STUDENT LIST
Street, Jeffrey Street, etc).
NIGHTLIFE
The safest way to describe Edinburgh’s club scene is ‘fluid’. Many new clubs are launched only to die after a few weeks or even less. The following guide includes the most regular and established, ones that can almost certainly be relied upon to stay in business. For others, the bottom line is keep your ear to the ground and your eye on the crowd (man).
0 Cinderella Rockerieilas 99 St Stephen Street, 556 0266. Tue 8—11pm; Wed 9pm—2am; Thurs—Sat 9pm—3am; Sun 11pm—Zam. Prices vary, usually £3 (£1 before 11pm). Large and popular, serving chart fodder to those who demand nothing more.
0 El Cambalache Cafe Royal Bistro, 17 West Register Street, 556 4124. Mon—Sat 12noon-20m, 7.30pm-12.30am; Sun 12.30—2.30pm. £1.50. One ofthe hippest and best, playing pre-punk, non-chart music, often with a vaguely Latin feel. Definitely worth a visit.
0 Fire Island 127 Princes Street, 226 4660. Every night except Tue 10.30pm—2am; Fri and Sat 10.30pm—3am; Sun 10.30pm—2.30am. £1 .40—£3. Gay disco playing non-chart Hi-NRG.
O Goombay Beat Barbados Suite, 3 West Tollcross, 228 3252. Fri, Sat 10.30pm—4am; Sun 10.30pm—3am. £1.50. Reggae and soul.
0 Hoochie Coochie Club Bermuda Triangle, 3 West Tollcross, 228 3252. Fri 10.30pm—4am. Price varies from £1 .50—£3 depending on whether a band is playing. The music also varies slightly to complement a particular band but it is chiefly alternative, non-chart pop rock. Less archly hip than some might accuse it of being.
0 Kangaroo Club The Place, 4 India Buildings, Victoria Street, 226 5301. Sat 10.30pm—3am. £2. Alternative pre and post-punk pop/soul. Very popular with the trendier student crowd.
0 Lazy H The Westender (formerly the White Swan) Morrison Street, 228 1949. Fri 9.30pm—3am, Sat 9.30pm—2am. £2. Funk, soul, R&B at this frequently changing venue.
0 Texas Bermuda Triangle, 3 West Tollcross, 228 3252. Sat 10.30pm—3am. £2. Funk, soul, Latin and jazz, usually with the emphasis on the first two. Not vastly different from the Hoochie Coochie in atmosphere and clientele. Occasional band.
0 Zenatec 56 Fountainbridge , 229 7733. Fri—Sun 10pm—3am. £2 (£1 before 11.30pm). Exclusively chart stuff in large disco, laser lights etc. Not for the aspiring hipster.
BOOKSHOPS
As befitting such an academic and literary city, Edinburgh has lots. Better get used to them sooner rather than later.
0 Better Books 11 Forrest Road, 225 1515. Mon—Sat 9am—5.30pm; Closed Sun. Excellently laid out, ideal for browsing. Cheap section at back of shop. Mainly paperbacks, both
fiction and non-fiction. Fine range of alternative lifestyle reading.
0 Bauennelster Booksellers 19 George IV Bridge, 226 5561. Mon—Sat 9am—5.30pm; Closed Sun. Superb paperback section, less superb academic section.
0 Edinburgh Bookshop 57 George Street, 225 4495. Mon—Fri 9am—10pm; Sat 9am—5pm; Sun 11am—5pm. Reasonably good, medium-sized shop with both paper and hard backs.
0 First of May Bookshop 43 Candlemaker Row, 225 2612. Mon—Sat IOam—6pm; Closed Sun. Specialist radical bookshop with especially good sections on women’s issues, the media, and peace.
0 Lavender Menace Bookshop 11a Forth Street, 556 0079. Mon—Sat 10am—6pm; Closed Sun. Chief retail outlet of lesbian and gay literature. 0 Science-fiction Bookshop 40/42 West Crosscauseway, 667 0426. Mon-Sat 10am—5pm; Thurs 10am—6.30pm. Specialising not only in all aspects of sci-fi but also rare comic books and posters.
