The Bowlers Rest – Alone
Though it sits a little out of the way, The Bowlers Rest is worth making a detour for.
I didn’t think I needed to hear a folk band made up of middle-aged men performing Rapper’s Delight. But then I went to The Bowler’s Rest.
The back room was packed with an audience nodding along to the band’s eclectic setlist of covers. The vibes were good, the rest of the pub was buzzing. It was what a Friday night at the pub should feel like.
The pub is only on its third owner in over sixty years. Decades ago, it was better known as Reilly’s after its owner Lawrie Reilly. A legend of Scottish football, the Hibs stalwart apparently never touched a drop of alcohol – though was often seen pulling pints behind his bar. Then he sold up in 1992, and the pub stayed in the same hands until 2023 when it was sold again. The current owners have been running it since then, and have kept it going as a real community pub ever since.
The front room is dominated by the bar, and its coziness is helped along with red velvet curtains and a low ceiling, along with the requisite beer and whisky memorabilia on the walls. It helps create a close, communal atmosphere where conversations seem to spark up at the bar and continue down on to the tables.
We spent most of our time in the middle room – home to a dart board and pool table – which allowed us to hear the music coming out the back, which in August becomes a Fringe venue.
A while ago, a reader wrote in asking about visiting pubs alone. She had lost her husband, and when the nearby Bullfinch pub shut down, lost one of the only pubs she felt comfortable in.1 Though she lived near The Bowlers Rest, she was understandably apprehensive about a solo trip there, wondering whether it was a blokey place which would be unwelcoming for a woman going alone. I would say that despite the often noisy atmosphere, the pub is about as welcoming as they come.
It’s definitely a ‘start a conversation with a stranger’-type place, rather than a ‘find a quiet corner and read a book’ place, though I have usually visited at weekends when it is at its busiest. You may find it more sedate during the week. And there is a spot by the front window which is a little bit out of the way, if that’s your thing.
In fact, the last time I was in, a young woman was there on her own with a pint and a pound coin for the pool table. We ended up having a game (which I managed to end early by promptly potting the black).
Perhaps other readers can help. Which pubs would you say are the best for going solo? I would love to see your recommendations in the comments.
Where is it?
Where next?
Go over to Leith Shore where an equally cacophonous pub – also with live music – awaits.
The Chaser – New pubs
Some happy pub opening news this week.
There doesn’t seem to be an opening date for The Finch (formerly the Bullfinch, and before that The Pond) on Salamander Street. But it’s going through a refurbishment and new signs are being put up. I do know it will have four beers on from Barney’s brewery with rotating guest beers on the other lines.
On the other side of Edinburgh, a couple have announced they are reopening the Mid Yoken in East Craigs. Set in the middle of a housing estate, the pub closed its doors in February after the previous landlord of 19 years ended his lease. Now, Jacqui and Stuart Evans will be serving pints from 17 June. Stuart told Edinburgh Live: "I have been drinking here for 18 years and I just decided to re-open up the pub due to how much of a community there is here.”
Some good news: The Bullfinch is reopening soon under new management. It will be called The Finch.
Whilst I'm more of a sit-in-the-corner-reading kind of bloke - genuinely one of life's great pleasures - your female correspondent might like the Shore (on the eponymous street), not too far from Bowlers Rest.
Incidentally, as well as folk, the Bowlers Rest has regular jazz sessions which have been recommended to me - though I've not made it yet. Your post has convinced me to give it a go!