Best Pubs and Clubs in Edinburgh

DezUk

DezUk

DezUk

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The wife and myself are planning a trip to Edinburgh tomorrow and just wanted to ask for opinions on the best bars and clubs to check out. I am a regular in Edinburgh and would normally head to the grass market and George street but have yet to find a decent club that plays club/dance music.

I know of Cab Voltaire, Espionage etc etc but is there anywhere that is open during the day that plays decent tunes?

Been looking at some review sites and see the "The Caves", looks pretty cool, anyone been there?

Anyway pen to suggestions!

Cheers
 
Ok well we could do Glasgow as well, was thinking Ashton Lane, so if we were to do Glasgow what would you suggest for bets pubs/clubs for same music genre and best restaurants?
 
DezUk said:
Ok well we could do Glasgow as well, was thinking Ashton Lane, so if we were to do Glasgow what would you suggest for bets pubs/clubs for same music genre and best restaurants?
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Plenty of cracking restaurants in Glasgow, try any of the following and you shouldn't be disappointed:

Black Sheep Bistro
Fanny Trollope's
Shandon Belles
Two Fat Ladies

Plenty of really good italians/chinese restaurants as well. If you like Indian food then Mother India's Cafe out in the west end is top notch and a different tweak on the cuisine (Indian tapas)
 
There's also Mother India (not the cafe) which doesn't do tapas but full Indian meals. Great place, especially upstairs. It's only a 2 minute walk from the cafe and either are good but just thought I'd throw it in :)

Also seconding Black Sheep and Fanny Trollopes.

Ashton Lane was always hit and miss for me. We lived right in front of Kelvingrove Park so Ashton Lane was easy but there are more fun places to go in Glasgow.
 
Mother India Cafe is much better than the 'proper' restaurant in my eyes. If you want to combine food and cocktails, I love the drinks at The Butchershop Bar & Grill. It's a steak house, and pricey but it's very very good.

The best cocktails in Glasgow are done at The Blue Dog, it's always busy at the weekends and they have a guy on the piano playing all sorts. Mainly it's modern stuff with a twist. We've had him play the Jurassic Park theme tune before which was awesome.
Somewhere more livelier for cocktails would be Hummingbird, on Bath Street. Cocktails are pretty good, it's got a much more club vibe going on. From there, you have a great choice of bars on Bath Street. I like Butterfly & The Pig, Slouch, Flat 0/1 and Bloc which are all on Bath Street. Club wise near there has to be Buff. It's disco, electronic, and funk. Very fun, it's not the biggest, but it's always a good vibe and great crowd. I suppose a carpeted club keeps the riff raff out!
Ashton Lane is alright, I prefer it during the day though. Interesting mix of people. Lack of clubs nearby though.
If you're really looking for dance/house stuff then go to Subclub. It's one of the best clubs in Europe for that sort of thing and has a fantastic reputation. It isn't my sort of music, but having been there a few times I've always had a fantastic night.
Other clubs worth checking out are ABC (more indie stuff, and it's huge). Bamboo/Kushion. More R&B orientated there. The Garage is a sleaze pit, it's huge, plays chart and cheese, and is stupidly good fun. But may not be what you're after. I reckon a night on Bath Street, and ending up in Buff would be great though. Just check out the websites for the above mentioned places and see what you fancy. Bath Street bars tend to be a bit quirky, pull in a diverse bunch of people, have more unusual drinks, play better music and just seem to have a better vibe than the bars on Sauchiehall Street and elsewhere.

I apologise for the derailing of an Edinburgh thread with my love of Glasgow! However, I'm starting a course in Edinburgh next month and would like to know some nice bars around the city centre area where I could go for a beer afterwards and during lunch. I've only ever ventured onto Rose Street and I'm not a big fan. Course is taking place on Queen Street.
 
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Well we just booked a slot for a table at Ryan's Bar so looks like we are going to Edinburgh tomorrow. Plan tof the top of my head is to get out at Waverly, head up Cockburn Street (sp?) and then onto the mile, down into the Grass Market, then down Lothian Road and into Ryan;s Bar. From there along George St and adjacent streets etc until we get to the end and back on the train!

Any ideas or suggestions of stuff to check out would be appreciated i.e. Kings Close, Gardens etc etc
 
DezUk said:
Well we just booked a slot for a table at Ryan's Bar so looks like we are going to Edinburgh tomorrow. Plan tof the top of my head is to get out at Waverly, head up Cockburn Street (sp?) and then onto the mile, down into the Grass Market, then down Lothian Road and into Ryan;s Bar. From there along George St and adjacent streets etc until we get to the end and back on the train!

Any ideas or suggestions of stuff to check out would be appreciated i.e. Kings Close, Gardens etc etc
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The Guildford Arms is an excellent pub.

If you're looking for cocktails The Villager is good on George IV bridge just off Royal Mile. Bar Kohl is cool which is just next door too.

I don't know about clubs but I think Liquid Rooms is more of a dance/club music sort of place, maybe have a look online.

There's a Brew Dog pub in Cowgate which is extremely popular. Not my cup of tea personally but worth knowing about.

There's plenty of good pubs further afield (the Sheeps Heid is excellent!) but they're more effort to get to. The Stockbridge area is nice for example.

If you like American style burgers/food, hit up Wannaburger opposite Ryans bar. It's fast service but awesome food, and not expensive.

The Caves is awesome but not the sort of place you go boozing in, it's very civilised and often booked for private events at weekends.
 
DezUk said:
Well we just booked a slot for a table at Ryan's Bar so looks like we are going to Edinburgh tomorrow. Plan tof the top of my head is to get out at Waverly, head up Cockburn Street (sp?) and then onto the mile, down into the Grass Market, then down Lothian Road and into Ryan;s Bar. From there along George St and adjacent streets etc until we get to the end and back on the train!

Any ideas or suggestions of stuff to check out would be appreciated i.e. Kings Close, Gardens etc etc
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It will be raining tommorow by the looks of today's weather :D

It depends what you're into there's a few museums and stuff you can go to the vaults etc (underground Edinburgh) not sure if you have to book it tho, go climb Arthur seat or Calton Hill err down to Ocean Terminal and go see the pretty boats..

Living In Edinburgh for so long myself I'm clueless as to what would "attract" tourists/others.

Club wise, imo they're all dire, again been there so much :D
 
DezUk said:
The wife and myself are planning a trip to Edinburgh tomorrow and just wanted to ask for opinions on the best bars and clubs to check out. I am a regular in Edinburgh and would normally head to the grass market and George street but have yet to find a decent club that plays club/dance music.

I know of Cab Voltaire, Espionage etc etc but is there anywhere that is open during the day that plays decent tunes?

Been looking at some review sites and see the "The Caves", looks pretty cool, anyone been there?

Anyway pen to suggestions!

Cheers
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Don't go to Espionage or George Street.

Cab Vol, The Annexe, Liquid Rooms are your best bet. The Newsroom and 99 Hannover Street are good for pre-club drinks.
The Villager and Voodoo Rooms are also decent.
 
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Goto Hive XD

Nah in all seriousness your plan sounds fine =] You spelt Cockburn correctly (Despite being pronounced Coburn)

The Black Bull is a lovely pub, as is Rush down the Cowgate. Although towards the end of the night Rush can get a tad mobbed :(
 
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