Edinburgh is one of the most atmospheric cities in the world for a date. The Old Town's medieval closes, the Georgian elegance of New Town, and the city's genuinely excellent cocktail scene combine to make it almost unfairly well suited to impressing someone. The editors have done the work. These are the bars that deliver.
Edinburgh's bar scene has matured considerably over the past decade. What was once a city of traditional pubs has become one of Britain's most interesting cocktail destinations — with hidden basement bars behind unmarked doors, candlelit rooms in historic buildings, and bartenders who take their craft seriously. The challenge is not finding a good bar. It is finding the right bar for the right evening.
We judge a date night bar on four things: atmosphere (it has to feel like somewhere worth being), drinks quality (no shortcuts), noise level (you need to be able to actually talk), and the kind of impression it creates. Every bar on this list passes all four. For a broader look at everything Edinburgh's bar scene has to offer, start with our Edinburgh date night bar guide.
The Editors' Nine
01 — Editor's Pick
Bramble
Cocktail
Hidden Gem
New Town
There is no sign on the door at 16a Queen Street. That is intentional, and that is the point. Bramble is Edinburgh's finest cocktail bar — a low-ceilinged basement room with exposed stone walls, candles, and a back bar that the team behind it has spent two decades curating. The drinks are exceptional. We recommend the Bramble (naturally — a gin sour with blackberry liqueur and fresh lemon), but the bartenders here are responsive to what you actually want. Tell them your spirit and your mood; they will build something for it. This is where Edinburgh drinkers take people they want to impress. Booking available for groups, but walk-in pairs usually find space at the bar. Open until 1am most nights.
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02
The Voodoo Rooms
Cocktail
Jazz
New Town
Behind the West Register House on West Register Street, The Voodoo Rooms occupies a space that once served Edinburgh's professional class and now hosts some of the city's most committed cocktail drinkers. The rooms themselves are the draw — high ceilings, ornate plasterwork, velvet and candlelight, with live jazz on weekends that adds atmosphere without overwhelming conversation. The cocktail menu leans into classics with slight twists. The Gibson, the Sidecar, a very good whisky sour made with local Scotch. For a date that needs to feel genuinely special without seeming try-hard, this is the bar we return to.
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Edinburgh splits naturally into two drinking worlds. The Old Town — the Royal Mile, the Grassmarket, the Canongate — offers the drama of medieval architecture and dark stairwells that make every bar feel like it has a story. New Town is Georgian elegance: wider streets, quieter bars, the sense of a city that took itself seriously. The best date nights often move between both.
03
The Devil's Advocate
Craft Cocktail
Hidden Gem
Old Town
A 19th-century pump house near the Royal Mile, converted into a two-level bar and restaurant with exposed brickwork, copper pipework, and the kind of industrial-meets-Victorian aesthetic that Edinburgh does better than anywhere. The cocktail list is built around Scottish spirits — Hendrick's, The Botanist, Auchentoshan — and the bartenders know them well. Order the Smoke on the Water (smoky Laphroaig, honey, lemon) if you want to see what thoughtful whisky cocktail making looks like. The food is good enough to turn this into a full evening. Strong candidate for the best complete date night package in the city.
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04
Tigerlily
Cocktail Lounge
George Street
George Street has ambition and Tigerlily delivers on it. The bar at this boutique hotel is one of Edinburgh's most reliably glamorous rooms — mirrored walls, statement lighting, a long back bar stocked with everything you need. The crowd skews stylish without tipping into exclusionary. The cocktail list is large and well-executed, with a particular strength in champagne cocktails and rum-forward drinks. If your date appreciates a room that looks like effort went into it, Tigerlily is where Edinburgh goes to feel like London on a good night. Book a table at the bar for weekend visits.
Editor's Tip
Edinburgh's best date bars fill up fast on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday from around 8pm. For Bramble or The Voodoo Rooms specifically, arriving before 7:30pm significantly increases your chances of a good seat without a booking.
05
The Bon Vivant
Cocktail
Wine
New Town
Thistle Street in New Town does not announce itself, which is exactly why the people who know about it love it. The Bon Vivant is a small, deliberately understated bar with a serious wine list, intelligent cocktails, and a kitchen producing plates good enough to anchor an evening. The room seats perhaps 35 people and retains conversation even when full. The staff are knowledgeable without being precious about it. If your date prefers wine to spirits, this is the answer — the by-the-glass list covers Old and New World with genuine care, and the bartenders will guide you through it without being insufferable.
