Barony Bar

The Barony Bar has a cosy, warm and friendly atmosphere. I love the fireplace, wooden tables and chairs and traditional feel of the place. It’s often busy with a lively vibe to it, too.
Fell down considerably on food, though. According to the menu, the place is all about the humble pie. Sadly, my steak and ale pie was anything but a «speciality». Pretty standard pub grub, microwave heated etc. The way it was billed, I was expecting something a bit more special.
Still, as pub stops go, the Barony Bar excels when it comes to a catch up with friends on a cold winter’s evening.

A proper pub, with old-​fashioned brass fittings and plenty of historical décor about. It’s surprisingly spacious once inside, which I think is why my colleague led us here, as they could very comfortably accommodate our group of 16. There’s plenty of tables we could have spread across but I think everyone was keen to mingle and not miss out on any of the banter (you know the feeling!) so we all ended up making a coat pile in the corner and standing next to the bar.
I thought they had a decent looking selection of whiskies behind the bar — though in hindsight it’s probably commonplace for Edinburgh! When I asked for Laphroaig though they unfortunately didn’t have enough in the bottle for a full serving and the guy didn’t seem prepared to open a new one just for me (though I reckon I could’ve made a good dent in it) so I opted for a Talisker instead.
I do need to give a special thankyou to the girl behind the bar who said she was new but did a very fine job — particularly when I essentially asked her to make a dirty pint for us. Yes we may all be proper grown-​ups but we still have an annual stock market based contest for which the penalty for losing is to take a (usually imaginatively concocted) drink designed by the winner at the xmas team gathering. The fact that I won this year and the head of our team lost made this particularly entertaining for me (though admittedly also potentially career-​limiting). The barwoman had to give me the shots I asked for separately rather than mixing them together, but she took the bizarre order in her stride (I joked that it was a well-​known cocktail and I’m now slightly worried she believed me!!!).
Oh, surprisingly nice toilets too — always a bonus in a place like this!

A nice, old-​fashioned, dark corners sort of pub. An excellent choice on a rainy Saturday when lots of the places along Broughton Street were packed to the gills. We met up with a friend for some catching up over drinks, and the Barony was a great spot to sit and chat while imbibing some tasty offerings. They carry the winter Rekorderlig which, in my books, gives them lots of extra points this time of year. Seats are plentiful, the bathrooms were clean and rather nice (always a bonus), and the pub was cozily bordering on *too* warm in December! All around a really nice spot which I’ll happily add to my list of good spots to be in when in Edinburgh. Bonus: the history of the building is quite fascinating!

This pub is a nice old building (actually listed as a pub with a historic interior, there are old tiles and pretty decorations depicting Scottish scenes, although some of them are covered up by the seats!). There was a history of the pub on one of the table menus and it said that the building is from 1830 and its past uses and occupants include an upholsterer, baker, surgeon, grocer, gilder, marble cutters, stationer and wine merchant On Sundays the pub advertises live bands.
The pub has at least 6 real ales, so good for fans of beer, and ‘real cider’ as well on tap. They have interesting bottled beers as well, I tried a white IPA which was really delicious and completely new to me; it was brewed by a company in London who are a social enterprise (Bear Hug) and they say that for each bottle of beer you buy they purchase one square foot of rainforest. The wines are supplied by ‘Great Grog’, a shop in the south of Edinburgh. There was a good selection of ‘pub grub’ on the menu including vegetarian pies– would quite like to go back and sample them.
The atmosphere was very cosy and pleasant, with candles on the tables (as it was just starting to get dark and we had a window seat we had a nice view of twilight city). The staff were very happy to chat about their beer and seemed to know the regulars well but also welcome us tourists too!

Coffee bad. Food not good. Service was polite.

