A proper Edinburgh pub. Was recommend by a friend and didn't disappoint…read more Got the Tennents on draft. Crisp , light and an excellent Scottish Lager. Tried the Balvenie double wood single malt that was so smooth. Under $10 USD for a double shot of Single Malt?! Unheard of! They also have an area where they show films. Food is limited though and they didn't have any when I visited Sunday evening- all about the spirits here! Great vibe and decent service.

Some good to know facts. A nice stroll from campus, and in a good neighborhood. A block away from…read morea major bus route. A lively and friendly crowd, and as busy as they were I still received excellent service. I came in during pub trivia and just had a couple of drinks so I cannot write on the subject of food. But there are plenty of options to choose from in the vicinity. A great place to bring your friends for a fun evening out!

(See pictures of our food, too!) Service friendly and accommodating (with limited English, but very…read moresweet, and checked to make sure everything was right & we were happy). Sophisticated presentation of food with a flavor profile to match the artfully crafted dish. Excellent music selection (old jazz and mo town, but not the cheezy stuff). Will return. And will recommend.

Wow - nearly 100 different types of vodka including straight, flavored, and direct from Poland…read more Dinner menu that includes appetizers, main dishes, and desserts. Got "haggis balls". Had great fish and chips. Up a flight of stairs and not really advertised.... Well worth it. Only about 7-8 tables and a few bar seats though.

Our second time here while visiting Edinburgh and the drinks are always great. The waitress…read moreremembered us from our visit months before. The vibes are great.

Cute little cocktail spot in Edinburgh. The staff was so nice. They have a cocktail menu and also…read moremake cocktails according to your preference as well. Totally worth a drop in.

Back in the 70's, I played in a band called Cold Spring Harbour and we played several times at…read moreTeviot Union. It had a great atmosphere and was usually hoochin' with people. We had trumpet, sax, organ, guitar bass and drums as well as a vocalist. We did a lot of Chicago songs as well as Blood, Sweat & Tears, Blodwin Pig, The Faces, Neil Young and the Ides of march. Fond memories and so happy to see this place rise once again from the ashes. I've visted several times for a coffee and often have one of their large Pain au raisins........much larger than any others in Edinburgh ! The staff are all very pleasant and I really love the laid back atmospphere in this new and much improved building. The builders did a really splendid job of the renovation. As Arnold used to say, "I'll be back !" Gordon Nicol

Teviot Row House is the oldest purpose built student union in the world. Sitting in George Sq…read morecampus overlooking Bristo Sq, Teviot offers a great and convenient service. I'm really glad that the other reviewers have given Teviot such high ratings and I just want to lend my support. I've heard many people complaining in the past and wanted to counter some of those opinions. Teviot first and foremost houses the student Library Bar- a nice bar with a library theme. Obviously there are cheap drinks and deals to be expected. My only complaint is the food. Take the burgers. The quality is fine, I mean their pretty dry and plain. But they seem a little expensive for what you get, given that its a student union. Also the number of times I have ordered a veggie burger only to be served a beef one is countless. I think the food is one of the main complaints I've heard from others, and I agree it could be improved. But this alone isn't enough to detract from the overall quality of the palce. Teviot also contains a club, several other bars (not always open) a Costa cafe, several sitting areas and rooms that can be hired by societies or used to hold meetings including a debating chamber. Overall Teviot just has a really nice feel that welcomes students. I've been in other student unions that have felt a bit cliquey or just run down. Teviot offers something for most students. And I have to say I love the 16th century Scottish based architecture.

