The Blue Blazer - Edinburgh - Pub Review

The Blue Blazer on Spittal Street is one of those Edinburgh pubs that manages to feel central without feeling stage-managed. It sits at 2 Spittal Street, EH3 9DX, in a 19th-century corner public house and tenement that is historically linked to names such as the Clan Alpine Arms and is recognised as a category C listed building. It is now part of the family-owned Kilderkin Group, and that continuity matters here: the group took on the lease in 2014, but one of its owners had already run the pub for roughly a decade before that, which helps explain why the place feels lived-in rather than curated. The Blue Blazer is also widely picked out in Edinburgh pub round-ups for being a proper local, known for cask ale, whisky and a fiercely unflashy character.

That reputation is backed up by the details. The pub’s own website presents it as a traditional destination for excellent cask ales and whiskies; CAMRA records a current cask set-up of six changing beers plus one regular; and the published whisky sheet runs from everyday drams to serious collector’s pours. Public reviews vary by platform, which is often the mark of a genuinely characterful pub rather than a generically inoffensive one: Google-derived listings sit around 4.4 out of 5, while TripAdvisor sits lower at 3.9 out of 5, though both are full of praise for atmosphere, drinks and the sense that it remains more for drinkers than for tourists collecting pub selfies. The website currently lists hours as 3pm to 1am Monday to Wednesday, noon to 1am Thursday to Saturday, and 1pm to 1am on Sunday, while also advising customers to check social channels for updates; another city listings source notes later 3am seasonal closes in August and December.

Facilities & Entertainment

In practical terms, the Blue Blazer keeps things simple in the best possible way. CAMRA describes it as a two-roomed pub with wooden floors, high ceilings, old brewery window panels and candlelight in the evening, and that sums up its appeal nicely. The front room gives you the classic pub hit straight away: a bar, stools, dark timber and low-key bustle, while the back room is roomier and better for sitting in for a second or third round. The pub is named after the uniform of a local school, and that identity is worked right into the floor through the blue blazer mosaic dated 1889, one of the venue’s most memorable details.

Entertainment here is not built around giant screens or gimmicks. It is built around drinking well and settling in. CAMRA lists board games and free Wi-Fi among the facilities, and recent local writing has noted people happily spending Friday nights with cards and games rather than turning the room into a rowdy city-centre bar. That is a big part of why The Blue Blazer works so well for people who want a traditional Edinburgh pub experience. You come here to talk, to sit by the fire, to work through the cask board, or to pick a dram without feeling rushed.

Even so, it is not a silent museum piece. The pub’s Facebook description advertises live music at weekends from 8pm, and recent Instagram snippets point to the kind of beer-led special nights that fit the house style, including tap takeovers such as one with Fyne Ales. Other recent mentions suggest the venue also sometimes hosts quizzes or function-style gatherings, but the overriding impression is that any event is expected to serve the pub, not overwhelm it. In other words, The Blue Blazer does specials in the same way it does everything else, with restraint and with the drink at the centre.

There is also a lovely practical quirk that says a lot about the pub’s personality: dogs are more than welcome. CAMRA records a 15 per cent discount if you are accompanied by a dog, and the pub’s social profiles lean into that dog-friendly identity rather than treating it as an afterthought. For anyone searching for a dog-friendly pub in Edinburgh city centre that still feels grown-up and serious about drink, that alone makes The Blue Blazer stand out.

Food on Offer

If you are looking for a gastropub meal, The Blue Blazer is not pretending to be that. This is first and foremost a drinking pub. Condé Nast Traveller is blunt that you are here purely for the drinks and that there is no kitchen, and recent review snippets repeat the same point. That actually works in the pub’s favour. Too many city-centre pubs try to be all things to all people. The Blue Blazer knows exactly what it is, and the whole place benefits from that clarity.

That does not mean there is nothing to nibble on. Data Thistle summarises the offer as a place where you can grab a pint of cask ale and order some nibbles, while CAMRA highlights one of the pub’s best-known traditions: on Sunday lunchtimes there is a free “help yourself” cheeseboard on the bar. Recent Instagram snippets suggest that the cheese ritual is very much alive, with the pub posting about its Sunday cheese board and free cheese selection. In a city where many pubs lean hard on identikit burgers and loaded fries, The Blue Blazer’s low-key answer is far more memorable.

