Edinburgh
You're flying out of Edinburgh Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Edinburgh Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Edinburgh's airports.
City centre · $$$
Badabing is Edinburgh's most respected Italian-influenced cocktail bar — Sopranos-themed, with a heavy Italian aperitivo and Negroni focus. The 28-seat room is
Cowgate · $$
Bar 50 draws a steady local crowd in Cowgate. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
New Town · $$
Bar Soba draws a steady local crowd in New Town. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$$
Bon Vivant has been on Thistle Street since 2008 and remains the rare Edinburgh bar that takes both wine and cocktails seriously. The wine list runs to around 8
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Edinburgh proper at the end.
Plays for Edinburgh Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 200+ cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Edinburgh? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.