Queen's Arms

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.

Dark but far from dingy, with walls lined with pictures of Scotland’s most famous female monarch and her be-ruffed contemporaries, this basement boozer manages to create a cosy vibe. Indeed, given its eccentricities – such as a well-stocked corner library, wine-glass chandeliers and its assortment of nooks and crannies – it is perhaps surprising that it is both recently refurbished and part of a small chain of pubs. Food-wise there’s a decent, if not extensive, range of seasonal favourites where the likes of Isle of Skye mussels cooked with cider and pancetta and haddock in an impeccably crunchy batter surpass the expected pub-grub standard. Another surprise is the well-formed cocktail list, lifting this city-centre pub well out of the ordinary league.

• High point: Tempting food menu
• Low point: Hard to ignore TV screens in the corners