We decided to stay and have a cocktail at the VooDoo Rooms after exploring the Midnight Lunar…read moreMarket. What a vibe this place has going on! We were lucky enough to just show up and grab a semi-circle shaped booth by the bar without any wait. We LOVED that a) the cocktail menu clearly stated "All drinks vegan, please inform staff of any allergens before ordering" and b) that they had the shape of the glassware next to the drink name. The bartender even took some time to make recommendations based on both what was most popular with customers and what the house/staff favorites were. We ended up going with the Porty Licks (gin, pineapple liquor, passionfruit, toasted almond topped with edible flowers) and Green Room (bourbon, peach liquor, lemon, peach, basil yuzu). Both were really well balanced drinks! Next time I'd get the King Khan (spiced rum and a mango oat lassi) or the Hare Krishna (mango, oat milk, chilli, coconut cream, and cardamom - sounds like a lovely non-alcoholic beverage and dessert)!

This place is a gem! I greatly appreciate a vegan option, an actual tasty one at that! The mushroom…read morestroganoff was perfect! It was so flavorful! My non vegan friend even picked into my plate. Great drinks! The staff were friendly and attentive! The decor of this place was amazing; looked like something out of a movie. I'll definitely slide by on my next trip!

All I can say is what a joke The Caves bar management was last night. Waited a year and 8/9 months…read moreand traveled just under 2 for a gig only to be kicked out 5 minutes in for trying to help a miss understanding of speech, guy behind me at the bar shouted over "dae use take caird" and I heard the guy behind the bar say did he just ask if we sell gear, and I approched the bar and said with my card in my hand in front of them "he's asking do you accept card" and then I got a yes we do off one guy then no more than 1 minute later bouncers came and took the guys behind me in the line away then come back and took me away, was thinking what have I done I've not even been in there enough time to even slip up, and the bouncer explained to me and these 3 other guys who I had never met in my life that we weren't allowed back in because bar management had kicked us out for apparently asking the bar if they "sold gear", so I asked can I at least speak to the bar management who kicked us out and was refused, aye these guys were going off there heads but I was trying to be civil about it obviously I'm going to be angry about it but I'll still try and keep my head about me, and then they 3 guys left and then asked again can I speak to the management yet, and yet again was refused and was told I would need to wait till the end of the night after the gig was finished to speak to a manager, and we'll I was waiting on my friend coming out anyways at the end to get the bus home but I still tried asking, can a manager speak to me yet I've been kicked out unfairly for trying to resolve a misunderstanding, and kept being denied, then it comes to the end of the night and asked the bouncers, so now can I speak to a manager, and then was yet again told no you can't after waiting 3 hours in the cold because I don't know people from edinburgh so I couldn't meet up with anyone and I didn't want to sit in a pub myself so I just stayed outside and waited on my mate coming out, and the hope I'd get back into this gig, all I can say I'm sorely disappointed about not getting to see that gig and how poorly executed the situation was, totally unprofessional If the guy who kicked me out gave me an explanation as to why I was kicked out so early into a gig that I'd paid to see, I maybe wouldn't have such a strong bad opinion about this place, all it would've took was no more than 2 minutes of time to explain what actually happened to see if it could be solved. People had seen it happen and heard what I said and tried complaining to the bar management and they weren't interested to hear anything, basically seemed like a case of if your face doesn't fit your not welcome.

If you are ever invited to go to the Caves- DO IT!…read more It usually is open for particular events, rather than everyday club nights and can host a variety of music tastes. What makes this place so amazing is the fact that it's in actual caves, with many secret corridors and rooms- all of which are open during the Fringe. The upstairs bar and balcony is great to have a drink and chill and watch the people downstairs. The atmosphere is further enhanced by the cool lighting and the dark and heavy furniture and decoration, which anywhere else would look tacky but here it somehow works brilliantly. It certainly has a lead as far as ambiance is concerned and it basically represents one of those clubs that totally sums up the city you are in- it represents what you expect to find from a secret Edinburgh. If only it was open more often! Oh and keep you eyes peeled for the Cow backside on the corner, as theire are no big signs for the entrance of the Caves.

