BARS & PUBS
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southern fried chicken, and Philly cheesesteak with fries. And there are good times too, with weekly blues, rock ‘n’ roll and Americana music sessions. Staff are friendly and the commitment shown to making the large room look like a dilapidated but homely Louisiana roadhouse, as well as transforming the outside space into a large beer garden with space for summer barbecues and spit roasts, is commendable. + Stunning Black Forest cheesecake - The huge building is cold when not full
NEW Bennets Bar
BARS AND PUBS ✱ Bar à Vin The ground floor of the West End’s L’Escargot Blanc restaurant is home to this high-end bar specialising in French wine, cheese and charcuterie. ✱ Boda Bar Edinburgh’s original Scandi-bar: still going strong, still somewhere you’ll wish was on your doorstep. ✱ The Bon Vivant Atmospheric New Town bar and restaurant, offering smart, stylish and flexible eating and drinking choices. ✱ Brandon’s of Canonmills Impressively all-purpose pub serving brunch, lunch, dinner, wine, cocktails and rotating craft beer casks. ✱ Nobles Café, Bar & Restaurant One of Leith’s bestlooking pubs, serving good food and full of old-fashioned charm. ✱ Good Brothers Wine Bar This Stockbridge newcomer offers good wines, good food and a good place to discover something new. ✱ Kaleidoscope Whisky Bar & Shop Sophisticated contemporary whisky bar in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s New Town base. ✱ The Last Word Saloon Cosy, quirky basement bar specialising in quality cocktails in sophisticated, muted surroundings. ✱ Rollo Pocket-sized and convivial Stockbridge bar serving quality small plates with a cracking wine list. ✱ Smith & Gertrude Quality music, cheese, charcuterie and wine at this laid-back reinvention of the contemporary wine bar.
cured in-house. For the indecisive, the team are happy to chat about their favourites, share their knowledge and make recommendations. + Really flavoursome dishes - Binoculars may be required to read the menu board
NEW Barrelhouse Bar & Grill 35 Jocks Lodge, Portobello, 0131 661 0811 | £14 (lunch) / £14 (dinner)
Hitting the press in its early days for its deliberately half-finished look, the Barrelhouse Bar & Grill is a great local bar – and not just because it’s the only contemporary choice around the Jock’s Lodge area. There’s good drinking, with decent beers, wines and cocktails. There’s good eating, with a menu based around North American-influenced food: chicken, chorizo and prawn-filled jambalaya,
8 Leven Street, Tollcross, 0131 229 5143, bennetsbaredinburgh.co.uk | £12 (set lunch) / £25 (dinner)
Taken over by the team behind La Petite Mort, things have changed at Bennets Bar. It’s still a busy, traditional and cheerful pub with a wide range of cask ales, whiskies, wine and cocktails. It’s popular with students and the rugby crowd and does a roaring trade in theatre-goers on their way to the King’s, as well as those who want to settle in for the night. But while the pub looks traditional, the food tells a very different story – succulent roast pork belly with smoked pork collar croquettes or perfectly pink neck of lamb served with dauphinoise potatoes are two choices from an interesting selection of mains flanked by equally enticing starters and desserts. Sharing a kitchen and corridor with La Petite Mort means customers can choose where to eat – just be prepared for a lack of tables just before matinee or evening performances. + Busy, friendly local - And extra-busy before performances
NEW Bryant and Mack 87–89 Rose Street North Lane, 0131 225 8225 | No Kids
You'll need to be a bit of a detective to find the place, but once you've navigated the cobbled lane and dark doorway it's worth it. Bryant and Mack’s private detective agency's muted teal and mahogany interior, classic jazz soundtrack and gorgeous glassware lends all the glamour and romance of a bygone age, but their cocktail menu (brought to you in a brown envelope marked ‘confidential') is seriously up to the minute. Smokey and the Bandito, a blend of black olive and rocket-infused mezcal, apricot liqueur, sherry and chilli bitters is a deliciously savoury concoction, with a slight hint of apricot sweetness. More standard serves are on offer, including the decadent French 75: Hendrick’s gin and lemon topped up with champagne. Beers and wines are available too, although this is definitely a place for the discerning cocktail drinker where (for once) the theme doesn't overwhelm the real quality behind the bar. + Crazy yet genius mixology - Tricky to find
