to gain kudos from some hard-to-impress pals with world-class cocktails, while back in the centre of town, Joao’s Place does a good number in excellent drinks served to the backdrop of even better views, and I’ve never met anyone who didn’t enjoy the atmosphere and aperitivo at Hey Palu. I’ve tried to keep things curated, to avoid overwhelm, and to give you different options for different occasions, so that hopefully there’s something for everyone (or one particularly ambitious list for an outstanding bar crawl). These are the best bars in Edinburgh right now.
Nauticus
Somewhere between a cocktail bar and one of Edinburgh’s best pubs, Nauticus might have an old-world vibe to its interiors, but the drinks offering is distinctly à la mode. Settle into a squishy corner and let the bar staff charm you into one too many cocktails. If you happen to wander in on a Sunday, the Bloody Marys are an extremely effective hangover cure – the tomato juice is homemade and customisable to your preferred spice level. The best seats in the house, in my opinion, are the high ones at the bar where you get a front row ticket to the theatre that is the team making cocktails (and they have pretty good chat too, if you’re feeling in a particularly sociable mood).
