The Scotsman's Lounge (Cockburn street)

A.K.A. the Lounge of Dreams, this pub has taken many a good man down. You are guaranteed a banter filled evening alongside a diverse group of punters if you visit on a Friday after work to hear acoustic Dave playing. The house favourite is a double vodka and lemonade (which I’m reliably informed includes 70ml of vodka, and comes served in a thimble sized glass for only £2.35). Half a dozen of them will see you raphing outside the Kebab shop before 8pm, and a provide a barry hangover the next day. Personally I prefer the Guinness, it’s a good pint – but at well over £3 a pint they don’t give it away!

The West End Hotel (Palmerston Place)

Probably serves the best pint of Best in Edinburgh City Centre. This venue is a must attend on various Friday nights when Andy Chung ‘the Chungster’ is playing his unique brand of Scottish folk music. Great pint, great music, great banter!

Andy Chung: http://www.andychung.co.uk/

Walkabout Bar

About as authentic as an Australian bar as Dame Edna is an authentic Australian woman - which is to say not very authentic at all! If you go in there to watch Australian Rugby League you’re more likely to find Premiership Football on. I was told to take off my Sydney Swans AFL scarf by the English bouncer because it looked like an Aberdeen football scarf. Oh and they serve Fosters by the bucket load.

The Cramond Inn

Probably the best bar in Edinburgh. The unique beer, cheapness of a pint, and good, friendly service really separates The Cramond Inn from so many pubs in Edinburgh; which charge over £3 for a pint of homogenised beer and provide poor or rude customer service. While you don’t get known brands like Guinness or Smirnoff the Samuel Smith’s beer is a nice change from the beer in most other pubs. The price of a pint is also a bargain – at around £1.85 a pint we’re talking 1990’s prices. It’s in a great location, the picturesque village of Cramond, and the pub provide a quiz on a Sunday night. If this is not enough the bar employs a very attractive barmaid.

The Standing Order

One of my friends once said of The Standing Order “If you close your eyes when you’re in there it can almost seem like you’re in the Commonwealth Pool”. Sure a pint of Deuchars is only £1.29 so you have to take the rough with the smooth. The beer is ridiculously cheap, but it tastes horrendous and you have to wait half an hour to get served at the bar. If you’re lucky there will be some wasted female students in there who will provide banter, unfortunately you’re more likely to run into stag or hen parties – this place attracts them like flies to ointment.

Typical Edinburgh hen party. Avoid like the plague!

The Conan Doyle

A surprisingly good pub, incorporating the cheapness of The Standing Order but with more quality. For a start the beer actually tastes good, you don’t have to wait half an hour to get served at the bar, you get a seat, the food is actually edible and there is more atmosphere. That atmosphere may be constant re-runs of Coldplay videos – but at least the beer tastes good.