15 Best Bars in Edinburgh (2026)

Ranked #17 in the UK Top 50 cocktail bars for 2026, which is remarkable for a bar this small and unassuming. Hey Palu sits on Bread Street in the West End, doing modern Italian-inspired cocktails with the kind of theatrical presentation that makes you want to photograph every drink before tasting it. The Godfather cocktail arrives with a small portrait of Don Corleone and a music box playing the film's theme, which sounds gimmicky but is executed with enough charm to pull it off. The off-menu drinks are often better than the listed ones, so ask the bartenders what they'd make for you. Book ahead, the space fills up fast and walk-ins get turned away most evenings.

Down a set of stairs on Blackfriars Street, just off the Royal Mile but a world away from the tourist pubs. The Burrow does cocktails in a dark, gorgeous space with plush furnishings and an actual Banksy on the wall. The drinks are inventive without being intimidating, the prices are fair by Edinburgh standards, and the bartenders Rachel and Emma come up repeatedly in reviews for making people feel welcome. Go on a weekday if you want a seat without waiting. On weekends it gets busy enough that the atmosphere shifts from intimate to lively, which might be what you want or might not. The old-world extravagance of the decor is the highlight here: low lighting, velvet, and a feeling that you've stumbled into someone's very well-furnished living room.

If you drink whisky, or if you think you don't drink whisky but are open to being persuaded, Tipsy Midgie is the bar for you. Owner Colin has assembled over 1,000 whiskies, from accessible £5 drams to rare bottles that cost considerably more, and his thing is matching people to whiskies based on what they already like drinking. Tell him you like smoky red wine and he'll find you an Islay that makes sense. Tell him you hate peat and he'll steer you toward a Speyside that changes your mind. The Thursday night Distillery Discovery events are worth planning around if you can get tickets. They also do gin tastings and chocolate pairings, which sounds like a tourist trap but is genuinely well done. The space is cozy and a bit off the beaten track on St Leonard's Hill, south of the Royal Mile. That's part of the appeal: the people who find this place are the people who were looking for it.

A basement cocktail bar on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge, which is already one of Edinburgh's best streets for independent shops and restaurants. The Last Word is the kind of place where the bartenders ask what flavours you like before recommending anything, and then make you something with homemade ingredients you've never heard of. Candles on the tables, a fireplace, and comfortable enough seating that you'll stay longer than planned. It's not trying to be flashy or get on anyone's Top 50 list; it's just doing excellent cocktails in a relaxed setting and letting word of mouth do the rest. Quieter evenings midweek are the best time to visit if you want the bartenders' full attention. Weekends get busier and the vibe shifts.

Run by brothers Fabrizio and Simone Cioffi, Bittersweet is one of those places that defies easy categorisation. The cocktails are inspired by rap lyrics, which sounds like a concept that shouldn't work but does. The food is Italian-influenced small plates, the pistachio arancini in particular. The staff know their drinks inside out and the space has the kind of warmth that makes you feel like a regular on your first visit. Henderson Street in Leith is already a good drinking street, and Bittersweet is the standout. Weekends get packed; weekday evenings are the sweet spot. The price point is fair for what you're getting, and the portions on the food are honest.

A proper pub. The Finch occupies a building on Bath Road in Leith that dates back to the late 1890s, and the refurbishment has kept the original features while making the place feel cared for rather than neglected. The whisky selection is deep (deeper than you'd expect for a neighbourhood pub), the beer garden is a genuine asset on warm evenings, and the prices are reasonable. This isn't a cocktail bar or a wine bar or a concept bar. It's a neighbourhood pub that happens to be excellent, and the owners are clearly invested in keeping it that way. If you're staying in Leith and want somewhere to be a regular for a few nights, this is the one.

A brewery tap on Constitution Street in Leith. Nobles is Bellfield Brewery's own pub, which means the 15 taps rotate through their core range and guest brews, and the people pouring know exactly what you're drinking and why. The building has proper old-pub character, but the food and beer are thoroughly modern. The brunch is a genuine draw: the bacon sandwich gets mentioned in almost every review, and the brunch cocktails are better than they need to be for a brewery tap. Not a late-night spot. This is where you start the evening, or where you come on a Saturday morning with a hangover and good intentions.

Near Haymarket station, Old Pal does the bar-and-kitchen format properly. The cocktails are good (try the signature "Old Pal's Old Pal"), the food is more than an afterthought, and the Sunday roast is the reason locals come back week after week. The staff clearly have experience; the drinks are made with confidence and the recommendations are trustworthy. The West End location means it's convenient if you're arriving by train, and the atmosphere on a Sunday afternoon, when the roasts are going out and people are settling in for the afternoon, is hard to beat. Busier than you'd expect for a Haymarket bar.

The view bar. 1820 sits on top of the Johnnie Walker Experience on Princes Street, and the outdoor terrace looks directly out at Edinburgh Castle, the Old Town skyline, and the Firth of Forth in the distance. The cocktails are decent (ask for Mike if he's working), and there's a discount if you've done the whisky tour downstairs. The charcuterie and cheese plates work well as a late-afternoon snack. There can be confusion about table timings and booking slots, which is the main downside. On a clear evening the view makes up for any operational quirks. This is a "once per trip" bar, not an every-night local.

Bernard Street in Leith, perfect 5.0 on Google. Diggers is the kind of no-frills neighbourhood pub where the regulars know each other by name and nobody's trying to impress anyone. If you've spent the day at craft cocktail bars and want to end the night somewhere real, this is it. Cheap pints, zero pretence.

Inside the Princess Street Suites hotel on Waterloo Place, The Mail Room is a hotel bar that's actually worth visiting even if you're not staying there. The address puts it right at the east end of Princes Street, close to Calton Hill. A good pre- or post-dinner drink if you're in that part of town.

A wine and whisky bar on the Canongate stretch of the Royal Mile, which is the quieter, less touristy end toward Holyrood. Cask and Vine is proof that good bars can exist on the Royal Mile if they're far enough from the Castle end. The focus on cask ales and wine rather than cocktails sets it apart from the competition.

Inside Brown's of Leith, the converted engineering works on Shore that's become one of Edinburgh's most interesting food and drink buildings. Haze is the bar component. Shore itself is one of the most atmospheric streets in Edinburgh, right on the water. If you're doing a Leith bar crawl, Haze is a good starting point before heading inland to Bittersweet or The Finch.

On Morrison Street in the West End, close to Nishiki (the Japanese restaurant from our best restaurants guide) and Haymarket station. Nok's doesn't shout about itself, but a 4.8 Google rating in a neighbourhood with serious competition says enough.

Tucked away on Dublin Street in New Town, this is the kind of bar you'd walk past without noticing unless someone told you about it. Which is, of course, exactly how the regulars like it. A solid neighbourhood bar with a loyal following.