Edinburgh: All about the new bars innit?

Scientific fact (based on the observations of one Eat & Drink editor): basements make terrible restaurants but brilliant bars. Such as new spot Evergreen Bar & Kitchen, which has revitalised a downstairs corner of Alva Street with booths, plants and those all-important cocktails. We’re also looking forward to hunkering down with a glass of red in Le Petit Raisin, a small but perfectly-formed wine bar in Thistle Street. It’s great to see The Gilded Saloon (which opened in August as a Fringe venue) developing too. It's open daily, with comedy and all sorts downstairs and a Tomás Gormley-designed menu of big bar snacks in the pretty bar upstairs. Ticks all the boxes, that does. 

Diaries out: Events and collabs

There are loads of fun one-offs around this month, so don’t leave the catch-ups to Christmas. Polish-Glaswegian Cotter’s Canteen x Naked Soup collab (Sunday 26 October) features a hearty menu of Polish classics, while Five March are teaming up with Edinburgh Gin for a Samhain feast (Sunday 9 November). Birds Fried Chicken cross the M8 to bring its crispy chooks to Ardfern (Monday 10 November), or if you want to try something different on Bonfire Night, get yourself booked into The Free Company for a laid-back dinner (Wednesday 5 November). Finally, details are sketchy on this one, but if we say King Of Feasts, Dan Ashmore and Bearded Barista all together, Sunday 16 November, then you don’t need to know anything more, do ya? Check Rob's socials for booking info. 

Hungry in Glasgow? Sorted… 

Eat & Drink 365 Glasgow hit the streets this week, so you’ll never be stuck for somewhere to go, well, ever again. Want to try somewhere new? We’ve got hot-off-the-press write-ups of loads of new spots, all wrapped up in handy TipLists to help you plan your next culinary adventure. Looking for something to eat after an exhibition or gig? We’ve got TipLists of recommendations around places like Kelvingrove and Finnieston. Whether you fancy a coffee or a curry, we’ve combed the city for the best spots, or if you’re staying local then we’ve got you covered from Dennistoun to Merchant City and beyond. Grab your free copy of Eat & Drink 365 Glasgow where you get your List.  

Hungry for more? 

Planning your Christmas get-togethers? Us too; check out our TipLists for great group gatherings in Edinburgh and Glasgow. We review Edinburgh’s Café Calton and the newly refurbished Ubiquitous Chip in Glasgow, while Donald Reid explores the frequently weird and always wonderful world of fermentation, cos gut health’s important, kids.