06
Lucky Liquor Co.
Cocktail
Queen Street
On the same stretch of Queen Street as Bramble but operating in a completely different register — Lucky Liquor is bright, loud, and deliberately fun. If the date calls for high energy rather than candlelit intimacy, this is the answer. The cocktail menu changes frequently and always contains something surprising: unusual spirit combinations, punchy sours, things built around unexpected liqueurs. They do a very good frozen cocktail. The bar seats you at counters with stools, which creates exactly the side-by-side dynamic that makes conversation easier on a first date than sitting across a table staring directly at someone.
Edinburgh also has a strong whisky culture that can work very well on a date if you approach it right. The Edinburgh cocktail bars guide covers this in detail — the city's bartenders understand Scotch in a way that London and New York cannot replicate, and a good whisky bar experience here, with a knowledgeable bartender walking you through expressions, is genuinely impressive. Just don't start with an Islay peat bomb unless you know your date well.
For the hidden gem angle specifically — Edinburgh has several bars that are deliberately unmarked or hard to find, and arriving somewhere you clearly know about is an effective way of signalling that you're the kind of person who knows things. Our Edinburgh hidden gems guide covers exactly this territory.
07
The Witchery by the Castle
Historic
Luxury
Royal Mile
Right at the gates of Edinburgh Castle, The Witchery is Edinburgh at its most theatrical. The bar adjoins one of Scotland's most famous restaurants and shares its aesthetic: tapestries, candlelight, velvet, antique mirrors, and the sense that this building has seen things. The drinks are traditional rather than experimental — a strong Scotch selection, classic cocktails done correctly, excellent champagne. This is not the bar for a casual first drink. It is the bar for a date you want to feel like an occasion. The cost of entry is high (drinks prices match the setting), but the atmosphere is genuinely unlike anywhere else in the city.
08
Hoot the Redeemer
Cocktail
Victoria Street
Victoria Street is one of Edinburgh's most photographed streets — a curved terrace of colourful shopfronts that descends from the Grassmarket. Hoot the Redeemer occupies a space on this street with low lighting, craft cocktails, and a soundtrack that sits at exactly the right volume. The drinks lean creative: unexpected ingredients, techniques borrowed from fine dining, presentation that feels considered without being performative. The staff are young, skilled, and clearly enjoy the work. For a date where you want something on the cooler end of the scale — less formal than The Voodoo Rooms, more interesting than a hotel bar — this is the call.
09
Ondine Bar
Seafood & Cocktails
Old Town
Ondine is primarily a seafood restaurant and one of Edinburgh's best, but the bar at the front is worth knowing about as a standalone destination. The cocktail selection is tighter than at dedicated bars, but it's well-made and supported by an excellent oyster and seafood bar menu. There is something reliably impressive about a plate of oysters and a good champagne cocktail as an opening move. The room has the relaxed confidence of somewhere that doesn't need to try hard because the product is good. Book the bar seats in advance — they are harder to come by than a table.
When to Go and What to Order
Edinburgh's date night scene operates best from Thursday through Saturday. Tuesday and Wednesday evenings are quiet in ways that sometimes work in your favour — Bramble in particular has a different energy on a weeknight that we find very good. Sunday evenings see several of the better bars reduce their hours, so check ahead.
For first drinks: Bramble or Lucky Liquor. For a full evening: The Devil's Advocate or The Bon Vivant. For a moment of genuine Edinburgh drama: The Witchery. And if you want to extend the evening beyond midnight, both Bramble and The Voodoo Rooms stay open late enough to make it worthwhile. The city also has several strong options in Edinburgh's hidden gem category that pair well with any of the above as a pre- or post-drink stop.
One note: Edinburgh in August during the Festival Fringe is a different city. Every bar is packed, every street is crowded, and the atmosphere is electric but intense. The bars on this list handle it well. If you're visiting during August, book ahead without exception and build extra time into the evening.
For more of what Edinburgh's bar scene has to offer, the full Edinburgh bar guide organises every category across the city, from craft beer to rooftop bars.
