The 7 Best Bars in Edinburgh

Panda & Sons

Panda & Sons opened in 2013 on Queen Street, hidden behind a vintage barbershop front, founded by the bartender Iain McPherson and his family. Its Transcend menu is built on sub-zero technique, the result of five years of research into switching, sous pression, freeze drying and cryo concentration developed in an in-house lab the team calls the Brain Melting Society.

Bramble

Hey Palu

An Italian-influenced cocktail bar that opened in 2019, specializing in amaro and aperitivo-style drinks. Its own site states it holds the largest amaro collection outside Italy, with Negronis and modern classics as the focus. Low- and no-alcohol options are served, and the bar is dog-friendly.

Dragonfly

Dragonfly calls itself Edinburgh's oldest cocktail bar and, on Instagram, the home of the mini menu. It sits at 52 West Port at the Grassmarket end of the Old Town, takes bookings by email and sells vouchers, and sums itself up in three words: drinks and fun.

The Devil's Advocate

The Devil's Advocate is a whisky bar and restaurant in a nineteenth-century pump house on Advocate's Close, just off the Royal Mile, a building that it says once powered the city. Inside are hundreds of whiskies, innovative cocktails and seasonal Scottish dishes under soft amber lighting and stone walls; the name, it says, is there to spark lively debate, and the raven on the sign is the corbie of Old Scots. Open from noon every day, until midnight, and until one on Fridays and Saturdays.

The Last Word Saloon

The Last Word was founded in 2012 by Jason Scott and Mike Aikman, the pair behind Bramble and Lucky Liquor, so that people in Stockbridge could have delicious, creative drinks without trekking up the hill into the city center. It calls itself a Stockbridge cocktail saloon: creative cocktails on one side and more than a hundred whiskies from across Scotland and beyond on the other, in a constantly evolving selection that favours interesting bottles from well-known distilleries. Open every day from four in the afternoon until one.

Tonic

Tonic calls itself Edinburgh's original cocktail bar, an independent tucked away on North Castle Street a few steps from George Street, crafted with passion and served with personality. Its team pairs bold signature creations and seasonal specials with properly made classics, will steer you to a new favorite or shake up an old one, and runs masterclasses; the Instagram bio promises the drinks come with a side of questionable banter. Open from five every evening, from noon on Saturdays, until one.