renton Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 (edited) 5 minutes ago, Gordon EF said: Aye, I walked past it a couple of weeks ago and it was open. I've not been in for a couple of years to be fair. Used to live 2 minutes away and was in fairly regularly. Agree about the sewing machines though. Bizarre addition. Aye, I mind when you'd go in there, and it was rammed full, there was all those football flags on the ceiling, music pounding and Bundesliga on the TV... went in a few weeks later, and it was civilised to a fault: Just a few groups of what you'd stereotypically think of as art school folk, some post grad looking folk, a few obvious dates - all huddled round their sewing machines and fake foliage. Tonal whiplash. Edited October 7, 2021 by renton 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon EF Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 1 minute ago, renton said: Aye, I mind when you'd go in there, and it was rammed full, there was all those football flags on the ceiling, music pounding and Bundesliga on the TV... went in a few weeks later, and it was civilised to a fault: Just a few groups of what you'd stereotypcialy think of as art school folk, some post grad looking folk, a few obvious dates - all huddled round their sewing machines and fake foliage. Tonal whiplash. Aye. It does feel like they're trying to take it down the quirky hipster route (How random, there's a sewing machine on our table and a branch off a tree on the wall) when really it should have stuck to being a German pub focussing on having good beers you can't get elsewhere. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
renton Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 Just now, Gordon EF said: Aye. It does feel like they're trying to take it down the quirky hipster route (How random, there's a sewing machine on our table and a branch off a tree on the wall) when really it should have stuck to being a German pub focussing on having good beers you can't get elsewhere. Ventoux does at least have a decent selection of German bottled beers... and the fish tanks, of course. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 (edited) 31 minutes ago, Gordon EF said: Fantastic summary. The only notable exception I can think of is maybe Brauhaus. Once you get to Tollcross, turn left up Lauriston Place instead of straight on to Ventoux. It's small and a bit shabby looking but it has a pretty bewildering choice of Belgian / German beers in there and usually has at least one decent beer on tap that you might never have tried before, if that's your thing. It's rarely rammed and the clientele is fairly mixed. If you get too loud you might get shooshed though. I'd considered it but that means turning left at Tollcross as opposed to going straight on but then there's nothing after the brauhaus till you get to the likes of the Doctors and Sandy Bells around Old College on the other side of the old Royal infirmary although I suppose if you were planning on going back from Waverley that could work I see big Sal that used to run the Brauhaus at Hearts Games from time to time. He's about half the size he used to be and has trained as a primary school teacher. The pub's worse for losing him but it's probably prolonged his life by a few decades Edited October 7, 2021 by topcat(The most tip top) 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Shandrix Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 On 05/10/2021 at 21:56, tamthebam said: I stole the poster... Must get it framed... Oh for a pair of Joy Division oven gloves. I'd be much more inclined to cook if I had a pair of those. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 3 minutes ago, Jimi Shandrix said: Oh for a pair of Joy Division oven gloves. I'd be much more inclined to cook if I had a pair of those. Available for under £20 on Amazon and Ebay Treat yourself 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gordon EF Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 23 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said: I'd considered it but that means turning left at Tollcross as opposed to going straight on but then there's nothing after the brauhaus till you get to the likes of the Doctors and Sandy Bells around Old College on the other side of the old Royal infirmary although I suppose if you were planning on going back from Waverley that could work I see big Sal that used to run the Brauhaus at Hearts Games from time to time. He's about half the size he used to be and has trained as a primary school teacher. The pub's worse for losing him but it's probably prolonged his life by a few decades Just come out of the Brauhaus, turn right along Glen Street, nip through the little alley way behind the church and, hey presto, you're at Cloisters. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted October 7, 2021 Share Posted October 7, 2021 1 hour ago, Gordon EF said: Just come out of the Brauhaus, turn right along Glen Street, nip through the little alley way behind the church and, hey presto, you're at Cloisters. That's the secret short cut that we're not supposed to tell people about 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Kersey Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Leith is the fourth coolest neighbourhood in the world, according to Time Out. https://www.timeout.com/coolest-neighbourhoods-in-the-world 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suspect Device Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 15 hours ago, Jimi Shandrix said: Oh for a pair of Joy Division oven gloves. I'd be much more inclined to cook if I had a pair of those. I'll ask the wife where she got them. They were a Xmas present. I've already got a Dukla Prague away kit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honest_Man#1 Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 16 hours ago, topcat(The most tip top) said: I'd considered it but that means turning left at Tollcross as opposed to going straight on but then there's nothing after the brauhaus till you get to the likes of the Doctors and Sandy Bells around Old College on the other side of the old Royal infirmary although I suppose if you were planning on going back from Waverley that could work I see big Sal that used to run the Brauhaus at Hearts Games from time to time. He's about half the size he used to be and has trained as a primary school teacher. The pub's worse for losing him but it's probably prolonged his life by a few decades I used to fairly regularly stop in at Brauhaus on my way back from work if it was a nice day and I walked. Loved the place tbh, even with its slightly hipster vibe. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dunning1874 Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Cheers all for the pub recommendations, particularly @topcat(The most tip top). My Edinburgh pub knowledge has previously pretty much extended as far as heading to Dickens for a quick one on away days that require a change at Haymarket and going in whatever generic place is showing football going to/from Easter Road, so this has given me plenty of places to visit. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
