My favorite place to see shows during the fringe. Music, magic, cabaret and burlesque plus music…read moreperformances. Everyone that works here, including the bartenders and those that help make shows run smoothly are fantastic. There is a restaurant that serves food and a few bars that serve alcohol of all types.

We decided to stay and have a cocktail at the VooDoo Rooms after exploring the Midnight Lunar…read moreMarket. What a vibe this place has going on! We were lucky enough to just show up and grab a semi-circle shaped booth by the bar without any wait. We LOVED that a) the cocktail menu clearly stated "All drinks vegan, please inform staff of any allergens before ordering" and b) that they had the shape of the glassware next to the drink name. The bartender even took some time to make recommendations based on both what was most popular with customers and what the house/staff favorites were. We ended up going with the Porty Licks (gin, pineapple liquor, passionfruit, toasted almond topped with edible flowers) and Green Room (bourbon, peach liquor, lemon, peach, basil yuzu). Both were really well balanced drinks! Next time I'd get the King Khan (spiced rum and a mango oat lassi) or the Hare Krishna (mango, oat milk, chilli, coconut cream, and cardamom - sounds like a lovely non-alcoholic beverage and dessert)!

Cool little cocktail bar with nice music and friendly staff. No food. Well worth a visit to sit in…read morethe plush leather couches

We stopped by here for a drink along Rose Street. While many other bars and pubs were quite…read morecrowded, this one was more quaint in space and crowd. It felt more cozy and a place for locals as a musician was playing covers. I really enjoyed the songs she covered on the night I came ranging from indie, rock, pop, and more. Even though I was done with my drink, I stayed a bit longer just to listen to the live music. Cool, little pub with live music --very chill.

First and foremost, let me confirm Bar Salsa has nothing to do with salsa dancing nor the sauce!…read more It's a teeny tiny bar located between the Cowgate and Grassmarket. The area where you'll find drunken throngs of students, back-packers, stag & hen nights shuttling up and down the cobbled streets. It was very entertaining to watch these crazy scenes roll by from the security of the pavement seating, as I sipped my Peroni in the evening sun. That's the only way I'll take advantage of the uber cheap drinks here, outside away from the cramped dark interior and loud music or sport screens. Inside the bar is now relatively clean, although there's little seating, upturned barrels serve as tables, lots of timber cladding and there is only one unisex toilet. Although it's dark, clammy and the window soon steam up once the pub crawls begin! The drinks are outstandingly cheap with all spirits £1.25, bottles at £1.95 and all pints £2.25. There is a huge selection of flavoured shots if you really want a metal night! This place is great for a cheap drink, a quick nip or if you manage to grab a seat outside, a few bottles in the sun.

While the name Bar Salsa might conjure up images of a snake-hipped Romeo with a waxed chest and…read morewhite loafers, gyrating alongside a Latino temptress with a rose in her teeth, in reality it's very, very far from that. More of a drunken free for all than a bar, the punters here aren't necessarily here for a good time so much as to get as annihilated as possible, before being bundled in a taxi home. Grubby surroundings, an atmosphere of excessive inebriation without a hint of aggression, and cheap prices. A-OK.

Amazing small find, came here from the NYT 36 hours recommendation and delighted to find a whole…read moremood and delicious cocktails. We tried the paper dragon (great balance), and indulged in the 19-year break even bottle they had. Cute bathrooms with a confessional in between stalls, and a great barkeep and seating.

Great drinks, friendly service and cozy atmosphere perfect for conversation and good vibes. The…read morestaff were very helpful in suggesting whisky selections based on our individual flavor preferences. They also make some unique hand crafted cocktails. If you're in the neighborhood I highly recommend stopping in.

This is a 50% bar…read more There are only 2 or 3 of these in the world. This is a bar where when I take a good look around, and I rate the potential bachelors (singleness, and actuality of it happening are completely irrelevant) and I agree (with myself) that I would probably, if prompted, sleep with 50% of them. There're beards, black rimmed glasses, sleeve tattoos and guys that play drums. There's Red Stripe in a MFing CAN. All the booze is 2.50. There's PAC-MAN, do you need me to say it again - PAC MAN. There's swanky leather seats UNDER cheapo red christmas lights. They have amateur bands, and sometimes they're pretty decent. It's hipster, but it's in Edinburgh so HAHA, you don't feel self-concious. You know how some people dream of swimming in a bathtub of dark chocolate or chai tea lattes or something? I want to swim in a bathtub of this bar. Friends who I have dined at far classier and swanky places with me, you might want to get to know the REAL ME... and by entering The Wee Red Bar, you will understand my universe.

