Deacon Brodies Tavern, Edinburgh

Visited 05/11/25 Cask was Nicholson's pale ale, a fine Bass, the dark TT LL, and then the Jack Back session pale ale and the Stewart's 80/- from Stewart Brewing that were well represented in all the pubs I visited and were advertising their award of Scottish brewery of the year on their clips. Keg offering was Innis & Gunn lager, Hollywood Pale ale from Stewart Brewing, Madri, Tenants, Henry Weston's Vintage cider, Peroni, Guinness, Jubel peach & Budvar. Quite small venue in tourist central but pulls it off as a pretty reasonable pub with their cask offering (the Bass here was v good and my only sighting of it in my collection of Edinburgh Central venues visited). It is bare boarded with the bar counter along the left-hand wall after a seating area with a red leather banquette in the window to the left of the entrance. The same red leather banquette down the right-hand wall serving regular tables before a few booth tables with similar red leather cushioned seating in the rear right-hand corner. Another impressive ornate ceiling and this was the first venue that I got with a TV on showing Sky News and playing piped music. An impressive mural on the right-hand wall in the front part of the venue. There is a dining room upstairs that seemed to get good traffic on my visit.

To really appreciate this pubs historic interior, I recommend an early doors visit at 11am or perhaps in the winter time out of season. The pub was absolutely jammed on our Thursday afternoon visit, mostly tourists, can't comment as we were too. I marvelled at the ornate decorative ceiling and managed to get a glimpse at the end of the bar area and wall mural. Five ales on handpump, Nicholson's Pale, St Austell, Deuchars, Stewart 80 and Stewart Black Jack. The prices were steep as you would expect from this chain.

Deacon Brodies sits on a prime corner site on the Royal Mile. This pub on 2 levels has a large selection of drinks like a lot of Nicholson pubs on which this is one. With over 20 whiskies. Lots of craft beers, beers from around the world and over 25 gins.