Love this pub!!! Good ales, decent selection of spirits and when they have it scrupy on tap or various other cider types. This is a proper old fashioned pub — all wood and brass. Probably my favourite pub on Broughton street.
Never tried the food but seen it floating past and it did look good. Think old fashioned pub grub not gastro pub, which is kind of refreshing as everytwhere seems to be doing gastro pub food these days. When I was there last they had scrawled on a chalk board «Stovies and bread £2.50» just to illustrate. This is a good thing for me by the way, as much as I love fancy food etc its nice to have simplier options available. :D
The staff are well freindly and have a good understanding of what they are selling. We always get a cheerio from them when we are wandering off after popping in for a couple of pints. I guess the picture I am trying to paint of my experinces here are of a proper friendly boozer.

The best pub on Broughton street, with a beautiful, original interior and a range of ales on tap. There’s always a good vibe in here, and not too many tables, which creates the feeling of spaciousness.
Fergus enjoys coming here when the tables are set out in the sunshine and is sad he can’t come in otherwise :(

Why is the Barony so often empty? It’s a great wee pub, with good beer on tap, in the middle of Broughton Street, and yet you can often find it half empty. Which is good, when everywhere else is jam packed! But odd.
We stopped in on a Saturday afternoon and had a nice quiet drink. I haven’t tried the food but several people (basically everyone else who was there) were having nachos, and they looked and smelled great. So — go for the nachos, but make sure there’s still a free table for me when I get there, please.

Pros Friendly place where I got a decent pint of Edinburgh Gold.
Cons Is not particularly cosy inside, so we took an outside table where the disturbing children in the street outside (girls that must have been all of 11 years old kicking over bins!) made it even less cosy. Spose it is better than followers of the black arts that the area used to be known for!

Real ale on tap ⁸⁄₁₀; Ambience & décor ⁷⁄₁₀; Customer service ²⁄₁₀.
A disappointing first visit as I had heard good things about Barony. As it was my first time there I’m reluctant to score it 2 stars (which prima facie is what it really warrants) so we’ll throw it a bone, put the barmaid’s unfriendly & sour manner down to her having a bad night and give it a tentative 3 stars.
I’ll be back in over the next couple of days and based on how that visit pans out shall adjust up or down accordingly.
Watch this space…

Interestingly, the Barony Bar used to be a storehouse used to keep witches and criminals awaiting trials and sentences to be executed. That air of creepiness isn’t evident today and all that is left is a fantastic traditional boozer popular with locals and tourists alike.
The fact that the place is steeped in history is just the icing on the cake when you consider that the bar itself is a great find. The interior décor is bold, rustic and traditional, totally fitting in with the whole mantra surrounding the place. There are plenty of places to sit and enjoy an Ale or even sample some of their pub grub, including sausage and mash and some veggie options, so there is something to suit everyone.
One negative note is about the loos though. They weren’t very nice, they were very smelly and in need of a wee bit of a refurb. My boyfriends face said it all when he emerged from the Men’s, which were probably ten times worse than the Ladies. Ew.

The Barony is an old school number on the ever getting trendier Broughton Street, but the pub fits in effortlessly well with the surrounding mix of modern and edgy establishments.
The interior is traditional, with its wood panelled walls and open fireplace, a feature that I always get quite excited about when entering public houses. I’m easily pleased. This is a good old proper drink your pint with no nonsense pub, and I’ve come in here several times during the afternoon and had a chilled beverage (of a relaxed nature and in temperature) and felt quite happy just hanging out for a bit.
The Barony is clearly really well established and popular, partly because it’s been around for a good while, but also because of the down-​to-​earth, banterous crowd that come here, which is made up of a mix of regulars and cool young individuals. If you want a decent, traditional, pub atmosphere, the Barony will serve up what you’re looking for.

