9 top taprooms in Edinburgh
Sate your thirst at these indie beer hotspots
Bellfield Brewery & Taproom
46 Stanley Place
With a large indoor bar plus a veritable shanty town of outdoor wooden booths, this spot is both dog and kid-friendly and hosts pop-up food offerings ranging from banh mi to fried chicken. With excellent craft vegan and gluten-free beers brewed on-site, it’s an inclusive spot for all kinds of drinkers.
Campervan
112 Jane Street
A brewery in a Leith industrial estate and one of the area’s longest running, having been established in 2017. Yes, the beer garden is in a car park, but it’s a convivial set-up where dogs and kids are welcome. If you only try one, make it the gluten-free Nitro Porter Extra Black.
Moonwake
6a Tower Street
Moonwake’s taproom is like stepping into a pop art painting. Sit up on a mezzanine to look down on the brewery’s bright, graphic walls and all the tanks and mechanics of the brewing process or snag a table outside in the beer garden. Happily, both are nut-free zones, dog friendly, fully accessible to wheelchairs and you can bring kids before 6pm.
Newbarns
13 Jane Street
Wedged into an oddly shaped space, Newbarns’ taproom literally funnels you towards the bar. It’s a quirk that just adds to the charm of the place, which has all the trappings of an ideal drinking spot: barrels for standing round, small tables for quiet pints, a billiard table with lengthy ‘drink them sober to succeed’ instructions and a well-used dartboard.
Vessel
73 Hanover Street
Less a tap room, more an up-town hang-out for fans of community spirited Leith brewery Pilot. The New Town bar has a decent food menu with smart snacks and mains such as grilled sausage with bean ragu. Pilot beers on draught, in cans, and served as a half and half with a dram.
The Wee Vault
7a West Maitland Street
This quirky, narrow tasting room and bottle shop is one of the smallest in Edinburgh. A beacon for beer lovers, there are more taps than seats with 24 on at any time. There’s also a fridge full of cans for takeaway.
Also try... The Rusty Seagull on Portobello High Street, a city outpost for East Lothian’s Winton Brewing. Further out beyond the bypass is Stewart Brewing for quality beer and freshly made, wood-fired pizza. Back in town, The Keller Taproom on Broughton Street Lane may not have direct brewery affiliation, but it offers a great selection of craft beers on tap.
This TipList is taken from Eat & Drink 365, our sister mag recommending the best in restaurants, bars, cafés and more across Edinburgh. Want a copy? It’s available online or across all good stockists in Scotland’s capital.