Lovely little student bar which fiercely guarded its independence from Edinburgh University and…read moreEUSA after the ECA and UoE merged. The Wee Red Bar largely operates on an events basis, so there is often an entry fee, but the events are great. I recently attended a Twin Peaks themed Hallowe'en event, and it was excellent. Everyone made an significant effort to dress up, cherry pie and coffee were provided, and the whole place was decorated like the famous Red Room. I really had a great evening, and the bar deserves immense credit for the effort put into the event. The prices are expensive for a student bar, in my view (cheapest beer is bottle of Peroni at £2.90), but the place is great. I've attended everything from German language poetry nights to Abba-themed music nights. Definitely worth a stop if you're in Edinburgh.

I loved the look of this funky place from the start. It's dingy yet fun, with Polaroids everywhere…read moreand random fake vending machines. The bathroom walls have old timey porn on them. Again, love it. Service was so-so. Our server was incredibly (TOO) quick to come take our order, then we asked for a minute and he didn't come back for like 10-15 minutes. When we asked him for recommendations or even specific questions about drinks or ice cream flavors, he didn't have much of an opinion and wasn't particularly helpful. Eventually, I ordered The Devil cocktail, which I really enjoyed. That said, our party tried several of the boozy ice creams and they were all kind of... gross? Maybe that's an overstatement, but the alcohol far overpowered the ice cream flavors and ended up tasting almost medicinal. I wish I would've had more time to try some of their other cocktails -- maybe next time I'm in Edinburgh.

I heard speakeasy and owl and my mind was made up, I knew I had to come in and check this bar out…read more In true speakeasy form, it looks as if you are coming down the stairs to get your palm read. When you walk up to the fortune teller, you push her and the door opens into a rowdy room. Well, at least when we walked in it was fairly rowdy. We sat next to the group of about 15 young lads and they were causing a raucous. However, after one of their big songs during a shot, our server came up to them and told them if they didn't quiet down, she'd kick them out so I don't believe this place is supposed to be rowdy. After they left, the place did have a better ambiance. The vibe of this place is interesting with 50 shades of grey as wall paper in the bathroom and old movie theater seating against the wall with church pews as the other side. There is a lot to look at in there. The claw machine where you can built your drink is not rigged so you may lose a few pounds trying to get a drink. If you have old pounds, she likes 'em. The drinks were fantastic. And the ice cream was delicious. I'm not usually a fan of boozy ice cream (something about alcohol and cream turn me off) but the flavors in our whisky honeycomb were incredible. I wanted to try more cocktails but we had been drinking the whole day and I didn't want to be messy walking in a dark city I don't know. It caught up to me in the hotel room though. Thankfully, I didn't lose any of that delicious ice cream that night. ;)

Excellent cocktails - a must try bar for wonderful service and drinks. Super fun and unique menu…read morewith very fresh ingredients. Come here on a date, with some friends or even solo - you'll definitely have great conversation.

If you blink, you might miss The Bramble--but you'd be making a huge mistake. Tucked away down a…read morenondescript staircase off Queen Street, this speakeasy-style cocktail bar is exactly the kind of spot you hope to stumble into in Edinburgh. My family and I came here on a whim and ended up getting far more than great drinks. One of the bartenders, a local with the friendliness of a lifelong pub regular and the insight of a Michelin concierge offered up genuinely helpful food recommendations. He had a perfect mix of laid back charm, genuine enthusiasm, and a sharp wit. That kind of service is rare, and it stuck with us. Now, the drinks. Phenomenal. Not just "good for Scotland" or "pretty decent for a bar that doesn't scream look at me" these cocktails were creative, expertly made, and well presented. You can tell these folks care about their craft. Each drink was layered and complex without being fussy. If you're into spirits, this is your place. Yes, the bathrooms are a bit of a squeeze. Definitely built for function, not luxury, but they were absolutely spotless. Like, hospital-pristine. Whoever maintains them deserves a raise and maybe a trophy. Bottom line: Bramble nails it. Great atmosphere, unforgettable drinks, and service that actually makes you feel like you're in the right place at the right time. Skip the tourist traps and find your way down those stairs.

Custom whisky flight! The bartender asked me a few questions to put together my flight and asked my…read morecost range. I said £30 and it ended up being £28 which was nice. I think her selections matched well and I came away with my fave whiskey I tasted for the trip! She also took the time to tell me a bit about the whiskey (where it's made, tasting notes, etc) Also love the ambiance inside because who doesn't love cute black cat art!

Excellent fish and chips! I love frequenting anything related to cat themes in the name so that…read moremade the stop extra fun for me. Excellent pub and ambience inside. I didn't know this until I left but I guess there are EXCELLENT whiskey choices here. Next time I will make sure to take advantage of this.