Author: The Bar Fly

Kay’s Bar: Edinburgh’s New Town sitting room

Post author By The Bar Fly
Post date July 12, 2014
2 Comments on Kay’s Bar: Edinburgh’s New Town sitting room

The pretty frontage of Kay's Bar in the New Town of Edinburgh — The pretty frontage of Kay’s Bar in the New Town of Edinburgh

Researching the history of Kay’s Bar in the New Town, I was surprised to find that this has only been a pub since the 1970s. Walking in, you’d probably have banked on it having looked the same a hundred years earlier but in fact John Kay & Sons was actually a wine and spirit merchant which traded from this quaint 1814-built cottage just off India Street for more than a century. Here you could get wine, sherry and whisky – it was little more than a backstreet off licence. Nowadays, there’s still plenty alcohol but it’s become a cosy local for this well-heeled area.

The Golden Rule: definitely more hit than miss

Post author By The Bar Fly
Post date July 5, 2014
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Battleships, beer and potato-based snacks: the Golden Rule is perfect for after work

“F8? Miss. G3? Miss. H6? Miss. I1? Hit! It’s the dreadnought.” And so went much of the conversation I had with a mate recently in the Golden Rule up Polwarth way. The reason of course was a highly competitive game of Battleships in the lower part of this great local Edinburgh pub.

Food New Town Reviews

Cambridge Bar: burger and chips in divorce shocker

Post author By The Bar Fly
Post date June 14, 2014
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The Cambridge Bar has always felt more burger-bar-like than pub-like

Like the River Thames between Mortlake and Putney, Edinburgh’s Young Street also sees Oxford competing with Cambridge. Unlike the annual boat race however, the two pubs in question here have stood yards apart every day for many years. And maybe “competing” is the wrong word as the similarities between Rebus’s favourite Oxford Bar and the younger, more modern Cambridge Bar are few and far between.

Newington Reviews

The Greenmantle: buffalo burgers and blackboards

Post author By The Bar Fly
Post date May 4, 2014
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The Greenmantle in Edinburgh boasts more clutter than your average gran's house — The Greenmantle in Edinburgh boasts more clutter than your average gran’s house

A number of years ago when I first considered penning an Edinburgh pub blog, I managed to write two whole reviews. One of them was of the Greenmantle (one word or two, I’m not sure?) in Newington. I was reminded of this recently when myself and Mrs Bar Fly found ourselves in here prior to a forensics lecture at the Royal College of Surgeons, a free event that was part of the Science Festival. I was reminded that it’s a nice pub, a fun pub. It’s not THE best pub in Edinburgh but it has a lot going for it, from buffalo burgers to a very active quiz community.

New Town Reviews

The Cumberland Bar: a good pub but far from faultless

Post author By The Bar Fly
Post date May 3, 2014
1 Comment on The Cumberland Bar: a good pub but far from faultless

Cumberland int 0414 3 800 — Sunlight streams through the windows of the Cumberland Bar

Before the Cumberland Bar was taken over by DM Stewart, owners of the excellent Guildford Arms, I was a big fan of the pub. Great ale was complemented by good but unfancy food, including their excellent curly fries. OK, so it really was pub fare – a lot of deep frying and toasting going on – but it was cheap and generally what you wanted for lunch or with a pint after work. Things have changed in the New Town now though and while I may still be a fan of the pub, I feel it’s perhaps resting on its laurels a little. I don’t want to be overly critical but when the Edinburgh pub scene is so vibrant, no hostelry can afford to rely on its name alone.