Hanging pub sign for the Jolly Judge on a stone wall

A collection · Places to eat

Edinburgh's Best Cocktail Bars

From old howffs down Old Town closes to sleek rooms by the water in Leith, Edinburgh does cocktail bars better than almost anywhere. These are our favourites, and the good ones are worth booking.

Curated and written by Hidden Scotland

Updated 22 September 2026. Across Edinburgh.

Edinburgh has a wider range of places to drink than almost any other city. There are old howffs down Old Town closes, Georgian basements with a fire going, and sleek rooms by the water in Leith with lists that change every few months. Whether you want a classic done perfectly or something nobody has ever heard of, the city has a bar for it.

We've gathered our favourite cocktail bars in Edinburgh. These are the ones we'd send a friend to, and the best of them are well worth booking ahead.

Hanging pub sign for the Jolly Judge on a stone wall

Open until 12amMore infoEdinburghJolly JudgeRestaurant

White-washed Sheep Heid Inn Duddingston with black-framed windows and a ram's head sign

More infoEdinburghSheep Heid InnRestaurant

Bartender pours a dark liqueur over crushed ice onto a cocktail garnished with mint and blackberry

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghBramble BarRestaurant

Set table beside a brick fireplace with clock and mirror above

Open until 12amMore infoEdinburghWhiski RoomsRestaurant

Shelves of bottled cocktails at Bramble, including Affinity, Six Cylinder and Brooklyn Cocktail

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghLucky Liquor CoRestaurant

Rows of beer taps line a pub bar with dark green cabinetry and wooden stools

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghThe Hermitage BarRestaurant

Wooden tables and chairs beside large windows in a dark-panelled café

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghThe Lioness of LeithRestaurant

Roast beef with Yorkshire pudding and red wine on a wooden table

More infoEdinburghChop HouseRestaurant

Born in the Borders

Ornate terracotta facade of Browns restaurant between narrow townhouses on a city street

Open until 11pmMore infoEdinburghBrowns Brasserie & BarRestaurant

Tasting glasses on wooden boards before copper stills in a distillery

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburgh56 NorthRestaurant

Friends chat round a candlelit table beneath a "Guest Keg" chalkboard menu

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghTeuchter's LandingRestaurant

Tenement corner building on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, The World's End pub below

Open until 12amMore infoEdinburghThe World’s EndRestaurant

Whisky barrels line the bar counter beneath shelves of bottles and a mezzanine level

Open until 3amMore infoEdinburghStramashRestaurant

Baguette sandwiches with soft filling, secured by cocktail sticks, beside bowls of soup

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghLe MondeRestaurant

Dragonfly sign above wooden doors on a stone Edinburgh building

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghDragonflyBar

Voodoo Rooms

Illustration of Paradise Palms pub on Lothian Street, corner of Bristo Square

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghParadise PalmsRestaurant

Printing Press Bar & Kitchen

Candle and cocktail on a glass table beside an open fireplace

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghThe Last Word SaloonRestaurant

Wooden bar with glass shelves lined with spirits and beer taps

Open until 10pmMore infoEdinburghKinRestaurant

99 Hanover Street

Cut-glass tumbler with orange peel garnish beside a lit copper candle

Open until 3amMore infoEdinburghNightcapRestaurant

Hoot the Redeemer

Man standing outside The Street bar, with rainbow murals and pavement seating

Open until 3amMore infoEdinburghThe Street BarRestaurant

Two red cocktails with dried orange garnish poured beneath bar taps

Open until 1amMore infoEdinburghTonicRestaurant

Where these are

More of Edinburgh

Castle, closes and a festival every August

Our guide to Edinburgh Places to eat on Edinburgh On the map

Days out on Edinburgh

Ready-made days, stop by stop, with somewhere to eat

More infoA morningCoffee at Steampunk and the Coastal Communities MuseumNo car needed

More infoA walkA walk round Blackness Castle by the foreshoreBy car

More infoA walkA walk down the Royal Mile by its closesNo car needed

More infoA walkA walk through Princes Street Gardens, east to westNo car needed

Stay on Edinburgh

Places to stay we know, near these

A man walks past Bucken Booths entrance flanked by black lamp posts

More infoEdinburghOld Town ChambersPlace to stay

A round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.

More infoEdinburghMoment George IV BridgeSleeps 2

A black kitchen counter with flowers on the worktop stands before a curved timber slatted screen opening onto a bedroom.

More infoEdinburghCartshedSleeps 2

More infoEdinburghWoodshedSleeps 2

The Best of Edinburgh

The Best of Edinburgh

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Hidden Scotland, in print.

Every photograph commissioned, every word written by somebody who went. A magazine about Scotland, made in Scotland, twice a year.

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