101 Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Shocking that Edinburgh City Council continue to ignore a lack of student accommodation and have given permission for this historic building to be retained as a public building. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottsdad Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 2 hours ago, Suspect Device said: I'll ask the wife where she got them. They were a Xmas present. I've already got a Dukla Prague away kit. I got my wife gloves and she said she didn't like them. Spoiler 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Girth Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 I've only been to Edinburgh once and wasn't feeling it. However, would like to go again. Any spots away from the centre worth visiting for gigs, pubs etc? I liked Leith. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
welshbairn Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 On 06/10/2021 at 12:02, topcat(The most tip top) said: From Haymarket Dalry Road only has Dickens and the Balmoral left as gentrification has swept away the other old fashioned pubs but not yet delivered a craft beer palace. Dickens has more character of the two Glasgow Road is Suburban with nothing till you get towards Murrayfield Grosvenor Street is the start of proper posh west End so unless you're staying in the Grosvenor hotel we can ignore it. Shandwick Place is heading towards Princes Street and while Au Bar isn't an intrinsically terrible place and there are a few places hidden off on William Street running parallell to Shandwick place that are good they're pricy and there's a certain lack of soul that you get from a city centre bar which isn't really anybody's local. And you do risk meeting someone called Baxter or Campbell who wears red trousers. So you most likely want to head up Morrison Street. Ignore "the Haymarket" a pub that isn't a weatherspoons but feels like it might be What used to be the splendidly dodgy Dianes Pool Hall is now "Malones" and irish themed place that makes great play of serving a really good pint of Tennent's lager from their tank. If you like green paint and Tennents lager this might be your personal heaven Monty's on the right is a tardis of a place, two floors and a beer garden packed into an unassuming building. It's got the balance between locals and blow in's spot on. I recommend it Across the road and up a bit is "Froth andFlames" which used to be "Cuba Norte" and will probably have had another "fire" and reopened under a different name so there's no point reviewing it A little further up still is Thomson's. A genuine contender for best real ale in Edinburgh but I feel like the youth policy there and I'm in my '40s. I prefer it in the summer when you can get an outside table and enjoy excellent beer while avoiding the tiresome old men. From here there's a gap as you get past the conference centre and then you're onto Lebowskis which is essentially the same vibe as the one in Glasgow. From that point you can carry on straight forward to Bread Street. The Blue Blazer is equal parts people who've lived round there for ages, people who've come from work nearby, weird art school people and tourists (exact proportions vary throughout the year). It serves very good beer and I recommend it highly The Chanter is basically like one of those barns on Sauchihell street (The Hall?) and If you like sitting on your own getting drunk while shouting at Sky Sports then the Footlights on a Sunday Afternoon might be the place for you Continuing on this path will lead you to the Pubic triangle the famous trio of strip joints. So I'll gloss over that and suggest that you double back along bread street and go south along Lothian Road towards tollcross. The hanging bat is craft beer wankery, that even the good people of Leith would find a bit much. All the beer is extra strong and the glasses are correspondingly smaller. Some of them especially the 10% porters (served by a 1/3 pint) are delicous but it's not really a place for a session. You've then got the Raging bull. Which used to have a variety of rough identities but successfully reinvented itself. If you like Fizzy lager, cocktails, rap music and student lassies then this might be your jam From there keep going towards the meadows and you'll get to the Ventoux which is the sister of the Tourmalet in Leith that was mentioned earlier. But it's in Tollcross so it's better (or at least closer to my house, which is pretty much the same thing) and Cloisters another contender for best real ale pub in Edinburgh but with a far cheerier clientele By this point you've walked a mile, are presumably plastered and should have found at least a couple of places that suit you ETA Or you may have ended up watching the strippers, I'm not judging Never considered it before but am seriously considering a weekend in Edinburgh to check on the accuracy of your reviews. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 16 minutes ago, welshbairn said: Never considered it before but am seriously considering a weekend in Edinburgh to check on the accuracy of your reviews. Nobody's going to like all of them I also forgot "The Jolly Botanist" which is just after you leave Haymarket (or just before you get back to it) their schtick is serving 40 kinds of gin with a dozen kinds of tonic. If you're a thirty-something woman with a career in accountancy or marketing and a little bit of a drink problem then you don't need to look any further 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suspect Device Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 10 minutes ago, topcat(The most tip top) said: Nobody's going to like all of them I also forgot "The Jolly Botanist" which is just after you leave Haymarket (or just before you get back to it) their schtick is serving 40 kinds of gin with a dozen kinds of tonic. If you're a thirty-something woman with a career in accountancy or marketing and a little bit of a drink problem then you don't need to look any further Or if you fancy your chances of chatting up said thirty something woman................. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topcat(The most tip top) Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 Just now, Suspect Device said: Or if you fancy your chances of chatting up said thirty something woman................. Well yes, but I thought I'd leave that as a subtext 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tamthebam Posted October 8, 2021 Share Posted October 8, 2021 2 hours ago, topcat(The most tip top) said: Nobody's going to like all of them I also forgot "The Jolly Botanist" which is just after you leave Haymarket (or just before you get back to it) their schtick is serving 40 kinds of gin with a dozen kinds of tonic. If you're a thirty-something woman with a career in accountancy or marketing and a little bit of a drink problem then you don't need to look any further .. and neither do I... "Haw hen, what kind of gin do ye like.." 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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