The Cumberland Bar

Traditional Victorian pub with an excellent leafy beer garden, in the city’s elegant New Town.

The 2017 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

One for anyone on a literary tour of Auld Reekie. This Victorian New Town pub features in Alexander McCall Smith’s Scotland Street books; its owner apparently thanked the author in Waitrose once for the boost to business. The leafy beer garden is an excellent place to be when the sun shines on the city’s elegant Georgian grid, drinking a cold gin (they have many), or pints of Scottish craft beer (Alechemy, Pilot, Fyne Ales and Campervan Brewery all make appearances on the taps, see Twitter for real ale updates). In damper, dreicher conditions, the bar’s many wood-panelled nooks and crannies are good for holing up in and enjoying a warming venison pie, haggis bonbons with whisky sauce or Crombies sausage and mash. A dog-friendly spot, popular with well-heeled students as well as locals lingering over a Sunday roast.

• High point: Mulled wine under a blanket in the beer garden
• Low point: Sharing your quiet nook with noisy neighbours
• Notable dish: Creamy fish pie with smoked haddock, salmon and vegetables topped with cheesy mashed potato