0 James Thin 53 South Bridge, 556 6743; Centre 2, Kings Buildings, West Mains Road, 667 0432. Mon—Sat 9am—5.30pm. Chief academic bookseller in the city. Will order books for you but this service is often erratic to say the least.
0 Waterstones 114 George Street, 225 3436. Mon—Fri 9.30am—10pm; Sat 9.30am—7pm; Sun 12noon—7pm. Relatively new. Large and inviting a good browse, the best non-academic shop in Edinburgh. Its extensive opening hours make browsing a pleasure at any time of day.
0 The Cinema Bookshop Filmhouse, 88 Lothian Road. Specialises in film books, magazines, posters— everything connected with films.
0 Womanzone 117 Buccleuch Street, 667 2926. Mon—Sun IOam—6pm, except Thurs 10am—7.30pm. A wide selection of books by and about
women. 0 Scottish Ornithological Club Bookshop 21 Regent Terrace. Mon—Fri 9am—5pm. Probably the largest selection of books on birds for sale anywhere in the country. Don’t forget second hand bookshops too, of which the following are perhaps the best.
e McNaughton’s Bookshop 3a—4a Haddington Place (Leith Walk), 556 5897. Tue—Sat 9.30am—5 .30pm; Closed Mon and Sun.
0 West Port Books 151 West Port, 229 4431. Mon—Fri 10am—5.30pm; Sat 11am—5pm.
o Greytrlars Remainder Books 34 George IV Bridge, 225 1861. Mon—Sat 9am—5.30pm.
o The Nostalgia Shop 287 Leith Walk, 553 6275. Mon—Fri 10.30am—5.30pm; Sat 10am—6pm. Specialist in film, television and comic memorabilia.
0 Football Crazy 13 Spittal Street, 228 2633. Mon—Fri 9am—5pm (Thurs also 6.30—8.30pm); Sat 9am—2pm. Football books and programmes ;lus a huge selection of old programmes 0 Tlll’s Bookshop 1 Hope Park Crescent (Buccleuch Street), 667 0895. Wide selection of second hand books and original old movie posters.
RESTAURANTS
All the following serve good food at reasonable prices.
0 Bell's Diner 7 St Stephen Street, 225 8116. Mon—Sat 5.30—1 1pm. Caters for the up-market burger-lovers with some very filling meals. Mouthwatering desserts, of which the chocolate fudge sundae is an undoubted classic.
0 Chinese Home Cooking 21 Argyle Place, 229 4404. Mon-Sun 5.30—11pm. Hugely popular with students, groups are always welcome. Friendly and unpretentious — the toilet is in the kitchen! Unlicensed so BYOB.
o Bannerman's Bar 212 Cowgate, 556 3254. Mon-Thurs
1 1am—12midnight; Sat 11am—1am; Sun llam—3pm, 6.30-11pm. A renowned pub, entered l—: for its Sunday breakfasts from 11am—2pm. £2.50.
0 Fat Sam's Fountainbridge. Mon—Sun 12noon—2am. Newly opened pasta/burger type joint, very tastefully done with pictures of jazz greats complementing the live jazz. Piranha fish in the aquarium. (I’m not joking).
O Lilligs 30 Victoria Street, 225 7635. Mon—Fri 11am—2am; Sat, Sun Ham—midnight. German café and restaurant serving a wide range of snacks and dishes, including vegetarian. Also draught Furstenburg, which can’t be bad (and isn’t).
o Pancake Place 130 High Street, 225 1972. Mon—Sun 9am—10pm (Fri, Sat 9am—11pm). Hard to think ofa pancake variation not available. Very filling, very tasty.
o Khushl Tandoori Restaurant 32c Broughton Street, 556 8092. Mon—Fri 5pm—12.30am; Sat 5pm—1am. One of the best (and cheapest) Indian restaurants in town. Huge portions (be warned!)
o Pizzeria Romana 10 Forrest Road, 225 5128. Mon—Fri 8am—8pm; Sat 9am—8pm; Sun 10.30am—5pm. An Italian restaurant would you beheve?
0 Tapas 10 Victoria Street, 225 1721. Small cafe, popular amongst students, that serves a wide range of hot and cold food.
