Captains Bar

Whilst you may not want to stay for the folk sessions that are regularly on here (conversation can become a bit difficult during them) this is one of Edinburgh’s great bars for locals and tourists to mix in and so worth coming to to soak up the atmosphere.
A friendly and lively establishment which should manage to meet your drinking needs one way or the other as long as those are not too outlandish.

I wish the Captain would have more space some nights but then he would lose its cozy charm, I’m afraid.
He is quite a fan of music so he has a different kind of live music on every night of the week. You come in and order your beer/whiskey/(insert drink of choice), squeeze into some spot amongst like-​minded sailors you may already know or are most certainly about to get to know and listen to the sounds of folk of whatever jam-​session is on that moment and start the cruise. It’s a pleasant journey every time I come on board of the Captain’s.
I hope he’ll continue sailing on South College St …

Traditional pub, live music, friendly staff, good booze selection and great atmosphere. That is all my boxes ticked for a great boozer. Never spent a whole night in here as mostly we are enroute elsewhere and stop in for a quick one, but the people occupying the tables always appear comfortable.
If you are heading along I would recomend aiming for a night when they have folk music on. Some of the acts I have caught here have been great.

Que de monde que de monde très petit dans une rue derrière le université et le musée. Pas beaucoup de place il faut dès le pas de porte se frayer un chemin. La musique est très sympa et surtout local, c’est est le charme de ce bar.

Our visit was a success. We’d hear of Captains before, but we’re not often in that part of town.
Great atmosphere as soon as we walked in the door, the band was just tuning up and there was a nice buzz in the air. The bar staff were great, very friendly and even managed to understand Welsh mates accent — to be fair, I barely understand him at times.
So, slightly rowdy in a good way, busy (but not packed).
A great night was had by all.

«And nothing ever happens, nothing happens at all!, the needle returns to the start of the song, and we all sing along like before.»
I had this song stuck in my head all of the evening and next day after a wee visit to Captain’s Bar. I didn’t realise, in hindsight, just how rather dour the lyrics are. Ignore the words, just listen to the lovely wee guitar, the energetic folky beat and the sing-​a-​long-​ness of it. That’s what Captain’s made me want to do. Sing-​a-​long and sway to some right good live, folky music.
It could be because there was some pretty awesome live, folky music playing when we arrived. The moment I walked in I had déjà vu of «I’ve been here before“because I had. Once, many years ago. It was packed, i I couldn’t even see the bar, but it was full in that pleasant, jostling, ‘welcome, we squeeze you in’ way.
This time around it was still busy for a Sunday eve. I think there must be about 5 seats in the bar in total, scattered round the outskirts. It’s small, long and narrow with the live music up the back. But I really didn’t mind. It was warm, the folk were friendly, the music was ace, and the ginger and JD went down a treat.
A traditional «old-​man» boozer if you must, but not really. A mix of students and the aforementioned clientelle, and then me singing along in the corner. I can see myself wanting to come back here quite a bit. Not great for big groups probably, or for a long evening of imbibing (see lack of seats). But for a bit of atmosphere and good selection of whisky (I noticed quite a few…) it’s a winner.

I only know this place as the Twa Balls.
The two footballs above the bar — should tell you why.
Decent little pub in a reasonable location.
Most places that got there — would stay there. Milk the regulars and stick to the status quo.
Captains Bar pushes it a bit. Some great live music. Unplugged Punk!!! Get In!!!
Nowhere near the sea, but don’t let that stop them.
These guys have decided that regular is not their style.
I like that — I like it a lot.
Drop by and enjoy. The worst thing that could happen is that you learn something new

I came here by recommendation to hear some live, traditional Scottish music. Needless to say, I thoroughly enjoyed my experience at this old little pub.
Now don’t get me wrong, this place is a TOTAL diver — old, smelly, and an eclectic crowd with both old and young. About the size of your living room, this place was cosy and perfect for an intimate evening of low key music.
Drinks are cheap. And bartenders are friendly. Great FREE live Scottish music on Thursdays. Captains Bar is definitely worth popping in for a drink and a lovely earful of tunes.