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Beer of the Week (w/e 27th April 2025) with Thuck Phat
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Image posted by Will Larter
Submitted on Sunday, 6th April 2025
With picture contributions to 12229 other pubs
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Detail Pages
Theatre Royal Bar, Edinburgh
Edinburgh
EH1 3AA
Served areas
Reviews of Theatre Royal Bar (Average Rating: 7½ of 10) see review guidelines
Will Larter left this review about Theatre Royal Bar
The traditional central bar here is massive - it seems to take up nearly all the room, a sort of reverse tardis effect, though there's an overflow area at the back for anyone with claustrophobia. The five hand pumps are displayed in the front centre on entering, with four beers on and one turned around. I wasn't keen on having Landlord outside of Yorkshire, but the local options included a pastry stout and a New England pale, so I settled for the Cromarty Kowabunga, quite a tasty West Coast type, at 4.6% and £5.70/pint it was a bit stronger than I'd planned, but it was in very good condition. Service was very helpful - the lass insisted on giving me a taster even though I asked for a half - and I'd be happy to call again.
On 6th January 2025
- rating: 7
[User has posted 4273 recommendations about 3935 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
hondo . left this review about The Theatre Royal Bar
Very handy for the Playhouse theatre with a floral exterior. Interior as described below with the central island bar serving 5 real ales. Feels a bit "nicholson's lite" but nothing wrong with that.
On 4th August 2018
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 2933 recommendations about 2866 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Steve of N21 left this review about The Theatre Royal Bar
As mentioned below The Theatre royal is next door to the Edinburgh Playhouse Theatre but nothing to do with it and a completely separate pub in its own right. But you could be excused for thinking it is the official theatre bar as it is made out to look just like one. Festooned with tons of flower baskets and troughs this time of year there is lots of external woodwork with some interesting heralding pipers on the stonework outside the pub and then internally the look and feel of an old theatre with a dark red and brown colour scheme, draped curtains and large chandeliers, a massive collection of framed bill posters from previous shows adorning all the walls, and then comfortable dark leather seating arranged as booths around the outside walls of the spacious interior.
I’m not sure how original the large central island bar that’s sits in the middle of the pub is, but it certainly looks the part in these surroundings. There are four ale pumps on the bar and Caledonian Deuchars IPA and Flying Scotsman were on two of them but fortunately the other two had smaller Scottish brewery options in the form of Stewarts IPA and Orkney Brewery Raven Ale.
Like all Theatre bars you have to pick your moment as it can be rammed to being uncomfortable one moment and then empty with no atmosphere the next. But if you catch it right, this is not a bad place for a pint in comfortable surroundings
On 5th August 2014
- rating: 7
[User has posted 2236 recommendations about 2098 pubs]
View more reviews of Theatre Royal Bar (4)
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- Facebook - Theatre Royal BAR
- CAMRA WhatPub :: Theatre Royal Bar - whatpub.com
Pub Details
Pub details supplied by members of this site to the best of their knowledge. Please check with pub directly before making a special trip.
- Hot Food : Yes last updated 15 August 2015 by hondo .
- Live TV Sports : Yes last updated 15 August 2015 by hondo .
- Real Ale : Yes last updated 15 August 2015 by hondo .
- WiFi : Yes last updated 15 August 2015 by hondo .