40 Best Nightlife in Scotland

A 16th-century coaching inn, the Dreel Tavern was resurrected and refurbished in 2017 by two young sisters who have built on the characterful stone building and added some tasteful improvements including an à la carte menu and a Mexican-inspired street food hut, the Shack. Alongside the draft beers, the food showcases local produce such as lobster and smoked fish. The low-ceilinged wood-beamed bar makes for a lively atmosphere, especially during low-key musical gigs and gourmet events. A pretty beer garden overlooks the Dreel Burn and the family garden where much of the produce on the menu grows.

An odd but much-loved combination of Scottish pub, concert hall, and Thai restaurant, Hootananny is one of the best places in the region to hear live music. The excellent pub has a warm atmosphere and serves food that comes highly recommended by locals. Several bands play each Saturday evening and a few during the week, too—check the website for listings.

At this very inventive cocktail bar in the heart of Finniston, the chic vintage interior feels a bit like a Gatsby party, attracting a well-heeled crowd.

This place is a survivor of a different, older city, but it offers a taste of an authentic Glasgow pub, with traditional folk music performances happening regularly. Dark wood, a wood-beamed ceiling, and a classic L-shaped bar set the mood.

One of Glasgow's oldest and most iconic pubs, the wood-paneled Sloans is always lively and welcoming; it serves traditional pub food like fish-and-chips throughout the day. The upstairs ballroom is a magnificent mirrored affair, and on the floor above there's dancing and a ceilidh—traditional music and dancing—every Friday night (booking essential). The pub has a good selection of beers and spirits, and the outdoor area is always lively when the weather cooperates.

Called Mennie's by locals, the Speedwell Bar is in a mahogany-paneled building brimming with Dundonian characters and architectural features. It's renowned for its superb cask beers, choice of malts, and Edwardian interior.

This iconic Glasgow boozer is tucked away on a hidden alleyway not far from Central Station. The wood-paneled traditional pub is a lively and upbeat Glasgow institution. If you're feeling brave, head upstairs and participate in their legendary public karaoke on the weekends.

Holding art exhibitions, film nights, and live performances, this arts venue packs a mean cultural punch for a renovated barn.

As the name suggests, this enormous and endlessly flexible space occupies the railway arches beneath Glasgow Central station. Most nights it's a popular music venue, but on weekends it becomes a street food market called Platform. Despite its appearance, this industrial space and its glass roof can be a surprisingly intimate place to see a show.

Built on the site of Glasgow's traditional cheese market, Arta has transformed the place into what feels and looks like a Spanish hacienda. It is a labyrinth of different spaces and unexpected rooms on the ground and basement levels, where a live DJ, a salsa night, or a live band might be in action. You can also stay with the cocktails and tapas on the ground floor.

Step behind a curious version of the Iron Curtain where burgers and Tex-Mex diner food mix with an eclectic musical mash of DJs and live rock and folk bands.

Aberdeen's pioneering craft brewery–turned–global brand runs its flagship bar with suitable gusto and no lack of style. A bare-brick warehouse interior with lots of steel means there's lots of noise and chatter flying around the cavernous space, oiled by a choice of over 100 craft beers.

A fine selection of malt whiskies and Cuban cigars (which can be smoked in the outside seating area) makes this one of Aberdeen's more sophisticated watering holes. CASC, which stands for cigars, ale, Scotch, and coffee, is popular for its craft beers (more than 150 of them) and cool industrial interior. It can seem a bit crowded and noisy on weekends.

There are still some old-fashioned pubs to be found among the cocktail bars of St. Andrews, and this wood-and-leather-furnished haunt is a good bet for a friendly mingle with a pint in hand. You'll find a good range of beers (bottled and on tap) and decent pub food.

Known as "Dels" by locals, this is a lively and upbeat LGBTQ bar and club in the heart of the city's gay quarter. Karaoke, DJs, quiz nights, and an always busy dance floor set the tone for a place where the drinks are cheap and the crowd is warm and friendly.

Secreted down a wynd (alley), this small speakeasy has stylish, exposed-brick interiors, with decorative nods to the defunct Draffens department store and plenty of cocktail shaking going on.

With mismatched furnishings and the odd stag's head on the wall, the four large rooms here are decorated in a style that can only be described as "ultra eclectic." It's no place for a quiet, intimate evening, but Dram feels like a traditional bar while being brashly youthful and up-to-the-minute. There's a wide range of beers, and the place takes special pride in the 75 whiskies. On Thursday and Sunday, musicians gather in an informal jam session. Food is served every night until 9.

If you find yourself in Broughty Ferry, you can't leave without a tipple in what the locals call The Fisherman's. It's a great place to mingle with locals and catch some folk music.

The old-fashioned Illicit Still is named after the 18th-century practice of brewing your own beer to avoid the malt tax. A beautifully fitted-out drinking establishment, it's popular with local students and has live music on weekends.

A bit of a hidden gem in the West End bar scene, Inn Deep doesn't look like much from its street entrance on Great Western Road, built into the arches of the Great Western Bridge (also known as Kelvinbridge). But inside, craft beers, regular live music, and the friendly staff make this place popular with locals of all ages. The quirky, cool pub also has a terrific beer garden on the banks of the River Kelvin, which means it's always busy during the summer.

Better known as the bar at Dundee Contemporary Arts, this café-bar attracts film fans (the art-house cinema's entrance is next door), students, and the well-heeled for European beers, wine, cocktails, or coffee. It serves tasty bar snacks every night and hosts events related to the arts and cinema.

An intimate venue showcasing up-and-coming independent bands since 1990, King Tut's Wah Wah Hut was the venue where the U.K. britpop band Oasis was discovered. Indeed, the list of those who have played here reads like a catalog of indie music history. It's a favorite with students and hosts live music most nights, but the cozy and traditional pub setting draws people of all ages, and the refurbished bar is a pleasant and comfortable place for a drink or a meal.

A classic dive bar on Sauchiehall Street, drinks here are reasonably priced, and their tiny downstairs gig space has played host to many terrific bands and DJs over the years. It's popular with an eclectic crowd of musicians and artists, so if you head in after attending a show, there's a high chance the band you saw that night will be drinking there too. 

A wonderful venue for almost every type of music, this was once the city's fruit and vegetable market. The first-floor balcony, with its intricate iron railings, still carries some of the original merchants' names. It's adjacent to City Halls in the heart of the Merchant City.

At the top of Byres Road, Òran Mór has estabished itself as the heart of West End nightlife. Located in what was once a church, it still has beautiful stained-glass windows and a lovely nave gloriously decorated by outstanding Glasgow artist Alasdair Gray. The bar fills with different types of people at different times of day, but its late license means crowds surge Friday and Saturday nights. In the basement, the hugely successful lunchtime theater series "A Play, a Pie, and a Pint" plays to capacity crowds. It also houses a busy bistro, a brasserie, and an evening music venue, as well as a late-night club. The small beer garden fills up quickly in good weather.

Oozing with Edwardian style, the Polo Lounge is Glasgow's largest gay club. Upstairs is a bar that resembles an old-fashioned gentlemen's club. On the two dance floors downstairs, the DJs spin something for everyone.

Dating from 1850, the Prince of Wales has retained its paneled walls and wooden tables. Still regarded as Aberdeen's most traditional pub, it's hardly regal, but good-quality food and reasonable prices draw the regulars back.