☰The Espy

The Espy — short for Esplanade — is the beachfront bar that Portobello has needed for years: a proper bar-restaurant with sea views, decent food, and a programme of live music that brings the place alive on weekend evenings. The menu covers cocktails and craft beers alongside reliable food; the terrace has unobstructed views of the Firth of Forth on a clear day. It is the kind of place that the neighbourhood coalesces around — Portobello has gentrified considerably, and the Espy is part of what has made it a destination as well as a place people happen to live.