What'll it be? A theatre? A pub or a club? Jazz, rock, or hip hop? Straight or gay? Edinburgh is teeming with life, all night, every night.
Theatre
Edinburgh Festival Theatre
13-29 Nicolson St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/529-6000
The Edinburgh Festival Theatre is the city's newest theater and hosts opera and ballet.
King’s
2 Leven St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/529-6000
The King's has a program of contemporary and traditional dramatic works.
Netherbrow Arts Centre
43 High St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/556-9579
The Netherbow Arts Centre includes modern plays in its program of music, drama, and cabaret.
Royal Lyceum
Grindlay St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/248-4848
The Royal Lyceum shows traditional plays and contemporary works, often transferred from or prior to their London West End showings.
Theatre Workshop
34 Hamilton Pl., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/226-5425
The Theatre Workshop hosts fringe events during the Edinburgh Festival and modern, community-based theater all year.
Traverse Theatre
10 Cambridge St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/228-1404
The Traverse Theatre has developed a solid reputation for new, stimulating Scottish plays, performed in a specially designed flexible space.
Film
Cameo
38 Home St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/228-4141
The Cameo has three extremely comfortable theaters, a bar, and late-night specials; it's open Thursday-Saturday from 11:30 PM on.
Dominion
Newbattle Terr., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/447-4771
The family-owned and -run Dominion offers one of the most pleasant alternatives to the larger commercial cinemas.
Filmhouse
88 Lothian Rd., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/228-2688 box office
Edinburgh has the excellent two-screen Filmhouse, the best venue for modern, foreign-language, offbeat films. Its diverse monthly program is available from the box office and at a variety of other locations throughout the city (at the Tourist Centre, for example, or in theater foyers).
Pubs and bars
Abbotsford
3 Rose St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/225-1894
Abbotsford offers a selection of real ales, bar lunches, and lots of Victorian atmosphere.
Baillie Bar
2 Stephen Street
Stockbridge
A busy, basement bar set in Edinburgh's bohemian Stockbridge area. Usually packed out by a younger crowd. The circular bar serves a fair selection of beer and the staff are friendly.
Bar Oz
16 Forrest Road
0131 2201816
Karaoke nights, DJs at the weekend and a live solo musician, sounds interesting! This popular haunt serves regular pub food seven days a week. Po-Na-Na Frederick Street
Cafe Royal
Behind Burger King at East end of Princess Street
Bistro 0131 5574792
Circle Bar 0131 5561884
One of Edinburgh's celebrated pubs, it is a popular place for weary shoppers and home bound workers. Crowd varies with University term dates, but be prepared to stand at weekends.
Cask and Barrel
115 Broughton St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/556-3132
Cask and Barrel is a spacious, busy pub in which to sample hand-pulled ales at the horseshoe bar, reflected in a collection of brewery mirrors.
Cloisters
26 Brougham St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/221-9997
Cloisters is a West End pub that prides itself on the absence of music, gaming machines, and any other modern pub gimmicks and specializes in real ales, malt whiskies, and good food, all at reasonable prices.
Bar Kohl 54
George IV Bridge
0131 2256936
If vodka is your tipple then Bar Kohl is the place for you. It serves over 200 different flavours of vodka, many having conspicuous colouring, so there's bound to be one that takes your fancy. Traditional pub grub is served until 2.30pm.
Cumberland Bar
1-3 Cumberland St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/558-3134
Cumberland Bar is not to be missed, with 11 ales on tap, wood trim, typical pub mirrors, and a comfy sitting room.
Doric Tavern
15 Market Street
01312251084
This is a popular watering hole for the nearby Scotsman journalists and a great place to go for some live traditional music at the weekend. With about 75 bottles of wine to chose from and a huge selection of whiskies, the staff have no problem declaring 'if you can drink it we'll sell it'. The bistro/restaurant serves a wide range of cuisine whilst the bar menu offers the interesting sounding 'Scottish style tapas'!
