Edinburgh’s New Town hides some of its best secrets in the basement. Tucked beneath the city’s grand Georgian townhouses, the best pubs in Edinburgh are cosy, dimly-lit rooms of exposed stone, pressed metal ceilings and well-worn wood.
There’s cask ale on tap, friendly locals happy to chat, and enough atmosphere to make you forget the nearby Royal Mile. Whether you’re looking for some great pub-grub, a quiet corner to soak up the city, or a standing-room-only Friday night, here are Edinburgh’s best pubs for your DIY pub crawl of Edinburgh’s New Town.
St Vincent Bar (The Vinnie)
If I lived in Edinburgh I’d be making ‘The Vinnie’ my local. This wood-panelled, olive green bar – in the basement of a Georgian townhouse on the edge of Stockbridge – is full of the chatter of regulars. It has a lovely warm vibe, friendly staff and features cask ale, interesting wines and good cocktails. Their iconic hot gin is like a mulled cider with gin, herbal tea, apple juice and seasonal aromats. They’re very dog-friendly too!
Kay’s Bar
This typical Victorian cask-ale house serves hand-pumped ‘real ale’ and is full of locals catching up with one another and happy to chat to newcomers. It’s often standing room only, so conversation with neighbours is almost essential. Wine merchants John Kay & Sons traded from here for over 100 years, and there are interesting well-preserved Victorian features like signage, great exposed stone walls and bright red cast-iron pillars.
The “Oxford’ Bar
You can’t talk about the best Edinburgh pubs without mentioning The Oxford, local haunt of author Ian Rankin’s Inspector Rebus. In a narrow laneway just behind George Street, it’s a tiny pub with a small front bar and a little side room of bleached wooden benches, bare lightbulbs and not much décor. It looks like it hasn’t changed in a long time which, I suspect, is just how the locals – including Inspector Rebus – like it!
The Bailie
There’s been a bar here since at least the 1870s, and regulars who’ve been coming since the mid-’90s (before the area ‘got posh’) still gather at the large central bar. The Bailie’s big, spread over three basements, with a focus on cask ale and good pub grub like handmade burgers and seafood from Armstrong’s of Stockbridge. Sport’s important too, with the six nations flags adorning the red metal ceiling above the coal fire.
The Scran & Scallie
The Scran & Scallie deserves its title as Edinburgh’s best gastropub, using premium produce in a short menu of mostly classic recipes that simply taste great. Owner/chef Tom Kitchin (of Michelin-starred The Kitchin in Leith) describes it as “hearty Scottish ‘give-me-a-hug’ kind of food” divided into Yer Starters, Yer Mains, Bits’n’Bobs, and Oor Puddins. There’s a well-curated wine list, friendly staff and a great neighbourhood vibe too.
Published 18 May 2026
