Captains Bar, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
Created | Updated Dec 28, 2011
What Is It?
The Captains Bar is, without a doubt, the best pub for any researcher (esp. a student) who is:
- in the general vicinity of the City Centre, George Square, the Meadows, the northern bits of Marchmont, Newington and generally thereabouts.
- not the least bit interested in being around the sorts of places — ubiquitous particularly at night on the low streets around there — where 'young post-feminist women' drunkenly fall about whilst trying to pass off what are plainly shirts as dresses, and where the atmosphere is augmented by complimentary vomit on the cobblestone roads immediately outside of the establishment in question.
- not at that moment obliged to entertain a fellow who is, indeed, quite fascinated by the prospects of #2.
What Can You Get There?
Here, one can find a decent array of drinks, as well as quite good coffee. Pints of beer tend to go for between a couple and three quid, and coffee goes for a pound a cup. Sherry — dry, good-tasting and rarely purchased here, it seems — is two pounds a glass. Water is free. There's not to much in the way of food, aside from crisps and remarkably elegant and sophisticated cupcakes, with the latter again going a pound a piece.
Great live music can often be found, especially as the evening draws on. The groups to be playing on a given night are announced for the general public's benefit immediately outside. Mostly it's Scotch folk music, though there's been dabbling into the blues and country western as well.
Most usefully for fellow researchers, there is free WIFI available directly from the pub, as well as access to the University of Edinburgh's student network and unprotected networks as well.
Where and When Is It?
It faces the south wall of the Old College. It's just off to the west of South Bridge Street, going onto South College Street. Their hours are 11am to 11pm Mondays through Thursdays, 11am to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays and 3pm to 11pm on Sundays.
Further Information
... can be found here.
