A good friend of mine visited Nectar for the first time not long ago. He had come up from London for the weekend and we had arranged to meet on a Friday evening. He arrived, looked around at the tables filling up, ordered a drink, and turned to me with a slightly puzzled expression. It feels like people gather here for drinks after work, he said. Just like pub culture in London. Is that the thing everywhere? I had to smile. Some days it is, some days it is not. But the honest

Edinburgh has a weekend reputation that is entirely justified. The city fills up on Friday and Saturday with visitors, locals out for special occasions, and the kind of energy that makes it one of the best nights out in the UK. Everyone knows about that version of Edinburgh. What fewer people talk about is how good this city can be on a Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday evening. Quieter, more personal, easier to get a table, and often significantly better value. The venues that