Editorial

The 10 Best Pubs in Edinburgh 2026

Edinburgh pubs are some of the UK's oldest — the 10 below run from Old Town hush to Leith waterfront.

The 10 best pubs in Edinburgh

  1. 01

    The Bow Bar

  2. 02

    The Canny Man's

  3. 03

    The Cumberland Bar

  4. 04

    The Malt Shovel

  5. 05

    The Jolly Judge

  6. 06

    The Café Royal Circle Bar

  7. 07

    The Oxford Bar

  8. 08

    The Dome

  9. 09

    Sandy Bell's

  10. 10

    Ryrie's Bar

    Ryrie's sits beside Haymarket station in a listed Edwardian building, a free house with a carved gantry, stained glass and a focus on real ale and Scotch. An upstairs lounge runs as a cocktail bar. Best for a pre-train pint in one of the city's older pubs.

  11. 11

    The Standing Order

    The Standing Order fills a former Union Bank hall on George Street, its high ceiling and granite pillars intact, run as a Wetherspoon with budget food and drink from morning to late. It has been voted the chain's best pub in Scotland. Best for a cheap pint in a grand New Town room.

  12. 12

    Deacon Brodie's Tavern

How Edinburgh drinks in a pub

The 10 above are where Edinburgh actually drinks in pubs — proper cask ale, regulars who know the staff, the kind of room that earns the word.

Spirits Specialist — craft beer, whisky, anything fermented or aged.

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