What a great find in central Edinburgh. Right by the Royal Mile, the outside of the hotel is…read morenondescript and the lounge is located within. We only found it on a recommendation from a local. This lounge is gorgeously decorated and upscale. You can come for bar bites or a drink. It took a long while to get our food and drinks and they were all on the pricier side. Definitely come in for the vibes and when you have enough time to sit and relax.

Apparently you never get something for nothing, that's probably true but if you are happy to spend…read morethe 15 minutes opening an account with Virgin Money then you get unlimited lounge access, hot and cold drinks, snacks and biscuits and free wi-fi. There are two sides to the lounge, on the left where the coffee machine is, there is table and chair seating similar to a company canteen and then on the right is a rather lavish sitting room style seating. In between the two there's a reception area with a grand piano available if you feel like having a tinkle on the ivories. There are similar lounges in Glasgow, London, Manchester and Norwich that you also gain access to by becoming a member of the Lounge. I can't praise this place enough, if only it weren't as busy but that's a great sign of its success.

This was a standout lil place downstairs that takes you out of the fray of tourism into a hip…read moregastro/bistro atmosphere. Terrific food, unique local menu, tremendous small, choosy list of whisky, wine, beers. The beer pickled mussels amazing. Cheese plate terrific. Had a cod over white beans in tomato sauce. Smoked kipper pate. What I loved most is that the staff, kitchen , chef served really great food, cared about the ingredients, and just offered a hip environment. Highly recommend! Servers were cool and nice to us.

Every time I am in Edinburgh, I gravitate to Under the Stairs. In the summer months, it gets…read morepacked, especially later in the night. The first time, we arrived around 10 pm on a weekend. Thankfully a couple left just as we arrived so we were able to snag a table pretty easily. The drinks are lovely and the flavor profiles are rather unique. I love spritz drinks so I really enjoy that they rotate the flavors seasonally at least. The last time I was in Edi, I stopped by maybe 2-3 times on my way to or from dinner for a cocktail. I tried to order different cocktails off the menu to taste as many as possible. I enjoyed every one of them which is surprising. Sometimes when a place tries to be different and interesting, the drinks can fall flat. These were exactly as described! I don't often eat here but one afternoon, we grabbed a cheese board, roasted turnip and hummus. The turnip was DELICIOUS. I was shocked since I never really care for them most days. I liked that the hummus was served with (i think) endive leaves. It added a nice crunch to the bite. The cheeses and bread were great. I have never seen one particular item before.... Pickled grapes. Wow. They were so interesting. The vinegar flavor was not strong but it added such a unique flavor to the otherwise sweet fruit.

The best aspect of The John Leslie pub, for me, has the be the staff. They are extremely…read moreapproachable, friendly and open besides serving you great pints quickly. The decor also contemporary, yet still manages to retain that feel of a traditional, old pub. The clinetele are almost all locals and they seem a friendly and eclectic bunch. This isn't a standard boozer with fruit machines and gassy, frothy pints of cheap lager, but a proper pub with a good atmosphere and a great range of alcohol. They have a wide range of real ales and beers as well as a decent selection of spirits, including specialist whiskeys from the Highlands. This a good pub with a hearty atmosphere - well worth a visit.

This is a quintessential old man's pub but is still really good fun. Despite the fact it is almost…read moreentirely populated by old regulars, you don't get that 'local pub for local people' feeling, you know the one where everyone goes silent and turns around when you walk in so you slowly back out before they gather up their torches and pitch forks. The old guys in here are all really friendly and with a combined age of well over 1000 they all have stories to tell and are quite happy to tell you them. That's not to say you will be mobbed by people narrating their life to you, just quite nice that they are a chatty old bunch. The pub itself is pretty standard really. It is inoffensive but nothing particularly stands out. There is a good selection of beers and spirits and it is moderately priced. If you are a poker fiend but can't really be bothered to trek off to Vegas every week, on Sundays there is a poker night starting at 7.30 with a £5 buy in. Not quite the same stakes as the huge casinos but it's a bit of a laugh nonetheless