Aberdeen
The winner of Scotland’s Best Cocktail Bar 2017 is a relaxed and welcoming spot, quietly confident in its wide-ranging knowledge and expertise. Offers…
Must-see nightlife in Scotland
Glasgow
This social enterprise cafe and venue incorporates a thrift shop and coworking space. But don't just come for the cause; it's a cracking spot in its own…
Edinburgh
The decor at the Royal Dick alludes to its past as the home of Edinburgh University's veterinary school: there are shelves of laboratory glassware and…
Edinburgh
Situated beside the King’s Theatre, Bennet’s (established in 1839) has managed to hang on to almost all of its beautiful Victorian fittings, from the…
Glasgow
Scotland's most famous house club is still going strong several decades on. Saturday at the Sub Club is one of Glasgow's legendary nights, offering…
Mull
‘The Mish’, near the pier on the harbourfront, is a favourite hang-out for visiting yachties and a great place for a pint, with a very convivial…
Glasgow
Descend the stairs to find yourself in a fabulous spot on the banks of the Kelvin. It's glorious on a fine day (and Glaswegians set that bar pretty low)…
Old Town
An atmospheric warren of stone-lined vaults houses this self-consciously 'alternative' club, which eschews huge dance floors and egotistical DJ worship in…
Old Town
One of the city's best traditional-style pubs (it's not as old as it looks), serving a range of excellent real ales, Scottish craft gins and a vast…
Borders Region
This enchanting small bar prioritises conversation and has no TV or music. It's a charming place with gin on tap poured through a microscope, carefully…
Glasgow
Brewdog's zingy beers are matched by its upbeat attitude, so this Merchant City spot was always going to be a fun place. An open kitchen doles out slidery…
Leith
Cute, quaint, and decked out in flowered wallpaper, old furniture and rose-patterned china (cocktails are served in teapots), the Roseleaf could hardly be…
New Town
This tiny, black-and-white bar is all about the number 13: 13 bottles of base spirit are used to create a daily menu of 13 cocktails. The result is a…
Glasgow
The cheeriest and cosiest of places, the Pot Still has a time-warp feel with its creaky floor and old-style wrought-iron-legged tables. There's a superb…
Leith
Drawing on Leith’s trading heritage with retro maritime design and themed cocktails, Nauticus is a traditional community boozer gone hipster. The…
Edinburgh
This cosy, dimly lit basement bar is unpretentious and just a little bit grungy. The cocktails are outstanding, with an extensive list including the…
Glasgow
Dwarfed by the lager megabrewery Tennents next door, Drygate is a proud craft brewery that makes a tempting East End pit stop. You can watch the beer…
Glasgow
A chic space, all concrete and glass, this cafe offers the best coffee we've tried in Glasgow. It's sourced properly, and served in delicious double-shot…
Glasgow
Drinking in former banks is a Glasgow thing and this central brewpub offers some of the best of it. The wooden, high-ceilinged space has huge windows out…
Dundee
Bentwood chairs, old laboratory stools and a handful of discreetly displayed Victorian zoological specimens pay tribute to the eponymous Dundee professor…
Loch Ness
Set in an 18th-century manse a half-mile east of the main road, the Benleva is a rough diamond of a pub – a bit frayed around the edges but with a heart…
New Town
Perhaps the classic Edinburgh pub, the Café Royal’s main claims to fame are its magnificent oval bar and its Doulton tile portraits of famous Victorian…
Old Town
Owned by a local arts charity, the weird and wonderful Bongo Club has a long history of hosting everything from wild club nights and local bands to…
Glasgow
Offering comfort and style just a step away from the madding crowds of Central Station, this classy establishment is frequented by well-dressed drinkers…
Glasgow
Hawaiian shirts, palms and leis provide an appropriate backdrop to colourful cocktails in this hedonistic and amiable basement bar. Upstairs, Kitsch plays…
New Town
One of the few pubs in Rose St that has retained its Edwardian splendour, the Abbotsford has long been a hang-out for writers, actors, journalists and…
Old Town
A friendly cafe, bar and restaurant with a comprehensive menu including breakfasts, bar bites and substantial mains, Checkpoint is gaining a reputation as…
Glasgow
This legendary city pub and popular meeting place dates from the late 19th century and is largely unchanged. It's a picturesque spot, with the longest…
Glasgow
For the best bar with a view in Glasgow, it would be difficult to look beyond the Radisson RED Skybar. Found at the top of a riverside hotel, Skybar…
Old Town
If you like your student bars grungy and unpretentious, with affordable left-field cocktails (Buckfast Daiquiri, anyone?), delicious vegetarian soul food…
New Town
One of the city’s best top spots to enjoy an espresso, this is all basement-chic cosiness, built-in iPads and bare-bulb lighting. Another branch, on…
Scotland
Queensferry's first brewery, dating from 1851, this pint-sized operation is squeezed into the former cowshed of an old farm overlooking the Forth Bridge…
Glasgow
On the rowdy Sauchiehall strip, students from the nearby School of Art make the buzz here reliably friendly. If you're over 35, you'll feel like a…
St Andrews
Warehouse chic meets medieval conviviality in this strikingly restored student favourite. Walls plastered with black-and-white pop culture give way to a…
Glasgow
Something a bit different, this welcoming, spacious brewpub on the edge of Glasgow Green churns out beers brewed to the traditional German purity laws …
Glasgow
Now some may be uncomfortable with the thought of drinking in a church. But we say: the Lord giveth. This bar, restaurant, club and theatre venue is a…
Glasgow
Above the cafe of the same name, this little upstairs gem is far from the often-boisterous Merchant Sq pubs opposite. Pared-back unvarnished wooden stools…
Holyrood & Arthur’s Seat
A successful attempt at reinventing the local neighbourhood pub, with polished mahogany, stained glass and snug booths, the Kilderkin stages regular…
Edinburgh
You'll need to take a seat to peruse the 25-page drinks menu at this 'concept pub', themed around the exploits of a fictitious Victorian adventurer called…
Scotland
Hidden down a country lane 3 miles east of North Berwick is NB Distillery, where gin aficionados Vivienne and Steve concoct award-winning London Dry with…
