Once an instantly forgettable city-centre boozer, The Queens Arms has been seriously overhauled, extravagantly recast and made to look like a faux 18th-century gentlemen's club – complete with
linen-backed shelves of books, ornate fireplaces, candles in whisky bottles, pictures of Mary Queen of Scots on every wall and even wine bottles embedded in the ceiling. OTT kitsch, yes – but it
works. The menu has been given a facelift too, with upbeat dishes ranging from maple-glazed confit pork belly with walnut pesto and pea shoots to Mediterranean vegetable skewers, or pan-fried coley
with mussel and chorizo linguine, chilli and lemon butter – plus desserts such as strawberry posset with shortbread. There's also an impressively stocked bar offering more than 50 whiskies,
well-priced wines, cheeky cocktails and a vast selection of draught and bottled beers from Scottish breweries and beyond.