The Auld Toll (tel 229 1010, 39 Leven St). This is an old and pleasantly unpretentious local boozer, with the public bar to the left and a narrow lounge to the right as you go in.

The Golf Tavern (tel 229 5040, 30 Wright's Houses). Overlooking the pitch-and-putt course on Bruntsfield Links, the Golf is housed in a 19th-century building, though there have been licensed premises on this spot since the 15th century. Its an attractive place, with luxurious leather sofas, that pulls in a young, studenty crowd at the weekends.

The Golden Rule (tel 622 7112, 30 Yeaman Place). Hard to find but worth the hunt, the Golden Rule is a great wee local with a lively atmosphere and up to eight real ales on tap.

Montpeliers (tel 229 3115, 159-161 Bruntsfield Place). The 'in' place to down a pint in Morningside, Monty's is packed at weekends with rugby-playing, public-school-educated financial analysts chasing sun-tanned, blonde Emmas and Carolines just back from skiing in St Moritz or villa-hunting in Tuscany. The food and the beer are good though.

The Canny Man's (tel 447 1484, 237 Morningside Rd). A lovably eccentric pub, the Canny Man's is a crowded warren of tiny rooms crammed with a bizarre collection of antiques and curiosities - a description that applies to some of the regulars - where the landlord regularly refuses entry to anyone who looks scruffy, inebriated or vaguely pinko/commie/subversive. If you can get in, you'll find it serves excellent real ale, vintage port and Cuban cigars.