The BeerCast’s Pub Guide – Edinburgh Part2
The Halfway House 24 Fleshmarket Close (off Market St) Map
Open: 11am-12am (1am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: Official Website
Good Beer Guide entry: Yes
The Halfway House is the littlest pub in Edinburgh, and probably one of the smallest in the UK. Hidden near the bottom of a flight of steps that lead from Cockburn Street down to Market Street, it’s about a minute from Waverley Station – so is a great place to wait for a train (if you can find it). There are railway prints on the walls and old pump clips behind the bar, but of course it’s the beer that brings the punters in. Four guest ales change regularly, and often all four are from the same brewery. Each week in August they showcase a different Scottish brewer – we climbed their steps to sample Orcadian ales back in September.
Bert’s Bar 29-31 William Street, West End Map
Open: 11am-11pm (1am Thu-Sat); 12.30pm-12am (Sun)
Link: bestpubs.co.uk
Good Beer Guide entry: No
William Street is tucked away in Edinburgh’s West End, and is one of the many quiet cobbled streets over there with a strange mix of shops. Bert’s Bar sits at the end, with a sign on the outside advertising the ‘Best Mince Pies in Town’ (being in Scotland we’re talking the meat variety, not the Christmas treats). Bert’s is renowned for two things – pies and rugby, as the shirts on the walls testify. It’s a good, honest Scottish boozer, with plenty of room and some decent beers on cask. What more do you want?
The Cambridge Bar&Grill 20 Young Street, West End Map
Open: 12pm-11pm; (12am Thu); (1am Fri-Sat)
Link: Official Website
Good Beer Guide entry: No
The Cambridge doesn’t do pies – recently renamed the Cambridge Bar&Grill it specialises in colossal burgers. Don’t let that put you off, it’s a small decent pub with a couple of cask ales on (one of which is always Deuchars IPA) that’s just as good without the food. Having said that, a couple of pints and a chilliburger are a pretty good way to spend an afternoon. The Cambridge’s management only have five tables bookable for eating, so although it gets busy you can usually squeeze in and get a beer or two. As their website says – “The bar oozes character in comparison to to many of the anonymous style bars in the New Town”. This means you, George Street!
The Guildford Arms 1 West Register Street, East End Map
Open: 11am-11pm (12am Fri-Sat); 12.30pm-11pm (Sun)
Link: Official Website
Good Beer Guide entry: No
If it’s character you’re after, the 19th Century Guildford Arms is accessed through a revolving door and has seven arched windows with etched glass. Directly behind is the staggeringly ornate Cafe Royal – but although impressive it only has two cask ales on offer. The Guildford Arms has at least twelve at any one time – it really is a beer haven. Every time we’re been in almost all of them have been different, apart from their regular offerings from the Caley brewery, and two of my favourite beers of all time – Orkney Dark Island, and Highland Orkney Blast. Oh, and they also do BOGOF deals on pints.
Bennets Bar 8 Leven Street, Tollcross Map
Open: 11am-12:30am (1am Thu-Sat); 12pm-11:30pm (Sun)
Link: bestpubs.co.uk
Good Beer Guide entry: No
Another grand Scottish interior awaits inside the apostrophe-less Bennets Bar (not to be confused with Bennet’s Bar in Morningside). This historical boozer sits just between Tollcross and Bruntsfield, next door to the King’s Theatre. It’s another great surprise on the eye, as through the dark entrance is a stunning Victorian drinking room with mirrors and windows celebrating Edinburgh’s brewing history. The Taylor McLeod mirror is apparently the last trace of that producer, who used to brew on the site of the theatre next door. There’s a back room if the front gets too busy, but it pales by comparison.
Malt & Hops 45 The Shore, Leith Map
Open: 12pm-11pm (12am Wed-Thu); (1am Fri-Sat)
Link: Beer in the Evening
Good Beer Guide entry: Yes
Not strictly in Edinburgh, but there are some great pubs on the Shore in Leith – one of them being the Malt & Hops. Handy for public transport as the number 22 stops exactly outside, there are a couple of tables on the pavement to soak up the Leith rays. The M&H dates from 1749, and is a great example of a traditional Scottish one-roomed bar. There are six guest pumps on offer with a regularly changing selection of producers – this is the kind of place where even BeerCasters get to drink things they’ve never heard of.
Dalriada 77 Promenade, Portobello/Joppa Map
Open: 12pm-11pm (12am Fri-Sat); closed Mon (Jan-Feb)
Link: The List
Good Beer Guide entry: Yes
It may look more like a haunted house, but the Dalriada is CAMRA’s 2008 Edinburgh pub of the year runner-up, and is even better for soaking up sunshine as it’s on the seaside. Found at the far end of Portobello promenade, there are three bar rooms inside with live music on weekends and a very good pub menu. They have three cask ales on offer, all of which are usually worth trying – BeerCast favourites the Stewart Brewery are usually represented. It can be a bit cold, but there can’t be many real-ale pubs where you can sit and watch seals frolic in the water out the front (not that I’ve ever seen any in Portobello, mind).
Other BeerCast Pub Guides
The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to Edinburgh, Part 1
The Baillie
The Blue Blazer
The Bow Bar
Cask and Barrel
The Cumberland
Kays Bar
The BeerCast’s Pub Guide to York
The Maltings
Koko’s
The Blue Bell
The Swan Inn
The Last Drop
The York Brewery
Suddaby’s Crown Hotel
(although my Dad was recently shouted at by the landlord of the Maltings, so consider it removed from our guide)
