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Chat about:
Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
Cask & Barrel, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH1 3RZ
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about Cask & Barrel
Expanded row of rooms on a corner, with a central curved bar counter. Five hand pumps either side of a pillar, those to the right being regulars (Old Speckled Hen, Landlord, Deuchars, Stewart Citra Blonde and Orkney Best) and on the left four guests. I went for Orkney Man O'Hoy, a 4.2% pale in very good condition (NBSS 3.5, £5.20/pint). Much quieter than the nearby Barony, with most of the customers about 30 years older than most of theirs.
On 27th March 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Ian Mapp left this review about Cask & Barrel
Very good locals pub thats only just outside the City Centre. Tie it in with a walk over Calton Hill.
Corner, curved pub - with a central U shaped bar. Bench seating and tables all around. TVs with sport on but volume low.
Lots of cask choice - I can remember my usual TT Landlord on but when abroad, best to experiment with a perfect Swannay Scapa Special.
Lovely pub.
On 27th January 2025
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1563 recommendations about 1543 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Real Ale Ray left this review about Cask & Barrel
A good sized pub with a hearty atmosphere from both the customers and staff behind the bar. The service and beer quality was excellent, ten handpumps which were all in use on our Thursday evening visit. The beer board read House Ales, Marston's Pedigree, TT Landlord, Stewart Jack Back, Caledonian Deuchars, Swanney Orkney Best. The guests were Hadrian Borders Secret Kingdom plus Northern IPA, Salopian Lemon Dream, Red Mcgregor Orkney and Fyne Jarl.
On 20th July 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3645 recommendations about 3645 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about Cask & Barrel
Opened-out but still has a bit of character. U shaped central bar with a wedge area off left and a rectangular area off right. Quarter length dark varnish wood panelling and cream walls decorated with prints and brewery mirrors, alongside a nice bar gantry. 10 pumps with a hopeful seven cask on, my Orkney Corncrake was perhaps inevitably a smidge warm despite one being pulled before mine (NBSS 3), so maybe I dodged a bullet there. The hyperactive Weegie barmaid kept a tight eye on proceedings and refused service to a group of lads upon whom she’d decided to check their ID; she must have taken a shine to me though as upon my spotting some filled rolls on the bar for sale, she gave me one gratis. I made sure to give her a winning smile upon receipt. Not a bad place overall but too many ales on (I only saw two more being pulled whilst I was there despite it being pretty busy).
On 15th November 2021
- rating: 7
[User has posted 5552 recommendations about 5533 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about Cask & Barrel
A good sized, street corner pub with a curved frontage, it’s far enough away from the prime tourist hot spots that’s it’s not absolutely rammed, and as it’s name suggests there is something of an emphasis on beer here.
Décor wise it’s quite traditional with sanded wooden boards on the floor, dark wood panelling on the lower part of the walls, pale lemon painted wallpaper on the upper part of the walls and burnt orange paper on the ceiling. Some padded bench seating was fitted around the perimeter, as well as large barrel that had been converted in to a table for vertical drinking. Old brewery mirrors covered much of the walls, and I noticed Ind Coope, Tetley and Guinness amongst them. In addition to this, there were a few old whisky and cigarette adverts, and some old black and white photographs. Several large TV’s were showing a mix of sports and terrestrial channels, but at least the volume was off so this was not as intrusive as it might otherwise have been. A large U-shaped wooden bar counter filled the central area of the pub, and there was some ornate carved woodwork behind it.
Beers on tap were Bass, Timothy Taylor Landlord, Stewart’s Jack Back and Face of Winter, Orkney Best, Greene King IPA, Old Golden Hen, Jaw Drop and Tryst Raj. A further pump for Deuchars IPA appeared to have run out. After that lot, the cider choice was extremely disappointing with only Strongbow being available.
On 9th January 2020
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2060 recommendations about 1962 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
ROB Camra left this review about Cask & Barrel
The first pub I ever visited in Edinburgh as it's just round the corner from where a mate of mine used to live. I called in here many times in the late 90's when I was working in Edinburgh as well. There used to be a small side room as well as the main area, but that has now gone. It's now a large open plan room with a horseshoe bar. Plenty of leather seats around the walls along with some dining tables and chairs and a couple of barrels to stand at for vertical drinking. The walls are covered with breweriana including several mirrors. Lots of handpumps with 8 ales available on our recent visit. The pint I had was in good nick and Ms CAMRA's Fyne Jarl was also in top condition. Good to see it's still going strong.
On 22nd May 2014
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3196 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about Cask & Barrel
Horseshoe shaped bar with brewery memorabilia on the walls. Up to 10 real ales and a good selection of continental bottled beers. Plenty of tv's for watching sport. The pub makes a good double header with the nearby barony bar.
On 28th August 2012
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2933 recommendations about 2866 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about Cask & Barrel
Slightly grandiose feel to this great town pub, which sits at the bottom of Broughton street and is therefore usually at the end of a crawl. There are multiple tv screens, but they are frequently not in use. Bare floor-boards, old barrels used as tables and a selection of brewery mirrors give it a traditional feel. Clientele range from the CAMRA clique to the hen-night set. Staff are a bit off-putting at times, but the beer is fine, as evinced by their GBG entry. There were 10 ales on this week - I had Cairn Ddu, which was in very good condition and much appreciated. Definitely worth including in a crawl and a good place to spend an evening.
On 27th October 2011
- rating: 7
[User has posted 3516 recommendations about 3480 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about Cask & Barrel
A fine, traditional pub on the edge of the city centre. Good range of seating around the horseshoe-shaped bar. Plenty of screens showing sports TV. Excellent selection of real ales from the 11 handpumps - mostly local plus a few from northern England (e.g. McCrory's Irish Stout, which actually comes from Northumberland, at £3.00). Quality.
On 13th February 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8679 recommendations about 8678 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
dragonfly xxx left this review about Cask & Barrel
great selection of real ales.large traditional pub with tvs that can be viewed from anywhere in pub.good atmosphere especially when football is on sky.good place to watch THE derby match for both hibs and hearts fans(no football colours)friendly but no-nonsense staff
On 16th January 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 21 recommendations about 21 pubs]