Not already a member?
Join our community and
- Rate & review pubs
- Upload pictures
- Add events
JOIN for free NOW
Chat about:
Random news of the day with rpadam
on the Pub Forum
Detail Pages
The Castle Tavern, Inverness
Inverness
IV2 4SA
Reviews (Current Rating Average: 8 of 10) see review guidelines
Danny O'Revey left this review about The Castle Tavern
Tiny pub but lovely feel inside and more extensive outside. At the castle entrance.
On 2nd May 2023
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1456 recommendations about 1434 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Ian Mapp left this review about The Castle Tavern
Good Beer Guide 2020 pub.
Traditional on the opposite side of the castle to town.
Stand pub interior with lots of wrought ironwork. Few high chairs at the bar and multi level flooring offering nooks and crannies elsewhere.
Orkney Dark Island in perfect condition.
On 4th October 2019
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1338 recommendations about 1324 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Quinno _ left this review about The Castle Tavern
A pretty stone-built pub abutting a junction with a prime view of the castle. There’s a nice front terrace with an attractive arrangement of flora and creepers as well as an ornate cast iron canopy. A large Johnnie Walker statuette greets you on arrival at the entry door. The cosy and traditional main bar is surprisingly small with a raised carpeted area to the right rear providing the majority of the seating. There is also some unusual cast ironwork above the bar. Also apparently an upstairs restaurant but I didn’t explore. Six Scottish ales on from Orkney, Skye, Cairngorm and Windswept, with Ossett from down south(!) as a guest. The Orkney Dark Island was fair, probably hitting lower barrel but the Skye Black was a lovely drop. A bit of a prime spot, this one but I imagine it’d be a bit of a nightmare at peak times. One to put near, if not at, the top of the must-do list in the city. 8.5
On 27th October 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 5099 recommendations about 5082 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Just a quick pint, then I'm off left this review about The Castle Tavern
Excellent traditional pub in a fine position overlooking the Ness just to the south of the city centre. The seating on the small, comfortable, split-level bar is supplemented by a patio terrace of about equal size. Six decent real ales on handpump, including two from Speyside - Bow Fiddle Blonde and Dark Skies Stout (£3.60). Decent food too.
On 16th October 2016
- rating: 8
[User has posted 8117 recommendations about 8117 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Clive Thompson left this review about The Castle Tavern
Lucky to just happen across this place on a rainy day in Inverness. Delighted to find out its pedigree on the CAMRA front and spot the 6 handpumps. Good selection of light and dark Scottish beer and a mild. Guest was Black Sheep. Decent pub menu and the Cullen Skink was good. Free WiFi, ask for the code. Decorative interior and friendly service. Worth seeking out.
On 13th May 2013
- rating: 8
[User has posted 777 recommendations about 697 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
David Ross left this review about The Castle Tavern
Opposite the approach road to Inverness Castle, this was known as the Harlequin until a few years ago. Together with Blackfriars at the other end of the central area, it is the city’s main real ale outlet and was CAMRA’s Real Ale Pub of the Year in 2008 and 2010. On offer were Orkney Best (at £3.35 a pint), Scapa Special, Blaven, Happy Chappy, Slainte and Nessie’s Ale. Guinness, Belhaven Best and Carlsberg and Tuborg lagers were also available. There is a very attractive beer garden at the front, looking onto the actual Castle, which is partly sheltered, with heaters and an outdoor TV screen. There is an upstairs restaurant, although food is also served in the bar, which, in view of its diminutive size, can become rather congested as a result.
On 27th October 2012
- rating: 9
[User has posted 769 recommendations about 683 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Will Larter left this review about The Castle Tavern
Previous reviewers have described the pub well. There were six hand pumps available on my recent visit, mostly featuring beers from Scottish breweries, the outsiders being from Cross Bay (Lancashire) and Youngs (ex-London, now Bedfordshire). I had a beer from Swannay, an Orkney brewery new to me, and this was in excellent condition and at £3.50 a pint about average for Inverness. Well worth the short walk up Castle Street if you're in town.
On 14th September 2012
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3746 recommendations about 3483 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Blackthorn _ left this review about The Castle Tavern
An attractive looking stone-built pub right at the top of Castle Street, and with great views across to the castle. At the front is a decent sized patio with plenty of bench tables and chairs, a wrought ironwork gazebo at the rear and an attractive selection of hanging baskets and plant troughs. There is even a small bar counter here, although this was not in use on our visit. A blackboard listed not only the current beer offerings, but also those that were “coming soon”.
The pub itself is remarkably small, with a single bar. There are plenty of pictures on the walls, a plasma mounted high up, a fruit machine and an attractive wood panelled bar. Upstairs is a separate restaurant area with some wood panelling, red drape curtains and plenty of squashed in tables and chairs. There is an extensive pub grub menu and a small specials board. What we had was decent enough and generous portions, but perhaps a little on the expensive side – a Scampi & chips was over £9.
Beers on this occasion were Atlas Nimbus, Orkney Best, Midsummer Madness, Sun Dance and Dark Munro. The solitary cider was Olde English.
On 5th July 2011
- rating: 8
[User has posted 1949 recommendations about 1862 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
E TA left this review about The Castle Tavern
Sited a few yards from the castle after which it is named, The Castle Tavern is an appealing building althought the crwod of smokers immediately outside the door is a little off-putting. Once inside, you find a small, friendly pub on two levels both of which have a bar. Traditional Scottish food and five real ales are on offer. I had a pint each of Cairgorm Trade Winds and Skye Red Cuillin, both perfectly kept and enjoyable. The food was good too.
The current tenants took over about two years ago and have transformed a fairly poor pub into one of Inverness's best. Well worth a visit and a definite for including in a crawl.
On 27th August 2010
- rating: 8
[User has posted 3286 recommendations about 3251 pubs]
Please Note: This review is over a year old.
Old Boots left this review about The Castle Tavern
Small pub opposite the castle with an ornate cast iron canopy in the front smoking/drinking area. Mixed décor inside with modern styling and lots of cast iron work in a balustrade of a raised area, in brackets and in pillars holding up the bar canopy. Laminate flooring with a cream and brown colour scheme and a mix of local sports team pictures, maps and old photos of Inverness. There is a fine collection of old Inverness pub signs on the staircase leading down to the basement toilets. Seating on a mix of chairs and pews at cast iron tables of various types. Five handpumps serving well kept beers from smaller Scottish breweries and there is a whisky menu and of course a wine list. A mix of drinkers and diners, the food is good value and appears locally sourced in the main. Service from the pneumatic barmaid was a bit vague but it was busy, actually it's so small inside it gets busy quite easily. Listed in the 2010 GBG.
On 17th January 2010
- no rating submitted
[User has posted 3269 recommendations about 2978 pubs]