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Starbank Inn
Along with the Old Chain Pier, the Starbank is an oasis of fine ales and good homemade food on Edinburgh's windswept waterfront. There's a conservatory and beer garden at the back and, in winter, a blazing fire to toast your toes by.
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Sygn
The plush aubergine sofas in this dark and opulent bar are just the place to pose with a passionfruit bellini or a glass of Pol Roger. Languid and laid-back through the week, with piano music for a backing track, the atmosphere hots up at the weekend when DJs man the decks.
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Tigerlily
Swirling textured wallpapers, glittering chain-mail curtains, crystal chandeliers and plush pink and gold sofas have won a cluster of design awards for this boutique hotel bar. Sharp suits and stiletto heels line the banquettes sipping on expertly mixed cocktails, and there's Czech Krušovice beer on draught and Erdinger wheat beer in bottles.
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Tonic
As cool and classy as a perfectly mixed martini, Tonic prides itself on the quality and authenticity of its cocktails, of which there are more than a hundred to choose from. The bar's cream and burgundy decor includes polished wood and limestone, and the clientele ranges from local office workers on work-a-day lunch breaks to celebrities visiting the Edinburgh International Festival.
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Tun
Set among the modern coloured-glass and steel architecture of the Holyrood district next to the new Scottish Parliament building, the Tun has chunky leather sofas, steel bar stools and a sloping back wall that looks like a page from a floor-tile catalogue. It is frequented by media people from the neighbouring BBC studios and the Scotsman newspaper offices.
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Villager
Designed as a cross between a traditional pub and a style bar, the Villager has friendly staff, welcoming regulars and a comfortable, laid-back vibe. It can be standing room only in the main bar in the evenings (the cocktails are excellent), but the side room, with its brown leather sofas and sub-tropical pot plants comes into its own for a lazy Sunday afternoon with the papers.
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Wee Red Bar
The Wee Red Bar has been around so long there's a danger the authorities will slap a blue plaque on it and declare it a national monument. Wee, red and frequented, hardly surprisingly, by lots of art students, it's famous for the Egg (admission around £5 , - Sat), a weekly smorgasbord of classic punk, ska, northern soul, indie etc that is still one of the best club nights in the city.
