Doric Tavern

Housed in a 17th-century building, the Doric claims to be Edinburgh's oldest food-serving hostelry; certainly records show a pub on this site since 1823. Its name is taken from an old language once spoken in north-east Scotland, mainly Aberdeenshire. Conveniently located for Waverley Station, the pub is just a short walk from Princes Street and Edinburgh Castle. Public rooms include a refurbished ground-floor bar, and a wine bar and bistro upstairs. In these pleasantly informal surroundings, a wide choice of fresh, locally sourced food is prepared by the chefs on site. While supping a pint of Edinburgh Gold, you can nibble on marinated olives or haggis spring rolls. Mains from the grill include a Border beef rib-eye, while chef's specials may include a home-made game pie with chargrilled asparagus. Seafood is delivered fresh each morning: haddock is deep-fried in the pub's own beer-batter and served with hand-cut chips and home-made tartare sauce.