The best 'hidden gem' pubs in Edinburgh: where locals love to drink, and why

In the interest of instilling trust in our relationship, reader, I no longer live in Edinburgh - after 11 years there I decamped to Brighton - but I return every few weeks and every suggestion on this list is taken from colleagues that currently abide there. Having shared many an enjoyable night on the tiles with them I can assure you: we have our bona fides as passionate and discriminate drinkers (right up until the point it becomes less a question of taste and more a matter of 'where is still open?' but let's not go into all that) (I am not proud of the times I stumbled into dry-ice riddled, cheesy-tune playing bar the Shack, but an office-drinks omertà prevents me from speaking further. Suffice it to say the Macarena should have stayed back in 1993).

What is a hidden gem? What is, for that matter, a pub?

A word on definitions. 'Hidden gems' is a phrase that suggests, inherently, you probably haven't heard of it. But I'm interpreting it a little more loosely than that - the Oxford Bar, for example, is mentioned repeatedly in Ian Rankin's excellent, internationally successful Rebus novels, so it's hardly obscure. But it is a hidden gem - not just in terms of location, but because you're as likely to find it empty as full, and you'd be amazed at how many Edinburghers have eschewed heading there on the assumption it'll have a touristic sheen now - which it emphatically does not. 'Hidden gem' doesn't mean no one knows about it. It means when you head there it feels, oddly, like it belongs to you, especially.

And as to the definition of 'pub' as opposed to a 'bar'? There's heavy overlap in the Venn diagram of course. Let's run with the notion that pubs focus on beers, wines and cider, (bars are more occupied with liquor, though serve the prior drinks too), have an indefinable cosiness to them (except when they emphatically don't, of which more below), and are often frequented by regulars. If you want to quibble about semantics further, may we suggest you instead just grab a lovely pint - maybe at one of these haunts?

Teuchters’ Landing, Leith

1a & 1c dock place Edinburgh EH6 6LU, https://teuchtersbar.co.uk/

A 'teuchter' is a pejorative term for a Scottish Highlander, and the location of this Water of Leith bar is where aforementioned rural folk were believed to await the ferry home to Aberdeen. This is a spot if you want to revel in all things Caledonian - with 18 draft ales, lagers and drafts on tap, and an eye-watering 90 single malts available. It has a gorgeous outdoor space, lovely on a rare sunny day, though that's when the jaunt starts a jumping - expect it to be standing room only (on rugby days too).

As per our Edinburgh correspondent, one Henry Sandercock: "The delicious beers, old pictures and maps of Leith on the walls, and warren of warm spaces are all great. But the real treat is the full Scottish breakfast they do there. You have to make sure you’ve not eaten for 12 hours and have heard at least two tummy rumbles before you go in. It comes on a rectangular plate the size of a bathtub, and it’s all delicious."

Dagda Bar

93-95 Buccleuch Street, Edinburgh EH8 9NG, https://www.facebook.com/thedagdabar/?locale=en_GB

Dagda is a self-described 'Scottish saloon bar' despite, to all appearances, being named for an Irish mythological character -the 'Dagda' was chief of the Tuatha dé Danann deities, father-figure of the Irish ancestral gods. Let that fact be a curio rather than a concern: this Southside pub is a blissful spot to enjoy a pint, ideally located for visitors to town for the Edinburgh Festivals. Serving rotating guest ales and reasonably priced beers, I'd like to shout out their excellent - albeit fiendishly tough - Tuesday night pub quiz.

Edinburgher and NationalWorld editor Nick Mitchell elaborates: "The Dagda is everything a good pub should be. Small, cosy, unpretentious - with worn-out wooden tables, stained glass and a genuinely impressive ceiling (if you find yourself on the floor looking up after a few too many). It may be a stone's throw from the university but don't worry about being surrounded by students on laptops - this place is a proper howff*."

*That's Scots for 'haunt'.

Port o' Leith

58 Constitution Street, Edinburgh, United Kingdom, https://www.facebook.com/ThePortOLeithBar/

Port o' Leith received almost unanimous praise from my Edinburgh-based colleagues, though they became slightly cagey about describing precisely why they adored it. It's a pub where things that enter into immediate urban legend occur. One mentioned dancing on the tables (apparently no longer allowed, due to OSHA concerns), another demurred entirely on elaborating on their love of the place, saying that what happened there was too scandalous for publication. There may or may not have been an anecdote involving drinking from a false leg.