This is a real ‘pub’. It isn’t your average boozer with fruit machines, gassy pints and grubby décor, but a proper eating and drinking house. Contrary to Emma, I actually thought the food was quite good. I had the fish and chips which came in a nice, big portion with large chips and nicely cooked haddock. Further, they make their own tartar sauce which went brilliantly with the meal.
The Barony also has an impressive array of whiskeys, real ales and beers and good quality wines. Their open fire, although not alight when I was in, would certainly provide a homely atmosphere on cold winter days and nights. Because of the general feel of the place and the decent food and drink the prices are quite expensive, but it’s still worth a look for a good, comfortable meal or drink.

The Barony is an old fashioned pub on Broughton Street. The interior is decked out in dark wood and tiles, with a large mirror dominating one wall which makes it seem larger than it actually is. There is a good selection of whisky behind the bar and they have quite a few real ales on tap. It is a great pub for visiting on a cold day or night as they have a fire to warm yourself beside. They serve food and the menu mainly consists of classic pub grub, however whenever I have eaten here the munch hasn’t been anything to write home about — there are much better places to eat in this area like The Basement and Smoke Stack. In the evening the atmosphere is busy and convivial, they have live music every Sunday night. This is most definitely a pub for grown ups and a pub for serious drinking, don’t come for the food!

I would say not only the busiest but also the oldest pub in the vicinity. Barony is a traditional pub, offering lively atmosphere and a good choice of drinks and meals. It has some history attached to her — during the dark Medieval ages, the pub was used a storehouse for people, mainly women accused of witchcraft along with criminals, waiting for their sentences to be executed. There is no trace of such darkness there today. On the contrary, last summer, the pub became one of the Fringe venues, showing a little piece after Bukowski named ‘Bar flies’.I have been only twice but there is a bunch of locals who always hang around.

Voilà un pub bien sympa ! Peu d’éclairage, des personnes de tous âges et de conditions diverses, une ambiance chaleureuse.
On peut y manger du haggis pas mauvais du tout…
De bonnes bières (la Caledonian, la Old engine Oil à l’amertume chocolatée ou encore la Deuchars qui a parfois un petit goût de pomelo…) et en surprise le dimanche soir, parfois un concert (de qualité il faut l’admettre quand j’y suis passé la le 7 février 2010).
Personnellement j’adore, pour moi ça c’est un pub

Nice place for a decent drink. No sports tv, no banging music, but plenty of atmosphere from just a bunch of patrons having a drink, meal and a chat. Listed building has loads of character, nice coal fire. Decent staff, very good food — in huge portions! Had veggie options (quite a few to choose) and certainly recommend! Few guest beers available and reasonable wine choice. Occasional live music nights. And toilets are just fine by the way…

A traditional style pub that offers real ale, pies, a real coal fire and the like… its friendly and the beer is decent. its in a listed historic building (read about it on the menus) and is a good choice to stop by and meet friends for a drink… no tvs, no sports although they certainly used to have bands on sunday afternoons that played far too loud. not sure if this still happens but the next pub is only a gentle stroll up or down the hill if it does…

I go here occasionally. On the plus side it’s a really nice traditional pub with a good range of well kept real ales. They always have one or two guest ales and the music is good on Sunday nights.
On the downside, the toilets are terrible and need refurbishing. Most of the bar staff are not particularly cheerful or friendly and just plonk the beer in front of you and take the money.
Cheer up the staff, fix the toilets and you would have a cracking pub.

The Barony Bar is undoubtedly the busiest pub on Broughton Street. Broughton Street is a lively street of pubs, restaurants and takeaways. I have drunk at Barony a few times. Unusually, they don’t play music (i.e. on CD) or have Sky television. So if there’s a big football match on that you aren’t interested in, try this pub instead! They do have live bands on some nights. good luck if you get a seat though, as it’s packed on a quiet night, let alone when a band is playing! They have a standard food menu during the day but it’s the range of beers and wine and general old fashioned atmosphere people come here for.

Fine old traditional scottish pub with some great beers on tap. The barstaff are quick and friendly and the pints are always expertly poured.
The clientele are either locals or the Playhouse crowd so you’re pretty safe from encountering some young drunk raj action.