The Angel – Resurrection
With Spoons gone, I'm loving the The Angel instead.
It was a sad day when the old Wetherspoon’s, The Foot of the Walk, shut down. It wasn’t a classic Spoons – it didn’t have the ornate interiors of, say, the two on George Street – but it was an historic building.
It first opened in 1913, as the 2,000-seater Palace cinema, and boasted the largest screen in Leith or Edinburgh. It was designed with efficiency in mind: As the audience for the first screening exited out of one side, the audience for the next showing entered from the other side – which explains the multiple doorways which we still see today.
It closed as a cinema in the 60s, but was soon reopened as a bingo hall, then a snooker club, and in the 90s even hosted a church upstairs. Wetherspoon’s opened in 2001, shutting off the upper balcony, which still contains some auditorium seating from its previous life somewhere within the walls.
I had good memories from it. Plus the drinks were cheaper than anything anywhere nearby. And the ale was usually pretty good.
But I was told back then it would continue to be a pub. So I was delighted a when it reopened a couple of months ago. It is now operated by Amber Taverns, a pub chain which operates mostly in the Midlands and north of England.
The layout is generally the same – the bar and the toilets are still in the same place, and the ceiling is still ridiculously high – but there has been some extensive redecoration inside. The large central space has been broken up by booths and pony walls, which give the opportunity to place more screens around (this is a football pub with Sky Sports, but it does not allow football colours at any time).
The famous Wetherspoons carpet is replaced by a mishmash of grey geometric shapes and parquet floors, the walls have had a lick of paint and some fake greenery hangs from above. There is the welcome addition of two dart boards. There is the unwelcome addition of bad neon signs around the place: “I’m sexy and I throw it” above the darts, and “‘Trust me you can dance’ - Tequila” behind the bar. They’re the kind of low-quality thing which may have been ironically funny in about 2009.
But the main thing is this: I really like this place. I’ve been a few times since it’s opened, mainly to play darts or watch football. Most importantly, you can get three pints and get change from a tenner. How many pubs can you say that about these days?
A pint of Murphy’s costs £2.95, Timothy Taylor’s Boltmaker £3.50, and, stunningly, a nice pint of Theakston’s XB will set you back £2.30 (yes, two pounds and thirty pence). Not only are the neon signs outdated, the prices seem to be frozen from a previous era.
It feels like a real community pub, offering somewhere for the ex-Spoons daytime crowd which won’t break the bank. The evening throng spans age and gender. One Wednesday, people are in for pre-drinks, a pint after work, a catch-up with a mate, or a place to read the paper.
Not many are watching the 22 men run around on the screens, instead here for some human connection, chatting with their mates or making conversation with a neighbouring table. The playlist ping-pings from CCR to Eagles to Backstreet Boys to Simply Red.
The atmosphere builds. By the time the bell tolls, people are literally high-fiving. As we head outside, smokers on the steps share lighters and talk about the old days, sending each other off with a “have a good night”.
It may not be the prettiest, but The Angel is an essential space in Leith. It’s the egalitarian third space which pubs should be, where anyone is welcome and drinks are affordable. I hope it’s here for a long, long time.
Much of my knowledge of The Angel’s history comes from Andy Arthur’s excellent Threadinburgh website. I would recommend you take a look for some pictures of The Foot of the Walk over the past century.
Where is it?
Where next?
The Percy is at the other end of Duke Street, and while it has a different vibe, it extolls the same virtues of egalitarianism and welcoming.
The chaser – Foodie news
The Royal Dick at Summerhall has had its ups and downs since I reviewed it last year. But it’s now being jointly run by Barney’s brewery and Pickering’s Gin distillery, both businesses which make their products on site (Pickering’s even has a direct line straight to the pub). The revived Royal Dick has a new website, and is launching its own burger joint, Dick’s Scrannary, next Thursday.
In last week’s chaser, I brought you the news that Pilot brewery was working on a new bar on Hanover Street. The Vessel is now open, and as well as Pilot beers it does small plates and snacks, if that’s your thing. I had a quick glance at the menu on the way past the other day, and a pint of draft beer will set you back somewhere between £6 and £7, while a can is upwards of £5.
I also noticed a new foodie place opening up in Stockbridge, where The Hamilton used to be. Called The Captain Darling, it looks more gastro than wet-led pub. Though an article in the Edinburgh Evening News says it’s “a classic pub venue with dedicated bar space for people to drop in for a leisurely drink throughout the day”. The kitchen will be run by Scott Smith, who recently announced the closure of his Broughton Street restaurant Fhior. The Captain Darling says it hopes to open “in late May,” though when I went past last night, it was still a building site.
