Blackfriars, Inverness

There is a drinking area in The Blackfriars, but the place is clearly more set up for dining - you will encounter a "Please wait to be seated" notice as soon as you enter. Just the one (Loch Ness) ale, served up with the shortest measure imaginable, and not in the best shape. Unlike most pubs in town, the big screen is showing scenes of Scotland rather than Premier League football (which you may consider a positive of course). On a busy early evening, this wasn't my first choice and I think I would choose another venue if just in search of a beer.

The description from Mr Walker below still holds,a traditional beer house interior,a pleasing old exterior but sadly a much changed ale poicy.I ventured in to find two unclipped handpumps and a very boring keg selection.The friendly landlady told me there was little demand for ale in the tourist off season,but she might stock ale from mid May if trade picks up.No mention of the sort of breweries she might source this occasional ale so I've marked it as "No Cask Ale" for CAMRA purposes.Shame as it could be a decent boozer,now nothing out of the ordinary .More like 500 metres from the station too !

Long before there was Blackfriars, the building in Academy Street, which was built around 1793, was originally used as a general provisions store and coffee house up until 1867, when it became Frasers Temperance Hotel. It continued to trade as “Frasers“ until about 1930 when it once again changed its name, trading as an Artisans bar named “The Academy Bar” with the Rose Street Foundry across the road now in full production. In 1964 the premises were bought by “Scottish and Newcastle Breweries”, renamed the Abertarff (a reference to the oldest house in Inverness built in 1593) and continued to trade being very popular with patrons and artists visiting “The Empire Theatre” a hundred yards up Academy Street. In 1986 the pub was renamed “The Rose and Thistle”. But this name lasted just two weeks before it was re-named again to “The Foundry”. Unfortunately this was just before the closure of the foundry across the road. Finally it was renamed “Blackfriars Highland Pub" and today after two hundred years it remains a landmark in the city. The place has been recommended by the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA) and listed in the Good Beer Guide 2010; Blackfriars is also holder of the prestigious Cask Marque award. There is a great choice of REAL ALES are available from Scottish breweries such as Scapa Special, Orkney Blast, Ossian and at least 4 more. There is also some from English breweries such as Okell's Dr.Okell IPA, Hook Norton Old Hooky and a few more to sample. There is a snack come lunch menu available and a main meal menu. The prices are similar to Glasgow prices. The place sits just over 100metres from the train station.