This merry neighborhood watering hole serves elevated pub grub (the Wagyu beef burgers come from the purveyor who supplies Zuma and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons) and hipster reinterpretations of Scottish staples. Sausages and mash sounds a bit more exciting when the mash comes in varieties like black pudding with apple and caramelized leek with bacon.

It seemed appropriate, and quite Scottish, on a chilly autumn evening, to indulge in a whisky cider while waiting for my pumpkin and sage savory pie to appear. I had just finished congratulating myself on my order when the waiter emerged with a puff pastry as voluminous as the 16th-century Scottish crown I had seen on display earlier that day at Edinburgh Castle. "Well it's a pie, not a daisy!" he quipped gleefully upon seeing my stupefied expression. Needless to say, I wasn't allowed to get up from the table until I had made a passable effort to finish my vegetables (“Seriously, it's Mum's restaurant!”). Mum's vigilance aside, the pub's versatile menu and irreverent vibe make it a fun place for children to experience the local cuisine. Portion sizes are generous, so dessert-lovers should plan to save room for decadent Scottish specialties like cranachan: toasted oats and whisky-marinated raspberries blended with vanilla cream.