The Harbour Inn — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

If it's nautical-themed pubs you're after, you can't say fairer than the Harbour Inn. By an almost unbelievable stroke of luck, it's sited opposite a real harbour, which lends the venue a real sense of authenticity. As you'd expect from a pub of this calibre, the walls are adorned with display cases full of intricate knots ranging from simple Reef knots to full-on Sheepshanks. Ships in bottles rest in the windowsills whilst an entire ship's wheel nonchalantly fills the space between windows. I'm not sure where the rest of the ship is, but I'm sure it was acquired legitimately. Look up, and you'll notice that instead of paint, or even wallpaper, the ceilings are adorned with a bewildering array of maps and nautical charts covering shipping areas such as Portland, The Forties and Dogger. Which is not the same as dogging. The staff are pretty strict about that, to be fair, so you WILL be ejected. The list of regular clientele reads like a veritable Who's Who of Newhaven and the surrounding area, so who knows - you may bump into a celebrity or two. Cheese-lovers are well catered for, with a range of cheese-based toasties available for a modest fee. Pop in on a Monday after 4pm and you'll be rewarded with a whole board of cheese - or a "cheese board" if you will - which is free at the point of use. Still not convinced? Why not try a bag of cheese and onion potato crisps? Whether you're stood at the bar or lounging on the mezzanine level, you can be assured of a good time at the Harbour Inn. P.S. they also...

We went for a few drinks here as our Premier Inn bar closed at 10pm on a Friday night! The pub is what I would describe as 'spit and sawdust'. A few regulars who clearly needed to have gone home a while ago. Toilets not great - you're peeing with literally a door between you and people sat having a drink, didn't feel very private. The lady behind the bar seemed to be running the place on her own and was doing an amazing job of keeping everyone served and well looked after. Considering the waterside location of this and the Premier Inn, I think there's a lot of improvement that could be made all round. The area should be buzzing at that time on a Friday night but even in the day it's all a bit of a non-event which is such a shame. Should take inspiration from St Katherine's Dock in London which would help local businesses no end. Overall, can't fault the fact that Harbour Inn delivered where the Premier Inn lacked, so we were grateful for that (and the wine was...

I visited this bar on Saturday at 11 PM, as it was the closest open establishment to my hotel. Despite the crowded conditions, I managed to squeeze in and secure the last available seat at the bar. However, I was immediately met with a dismissive "done" from the bartender/manager (which was our sole interaction). Given the bar's 1 AM closing time and the presence of numerous locals with full pints, it was evident that the bar was not winding down. I was the only non-local, under 50, fair-skinned person present so yeah...