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- Edinburgh Live
15 of our favourite Edinburgh pubs we all remember that aren't there anymore
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Edinburgh is known for its watering holes - from fancy upscale bars to dodgy boozers. Nearly every street in the city boasts somewhere to drink, leaving locals and tourists alike spoilt for choice.
The 1990s in particular saw new pubs and bars opening up across the city.
However, nothing lasts forever and the places we once thought of as Edinburgh institutions have closed down, changed hands or been demolished, leaving only fond - or, in some cases, blurry - memories.
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Get your pint of snakebite and black ready for a trip down memory lane with some of the most missed pubs of 90s Edinburgh...
1. The Volunteer Arms
(Image: Edinburgh Pub History)
Memorialised in a scene from Trainspotting, the 'Volly' as it was known to locals was a Leith Walk staple but was gutted by fire in 2012. It's since reopened as The Mouse Trap, but although the cocktails and pinball machines are a nice touch, we can't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for the Volly.
2. Jekyll and Hyde
This themed bar was a Victorian goth-fest inspired by Robert Louis Stevenson's classic novel. Part mad scientist's lab, part cocktail bar, you even had to push past a fake bookcase to get to the gents. These days it's the Hanover Tap.
3. Bianco's
Such an Edinburgh fixture that it even ended up in an iconic Tennant's advert in the 1990s where a beleaguered London commuter dreams of being back in Scotland. More of a classic 90s wine bar than a good old-fashioned boozer, it's now Angel's Share.
4. Iguana
Now the Paradise Palms, before that it was Assembly and then Bristo Bar and Grill. But before that we had Iguana. They did an excellent beer and some of the best potato wedges known to mankind (especially the hungover version).
5. Dell Inn
This Slateford pub was demolished earlier this year, although by then it went by the Blue Goose. Locals remember it as somewhere with a child-friendly beer garden and really good crisps.
6. Scruffy Murphy's
An Irish pub with cheap drinks and good food, this Melville Place watering hole was a good place to watch football before it shut down. It won the Edinburgh Evening News pub of the year in 1999.
7. Diane's Pool Hall
After 31 years, this Morrison Street institution closed its doors in 2017 seemingly overnight. Regulars who showed up for their usual 20p pool game were disappointed to find that Diane McNair had sold the *ahem* lively spot which often hit the headlines for the fights that broke out rather than the pool games or the beer. Still a classic, though.
8. Sportsters
These days it's swanky bar Brewhemia, but real Edinburghers will always know it as Sportsters. With an impressive range of drinks and 30 TV screens, there was something for everyone. Assuming you liked sports, otherwise you were out of luck.
9. Rutherfords
Once the drinking den of Sir Walter Scott, Rutherfords got a makeover in the 00s and became bar and restaurant Hispaniola. We reckon Walter would have liked the new look, though.
10. Auld Toll
A classic Edinburgh boozer, full of old pictures and faded, comfortable pub furniture, the Auld Toll is now hipster watering hole The Blackbird. We'll always have a soft spot for the original.
11. Caledonian Ale House
This was the first port of call for knackered travellers who just wanted a quick pint before heading home. The pub was sadly demolished as part of the Edinburgh Trams construction in the 2000s.
12. The Spiders Web
Now quirky gin bar The Jolly Botanist, this pub has gone through multiple rebrands over the years, but to many locals this Morrison Street drinking spot will always be The Spiders Web.
13. Amicus Apple
This bar is now the Boozy Cow, serving all your alcoholic milkshake needs, but back in the day it was a low key but cool bar perfect for pre-drinks before a big night out.
14. The Elm Bar
Now Jeremiah's Taproom, this lively pub was a Leith Walk staple until 2013.
15. The Holyrood Tavern
Now Holyrood 9A, in our hearts this will always be one of Edinburgh's best pubs for metal-heads, goths and fans of real ale alike.