Drum and Monkey
80 Queen St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/538-8111
Drum and Monkey, with cozy, dark-wood booths and a maroon color scheme, is just the place for soup-and-sandwich lunches with a pint of draught beer.
Guildford Arms
1 W. Register St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/556-4312
Guildford Arms is worth a visit for its interior alone: ornate plasterwork, cornices, friezes, and wood paneling are the setting for excellent draft ales, including Orkney Dark Island.
Harry’s Bar
7B Randolph Pl., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/539-8100
Harry's Bar, an Americana-decorated basement bar with disco music, is hugely popular with locals.
Kay’s Bar
39 Jamaica St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/225-1858
Kay's Bar is a friendly place for a bar lunch. Don't miss the selection of 50 single-malt whiskies in addition to the real ales on draft.
Leslie’s Bar
45 Ratcliffe Terr., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/667-7205
Leslie's Bar is convenient to the hotels and guest houses of Newington.
Madogs
38A George St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/225-3408
Madogs was one of Edinburgh's first all-American cocktail bar-restaurants; it remains popular with professionals after work, with live music most weeknights.
Malt and Hops
45 The Shore, Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/555-0083
The 260-year-old Malt and Hops, with its own ghost and a choice of real ales, overlooks the waterfront down in Leith.
Milne’s Bar
35 Hanover St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/225-6738
Milne's Bar is known as the poets' pub because of its popularity with the Edinburgh literati. Pies and baked potatoes go well with seven real ales and varying guest beers (beers not of the house brewery). Victorian advertisements and photos of old Edinburgh give it an old-time feel.
The Oyster Bars Calton Road, opposite St James Centre, off top of Leith Walk
0131 5546200
One of the four Oyster Bars, which all feature live music. You catch a match on the big screen whilst you enjoy a relaxing pint and a snack from the bar menu.
Southrider
3-7 W. Richmond St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/667-2003
Southsider, convenient to the antiques and junk shops of Causewayside, is a busy, sometimes smoky bar popular with locals and students.
Standing Order
62-66 George St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/225-4460
Standing Order, in a former banking hall with a magnificent painted-plasterwork ceiling, is one of the popular and expanding J. D. Wetherspoon chain of pubs, priding itself on cheap beer and ample nonsmoking areas.
The Basement
10a Broughton Street
Stylish, pre-club bar, usually packed out at the weekends. Young trendy crowd served by equally hip staff. Offers a mean Mexican plateful at the weekends and a Thai menu on a Wednesday.
Tiles
1 St. Andrew Sq., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/558-1507
Tiles, which is closed Sunday, is a converted banking hall that gets its name from the wealth of tiles covering the walls, which are topped by elaborate plasterwork. The large selection of real ales is complemented by a choice of bar meals or a table d'hôte menu specializing in fresh Scottish poultry, game, and fish.
Dance clubs
Club Mercado
36-39 Market St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/226-4224
The popular Club Mercado offers theme nights Mon.-Thurs. covering the full spectrum of musical sounds.
The Honeycomb
36-38 Blair St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/220-4381
The Honeycomb (closed Mon.-Thurs.) is a hot spot with funky DJ sounds. It's in Old Town.
L'Attache Nightclub
Rutland Hotel, 1 Rutland St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/229-3402
L'Attaché Nightclub, which is open Friday and Saturday, features DJs spinning mainstream '60s-'90s sounds. The club is in West End.
Minus One
Carlton Highland Hotel, North Bridge, Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/556-7277
Minus One (closed Sun.-Thurs.) specializes in mainstream sounds with a DJ both nights.
Po Na Na Souk Bar
43b Frederick St., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/226-2224
Po Na Na Souk Bar is a dance club where you can hear yourself think and where the age ranges from teens to people who could be their parents. Laid-back yet slick, the place gets crowded on weekend evenings.
Venue
15 Calton Rd., Edinburgh, Scotland
Phone: 0131/557-3073
The Venue blares varying beats, including techno and progressive house music.
