#356. The Place, 34-38 York Pl, Edinburgh

I was on my way to Cafe Picante for some late-night chippy goodness when I passed this hotel just after Queen Street turns into York Place. A man on the front step notices me peering through the window at the purple lights, and he invites me to come inside for a drink, noting that the bar is open to the public.

Well, I can't exactly say no to that.

The beer selection is great for a hotel bar. I ordered one of my new favourites: a Black Scottish Stout from Belhaven. The staff were friendly, and I bonded with the man from the steps (the night porter, it turns out) over our mutual love of Glasgow.

#355. Underdogs, 104 Hanover, Edinburgh

I finally make it to Underdogs, a basement bar close to home on Hanover. I ordered a Williams Black Ale. A fine beer but not as outstanding as I had expected given the Alloa brewery's awesomeness. I want to take Williams Brothers home with me.

The acoustics in this place are great. I wonder - as an audio-dominant person - how many pubs I like subsconsciously based on the legibility of speech? The group of people next to me are not having to yell at each other, and the music sounds fantastic.

The view from my seat near the door.

Wow, only 10 more pubs until I reach my goal.

#354. The Traverse, 10 Cambridge St, Edinburgh

After an aborted attempt to get a beer at the sweltering Dragonfly on West Port, I kept walking and ended up here at the Traverse. Slick, but not much happening. The crowd mainly consists of overdressed theatre types, featuring many gay men, here to get cultured up at one of the preeminent Fringe stages. I find myself sitting on a bench beside two redheaded Irish girls, both drinking Innis and Gunn and talking in upper-class accents about their 55 year old new age parents. I am jealous of their beverage, as my Traverse Ale is the usual run-of-the-mill Stewart stuff.

#353. Tolbooth Tavern, 167 Canongate, Edinburgh

Boasting one of the more impressive exteriors of any pub in the city, the Tolbooth Tavern is the last pub on the Royal Mile before Holyrood. Given its location, there were quite a few tourists, and the beer selection could have been better (I had to settle for a Deuchars), but the service was excellent and the atmosphere quite inviting.

#352. Beehive Inn, 18-20 Grassmarket, Edinburgh

Shane Koyczan surveys the Grassmarket.

William Hare, serial killer.

It had a great beer selection, but there was something about the decor that just didn't feel right. I had a Flying Scotsman from Caledonian Brewery, which I found I didn't like as much as their Caledonian 80/- we just had up the road at the Last Drop. Maybe that is why I preferred that pub to this one?

Paul waiting his turn at the bar.

#351. The Last Drop, 74-78 Grassmarket, Edinburgh

#350. Opium, 71 Cowgate, Edinburgh

Billing itself as an alternative bar/club, Opium is a pub on the main floor and a dance floor upstairs. It must have been industrial music night, because when I ventured upstairs to use the toilet they were playing "Worlock" by Skinny Puppy, while some young folks who had been teleported right out of Vancouver's Luv-A-Fair c. 1990 were posturing for each other.

Back downstairs, the music is a mix of mostly classic hard rock. Rush's "Spirit of Radio" was nice to hear. Some guy was obliviously dancing throughout the bar, looking very much like Dan Snaith of Caribou. It was a veritable Canada-fest!

We were lured to Opium by the promise of cheap drinks, as told by a local we had met earlier at Shane's Underbelly show. £1 will buy you a bottle of Budweiser, but that's not exactly what I wanted. They did have McEwan's on tap, and we even did a round of the almighty wreck the hoose juice itself: Buckfast.

#349. Underbelly, 56 Cowgate, Edinburgh

56 Cowgate is a fantastic building. According to Google, it used to be the Edinburgh Central Library. As a makeshift venue for the Fringe, this is the first time we've seen it open to the public. Accessed via an alley and set over several floors, with the obligatory spiral staircase, the Underbelly on Cowgate features several bars and performance areas. I had another Udder Ale.

#348. The Rowantree, 8-12 Niddry St, Edinburgh

Part of the Caves, this pub that you enter off Cowgate (hence the cow, I suppose) feels subterranean. In fact, there are stalactites dripping from the walls and ceiling! The lighting perfectly compliments the surroundings, and leaves one feeling warmly embraced. The beer selection could have been better - I had a bottle of Innis & Gunn as none of the taps impressed - but for a quiet, intimate place to enjoy the company of some friends over a drink, the Rowantree is hard to beat.

#347. Tron Kirk, 91 South Bridge, Edinburgh

At the junction of the Royal Mile and South Bridge, this Edinburgh landmark was built in the 17th century, but closed in 1952. Today it is (temporarily) open and used as a venue and pub for the Fringe festival. It is truly remarkable inside. However, it was a little too dark for my pictures to do it justice. The beer selection was minimal - I drank a Belhaven Best - otherwise I would have been tempted to list this as a favourite.

#346. Udderbelly, Bristo Square, Edinburgh

The Udderbelly is a Fringe venue on the campus of the University. Like its neighbour the Assembly, it features an outdoor beer garden set atop artificial turf. The Magners Pasture serves up a decent collection of drinks, and if none of those suit your fancy there is also a Pimm's booth that offers that delicious British take on sangria. I drank an Udder Ale, which is just Caledonia Best from Wellpark Brewery. I always assumed Caledonia Best was from Caledonian Brewery, but it's actually from the makers of Tennents.

