Edinburgh is home to two of Scotland's biggest football clubs - Hibernian and Heart of Midlothian. Both teams attract around 15-20k fans through the turnstiles every second week to Easter Road and Tynecastle respectively, but where is best to enjoy a pre or post-match drink in the capital? Football Culture Club has you covered.
HIBERNIAN
(Recommendations by Callum Watt)
The Harp and Castle
'The Harp' is the quintessential "Hibs pub" and is even named after two elements of the club's badge
Inside is fully decked out with Hibernian memorabilia and various images from years gone by
Located on Leith Walk, it's only a short walk from Easter Road Stadium and is a favourite amongst fans seeking a pre or post-match drink
'The Harp' boasts a good drinks selection at reasonable prices but be sure to get there early on big matchdays as it fills up quickly
The Iona Bar
The Iona is located on the corner of Easter Road and Iona Street making it one of the closest pubs to the ground
It's also a proper "Hibs pub" and features a variety of Hibs-themed decor inside
The Iona is a family-run pub and has a well-priced selection of alcoholic and soft drinks
Like The Harp, though, it fills up very quickly when Hearts, Celtic and Rangers come to town (many people opt to stand outside and soak up the pre-match atmosphere with a carryout)
The Artisan Bar
A favourite of FCC founder Callum Watt, the 'Arty' is a sports bar located on London Road around 10 minutes from Easter Road Stadium
It features an island bar with a good selection of drinks & has lots of stool seating along all four walls
Large HD TVs in each corner of the pub make it a great place to catch the early kick-off or enjoy a post-match debrief with the 5.30pm game on
However, unlike the other two, The Artisan is not exclusively a Hibs fans pub and is often also frequented by good-natured away supporters as it's closest to where their supporters buses park at Abbeyhill
HEARTS
(Recommendations by Angus Blacklock)
The Tynecastle Arms
Top marks for location - in the shadow of the stadium itself, you can stumble out of the pub at 14:58 and still make kick-off (and you can make it back in time to still see some of the full time scores come in)
It’s competitively priced at £4 a pint, however there are limited draught options
It isn’t the biggest pub so it fills up quite quickly and you sometimes struggle to get served
Athletic Arms
Informally known as 'The Diggers', it’s a proper pub - plenty draught options and the bar circles the whole pub so you're never waiting too long to be served
It’s a 10 minute walk from the ground so not too long to walk - though it's perhaps for the more mature fan
It’s similarly priced to the Tynie Arms at around £4.50 a pint. There are also plenty whisky options
The Shandon
The Shandon is absolutely massive but has the smallest bar out of the lot, which is always a recipe for disaster - nightmare to get served, however it's the place to be on a big match day (the Gorgie Ultras start their marches from here and the drum is often in the pub before to provide a good atmosphere)
As I said, it’s a nightmare to get served so people have been known to bring carryouts into the pub
It’s similarly priced to the other two at around £4 a pint
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