10 Best Nightlife in Edinburgh and the Lothians, Scotland

Like the Café Royal Circle Bar on the other corner of the same Victorian block, the Guildford Arms has a spectacular interior of intricate plasterwork, elaborate cornices, and wood paneling. The ornate ceiling alone is worth the visit. Stay for the range of excellent Scottish ales on tap.

Tucked away down a side street near The Shore, Teuchters Landing is a perennially popular pub for its wide range of whiskies and beers, its excellent pub food (try the nachos with cheddar and haggis), and its pontoon for sunny days. It's also a great place for watching live sports. If you're feeling lucky, try the Hoop of Destiny game for your chance to land a vintage dram for a fraction of its usual price.

This charming little drinking hole is an interesting mix of the old and new. At first glance, it's a very traditional pub with a dark-wood bar, beautiful embossed ceiling, and beer mats decorating the walls. But look closer and you'll also find a great selection of craft beers, hip shabby-chic decor, and a surprisingly young clientele.

A spacious, traditional pub on trendy Broughton Street, the Cask and Barrel serves hand-pulled ales from a horseshoe-shaped bar, ringed by a collection of brewery mirrors. There is a second Cask and Barrel in Southside.

First opening its doors in 1749, Malt & Hops has a fine waterfront location and serves microbrewery cask ales—with a selection good enough to be endorsed by CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale). It also has a resident ghost.

In addition to a fine selection of local real ales and malts, The Canons' Gait has live jazz and blues performances, as well as edgy comedy shows in the cellar bar.

A favorite with beer-loving locals, this stylish modern bar of reclaimed wood and exposed brickwork has an extensive, regularly changing selection of craft beers from across the country on tap, from IPAs to saisons to porters. The food, cooked in the in-house smoker, is great, too (try the house-smoked ribs).

There's plenty of atmosphere (and plenty of tourists) amid the nooks and crannies at The Last Drop. The name has a grim double meaning, as it was once the site of public hangings.

This historic pub has always been a popular Leith Walk haunt for locals, but recent acclaim for their gourmet, gargantuan Lioness Burgers has brought them wider attention.

This pub is a hive of activity during festival season, when the courtyard transforms into a beer garden with food stalls, and is packed wall-to-wall with revelers until the wee hours. Outside of the summer months, it remains a lively local favorite and the best place to watch live sports in Edinburgh.