HAIR
0 Cheynes 57 South Bridge, 556 0108. Mon—Fri 9am—6pm; Sat 9am—4pm. Women £7.50, men £7, senior stylist £9.45 and £8.95 , top stylists £9.95 and £8.95. 10% student reduction on senior and top stylists. Very self—consciously trendy ‘new-wave’ salon, but reliably professional.
0 Salon Nouveau 29 South Clerk Street, 667 9608. Mon—Wed 9am—5.30pm; Thurs 9am—6.30pm; Fri 9am—5pm; Sat 12noon—5pm. Last appointment half an hour before closing. A bit garish and loud (try and avoid asking for a dance when you go in) but relatively cheap. 0 Second Dimensions 94 South Clerk Street, 667 6061. Student reductions Mon—Thurs.
o Sandy’s Hairstylist 77 Broughton Street, Mon—Fri 8.30am—5pm (Wed till 1pm); Sat 8.30am—4pm. Hair cut £2, long hair cut £2.50, long hair
styling£5.50, flat tops £5.50. Also does women’s styles (short). Traditional barbers shop. The press cutting on the mirror announce that Sandy is local pop enigma Paul Haig’s hairdresser.
o Wood's Barber Shop 12 Drummond Street, 5566716. Mon—Fri 8.30am—5pm (Wed till 1pm); Sat 8.30am—4pm. No flat tops after 4pm (3pm Sat). Shampoo cut, gents £3.60, wet cut £1 .90, wash and blow dry £2.20. Flat tops from £2. Women’s trims £1 .40-£2. Wonderfully incongruous mix of clientele — punks sit next to OAPs and children. Staff are friendly and kind. A haven for those (like myself) 5 who once found haircuts deeply traumatic experiences.
RECORD SHOPS
Regrettably, Edinburgh lacks a record store that sells cheap, new records. The chains — HMV, Virgin and Other — by virtue of being on Princes Street are virtually identical in price; they do, however. hold fairly frequent sales. The scene for second hand stores is much better and all provide a friendly and enthusiastic service; these are the places to furtively flog that collection of 13 Rush LPs so you can buy the newie by New Order. 0 BackbaalCandlemaker Row, 226 2283. Sells both new and second hand, chiefly LPs. Especially good rare blues section. 0 HMV 129 Princes Street, 226 3466. Mon—Sat 9.30am—6.30pm, except Thurs 9.30am—7.30pm; Sun 11am—5pm: 72/74 St James Centre, 556 1236. Mon—Wed 9.30am—5.45pm; Thurs 9.30—7pm; Fri 9.30am—6pm; Sat 9.30am—5.45pm. The Princes Street store is large but surprisingly limited in scope. 0 Last Record Shop 28 Lady Lawson Street, 228 1939. Mon—Sat 2—6pm. Second hand records bought and sold. 0 Other Record Shop 46 Princes Street, 5560478. Mon—Sat 9am—9pm; Sun 11am—7.30pm. Used to be in High Street and was the cheapest in town. Its move to Princes Street saw prices rise to the levels of the big two, over which it now has no obvious advantages. 0 Record Shak 67 Clerk Street, 667 7144. Mon-Sat 9.30am—9pm; Sun 1—5pm. Sells both new and second hand LPs in large quantities. Also cheap singles. o Ripping Records 91 South Bridge, 226 7010. Mon—Wed 9.30am—6pm; Thurs 9.30am—7pm; Fri 9.30am—6.30pm; Sat 9am—6pm. Good for singles on small record labels, but LPs are over-priced and can usually be purchased cheaper in the chains. Sells tickets for most gigs in the city. 0 Vinyl Villains Elm Row, Leith Walk, 558 1170. Mon—Fri 10.153m—6pm; Sat 10.1Sam—8.30pm. Excellent new and second hand shop. 0 Virgin 131 Princes Street, 225 4583. Mon-Sat 9am—6pm except Thurs 9—7pm; and Unit 9, Cameron Toll Centre, 664 5722. Mon—Wed 9am—6pm ; Thurs, Fri 9am—8pm; Sat
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