NEW The Compass Bar 44 Queen Charlotte Street, Leith, 0131 554 1979, thecompassleith.com | £6.50 (set lunch) / £19 (dinner)
Recently under new management, this convivial Leith pub features an old-style long bar just begging to be sat at, a cosy wood-burning stove, exposed brick and comfy window seats. It’s proudly family (and dog) friendly too. As an all-day local it has its own rhythm: regulars propping up the bar throughout the day, nearby office workers popping in for lunch, parents taking time out over a mid-afternoon coffee and sports fans in for the big match at the weekend. Craft beers are well-represented by the likes of Beavertown, Five Points and Anchor Brewing and the food menu delivers competent pub-grub staples such as fish and chips, pie of the day and a weekend
The Bakers Arm's (page 22): a real passion for good ingredients
breakfast. A recent extension split the space – as well as the bar, there’s a more restaurant-style room through the back, all of which ensures this homely neighbourhood bar appeals to all sorts of people for all sorts of occasions. + Proudly family and dog friendly - Big screen TVs on during the day
NEW Daylight Robbery 26B Dublin Street, New Town, 0131 556 5967 | £15 (lunch) / £15 (dinner)
Recently taken over by the team behind Safari Lounge, Daylight Robbery is a wee bit hidden in its corner of the New Town. Just off Queen Street and Broughton Street, although not visible from either, the bar (formerly Spit/Fire) is halfway below street level, with another sunken level below that forming an atmospheric, clubby basement used at weekends and for special events. The main room is decorated in an eye-catching combination of bright yellow and shiny white tiles, while the impressive range of craft ales behind the bar is equally modern and pristine. The bar menu mainly focuses on burgers and isn’t particularly extensive, but there are flavours that demand to be sampled, from small plates of Ethiopianspiced chicken wings and margarita firecracker chillis to mains like pork belly or pea bhaji burritos. + Inventive non-meat dishes - Not quite on the beaten track
NEW Dreadnought Leith 72 North Forth Street, Leith, 07876351535, dreadnoughtleith.com | No Kids
With The Shore’s bar scene continuing to scrub itself up as the craft beer revolution blows through, it’s high time North Leith got a bit more in on the act. The Dreadnought is a little too far out of the way to become a destination bar – and in fact, most customers are locals – but it absolutely deserves to be on the radar of beer lovers across the city. The bar
is made up of a single, high-windowed corner room, freshly decorated in a neutral, contemporary style where the beer is the star. This free house keeps a good and thoughtful cellar – they have a range of ten constantly-changing keg and cask lines, as well as 30 international bottles and cans. There is a link-up with local brewery Pilot, a fascination with gin – many from Scotland – and the hungry drinker can order a delivery from Leith Walk pizza joint Origano and even eat it on a plate. Come in North Leith – this is your time to shine. + A great beer-drinking local - Food is all that’s missing from a fine mix
NEW The Empress of Broughton Street 25 Broughton Street, New Town, 0131 556 6754 | £14 (lunch) / £14 (dinner)
Not to be confused, or associated, with the Lioness of Leith, this new update of old Broughton Street favourite Mather’s has all you might want from a modern city centre local. There are two levels – a bustling bar area below and a quieter upstairs seating section. Customers can choose from a well-chosen range of six rotating craft beers, pale ales and dark beers and around 30 beers in bottles and cans. There’s also a strong list of bespoke and classic cocktails, made with an impressively diverse collection of rare malt whiskies procured from auction sites, small batch Scottish gins and other assorted spirits. Alongside a couple of standard pub food items like fish and chips or macaroni and cheese, the emphasis is on filled flatbreads and diverse, substantial burgers. Fillings include paprika-coated halloumi or Perthshire beef, the latter set off nicely by Orkney cheddar and smoked bacon in the signature Empress burger. + An unfussy, good quality welcome addition to Broughton St - Old regulars may bemoan the end of live sports on television
24 The List Eating & Drinking Guide
EDG17 Edinburgh Listings.indd 24
11/04/2017 14:42