It is a deeply fun spot, though. One of the first pubs to receive a late license in Edinburgh, a healthy air of caution-to-the-wind hedonism remains to this day. With a pleasantly grungy interior - distressed wood, salvaged furnishings, nautical motifs - and a heaving back bar (gin? rum? tequila? whatever your poison, they have it) it's the ideal place to let loose and dance the night away to some stone-cold banging tunes (even if it is on the floor, alas).

Lioness of Leith

21-25 Duke St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 8HH, www.thelionessofleith.co.uk

Time was when Leith was synonymous with bampots (noun: a foolish, unpleasant, or obnoxious person) and junkies (cf: Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting, which revolves around the heroin-addicted residents of Leith), but gentrification has put paid to that (you may notice there are many Leith entries on this list: it's a neighbourhood of fabulous watering holes). Lioness of Leith occupies the former Mintos Bar and is a study in the evolution of Leith - what once was delipidated and perfunctory is now warm, stylish and delightful.

Leith resident Harriet Clugston is a fan: "The Lioness has good cocktails, good beer, good food, nice shabby interior and ambience. It was always recommended as a good first date pub whenever I asked for one when I first moved to Leith," though that's a thought caveated by how loud the music can sometimes be. Our videographer Craig Sinclair is a particular fan of the 'immense' buffalo chicken burger.

Starbar

1 Northumberland Place, https://www.facebook.com/Rab.Rats/?locale=en_GB

When I waxed lyrical about American dive bars, I decreed that you can't find one in the UK. Let me eat my words: Starbar, in the New Town, is so close to a dive bar as makes no odds.

First, it is properly 'hidden', in a residential area of Edinburgh usually associated with the red trouser brigade, but not designed for them. The exterior is black and unremarkable, a fact that obscures how colourful and fun the interior is: with a jukebox (full of classic rock, £1 for 5 goes), foosball table, darts, and a distinctly ramshackle interior design, it's soaked in atmosphere. On sunny days there's a beer garden out the back, a pleasing sun trap.

Better yet - as far as I know, it's the only Edinburgh bar with a clause in the lease forbidding the removal of a human skull on site. Reputedly cursed, removal of the skull is supposed to lead to a tragic fate. Ideal if you love a joint with a spicy, sinister history.

Halfway House

Fleshmarket close, 24 Fleshmarket Cl, Edinburgh EH1 1BX, www.oldtownpubco.com/our-bars/halfway-house

While its claim to be the smallest pub in Edinburgh is sometimes disputed, this Old Town spot is worth jostling for space in all the same. It's delectably, authentically Scottish and it's diminutive size makes it feel cosy rather than cramped.

Our Edinburgh-residing motoring expert Matt Allan expands: "It's a tiny and unpretentious traditional boozer tucked out of sight halfway up Fleshmarket Close. With a regularly changing selection of real ales from small Scottish breweries, it's a great stop for a drouthy* traveller looking for a decent pint on the way to or from Waverley. I love the cosy atmosphere and friendly staff - even for locals, its a a pleasant place to while away a quiet hour or two."

*That's Scots for 'thirsty'.

Thistle Street Bar

39 Thistle St, Edinburgh EH2 1DY, thistlestreetbar.com

With a dark charm to it, Thistle Street is tucked away on it's titular boulevard. Old, art deco posters of cigar adverts and similar give it a slightly decadent air, and even through its located in the city centre its not as anonymous as many of the bars on the main drag. There's a tiny back garden to grab some fresh air (or more likely a puff or two) - even some sunshine if you're likely - although it is right next to the bins. I love the stocked back bar, and although the prices aren't Edinburgh's cheapest, they're more reasonable than other central city spots. Also a great choice if you're after live folk music and a bangin' meat pie.

Blue Blazer

2 Spittal St, Edinburgh, EH3 9DX, kilderkingroup.co.uk/the-blue-blazer

As a ratio, approximately 75% of my best nights out in Edinburgh have ended at the Blue Blazer, a considerably more salubrious locale to round things out than the aforementioned Shack (shudder). Located at the edge of Edinburgh’s “Pubic Triangle” - where a concentration of strip clubs are situated - the drinkers within aren't leery, rather merry locals enjoying the excellent cask ales and extensive whisky selection. Don't expect a finessed interior: think masses of dark wood, pleasingly shabby furnishings, low over-head lighting - but do expect character, the kind of which can't be feigned.

