Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
1
10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm.
Porto & Fi
47 Main St, Newhaven
T
0131 551 1900,
W
portofi.com; map pp.56-57.
A bright daytime/early-
evening café not far from Newhaven's old stone harbour,
with tempting cakes alongside serious daily specials
including stews and fish pie from an accomplished
kitchen. Mains range from £10 to £13.
Mon-Sat
8am-8pm, Sun 10am-6pm.
GREATER EDINBURGH
Loch Fyne Restaurant
25 Pier Place, Newhaven
Harbour
T
0131 559 3900,
W
lochfyne.com; map pp.56-
57.
A fantastic location by Newhaven's fish market and
harbour for this chain with strong connections to Scotland's
west coast. Best for simple oysters (£2 each) and fish with a
glass of wine. Fish mains average around £13.
Mon-Thurs
11.30am-10pm,
Fri
11.30am-10.30pm,
Sat
DRINKING
Many of Edinburgh's
pubs
, especially in the Old Town, have histories that stretch back centuries, while others, particularly
in the New Town, are unaltered Victorian or Edwardian period pieces. Add a plentiful supply of trendy, modern
bars
, and
there's enough to cater for all tastes. The standard licensing hours are 11am-11pm (noon-11pm on Sun), but many places
stay open later and, during the Festival especially, you won't have a problem finding a bar open till at least 1am. Edinburgh
has a long history of beer-making, though only one working brewery remains in the city itself, the small
Caledonian
Brewery
in the western reaches of town. Owned by multinational Scottish & Newcastle, it still uses old techniques and
equipment to produce some of the best specialist beers in Britain, including its popular Deuchar's IPA. If you fancy a pub-
crawl, a fun way to explore Edinburgh's pubs is to take a
Literary Pub Tour
(see p.88).
to the £15 cheese board.
Mon-Sat noon-1am, Sun
noon-midnight.
THE ROYAL MILE AND AROUND
Beehive Inn
18-20 Grassmarket
T
0131 225 7171;
map pp.64-65.
One of the few family-friendly pubs in the
centre with an even scarcer beer garden out back. Inside it's
a beautiful early-Victorian building with high-backed red
leather seating and corniced ceilings in each of its three
rooms. Out front is the regular starting point for the
Literary
NEW TOWN AND WEST END
The Barony Bar
81-85 Broughton St
T
0131 558
2874; map pp.60-61.
A fine old-fashioned bar which
manages to be big and lively without being spoilt.
Chainification has blunted a bit of its appeal, but there's still
real ale and a blazing fire.
Mon-Thurs & Sun 11am-
midnight, Fri & Sat 11am-1am.
The Bon Vivant
55 Thistle St
T
0131 225 6055;
map pp.60-61.
Classy city-centre bar, with an excellent
wine list and good choice of champagne by the glass, as
well as interesting food available in tapas-sized portions.
Daily noon-1am.
Ì
Café Royal Circle Bar
17 West Register St
T
0131 556 1884,
W
caferoyaledinburgh.co.uk; map
pp.60-61.
Worth a visit just for its Victorian decor,
notably the huge elliptical island bar and tiled portraits
of renowned inventors. The menu is appropriately
swanky too, with a wide choice of champagnes and
oysters (£10 for six) while real ale fans will not be
disappointed by the native selection.
Mon-Wed
11am-11pm, Thurs 11am-midnight, Fri & Sat
11am-1am, Sun 12.30-11pm.
Ì
Cumberland Bar
1-3 Cumberland St
T
0131 558
3134; map pp.60-61.
This lovely old pub is just far
ub
our.
Mon-Sat
9am-1am,
Sun
12.30pm-1am.
Ì
Blackfriars
57 Blackfriars St
T
0131 558 8684,
W
blackfriarsedinburgh.co.uk; map pp.64-65.
Kitted
out with old school desks and chairs, this is a friendly,
independent bar without the swank or swagger of nearby
boozers. You can sip on a wide selection of wheat beers and
wines by the bottle (from £15) or glass. If you get hungry,
try their charming sister restaurant next door, with mains
from £14.
Tues-Thurs 4pm-midnight, Fri & Sat noon-
1am, Sun 12.30pm-midnight.
Bow Bar
80 West Bow
T
0131 226 7667; map pp.64-
65.
Wonderful old wood-panelled bar and one of the
nicest, most convivial drinking spots in the city centre,
although it can get uncomfortably busy at weekends.
Choose from among nearly 150 whiskies or a changing
selection of first-rate Scottish and English cask beers.
Mon-Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-11pm.
Jolly Judge
7 James Court
T
0131 225 2669; map
pp.64-65.
Atmospheric, low-ceilinged bar in a close just
down from the Castle which features in the Literary Pub
Crawl. Cosy in winter and pleasant outside in summer.
Mon-
Sat noon-midnight, Sun noon-11pm.
Under the Stairs
3a Merchant St
T
0131 466 8550;
map pp.64-65.
Comfy, shabby-chic bar with great
cocktails, popular with the pre-clubbing crowd. Food
served late, with sharing plates available up until
midnight starting at £2.50 for chilli-fried broad beans up
TOP 5 BEER GARDENS
Beehive Inn
See p.96
Cumberland Bar
See p.96
Pear Tree House
See p.97
Sheep Heid Inn
See p.97
Timberyard
see p.94
