Panda & Sons
79 Queen Street, Edinburgh
What is it: I used to look after this pub when I had a cocktail bar around the corner on North Castle Street. Back then, it was a pub called 80 Queen Street, which also occupied the now estate agents on the first floor. Four years ago the pub was split with the basement being transformed into a bar. The site had always been a tough place to run a pub, due to its location, which is not quite the vibrant George Street or the west end of the city. That didn't stop its new owner from transforming the bar into a speakeasy-style cocktail bar, which has gone on to win numerous awards. The exterior has been designed to look like an old-school barber shop. Once inside, you wander down the carpeted stairs and enter through a door disguised as a bookcase, which is pretty confusing on your first visit. The bar itself is pretty big with loads of quirky little touches that can't help but make you smile, such as the lamp made from an old-fashioned hairdryer that you would find in your granny’s house.
Interesting fact: Last year the owner, Iain McPherson, decided to launch his own brand of alcoholic ice creams named Señor Scoop. Flavours include Buckfast and Irn Bru, Raspberry Cosmopolitan, White Russian and Victorian Strawberry. This saw McPherson travel to Bologna to train in the Gelato University in order to create the best ice cream he possibly could. If you fancy a sample, you can find some in his other bar in Edinburgh, Hoot The Redeemer on Hanover Street.
Verdict: I was in Edinburgh all last week at a drinks festival called Tales Of The Cocktail, of which Panda & Sons was one of the main bars showcasing the best of what Edinburgh has to offer when it comes to bartenders and drinks. I have to say that this bar embraced the challenge and was incredible every time I visited it during the festival. Its drinks offering, staff and all-round atmosphere are a true representation of how amazing Edinburgh is when it comes to great cocktail bars. Its owner Iain, who I've known since he was a young bartender starting out in the industry, is a shining light in the pub scene and has created a bar that Edinburgh and Scotland should be proud of.
Drink: The team here are on top of their game when it comes to service and drinks. The beer and wine game in Edinburgh is tight but it's the cocktails that really keep people coming back form more. The extensive drinks list is innovative and fun. My go-to on my visits here is the Super Tonic with Caorunn gin, almond syrup, fresh lemon juice, Martini extra dry vermouth, Angostura Bitters and Fever Tree tonic water for £8.
Food: There's a perfect bar menu to complement the amazing drinks on offer. We enjoyed the cured meat board with Serrano ham, saucisson, salsiccia piccante, salami tipo Napoli accompanied by sun-blushed tomatoes, olives, Galloway Lodge beetroot chutney, poacher's pickle and crusty bread for £13.
Children: Just for the grown-ups here.
Alfresco: It’s a hidden bar in a basement so not much chance of any outdoor space here. Which is totally fine when its amazing inside.
Perfect for: I like to take folks that are visiting Edinburgh for the first time to Panda & Sons. I don't care who you are, walking through a secret bookcase is cool no matter where you come from.
Avoid if: You aren't into cocktails and must have windows in the bars you frequent.
Follow me on Twitter @andygemmell or on Facebook
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here