The 2025 guide to our favourite pubs in Edinburgh and Glasgow.
We visit both cities a few times each year and drop by our favourite pubs and occasionally try new ones. As with the other guides any pub which we havent been to in the last five years is dropped from the list. The year of our most recent visit is listed in each entry.
GBG means the pub is in the Good Beer Guide 2025. Steve Gillon. January 2025.
| EDINBURGH PUBS | ||
| City Centre – New Town | ||
| Abbotsford 3-5 Rose St, EH2 2PR | Fine old pub, best of the Rose Street boozers, impressive island bar, good selection of beers and whiskies, and helpful staff. Visited in 2023. GBG | Buses: Princes St Tram: St Andrew Sq Rail: Waverley |
| Café Royal 19 West Register St, EH2 2AA | Huge Victorian island bar, famous for its ornate décor and ceramic tile murals. Fine choice of beers and good food. Visited in 2021 | Buses: Princes St Tram: St Andrew Sq Rail: Waverley |
| Guildford Arms 1 West Register St, EH2 2AA | Next door to the Café Royal, another ornate Victorian pub with a particularly impressive ceiling and an excellent selection of real ales. Visited in 2023. GBG | Buses: Princes St Tram: St Andrew Sq Rail: Waverley |
| HP Mathers 1 Queensferry St, EH2 4PA | At the West End of Princes St, a fine pub. Impressive décor and mirrors. Visited in 2022. | Buses: West End Tram: West End |
| Oxford Bar 8 Young St, EH2 4JB | Famous from the Inspector Rebus novels, this still retains the feel of a local pub in a New Town back street. Visited in 2022. GBG | Buses: West End Tram: West End |
| Old Town and South Side | ||
| Bennets 8 Leven St, EH3 9LG | Tollcross pub with tremendous interior featuring brewery mirrors and whisky barrels. Visited 2023. GBG | Buses: 11, 15, 16, 23, 36 |
| Halfwayhouse 24 Fleshmarket Close, EH1 1BX | Tiny pub, halfway up the stairs from the Market Street exit from Waverley. An excellent pub – ideal place to miss a few trains. Visited 2024. GBG | Buses: Princes St Rail: Waverley |
| Hebrides 17 Market St, EH1 1DE | Small and friendly bar, close to Waverley Station. Visited 2024. | Buses: Princes St Rail: Waverley |
| Sandy Bells 25 Forrest Rd, EH1 2QH | Famous mainly for its folk music sessions. During the daytime it’s a quiet and friendly pub near Edinburgh University and the National Museum of Scotland. Visited 2023. | Buses: 9, 23, 27 |
| West – Haymarket, Gorgie | ||
| Athletic Arms (Diggers) 1-3 Angle Park Terrace, EH11 2JX | Tremendous old pub which has always been one of our favourites. Worth going out of your way to visit. Visited 2023. GBG | Buses: 4, 34, 44 |
| Golden Rule, 30 Yeaman Place, EH11 1BT | Backstreet local with a fine selection of beer and friendly staff and customers. Visited in 2023. | Buses: 10, 27 |
| Roseburn Bar 1 Roseburn Terr, EH12 5NG | Fine traditional pub – high ceilings, lots of wood, booths, and good beer. Visited in 2022. GBG | Buses: 26, 31 |
| Ryries 1 Haymarket Terrace, EH12 5EY | Traditional bar, sympathetically renovated. Next to Haymarket station. Wait for / miss trains. Visited 2022. GBG. | Buses, Tram and Rail: Haymarket |
| North – Leith, Newhaven | ||
| Dreadnought 72 North Fort St, Leith, EH6 4PL | Well worth a visit if you are in the area (and a chance to ride the tram out to Newhaven). Friendly and welcoming. Visited in 2023. GBG. | Bus: 16 Tram: Newhaven |
| South Queensferry | ||
| Ferry Tap 36 High St, South Queensferry, EH30 9HN | Out of town, South Queensferry is part of the Edinburgh Council area, located beneath the Forth Bridges. The Tap is a fine traditional pub in a historic building, with good beers and friendly staff and customers. Visited in 2024. | Bus: 43 |
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| GLASGOW PUBS | ||
| City Centre and Merchant City | ||
| Drum and Monkey 91 St Vincent St, G2 5TF | Large corner pub in former bank building with good range of beers. Visited 2022. GBG | Buses: City Centre Subway: Buchanan St Rail: Central |
| Horse Shoe 17-19 Drury St, G2 5AE | Long, long island bar…friendly, lively and not to be missed (but trains from Central can be). Visited 2024. GBG. | Buses: City Centre Subway: Buchanan St Rail: Central |
| Pot Still 154 Hope St, G2 2TH | Small pub, mainly known for its incredible range of malt whiskies, including many rarities. And the beer, from local microbreweries, is good too. Fine pies too. Visited 2024. GBG. | Buses: City Centre |
| Scotia 112-114 Stockwell St, G1 4LW | One of the oldest pubs in Glasgow, famous on the folk music scene. The punters are friendly and the beer is good. Visited 2024. GBG | Buses: Stockwell St Rail: Argyle St |
| Steps Bar 62 Glassford St, G1 1UP | Small pub on edge of Merchant City, largely unchanged since the 1940s, though the formica tables have been replaced by wood. Friendly. Unfortunately no real ale. Last visited 2023. | Buses: Glassford St Rail: Argyle St |
| Charing Cross | ||
| Bon Accord 153 North St, G3 7DA | The original real ale mecca in Glasgow….still going strong. Visited 2024. GBG. | Buses and Rail: Charing X |
| State Bar 148 Holland St, G2 4NG | Welcoming bar, with a good selection of beers. Visited 2024. GBG. | Buses and Rail: Charing X |
| South Side | ||
| Laurieston Bar 58 Bridge St, G5 9HU | Unspoilt 1960s bar just across the river from the city centre, mainly serving Fyne Ales. Reputation for good beer is deserved. Friendly staff and customers. Changed hands in 2024 – new owners have promised not to change the pub. Visited 2023. GBG. | Buses: 3,4,38,57 Subway: Bridge St |
| Old Toll Bar 1-3 Paisley Road West, G51 1LF | Tremendous pub interior, full of original 19th century features. Worth it just to see them. Limited choice of real ale but craft beer options available. Visited 2023. | Buses: 9, 9A, 10 |
The Laurieston Bar
| West End | ||
| Doublet 74 Park Road, G4 9JF | Local pub near Kelvinbridge. Small bar, friendly, with good beer. Visited 2024. GBG. | Buses: 4,4A,6,6A Subway: Kelvinbridge |
| Lismore 206 Dumbarton Rd, Partick, G11 6UN | Friendly, local pub, with a couple of real ales and plenty of whiskies. Last visited 2023. GBG | Buses: 2,3,77 Subway: Kelvinhall |
Tennent’s
| Tennents 191 Byres Rd, Hillhead, G12 8TN | The centre of the West End. Tennent’s flagship Victorian tenement corner pub with fine beer and usually an interesting mix of people. Pity about the TVs visible from every corner. Visited 2024. GBG | Buses: 4,4A Subway: Hillhead |
| Three Judges 141 Dumbarton Rd, Partick, G11 6PR | Real ale mecca at Partick Cross. Ever changing selection of beers, well kept. Visited 2024. GBG. | Buses: 2,3,77 Subway: Kelvinhall |
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Finally: One that got away (more or less). The Mitre Bar, Brunswick St, Glasgow, photographed in 1994, later closed and demolished then reconstructed inside Glasgow’s Riverside Museum as an unlicensed exhibit.
Text and photos Copyright © Steve Gillon, 2025
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