The Parlour Bar

The 2013 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

This review is taken from the 2012 edition.

Note: as of September 2012, The Parlour Bar's kitchen was taken over by JustLoveFoodLeith. The review below is from the Eating and Drinking Guide 2012, published in April, and so won't reflect the new food offering.

Tucked away at the bottom of Easter Road beside Leith Links, the Parlour has been a word-of-mouth hit, building up a growing band of regulars. Well equipped with home comforts, such as a roaring coal fire, comfy sofas and stacks of books and board games, the Parlour has an all-welcome policy (dogs and kids included). During the day the loose-leaf Suki teas and freshly ground coffees are popular and create an unusually relaxed atmosphere for a bar – a place you could feel entirely comfortable popping in alone to read. In the past year the kitchen has been leased to Spanish chef Luis Letelier, meaning drinkers can accompany their drink of choice with some seriously good tapas. Classics such as patatas bravas and Spanish omelette share the menu with inventive salads and spicy meat dishes cooked to standards that would not be out of place at a high-quality Spanish restaurant.

• High point: Affordable tapas
• Low point: Off the beaten track