Fave pubs at the Fringe
It can be a thirsty business traipsing around the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and watching endless comedy shows. So where to find the best pint of bitter or the finest Scotch to cool off? We hunt down the city’s finest bars to visit between the acts.
Starbank Inn 64 Laverockbank Road, 0131 552 4141
You can keep an eye on the Firth of Forth from the front bar of this light but atmospheric old stone-built pub that harks back to the days of Auld Reekie. Expect half-a-dozen real ales, as well as standard lagers, and Scottish comfort food: mince, haggis, neeps and tatties, and so on.
The Indigo Yard 7 Charlotte Lane, 0131 220 5603
Bright and airy West End bar based in an old courtyard (covered by a glass ceiling). Popular with suits from the financial district. Food is a big player here with Asian, pasta, noodles and spicy salads. Try one of the dangerous cocktails, such as a wild-mint martini.
Ye Olde Golf Tavern, 31 Wrights House, Barclay Terrace, 0131 221 5221
The exterior has the gravitas of a golf-club committee, but inside it's all widescreen TVs, golfing mementos arranged Tate Modern-style on the wall and a stainless steel island of a bar. There's a links course opposite.
The Bow Bar, 80 West Bow, 0131 226 7667
Real ale rules supreme in this former shop-turned-pub, which usually offers eight ales, including local hero Deuchars IPA. Dump the diet if you're dining: this is haggis and tatties territory.
Black Bo's, 57-61 Blackfriars Street, 0131 557 6136
Bo by name, bohemian by nature, as the rock posters and melted candles testify. It's cosy (cosy as in sardines-in-a-tin), there's a well-regarded vegetarian restaurant attached and the cellar pool-room has the ambience of a serial killer's hideout. In the heart of festival-land, it's a good place to pick up tips on what to avoid seeing.
The Dome, 14 George Street, 0131 624 8624
This grand former bank has undergone a luxurious makeover. Drinkers can slump into big leather chairs or swan into the stylish Thirties-style cocktail bar.
The Canny Man's, 239 Morningside Road, 0131 447 1484
Quirky Victorian pub with darkwood panelling. All kinds of wacky objects hang from the walls and ceiling, including parasols, trumpets, trombones and a large ship. Real ales and malt are the speciality. The good, but not cheap, menu includes tapas and a smorgasbord.
Bennet's Bar, 8 Leven Street, 0131 229 5143
Friendly backstreet boozer, all dark wood, mirrors, stained glass windows and working brass taps on the wooden bar. And 100 whiskies to choose from. The King's Theatre is next door.
Brass Monkey, 14 Drummond Street, 0131 556 1961
An unusual bar where the back room has a large cinema screen and plenty of rugs and large cushions for lounging. Very Lawrence of Arabia. Gets bustling with a young hip crowd at weekends.
The Oxford Bar, 8 Young Street, 0131 539 7119
Dublin may have James Joyce, but Edinburgh boasts Ian Rankin, who often drinks at this unpretentious pub. It's also the regular of Rankin's dour policeman, Rebus. There's an ancient pie machine (that still works), a large range of single malts and Belhaven and Caledonian real ales.
