Edinburgh Entertainment

  1. Abbotsford

    Dating from 1902 and named after Sir Walter Scott's country house, the Abbotsford is one of the few pubs in Rose St that has retained its Edwardian splendour, with a grand mahogany island bar. It has long been a hang-out for writers, actors, journalists and media people and has many loyal regulars.

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  2. Amicus Apple

    Cream leather sofas and dark brown armchairs, bold design and funky lighting make this laid-back cocktail lounge the hippest hang-out in the New Town. The drinks menu ranges from retro classics, such as Bloody Mary and mojito, to their own concoctions including the Amicus Buck (bourbon, orange and pineapple juice, ginger beer and a splash of lime).

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  3. Antiquary

    A dark, downstairs den of traditional beersmanship, with bare wooden floorboards and dark wood tables and chairs, the long-established Antiquary has lively open folk-music sessions on Thursday nights at , when all-comers are welcome to perform.

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  4. Assembly Bar

    Assembly originally opened in 1996 (as Iguana), making it positively prehistoric for a style bar, but a combination of timeless decor, cool sounds, big sofas and good-value food has kept it popular. There's a relaxed crowd of mostly students topping up on coffee during the day, but the atmosphere heats up as pre-clubbers pour in during the evening.

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  5. Athletic Arms

    Named for the cemetery across the street - the grave-diggers used to nip in and slake their thirst after a hard day's interring - the Diggers dates from 1897. Its heyday as a real-ale drinker's Mecca has passed, but the beer is still good, the decor has barely changed in 100 years, and it's packed to the gills with football and rugby fans on match days.

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  7. Bailie Bar

    Tucked down in a basement, the Bailie is an old Stockbridge stalwart; a dimly lit, warm and welcoming nook with a large circular island bar, a roaring fire in winter, and TVs screening live football. Serves good coffee as well as real ales and malt whiskies.

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  8. Basement

    The Basement is a laid-back and pleasantly grungy bar - check out the weird, welded furniture made from tank-tracks, camshafts and motorcycle chains - with staff decked out in Hawaiian shirts that are almost as loud as the blue and orange decor. Background tunes are upbeat but not intrusive and, if you get peckish, excellent Mexican munchies are available.

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  9. Bedlam Theatre

    The Bedlam hosts a long-established (more than 10 years) weekly improvisation slot, the Improverts, which is hugely popular with local students. Shows kick off at every Friday, and you're guaranteed a robust and entertaining evening.

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  10. Beehive Inn

    Formerly a real-ale haven, the historic Beehive has changed tack and is now a big, buzzing party pub, with cheesy disco music on Friday and Saturday nights. You can get reasonable grub during the day, but the main attraction is sitting out the back in the Grassmarket's only beer garden, with grand views up to the castle.

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  11. Bennet's Bar

    Bennet's has managed to retain almost all of its beautiful Victorian fittings, from the leaded stained-glass windows and ornate mirrors to the wooden gantry and brass water taps on the bar. If whisky is your poison, there are over 100 malts to choose from.

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  13. Bert's Bar

    A classic re-creation of a 1930s-style pub - a welcoming womb with a warm wood and leather décor, complete with a jar of pickled eggs on the bar - Bert's is a good place to sample real ale and down-to-earth pub grub, such as Scotch pies, and bangers and mash. There is a branch in Stockbridge.

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  14. Blue Blazer

    With its bare wooden floors, cosy fireplace and efficient bar staff, the Blue Blazer is a down-to-earth antidote to the designer excess of modern style bars, catering to a loyal clientele of real-ale enthusiasts, pie eaters and Saturday horse-racing fans.

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  15. Bongo Club

    By day the weird and wonderful Bongo Club offers a café-bar and exhibition space. At night it transforms into one of the city's coolest club venues; it also hosts live music, theatre, cabaret, and 'any other art form'. It's famous for its long-running hip-hop, funk and breakbeat club night, Headspin (first or second Saturday of month from ).

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  16. Bow Bar

    A busy, traditional-style pub, unspoilt by touristy trappings, the Bow Bar serves a range of excellent real ales and a vast selection of malt whiskies: this is not the sort of place to go asking for Bacardi Breezers. There are snug window seats and leather benches, it's often standing room only on Friday and Saturday evenings.

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  17. Cabaret Voltaire

    An atmospheric warren of stone-lined vaults houses Edinburgh's most 'alternative' club, which eschews huge dance floors and egotistical DJ-worship in favour of a 'creative crucible' hosting an eclectic mix of DJs, live acts, comedy, theatre, visual arts and the spoken word. Well worth a look.

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  19. Café Royal Circle Bar

    The Café Royal's main claims to fame are its magnificent oval bar and the series of Doulton tile portraits of famous Victorian inventors. Check out the bottles on the gantry - staff line them up to look as if there's a mirror there, and many a drink-befuddled customer has been seen squinting and wondering why they can't see their reflection.

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  20. Caley Sample Room

    The Sample Room is a big, lively, convivial pub serving a wide range of wines, excellent real ales, and some of the best pub grub in the city. It's popular with sports fans too, who gather to watch football and rugby matches on the large-screen TVs.

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  21. Cameo

    The independently owned Cameo is a good old-fashioned cinema showing an imaginative mix of mainstream as well as art-house movies. There is a good programme of midnight movies, Sunday matinees and special events.

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  22. Canny Man's

    A lovably eccentric pub, the Canny Man's is a crowded warren of tiny rooms crammed with a bizarre collection of antiques and curiosities (a description that could apply to some of the regulars), where the landlord regularly refuses entry to anyone who looks scruffy, inebriated or vaguely pinko/commie/subversive. If you can get in, you'll find it serves excellent real ale, vintage port and Cuban cigars.

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  23. Carriers Quarters

    With a low wooden ceiling, stone walls and a fine old fireplace, the Carriers has all the historic atmosphere that its 18th-century origins would imply. It serves real ales and malt whiskies, as well as traditional Scottish bar meals such as stovies and haggis.

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  25. Cask & Barrel

    At the foot of Broughton St, the spit-and-sawdust style Cask & Barrel is a beer-drinker's delight, with a selection of up to 10 real ales, as well as Czech and German beers, and a more than adequate array of TV screens for keeping up with the football or rugby.

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  26. Caves

    A spectacular subterranean club venue set in the ancient stone vaults beneath the South Bridge, the Caves stages a series of one-off club nights - check List (www.list.co.uk) for upcoming events.

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  27. CC Blooms

    The raddled old queen of the Edinburgh gay scene, CC's offers two floors of deafening dance and disco. It's a bit overpriced and overcrowded but worth a visit - if you can get past the bouncers. Go early, or sample the wild karaoke on Thursday and Sunday nights.

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  28. Centraal

    This relaxing Belgian-themed bar is set in an atmospherically lit underground vault of bare brick, fairy lights, candles and voluptuous leather sofas that you can easily lose yourself in. It has an extensive menu of Belgian and other international beers (from around 25 different countries), excellent coffee, and an all-day menu of tasty food.

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  29. Claremont Bar

    The Claremont is a friendly, gay-owned bar that looks like a traditional Scottish pub at first glance. Then you notice the Star Trek paraphernalia (check out the model USS Enterprise behind the bar, and the wee red-eyed alien up the stairs), and the flyers for the cross-dressers' night Absolutely Dragulous, and you realise it's way more special than that! Saturday nights are men only.

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