The 4 Grassmarket rooftop with a retractable glass roof and uninterrupted view of Edinburgh Castle reopened in 2024 after a half-million-pound refurbishment by the team.
Tip: Book the rooftop in advance for a sunset slot, the gondola booths take four guests and are the warmest seat when the roof closes.
Address: 4 Grassmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2JU
The fifth-floor restaurant and bar on top of the Apex Grassmarket hotel runs a modern Scottish cocktail menu with a floor-to-ceiling view straight across to Edinburgh Castle.
Tip: Book a window table 90 minutes before sunset for the castle floodlights coming on, the bar drinks are also served at the dining tables.
The converted Victorian pump house down Advocate's Close off the Royal Mile holds over 300 whiskies under stone walls and warm amber lighting, an award-winning cocktail list.
Tip: The bar staff are happy to lead a whisky flight on the spot, ask for a smoke-led tasting if you want the peaty Islay end of the back bar.
The fourth-floor bar and brasserie above Harvey Nichols on St Andrew Square has an outdoor terrace with the most polished view in the New Town across to the Firth of Forth.
Tip: The terrace shuts when the wind picks up, the indoor cocktail bar keeps the same view through the floor-to-ceiling glass.
The fifth-floor restaurant and bar on top of the Apex Grassmarket hotel runs a modern Scottish cocktail menu with a floor-to-ceiling view straight across to Edinburgh Castle.
Tip: Book a window table 90 minutes before sunset for the castle floodlights coming on, the bar drinks are also served at the dining tables.
Iain McPherson's basement on Queen Street, entered through a faux barber shop with 25p haircut signs, has been on the World's 50 Best Bars discovery list since 2014.
Tip: Push the bookcase at the back of the barber shop to find the bar, ask for the bartender's seasonal freezing-technique cocktail off menu.
The Queen Street basement is the Edinburgh cocktail benchmark, a stone-vaulted room with no booking line that has been a fixture on the World's 50 Best Bars list for years.
Tip: Arrive before 19:00 on a Friday or queue, ask the bar for off-menu sours and the team will build to the spirit you prefer.
The converted Victorian pump house down Advocate's Close off the Royal Mile holds over 300 whiskies under stone walls and warm amber lighting, an award-winning cocktail list.
Tip: The bar staff are happy to lead a whisky flight on the spot, ask for a smoke-led tasting if you want the peaty Islay end of the back bar.
The Stockbridge basement bar from the team behind Bramble runs a tighter cocktail list around the namesake Last Word, with armchairs, a working fireplace and weekend gigs.
Tip: Saturday acoustic sets start around 21:30, the back room is the warmest seat and the only one where you can hear the players over the bar chat.