Teuchter's Landing – Is wetter better?
Plus we hit the 100k mark.
Most of the 65 or so pubs on Edinburgh Pub Reviews are drinkers’ paradises. They don’t really do food.1 They call them called wet-led pubs in the trade. I think they could have come up with a better name, especially given foodie pubs are called dry-led, which a) makes them sound like they are booze-free, and b) doesn’t make the food they serve sound the most appetising.
Happily, there was nothing dry about the half kilo of mussels I had at Teuchter’s Landing in Leith, which was positively swimming in a steaming bucketful of garlicky butter and white wine. The food here is comforting, at decent prices for solid portions.
Even more pleasingly, the pub is not just a place for eating. Some more gastro-type places seem to treat drinks, especially beer, as an afterthought. Not here. The ale at Teuchter’s Landing is very good, as is the large selection of whiskies and gins. And – perfect for the summer – there’s plenty of outdoor space by the water to enjoy it all.
The whole area around this part of Leith has a fascinating history, which I went into in my original review back in January. Have a read below.
I’ll continue to go through my list of Edinburgh pubs to review after a short break (more on that below). They are mostly drinking pubs – just a personal preference – but you may get the odd “dry” pub thrown in. If there’s somewhere you think gets the blend of food and drink just right, let me know.
The chaser – See you in September
The i newspaper published an article in May from
as they released their book Beer Breaks in Britain. The headline was: “I went in search of Britain's best pint - I was surprised where I found it”.Before even reading it, I already knew the answer. Of course it’s Edinburgh. Of course co-author Phil Mellows wrote this:
There’s a certain level of service there, a care for the customer and the beer, that I found to be consistently a notch above the rest. These are the venues that confirmed to me why the Scottish capital outshines all other towns and cities on a beer tour of Britain.
Of course he also wrote this: “Whichever pub or bar, or taproom you’re in, you never forget you’re in Edinburgh.”
I am lucky and grateful to be surrounded by some of the best pubs I’ve ever been to. I hope you’ll agree.
Now seems a good time to let you know that in the past week, the total number of views on Edinburgh Pub Reviews surpassed 100,000.
That makes me very happy. When I started reviewing just under two years ago, I wanted to let other people know just how many amazing pubs there are in this city. It needed to be celebrated.
This newsletter will go quiet for the next month or so, as I work on a few things related to the various festivals and take a bit of a break. But I’ll be back in September with a whole new set of reviews for autumn.
If there’s anywhere you think needs to be reviewed, please do get in touch by replying to this newsletter, emailing edinburghpubreviews@substack.com or sending an anonymous tip through the feedback form.
If you have visitors over the next month asking for tips on where to drink, maybe you could send them to edinburghpubreviews.substack.com for a full list of every pub reviewed so far. Or, send them a link to the Edinburgh Pub Reviews map so they can find their nearest pub while out and about.
Enjoy the festival. See you in September.
The Percy is a notable exception, which is great for both eating and drinking.