Rose Street Brewery

You'll find this sprawling Nicholson's pub right in the thick of Rose Street's famous pub crawl territory, and while it might lack the intimate charm of some Old Town boozers, it does exactly what it says on the tin. The house-brewed ales are the real draw here – forget the usual suspects and go for whatever's fresh from their tanks. The food's a cut above your typical New Town tourist trap, with proper Scottish fare that doesn't feel like it's been sitting under heat lamps all day. It gets absolutely rammed during Festival season and weekend evenings, but catch it on a quiet Tuesday afternoon and you've got yourself a proper local. The interior's all dark wood and brewing paraphernalia – nothing revolutionary, but comfortable enough for settling in with a good book and a pint when the Edinburgh weather inevitably turns.