The main bar has large beer barrels occupying the centre, ideal for propping up and yarning with a friend, but the back room is my favourite - full of banquette seating and stools, if you and your group are lucky enough to grab it it's the perfect place to set the world to rights.

Kay’s Bar

39 Jamaica St, Edinburgh EH3 6HF, www.facebook.com/kaysbaredinburgh/

Unlike some of other bijou spots on this list, Kay's Bar is affluent in feel - as if you've stepped into the home of a slightly eccentric, albeit charming, aristocrat - the type to wear red trousers and talk about the rugger but prove an impeccable host. As with Blue Blazer, the sense of history is crucial here - Kay's Bar feels old, but in an established, timeworn way, rather than tired and faded. It's a former coach house, surrounded by grand New Town tenements, which simply adds to the sense you're being cosseted and cared for. Pop into the backroom library for a game of Scrabble and a dram. May I add, as well, pubs are often a little perfunctory in their wine offerings - not the case at Kay's.

Abbotsford Bar and Restaurant

3-5 Rose Street, Edinburgh, EH2 2PR, theabbotsford.com/bar

Hellooooooooo, handsome. The Abbotsford is the spot to go if you like something pretty to look at while you down your drinks - the original island bar in this Edwardian pub's centre is carved from Spanish mahogany and is properly stunning, as is the elegant Jacobean ceiling. It's redolent of the considerably more touristy Cafe Royale.

I love the calm of this spot - while other pubs on this list are bubbly and hectic, these graceful surroundings seem to quietly request civilised behaviour from its punters (ok, ok, I am told this is emphatically not the case on Saturdays or game days, try for a weekday or night). Beers are interesting and creatively curated. Drinks come at a central city premium, but I ask you, what price beauty?

The Bow Bar

80 West Bow Edinburgh, EH1 2HH, Scotland, www.thebowbar.co.uk

Another favourite among city locals, Bow Bar is small, unusual, and cosy in feel. Another spot with faded charm, green leather upholstery and sparse furnishings - expect standing room only in the evenings. My favourite time to visit is early Saturday, if you're after a Findlay of Portobello's pie and a pint to set you up for your weekend. The cask ales are great, while 230 malt whiskies in the back bar means anyone after interesting fire water will be amply satisfied. It's often full of lawyers, if that's the kind of thing to put you off - of course I couldn't possibly comment.

The Oxford Bar

8 Young Street Edinburgh EH2 4JB, www.oxfordbar.co.uk

No it's not a 'hidden gem' - I hear you - Ian Rankin took it upon himself to make it famous in his Rebus novels (they receive his fan mail, an arrangement he didn't set up, but the proprietors don't seem to mind). But it is blissfully untouched by fame, an interior you could charitably call 'spartan' and a bar staff not too bothered about courting your good opinion (I went there on a Christmas night out and the 'tree' was almost certainly remaindered from the prior year, a single string of tinsel garlanding it). Why is it charming, then? Apart from delicious ales, 'The Ox' has no interest in anything other than beer and good conversation. Everything else is deemed a frippery. Our own Matt Allan adores it - saying he been visiting since he was 14 days old (marking four decades of devotion now) - and if you're a crime fiction fan, Rankin sightings are not a rare occurrence.

Lost in Leith Bar and Fermenteria

82 Commercial Street, Edinburgh EH6 6LX, www.campervanbrewery.com/lostinleith

Here we are, back in Leith - I tell you, it's the ideal spot for an Edinburgh bar crawl. This comparatively new entry is the home of much beloved Campervan Brewery's 'barrel-ageing project'. Oo, they love to show off the best of Scots drink and produce here. You can be as simple or as adventurous as you like in your choice of tipples - Campervan's classic brews are all on tap, or for a curious bottled beer from across the globe.

Original vaulted ceilings and a wide-open space make it feel like a cathedral to the cask - a feeling added by the sight of three enormous Foeders imported from France. A Foeder is a huge oak barrel designed in which beer is fermented to develop a deliciously rich, complex flavour.

Hungry? Lost in Leith is partnered with the delectable Pizza Geeks, just across the road, so you can order a pizza from there to be delivered without delivery fees.