Edinburgh
You're flying out of Edinburgh Airport, you have 90 minutes to kill, and you'd like to do better than a Pret. Good news: airport drinking has improved more in the last five years than the previous fifty. Pre-flight drinks at Edinburgh Airport range from chain reliability to surprisingly polished hotel-style bars in the airport hotels. This is barsforKings's editor-curated guide to drinking better at Edinburgh's airports.
City centre · $$$
Badabing is Edinburgh's most respected Italian-influenced cocktail bar — Sopranos-themed, with a heavy Italian aperitivo and Negroni focus. The 28-seat room is
Cowgate · $$
Bar 50 draws a steady local crowd in Cowgate. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
New Town · $$
Bar Soba draws a steady local crowd in New Town. Booking is recommended on weekends. Walk-ins are usually possible early in the evening.
City centre · $$$
Bon Vivant has been on Thistle Street since 2008 and remains the rare Edinburgh bar that takes both wine and cocktails seriously. The wine list runs to around 8
Want a real drink before flying? The fastest play is to get to airport hotels next door — most run polished bars that beat anything post-security. We list them at the bottom. If you've got 60 spare minutes pre-airport, see our shortlist of bars in Edinburgh proper at the end.
Plays for Edinburgh Airport: post-security, pre-security, lounges, and the airport-hotel cheat code.
Pre-flight drinks, hotel-bar reviews, and the openings we're watching across 176 cities. Friday mornings, no filler.
Looking beyond Edinburgh? See our guide to the best airport bars worldwide, or compare airport bars city by city.