Dreadnought Leith — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

To review The Dreadnought without reference to the building's former identity would be to ignore the elephant in the room. Or bar, in this case. For many bleak years this bar was the Halfway House; a notorious hive of villainy and despair. Joy and Hope had been barred for life and Decency was only allowed in on the condition that he didn't bother the regulars. And it is in this context with which we must continue this review. Gone are the narrow, high, prison-style windows, in favour of large welcoming panes of glass. Gone too are the customers who depend on alcohol, replaced by those who depend on the aroma of craft beers. Also gone are the tuck shop crisps, in favour of an extensive range of restaurant-quality pizzas cooked and delivered to order. Further banished are the pool table, fruit machine and jukebox. Which is where a slight identity crisis emerges. For in their place, are large screens and a full Sky Sports subscription (not the chipped satellite box of old). However, the volume is never audible, capitulating to the dulcet tones of Some Band You Won't Have Heard Of. The staff seem almost embarrassed and apologetic about showing the football games at all. Indeed, a sign on the door politely reminds ne'er-do-wells that football colours and "cottons" - a generous euphemism for cheap tracksuits - are not suitable attire. This method of social cleansing is actually very clever, as thick poor people hate nothing more than wearing shirts and neatly-pressed chinos. But yet again we find mixed messages as the bar still proudly serves Tennent's "lager", albeit from an ornate hand-pull at inflated prices. Despite this identity crisis, the atmosphere is welcoming and the range of beers is certainly impressive. Even cider drinkers are well-catered for, with the dangerously drinkable Thistly Cross available by the bottle. A bold venture which...

Have never loved a pub like I love the Dreadnought.

It's beautiful both inside and out, with big windows so you can watch the sun set behind Chancelot Mill. The gantry (allegedly salvaged from a church) is a thing of beauty, like the stern of an old ship. There's great artwork on the walls (including those in the toilets). There's a beer garden on the bridge outside.

The beer selection is almost certainly the best in Edinburgh, with a range of styles, a great choice of cans and plenty of low/no alcohol options. They have close ties with the Brass Castle brewery in Malton but also stock beers from all over the UK and beyond.

Also great: the staff, the music, the folk that drink there, the frequent charity initiatives.

They don't do food but you're welcome to get a takeaway and eat it at your table. They'll even order it for you.

Would have given it six...

A vibrant and welcoming pub with a huge selection of beers and ales stocked from local and small independent breweries. I wasn’t quite sure what to go for on my first visit as I’m generally pretty set in my ways with pints, but was guided to try something new that after listening to what I’d normally drink, the staff thought I would enjoy and they weren’t wrong. Very knowledgable about their craft and such a chilled vibe. There’s usually a mix of regulars, locals and folk popping in for the first (but definitely not the last) time and all are made to feel at home. Great artwork on the walls, plenty to read on the back of the toilet doors, hugely inclusive, dog friendly and some great quiz nights. The beer garden on the Pride Bridge outside in summer is fantastic, spacious and still keeps the welcoming feel of the bar indoors Well...