I spend my weekends in Dalkeith at my partners, and we often go out for a drink somewhere dog friendly so we can bring our pup. I was getting a bit bored of our usual places (the justinlees in, The Harrow Hotel), so when my partner suggested we visit The Dean Tavern, I was excited to try somewhere new. He has visited before, but I haven’t. The pub is easy to get to by bus, and is opposite a lovely park. It’s located in a residential area, rather than in a high street like some other pubs. The building is beautiful and looks quite old in a country cottage way.
On arrival, it was very obvious the football was on, and very loudly too. This is a pub with Sky Sports, and it was showing an English football game, and horse racing. If I’d known the football was on, I’d probably have gone somewhere else, but we decided to sit outside and have a round or two while the game finished. Even from outside, we could hear the loud game as the pub seems to have some sort of outdoor speakers wired in so those outside having a drink or a smoke can hear the sports channels too. This was one of the only downsides to the pub.
It was chilly, but there are plenty of seats and little booths too. There is no outdoor heating but that is to be expected.
When we entered, I was impressed with the lovely decor and the high ceilings. The pub isn’t carpeted, but this didn’t really bother me, and on reflection is probably a good idea if the pub is dog friendly!
We found a seat, there were booths, but most were reserved for poker games. It looks like poker is a regular thing here, which is cool. There is also a dartboard but I did not see anyone using it. As well as this, as I mentioned Sky sports air here, and there is a LOT of TV’s. I counted four in total (there may be more), including smaller TV’s under the larger ones which show upcoming races and matches. There are also a couple of fruit machines, the old fashioned sort with flashing buttons, not the touchscreen kind.
Drinks here are standard price for Dalkeith, a double whisky and coke and a single vodka coke came in at around £11. Not as cheap as the Harrow Hotel, but cheaper than going into the centre of Edinburgh. As I said, the pub is dog friendly; and our dog was offered plenty of water free of charge. I carry a reusable fold up dog bowl, however I saw other dog bowls on the premises if you didn’t have one yourself.
The Dean also offers a food menu, which was a little pricier than anticipated, however me and my partner are looking forward to coming back to try it. They sell a variety of bar snacks and crisps, and I indulged in some Bacon Fries.
The toilets are down a narrow corridor, and clean and tidy. There is a disabled toilet, however you will need your Radar Key. I’m not sure a wheelchair would comfortably fit down the toilet corridor but I’ve heard that it can be done.
There are also a couple of function rooms, I didn’t go in them but I assume you’d be able to hire them for parties and wakes etc.
The barmaid was kind, there is not really any queuing system at the bar as a lot of customers sit up there, so it can be a bit confusing as to whether you are barging in or not. There was a few staff members, but only one seemed to be serving at the time I was there.
I was impressed by the Dean Tavern, and I would rate it above the Justinlees inn and The Harrow hotel. It will now be one of my regulars for when I decide to go out with my partner...
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