So the food story here is not about menu breadth. It is about fit. A plate of free Sunday cheese beside a pint of cask ale or a measured dram of whisky feels exactly right for this room. At other times you should think in terms of snacks rather than dishes. That makes The Blue Blazer ideal for pre-dinner drinks, post-show pints, or an afternoon stop when you want a proper pub rather than a full meal. If you do need more substantial food, the pub is close to the Grassmarket and the busy Lothian Road area, both of which offer plenty of places to eat before or after.

People searching for “best traditional pub Edinburgh city centre” or “best whisky pub Edinburgh” are often not after polished dining rooms. They want atmosphere, a good pint and maybe a quiet plate of something simple if it were available. The Blue Blazer lands squarely in that territory. It does not try to win you over with a food launch. It wins you over by understanding that not every great Edinburgh pub needs a kitchen brigade to justify itself.

Beers on Tap

For beer drinkers, this is where The Blue Blazer earns its reputation. CAMRA says the pub currently serves six changing beers and one regular beer, with cask ales coming through five handpumps, plus two restored Aitken Founts and a separate handpump for cider. That is a serious set-up for a city-centre local. It is also a reassuring sign that this is not a place treating cask as a token heritage feature. Beer is a central part of the pub’s identity, and it is presented with enough care that even the labels by the pumps are handwritten and descriptive.

The regular cask recorded by CAMRA is Fyne Ales Jarl, a 3.8 per cent session golden ale that has been spotted repeatedly at the bar. Recently seen beers also include Hadrian's Border As You Were, a 4.1 per cent session bitter; Harviestoun Noble Pair, a 4.2 per cent brown ale; and Stewart 80/-, a 4.4 per cent strong mild. CAMRA also notes that changing beers typically include ranges from Durham, Newbarns and Two by Two. That line-up tells you a lot about the house palette. This is not a pub chasing only headline-grabbing haze bombs. It is clearly interested in drinkability, classic styles and proper balance, although it is not stuck in the past either.

That balance between tradition and variety is what makes The Blue Blazer one of the better real ale pubs in Edinburgh city centre. The current list spans golden ale, bitter, brown ale and mild, while the venue’s own visuals show draught options extending beyond cask into lager, pilsner, stout and hoppier pours too. CAMRA also records occasional real cider, with producers such as Dudda’s Tun and Ross-on-Wye appearing from time to time. Add in the pub’s SIBA Indie Beer Supporter status, and you get a picture of a bar that takes independent beer seriously without ever becoming preachy about it.

Where the blue blazer becomes especially distinctive, though, is on the back bar. Its whisky list is not decadent. The published sheet runs across regions and styles, from approachable pours such as Arran 10, Deanston 12, Bunnahabhain 12, Kilchoman Sanaig, and Holyrood Pitch to more unusual bottles like Talisker 8 Year Rum Cask, Daftmill 15 Year Old Fife Strength PX Cask, various Signatory releases, and older curiosities such as a 1970s bottling of Glengoyne 8 and a Balvenie Founder’s Reserve 10 Year from the 1980s. At the top end, there is even a Port Ellen 1983, a 23-year-old bottling at £100 a dram. In other words, whether you want a sensible Scottish pub whisky or a conversation piece, there is room for both.

The pricing on that sheet is one of the strongest arguments for the pub’s value. Plenty of whiskies sit around the £5 to £10 mark, with some modest bargains such as Glen Ord Signatory 12 Year at £4.80, Deanston 12 at £5, and Bunnahabhain 12 at £6, before the menu climbs into more special territory. That range matters because it keeps the whisky offer democratic. You do not need to arrive as a collector with deep pockets. You can come in for one careful pint and add a genuinely interesting dram without blowing the budget.

Rum is the other half of the story, and it is a longstanding one. Industry coverage from the period when Kilderkin took over the Blue Blazer says the pub already had a strong reputation for rum, something management had been building since the early 2000s. Guidebooks and reviews continue to mention the rum selection alongside the whisky and cask ale, and older listings described an 80-plus bottle run of rums from around the world. I would avoid treating the exact count as gospel today, but it is fair to say that The Blue Blazer is still far more than a whisky bar with a couple of dusty rum bottles shoved in the corner. If you are searching for an Edinburgh pub with real ale, whisky and rum under one roof, this place remains a very strong candidate.

