Biddy Mulligans, Edinburgh

One of numerous bars along the popular Grassmarket strip, this one is somewhat bigger internally than you might first expect from looking at the outside, extending back some considerable way. Whilst I’m not normally a fan of Irish theme pubs, other than the name there didn’t seem to be much in the way of any Irish memorabilia here and it had instead quite a pleasant and traditional interior. It was quite dark internally, with limited lighting from low hanging, exposed filament bulbs and this might either be described as atmospheric or gloomy depending on your point of view. The flooring was mostly black wooden boards that had been worn smooth over the years, along with some Victorian style tiling off to the sides. There was much dark wood panelling on the walls as well as some smaller sections of exposed brickwork, and booths along either side with padded bench seating provided cosy seating areas. The right had wall at the back was entirely covered in flags, and a number of TV screens were showing the motor racing, although the volume was off and this certainly didn’t strike me as a sports bar. The main bar counter was a prominent oval shape in the central part of the pub, and there was a further small bar at the rear with a selection of keg fonts on a green glazed tile back wall. The menu offered a reasonable selection of pub grub dishes and was divided in to sections including burgers/breads and salads, as well as more traditional dishes such as lamb stew, mac ‘n’ cheese or fish & chips, with most of the main courses being around the £10 - £14 mark. I opted for the homemade steak and ale pie with puff pastry, and this was a decent and tasty dish, if a little on the small side. That said, the accompanying “roasted” vegetables were abysmal, ranging between rock hard and powdery, and I ended up leaving much of them. Unfortunately both the real ale pumps had their clips reversed, although it seems that they would have been Deuchar’s IPA and their own Biddy’s Ale. Ciders fared little better with Magners being the only available option. I’ve mixed feelings about this – on one hand, it was quite atmospheric, the pie was very good and the barmaid very friendly. On the other, stock keeping is clearly something of an issue with a number of the keg options and desert being unavailable, and the vegetables were dire.

Biddy Mulligans is joined onto The Grassmarket Hotel. So if staying in this hotel you get a reduction in your breakfast price of 20%. You can enter the pub from a doorway next to the hotel reception. At the time of visiting this traditional style pub the ale on sale was Deuchars IPA and a house ale called Biddy’s (Biddy Mulligans Ale).

For historical reasons - a favourite pub. Central bar and a back room that goes on and on. Always seems to be good live music on - usually a solo artist with a guitar doing covers. No real ale but the Guinness was in good condition.

A central island bar at the front with another bar at the rear. 2 real ales and food served.