This historic Ancoats pub reawakens for the dawn of a new era
| 7th November 2019
The historic Edinburgh Castle in Ancoats has been brought back to life by the team behind Cottonopolis.
The abandoned Victorian pub, which dates back to 1811, will finally reopen on Thursday 14thNovember with the first floor 36 cover restaurant opening 26thNovember.
The pub’s ethos is to be the ideal local – a ‘proper boozer with a proper pint’. A place that the Ancoats residents couldn’t live without, because everyone knows the beating heart of a neighbourhood is the local.
The pub, located on the ground floor, will serve food ‘with a traditional angle’ from 12pm – 8pm Monday to Friday. Expect to see pies, game and favourites such as fish and chips. There is a brunch menu served on the weekends (10am-3pm) and a sumptuous Sunday Roast which the Edinburgh Castle already hope to be a firm favourite, served each Sunday 12-8pm.
Upstairs in the 36-cover restaurant, the focus has been to bring good British food with provenance to the menu. Chef Julian Pizer has put huge emphasis on seasonality and local suppliers here – not working on calendar season, but the strong, close relationship that he and his team have with the suppliers. This will see the menu driven by this. “Our aim is to make full use of our ingredients, dictated by the British seasons,” states Pizer.
There is a dish on the menu which is already destined to be the signature; Bees Waxed Aged Beef. There is a wonderful story behind the development of this dish – we don’t want to give too much away but we urge you to find out on your visit.
Gethin Jones is the man behind the drink element at Edinburgh Castle. Not only does he promise that the pub focus will be on a good pint, Guinness on tap and a ‘solid’ Irish Coffee, guests of Edinburgh Castle can expect a strong whisky offering and a very considered gin list.
General Manager Mark Farrell has put together an exceptional wine list for the upstairs restaurant which will tie in downstairs, not forgetting a classic cocktail list.
In keeping with the locality and the sympathetic approach to the build, friend, artist and tattooist Gre Hale has designed many of the elements such as menus and wallpaper within the space and the signage outside, – re-working the old signage using the dominant typeface of Ancoats industrial past – seeing artist/designer Lei-mai scaling heights to hand paint in 24ct gold to really celebrate the homecoming of this local gem.
Nick Muir, director of Edinburgh Castle, added: “We hope to be a welcome addition to Ancoats. The Edinburgh Castle pub has been popular and serving locals for centuries and we can’t wait to add our stamp on its legacy. We look forward to becoming a part of this wonderful neighbourhood and will ensure we give the area, our neighbours and visitors what they want – a quality place to eat and drink and a stylish twist on traditional with exceptional standards.”