Price Range & Value

The Blue Blazer sits in a sensible middle ground on price. It is not bargain-basement cheap, but nor does it trade like a premium concept bar simply because it happens to be in the city centre. Review sites pull in slightly different directions here, which feels believable. One beer-focused site notes that it can feel expensive even by Edinburgh standards, while TripAdvisor lists it in the low-price bracket, and many visitors describe their drinks as reasonably priced. The real answer is that value depends on what you are comparing it to. Against anonymous chain pubs, a few things may look a touch dearer. Against specialist whisky bars or fashionable central cocktail spots, it looks much better.

The whisky sheet is the clearest evidence of that. There are collectable drams that understandably climb into double figures, but there is also a wide bench of bottlings in the £5 to £10 range, which is exactly where many drinkers want an Edinburgh whisky pub to be. That lets you build your own night according to mood and budget. You can stick to cask and keep it simple, bolt on a modestly priced island or Islay dram, or splurge on something rarer if you are celebrating. Very few pubs manage to offer that much flexibility without drifting into gimmick territory.

Then there are the little extras that improve value in ways many venues overlook. A free Sunday cheeseboard is not nothing. A 15 per cent doggo discount is not nothing. Longer seasonal hours in August and December also matter when Edinburgh is at its busiest, because a pub that stays open later and still feels like a proper boozer becomes much more valuable than one more interchangeable late bar. The Blue Blazer’s value proposition is therefore less about the cheapest round in town and more about getting a genuinely distinctive Edinburgh pub experience for a fair spend.

Customer Service

Service at The Blue Blazer seems to reflect the same no-nonsense identity as the room itself. Kilderkin’s owners have spoken openly about how important front-of-house staff are to every one of their pubs, stressing that being nice to customers is the basic core of hospitality. That sounds simple, but it matters here because the Blue Blazer’s strongest reviews consistently praise staff not just for speed but for knowing the drinks and guiding people towards something they will actually enjoy. Reviews describe bartenders offering tasters, knowing their beer, and giving the sense that they understand both the cask range and the whisky back bar.

The best version of Blue Blazer service seems to be relaxed, quietly expert and personable. One reviewer talks about professional and friendly service in a traditional setting; another praises the welcoming young staff and the chance to sample several beers; local pub writing notes staff dealing confidently with awkward situations and contributing to the happy, buzzy mood in the room. That matters because a pub like this can easily tip into being intimidating if the bar team are aloof. From the bulk of recent feedback, that is not the norm here.

That said, The Blue Blazer is not a pub that bends itself into a tourist-pleasing smile for every possible customer. People note a somewhat controversial entry policy and a reputation for not always giving large groups the warmest welcome, while CAMRA is explicit that children and stag and hen parties are not admitted. A handful of reviews also complain about brusque or inconsistent service. Rather than reading that as a contradiction, I think it is better read as part of the pub’s operating philosophy. This is a drinker’s pub first. If you turn up quietly for a pint, a dram and some conversation, you are much more likely to find the place on your wavelength than if you want a lenient door policy, endless group flexibility or a party bar atmosphere.

Atmosphere & Accessibility

What really sells The Blue Blazer is the feel of the place. The room carries that instantly recognisable Edinburgh pub mix of dark wood, polished bars, glowing lamps and just enough eccentricity to stop it feeling anonymous. CAMRA’s description of wooden floors, high ceilings, old brewery window panels and candles in the evening fits what visitors repeatedly remark on: this is an old-fashioned room with a strong visual identity, and even people who debate how original every detail may be usually agree that it looks superb and feels properly pubby. The bar itself is long and handsome; the back gantry is loaded with bottles, and the blue-blazer mosaic gives the floor a sense of story that many supposedly characterful bars would kill for.

There is also excellent contrast between the spaces. The front bar is more immediate and social, and the back room offers banquette seating and a looser, more tucked-away feel. Local reviews have pointed out the variety of seating, from smaller front tables to barrels and deeper banquette spots, which is part of why the place works equally well for solo drinkers, pairs and small groups. It is not a huge venue, and that is central to the charm. On a busy night it becomes properly buzzy without feeling like a nightclub. On a wet weekday it can feel like the ideal hideaway.

The clientele is another big asset. Multiple reviews describe a genuinely local crowd, something that is harder to find in this part of Edinburgh than many first-time visitors expect. The pub’s own reputation in best-of lists is as a “proper local”, and that seems true in practice. You get regulars, after-work drinkers, dog owners, whisky fans, cask ale people and the occasional curious visitor who has been told by somebody in the know to make the detour. Because the pub is small and seating is close, the atmosphere can become companionable very quickly. If you like the idea of a traditional Edinburgh pub where you might actually end up talking to the next table, this is one of the better bets in the city centre.

