Edinburgh’s pubs, starting with the Leith local CAMRA put first this year

A pint of McEwan’s 70/- costs £4.80 in a low basement off the Lawnmarket, and a pint of whatever is dark on the fourth hand pump is waiting in a one-room bar on North Fort Street in Leith. Those two pubs, the Jolly Judge and Dreadnought, both sit in the top four of this year’s Edinburgh Pub of the Year vote. Below them come the Victorian rooms, the whisky pubs and the beer bars, each with the drink to order.

How we chose: the Edinburgh CAMRA branch’s 2026 Pub of the Year results set the top four; the rest are rooms the branch lists for their interiors or awards, and Condé Nast Traveller’s 2026 pub picks.

1. Dreadnought

Dreadnought tops the list because the branch named it Edinburgh Pub of the Year for 2026, ahead of every other pub in the city. It is one room on North Fort Street with big picture windows, a corniced ceiling and an old-fashioned gantry, and four hand pumps from independent breweries, one of them always pouring a dark beer. Opened in 2016, it lets regulars sponsor a cask. There is no kitchen, so eat first.

North Fort Street, Leith · no food · from 4pm Mon–Thu, 2pm Fri–Sun · walk-in; dogs welcome

2. The Stockbridge Tap

Last year’s winner came second this time. On Raeburn Place, the Tap pours unusual casks from all over the UK and runs tap takeovers and the odd beer festival. Stand in the bright front bar if you want to talk to the staff about what’s on; the back room has sofas and mirrors from lost breweries such as Murray’s and Campbell’s. Walkers on the Water of Leith path come up the steps for it.

Raeburn Place, Stockbridge · open daily from noon · walk-in; no children

3. The Jolly Judge

Joint third, and placed ahead of the Guildford because it also won the branch’s Cider Pub of the Year 2026. Down James’s Court, under a painted ceiling, the same owners have run it for more than 30 years, with a log fire and six ciders on. McEwan’s 70/- is £4.80 a pint and Campervan’s Leith Pils £5.50, cheap for a pub a minute from the Royal Mile.

James’s Court, Lawnmarket · McEwan’s 70/- £4.80 a pint · walk-in; dogs welcome, no children

4. The Guildford Arms

The other joint third has been in the Stewart family since 1896. It sits on West Register Street behind the east end of Princes Street, and the branch lists its ceiling, friezes, window arches and screens as a historic interior of national importance. Order Stewart’s Pentland IPA or Swannay’s Orkney IPA, two of the regulars, and stand where you can see the Jacobean-style ceiling over the bank of fonts.

West Register Street, New Town · kitchen noon–9pm · bar walk-in, book the gallery restaurant

The heritage rooms

The Oxford Bar

The pub on the cover of the Good Beer Guide 2027 is this one on Young Street, with a foreword inside by Ian Rankin, whose Inspector Rebus drinks here. It is a small, plain room barely changed since the late 19th century: the counter nearly fills the front, and the side room has a real fire. Ask for Fyne Ales’ Jarl, the regular cask.

Young Street, New Town · open daily noon–midnight · walk-in; no children

The Bow Bar

It has only been a pub since the 1960s, but the Bow Bar on West Bow has seven Scottish air-pressure tall founts, more than anywhere else, and more than 400 malts on the gantry. The Scottish Hospitality Awards named it Best Pub in Scotland in 2024. Drink Stewart’s 80/- from a tall fount. The bar bottles its own single casks and sells them only over this counter; a nine-year-old peated Highland malt is £110.

West Bow, Old Town · own single-cask bottling £110 · open daily noon–midnight · walk-in; no children

Bennets Bar

Bennets on Leven Street opened in 1839 as a men-only bar, and its stained glass went in to hide the drinking. Inside are etched Jeffrey’s Brewery door panels, a Bernard’s mirror and a jug bar, a tiny snug with its own door and serving hatch. All four Aitken founts are working again after repairs. Sit in the jug bar if it’s free, with a pint of Jarl.

Leven Street, Tollcross · open daily until 1am · walk-in

Kay’s Bar

Kay’s Bar on Jamaica Street West kept the fittings of the John Kay & Sons wine merchants it replaced in the 1970s. The branch gave it the Edinburgh and South-East Scotland real ale quality award in 2024 and again in 2025. Timothy Taylor’s Landlord is a regular. If the front is full, try the room at the back.

Jamaica Street West, New Town · lunch Mon–Fri noon–2pm · walk-in, book lunch by phone; no children

The Sheep Heid Inn

At the foot of Arthur’s Seat in Duddingston village, the Sheep Heid claims an inn on the site since 1360, and Condé Nast Traveller calls it the city’s oldest pub. Behind the dark panelling is a skittle alley from about 1880 that you can still hire. Food is the focus now, but the courtyard is the place for a pint of Stewart’s 80/- after the hill.

The Causeway, Duddingston · Stewart’s 80/- on cask · book for food

Whisky, pies and beer bars

The Athletic Arms

Everyone calls it Diggers, because it sits between two graveyards and the gravediggers drank here. Opened in 1897 on Angle Park Terrace, it has more than 700 malts and pours its cask beer through tall founts. A steak pie is £4.00 and a mince pie £3.75 on the 2026 menu, and the place fills when Hearts are at home.

Angle Park Terrace, Gorgie · steak pie £4.00 · open daily · walk-in; children in the back rooms until 9pm if eating

Salt Horse

Salt Horse has run its 14 draught lines on Blackfriars Street since 2016, with more than 200 cans and bottles in the shop at the front. It’s keg beer and one real cider, and some of the strong stuff comes only in schooners, halves or thirds. Eat the Bowhouse, a dry-aged beef and bone-marrow smash burger at £17.50. Half the room is kept for walk-ins.

Blackfriars Street, Old Town · Bowhouse burger £17.50 · from 4pm Mon–Thu, noon Fri–Sun · half the room walk-in

The Antiquary

Named after Walter Scott’s 1816 novel, the basement on St Stephen Street that regulars call the ‘tiq has been there for about 45 years. Go on Thursday at 8:30pm for the folk session, or on Sunday for a roast, which sells out. Haggis fritters are £7.95.

St Stephen Street, Stockbridge · haggis fritters £7.95 · from 4pm Mon–Tue · book for Sunday lunch; dogs welcome

Order a hauf and hauf

A hauf and hauf is a quarter gill of whisky beside a half pint of beer. Stewart Brewing and Wemyss Family Spirits brought it back last December in eleven Edinburgh pubs, the Bow Bar and the Athletic Arms among them, and suggested Stewart’s 80/- with Wemyss’s Spice King blend. Ask for it by that name at either bar.

Checked October 2026.