The Spiegeltent: George Square, Edinburgh

Well it’s that time of year again, the festival has begun, and what better place to spend it than in the Spiegeltent. Called ‘Assembly’ this year for no apparent reason (though if you’re actually interested why you can read this Fringe report), it is still the Spiegeltent of old; where festival goers and performers alike can congregate for a drink in one large beer tent. Some may say that sitting on patio furniture, on AstroTurf, drinking out of plastic glasses isn’t really worth the fairly extortionate prices they charge. However, this is the hub of the festival, and much like if you haven’t been to Espionage you haven’t been to Edinburgh, if you haven’t drank in the Spiegeltent you haven’t been to the festival!

Tip: While you’re at the Spiegeltent, order a Jägerbomb. They come in a neatly designed plastic glass which has clearly been designed only for this drink. Also be prepared for massive queues at the bar.

Check out that patio furniture!

Bramble: 16A Queen St, Edinburgh

Looks terrible from the outside but good inside!

This bar has stunning ‘scenery’ and I’m not talking about the architecture. This bar is full of very attractive women. It’s a cocktail bar and I don’t like cocktails – but I liked this bar! Watching the bartenders make cocktails was almost an education, they put so much effort into each drink. I ordered a bourbon and coke and the barmaid seemed delighted to make a drink that wasn’t a cocktail. A DJ mixing and mashing tunes also ensures a lively atmosphere.

The bathrooms appear to be unisex (unless I stumbled upon the wrong bathroom) and there are paintings of naked women on the wall of each cubicle - all a bit random.

If you like cocktails go to this bar.  Gents (and women), if you like attractive women go to this bar. If you like both then you’ve hit the jackpot here!  

Carriers Quarters: 42 Bernard St, Leith, Edinburgh

Traditional Architecture

This pub combines traditional, if not cave like architecture, with 21^st century technology – i.e. the pub looks like a cave and shows the big sports events in 3D. The bar is well stocked, bar staff are helpful and there is good banter in this pub. Tip: get there early if you want to watch the sport in 3D, as this small bar fills up pretty quickly.

21st Century Technology!

The Merlin: 168 Morningside Road, Edinburgh

I was expecting to like this bar when I visited with a friend. I had been there for a pub quiz before and quite enjoyed it but sadly on my recent visit it had changed. The management seemed to have decided that the way to bring in the punters was to go down market (i.e. jakie) and provide zero service. Normally I like downmarket, and I was able to get a pint of Guinness for £2.50. However, the pint was terrible and trying to obtain food required the wizardry powers of Merlin (maybe hence the name?)! Food was advertised, but apparently there had been a problem in the kitchen so they weren’t serving food. The barmaid seemed like she couldn’t care less about the situation (or our drinks order) which is probably because she couldn’t!

Overall, a bar that’s not worth going to even for the cheap drink! You can get cheap drink in the likes of the Standing Order or the Alexander Graham Bell. I wouldn’t even go to this pub if I lived in Morningside!

More disapointing than this dodgy tv series of Merlin!

The Tass: 1 High St, Old Town, Edinburgh

The Royal Mile is littered with ‘tourist’ bars but Tass is one of the better ones. This bar offers folk music, a decent pint and even the opportunity of a free drink. Indeed, the barmaid had poured someone the wrong type of rum so offered it to my mate for free! We were drinking the house ale called Tass 80/- (shillings), a good pint which I would recommend to fans of Belhaven Best! On the wall among other things is a large copy of the Declaration of Arbroath (which American tourists might like to note was apparently the model for their own Declaration of Independence).

I very much enjoyed my visit to this bar, my only complaints were that it shut before 1am on a Saturday night and the hand drier in the Gents was worse than useless. These are minor issues however, which certainly wouldn’t prevent me visiting again.     

Fiddle de dee, fiddle de da!

The Conan Doyle: 71-73 York Place, Edinburgh

You may have read my previous review of the Conan Doyle on my previous pub review site. If not now is your chance! Click here to read it.

What I used to like about this pub was that it was cheap and they did good food (I believe the Sausage and Mash had actually won awards). While you still get a good scran in this pub the beer costs have rocketed. It cost me £7.55 for a pint of Guinness and a pint of Stella Black. As with many cheap pubs that turn expensive, this pub has had a refit. What used to be a dingy cheap pub is now a nicely furnished but expensive one.

They certainly play the Sherlock Holmes card, with a big display about author Arthur Conan Doyle and his most famous creation by the front window (due to this pub lying close to where Conan Doyle was born) . However, if you are a fan of his work I’d suggest buying a book of his literature and reading it in a different, cheaper pub.

Too Expensive? It's elementary my dear Watson!

Element: 110–114 Rose Street, Edinburgh

If you’re heading down Rose Street and fancy somewhere that isn’t a wooden ‘old man’ bar (as so many of the bars on Rose Street are), then you’ll be in your element in Element!

I had actually avoided this trendy bar for some time, as from outside it looked like a hairdressing salon. Once I gave Element a try though it actually won me over. It’s lively, has comfy leather couches and random furniture including a flat screen TV that looks like a mirror.

Most importantly, this bar has a good selection of beer.  Last time I was there I had a beer which tasted like a German Weißbier, but is actually made in Glasgow. Worth a visit.

However this bar can be hit or miss. If you sit at one of the long tables through the back it can kill conversation and some of the beers will put a dent in your wallet!

Shout Out!

Read a fellow pub fan’s reviews at Edinburgh Pub Reviews, containing Edinburgh pub reviews for the discerning beer drinker.

The Raconteur: 50 Dean Street, Edinburgh

Last night I went with some mates to the Raconteur, a bar hidden up a residential side street in Stockbridge. A bit off the beaten track, this bar is only frequented by those in the know. Unfortunately by the end of my visit I was left irritated and only knowing that I would never go back.

I’ll begin with the positives. The bar is stylish and chilled out, there are attractive barmaids who provide table service and if you like cocktails and pretzels you can apparently get many good ones.

The negatives: I don’t like cocktails or pretzels, I like beer, of which there weren’t many choices. The Guinness was fairly average and after a few pints it was sticking in my throat (although it was served in one of the new tactile glasses which I like). As you come to expect in most Edinburgh bars the drink is overpriced! I also don’t really like table service in bars as it destroys the round system – a proud drinking tradition. However, what angered me the most was the service. 

When we arrived the bar was quiet. A barmaid came to our table who, after unnecessarily wasting her time trying to convince us to try some cocktails, eventually got the message we wanted pints. We were given our pints quickly (no problem there) and stayed in the bar for some time, ordering several more drinks. Later one of my mates even tried a cocktail, which seemed to delight the barmaid. By this time the bar had become busier and 2 of my mates had left. I moved from a seat near a speaker into a more comfortable seat, leaving two empty seats in front of our table. The barmaid soon asked me if I would move back to the less comfortable seat to make space for other customers (who could easily have sat on the less comfortable seats in front of us). This, added to the fact that the waitress took ages to produce our most recent round of drinks, made us feel like we had been relegated from hero to zero customers!

I would have expected a bar like this, which survives on word of mouth, would have done all it could to keep customers coming back. I won’t be going back and would recommend my readers don’t bother either.   

Pretzel Logic?
(That's a Steely Dan album for those not in the know!)