It is Pimm's o'clock in front of the main stage.

The Underbelly event management company responsible for this venue also has another beer garden across Bristo Square, which is where this picture of Meghan and Heidi was taken. It was here that we saw Shane Koyczan perform his spoken word magic. It's over: Shane Koyczan wins the Fringe.

#345. The Royal Dick, 1 Summerhall, Edinburgh

The former Royal Dick School of Veterinary Studies, the Summerhall is now a creative hub for the arts with studio and workshop spaces, and plenty of interesting Fringe venues, bars, and patios.

The Royal Dick bar only had one beer on tap: Barney's Pale Ale, which they claimed was brewed on the premise (but that information is not corroborated by their website)! That was a nice surprise, as I've only ever found Barney's in one other pub.

I liked this place a lot. Reminders of its past are never far from sight. This is the hallway to the toilets.

We also ventured into another part of Summerhall to check out the eclectic art collection and to watch some free cabaret. Here is a look at that bar.

#344. Dropkick Murphy's, 7 Merchant St, Edinburgh

We wandered into this pub after dinner and found ourselves the only two people in the audience for the 8:30pm show entitled Sherlock Holmes: Return of the Hound staged by the We Should Get a Boat Comedy Theatre. They started a few minutes late after 2/3rds of the performers went outside to find another five people to join us in the crowd. By the end, only four of us remained. I hope this was the worst show at the PBH's Free Fringe. At least the performers weren't charged for use of the venue.



I left them a generous donation and we finished our Guinness and cider, taking a moment to enjoy the pub. Dropkick Murphy's is surprisingly big, with lots of character, a cavernous ceiling, and nooks and crannies to drink quietly. It is open until 5AM during the month of August, and we wondered what it would be like at 4 in the morning.

They are going to need a bigger boat.

#343. Assembly, George Square, Edinburgh

The Assembly is a major Fringe Festival venue on the main campus of the University of Edinburgh's George Square. Surrounding the makeshift theatres is this massive beer garden of picnic tables and space heaters set atop astro-turf. It was Tobi's send-off, and a good time was had by all. I drank Murphy's Irish Stout, that other dark ale from Ireland.

#342. Cabaret Voltaire, 36 Blair St, Edinburgh

This live music bar is Fringe venue #338 and open until 5AM. This might explain why they were sold out of all their beer except Tennents. Fortunately they had bottles of Innis & Gunn, my new goto beer when there are no cask ales or some other tap dysfunction.

Cabaret Voltaire is trying too hard. You can always tell when a bar is trying too hard when it is playing James Brown, or has a bicycle hung on the wall adorned with Christmas lights. This pub suffers both afflictions, not to mention the mismatched furniture and kitchen utensils hanging from the ceiling above the bar. Perhaps, given their name, they think it is Dadaist, but to me it feels like an irony of hipsters had a design orgy.

#341. The Advocate, 7 Blair St, Edinburgh

How could I have missed this place until now? Right off Hunter Square near The Tron, this pub seems to cater mostly to tourists who are looking for that British pub experience, but without the nastiness that often accompanies the real thing (e.g., having to order your own drinks at the bar, bad smells, angry people, etc.). Mission accomplished. And bonus marks for having Belhaven Black Scottish Stout on tap.

#340. Whistlebinkies, 4-6 South Bridge, Edinburgh

This is a free comedy Fringe venue, so I got to eavesdrop on a show whilst drinking a Bonnie Birdie hoppy cask ale from Belhaven. It was okay.

Whistlebinkies is as charming as its name. From South Bridge it is right next to the forgettable Bank Bar and down a flight of stairs, but the pub has its own main door access off Niddry Street, pictured here.

I have no idea what a whistlebinky is.

#339. Innis & Gunn, 32 Potterrow, Edinburgh

Officially called Innis & Gunn at 32 Potterrow, this welcome replacement for the underwhelming Room @ 34 has perhaps the best taste and local beer selection in all of the capital. Under the same ownership as 56 North, this pub is not owned by the brewery that bears its name. Rather, the proprietors recognize a good brand and a great beer when they see one and have entered into a licensing agreement with the local brewery.

I had just enjoyed an Innis & Gunn at their other pub down the road, so I opted for the delicious Black Ball Stout, the Williams Bros. Scottish answer to Guinness. Just in time for the Festival, this popup bar (i.e., they are testing the market to see whether or not it will become permanent) will likely do a very good business all month long.

#338. 56 North, 2 W. Crosscauseway, Edinburgh

Here are a couple of arty shots for you:




















The observant reader will notice not only that the sun is shining, but that Innis & Gunn is flowing from the taps at this cocktail bar with the fantastic location on the south-facing corner near the University. This, along with the rotating Stewart Brewing selection and comfortable furnishings, saves 56 North from relegation to forgettable status.

#337. Spiegelterrace, George St, Edinburgh

It is Festival season in Edinburgh, and as part of the celebrations, the entire block of George Street in front of the newly refurbished Assembly Rooms has been blocked off to vehicle traffic. Up popped this charming mobile pub, with quite a respectable selection of local beer.

I finally got to try a 4.2% abv Belhaven Black Scottish Stout, and it did not disappoint. I chatted with a tourist from Poland who chose the same beverage. This was the view from our table, looking east down George Street.