Two Edinburgh pubs named among best in UK by Guardian newspaper

The Canny Man's and Salt Horse were named among the best pubs in the UK by Guardian newspaper.

The list was compiled by a group of experts who picked their favourite pub based on “Sunday lunch, picturesque settings, craft beer, history and more”.

Edinburgh institution The Canny Man’s featured in the “10 best historic pubs” category.

Built on Morningside Road in 1871, the popular southside boozer is renowned for its quirky Victorian decor, as well as its delicious roast beef dinners, extensive whisky selection and of course, its “rules”.

The Guardian article references “the plush Venetian red stools, the collection of parasols, photographs, musical instruments and several lifetimes worth of random stuff”.

Another Capital bar on the list was Salt Horse Beer Shop and Bar on Blackfriars Street, which was filed under the “10 best craft beer pubs” category.

A relatively new kid on the block, Salt Horse sits between the Cowgate and the Royal Mile and has proved to be a hugely popular haunt among craft beer lovers.

The Guardian describes the bar and 350-strong bottle shop as “cool, calm and civilised, even in Edinburgh’s busiest seasons.”

The Burts Hotel in the Melrose in the Scottish Borders also featured on the list as one the best pubs for Sunday lunch.

This is what the Guardian said about The Canny Man’s and Salt Horse:

Canny Man’s

“Many pubs offer the promise of stepping back in time. The difference with the Canny Man’s is that you can’t be quite sure what time you’re stepping back into. At first glance it’s Victorian, but the 1940s crooning from the jukebox, the plush Venetian red stools, the collections of parasols, photographs, musical instruments and several lifetimes worth of random stuff, mean that if you were born any time between 1930 and 1980, this place will remind you of visiting an ancient aunt. She never had a drinks list this good though.”

Salt Horse

“Despite its location between Cowgate and the Royal Mile, this bar and 350-strong bottle shop remains cool, calm and civilised, even in Edinburgh’s busiest seasons. Twelve keg lines pour innovative beers from breweries as distant as Leith’s Pilot and London’s Partizan (in pints now too, not just schooners!), and you can drink anything from the shop in the bar (£2 corkage). Tap takeovers with the likes of Burning Sky or Malmö’s Rocket add further interest.”

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