It is also worth noting what kind of atmosphere it is not. This is not a family pub, and it is not trying to absorb large celebratory groups. CAMRA’s no-children and no-stag-or-hen policy makes that plain. Some visitors love that because it protects the room from the worst excesses of city-centre drinking. Others may find it a bit strict. Either way, it helps preserve the sense that The Blue Blazer is a local pub that happens to be in the centre of Edinburgh rather than a centre-of-Edinburgh pub pretending to be local.

Accessibility is reasonable but imperfect. CAMRA records level access from the street to the bar, which is a genuine plus in an older city-centre building, but it also notes that there are no accessible toilets. Transport access is better than parking access is ever likely to be in this location. The pub is close to bus routes, about 750 metres from the West End tram stop, and around one kilometre from Haymarket station. Free Wi-Fi and a dog-friendly policy add a bit more practical comfort for longer visits. In short, entering the pub is easy enough; using every facility inside may be less so, and arriving by public transport is the obvious move.

Location & Nearby Attractions

The Blue Blazer’s location is one of its great strengths. It sits on the south-west side of central Edinburgh, at the corner of Spittal Street and Bread Street, right in that zone where the city’s pub culture overlaps with its cultural quarter. CAMRA places it on the south-west side of the centre, close to bus routes and not far from the West End tram or Haymarket. That makes it unusually handy for a lot of different kinds of visits. You can use it as a last proper pint before a train, an easy first stop after checking into a city centre hotel, or a dependable anchor point for an evening that moves between pubs, the theatre and live music.

Tourist landmarks are not far away either. Edinburgh Castle sits at The Esplanade, EH1 2NG, and the Grassmarket lies just down in one of the Old Town’s most picturesque and lively areas beneath the castle. That means the Blue Blazer makes a lot of sense if you want to escape the busiest visitor strips without straying too far from them. You are close enough to castle sightseeing and Old Town wandering to make the pub a natural refuge, especially when the weather turns or the crowds become wearing. It is exactly the kind of place that rewards stepping one street away from the obvious route.

The performing arts side of the neighbourhood is just as relevant. Usher Hall on Lothian Road is one of Edinburgh’s premier live venues and sits in the heart of the city’s cultural quarter, flanked by the Royal Lyceum and Traverse theatres. Local guides also place The Blue Blazer is near venues such as Filmhouse and the wider Lothian Road offering. That makes the pub a strong pre-theatre or post-gig choice. If you want somewhere with actual character before a concert, a Fringe show or a cinema trip, The Blue Blazer is far more interesting than the default modern bars around the main drags.

Its seasonal late hours make that location even more useful. Data Thistle notes 3am closures during August and December, which are precisely the periods when Edinburgh surges with visitors, festivals and festive trade. A pub that can handle those periods while still maintaining a traditional atmosphere is worth knowing about. For anyone researching the best pubs near Edinburgh Castle, the best real ale pubs near Lothian Road, or the best whisky pub near the Grassmarket, The Blue Blazer deserves to be high on the shortlist because it serves both geography and experience so well.

Overall Impression

The Blue Blazer is easy to recommend precisely because it does not try to be everything. It is not a full-food pub. It is not a family pub. It is not where you take the stag do after three rounds elsewhere. What it is, very clearly, is one of the best traditional Edinburgh pub experiences for people who care about atmosphere and drink. The cask line-up is serious, the whisky list is far deeper than most city centre locals can manage, the rum's reputation is longstanding, and the room itself has enough warmth and character to make one pint turn into several with no effort at all.

There are, of course, minor caveats. Space is limited, so you may need luck or timing to land the ideal table. The service style can feel blunt if you expect a highly polished, guest-first tourist venue. Accessibility is decent at the entrance but limited by the lack of accessible toilets. And if you want a long sit-down meal, you should look elsewhere and come here for drinks before or after. None of that really undermines the core appeal, though. If anything, those boundaries help define what the pub does so well.

For me, the real test of a great pub article is simple: does the place sound like somewhere you would detour for or even organise an evening around? The Blue Blazer passes that test comfortably. It has the bones of a classic Edinburgh local, the drinks list of a much more specialised bar, and a city-centre location that makes it useful as well as enjoyable. If you are building a list of the best pubs in Edinburgh city centre, The Blue Blazer belongs on it.