Ever since some guy at The Times overlooked the serried ranks of charity shops and pronounced Stockbridge one of the 30 coolest places to live in Britain, the neighbourhood has been building up a rare head of steam. If you want to escape the hype, however, pop into this no-nonsense watering hole for some real down-home wisdom. The Tap, which is the wee brother of the wonderful Bow Bar, is a proper local, with a studied, relaxed ambience, a dog-friendly attitude and big TV screens for the footie. Nothing moves too fast here, the cask beers are kept in good order and the bar staff are reassuringly knowledgeable about the wide selection of whiskies on offer. Despite being at the epicentre of Edinburgh’s artisan foodie land, the cooking can be hit and miss – although the burgers are consistently good.