Historic Ancoats pub has been brought back to life by the team behind Cottonopolis
Ancoats has been completely revitalised over the past few years. Many of its historic giant brick warehouses have been converted into apartments, which support a wide range of food and drink businesses on the ground floor. It is where Rudy’s Pizza first set up shop and you’ll find the likes of Portuguese restaurant Canto, Vietnamese audiophile sound bar Nam, and independents such as Trove, Cocoa Cabana, Elnecot and Jane Eyre all contributing to a vibrant social hub around Cutting Room Square. The area even boasts Mana, Manchester’s first Michelin starred restaurant in over 40 years.
The Edinburgh Castle pub has been serving locals for centuries and we can’t wait to add our stamp on its legacy
Now, new life has been breathed into an abandoned Victorian pub, which dates back to 1811. Edinburgh Castle is finally set to reopen on Thursday 14th November. The pub’s ethos is to be the ideal local; the beating heart of a neighbourhood, offering a ‘proper boozer with a proper pint’.
The ground floor pub will serve food ‘with a traditional angle’ such as pies, game and favourites such as fish and chips, from 12-8pm Monday to Friday. A brunch menu will be served on the weekends (10am-3pm) as well as a traditional Sunday Roast which the Edinburgh Castle already hope to be a firm favourite.
Upstairs will be a 36-cover restaurant, which opens on 26th November. Chef Julian Pizer has put huge emphasis on seasonality and developing a strong relationship with local suppliers. “Our aim is to make full use of our ingredients, dictated by the British seasons,” say Pizer. One new dish, 'Bees Waxed Aged Beef,’ is apparently already destined to be their signature. They’re not giving too much away about it at the moment, but are happy to tell diners its backstory when they visit.
Gethin Jones is behind the Edinburgh Castle drink offering. He promises that the pub will focus on serving a good pint, Guinness on tap and a ‘solid’ Irish coffee, as well as a strong whisky offering and a very considered gin list. General Manager Mark Farrell has put together a classic cocktail list and an exceptional wine list for the upstairs restaurant.
In terms of design, the team have been keen to consider the locality with a sympathetic approach to the build. They have drafted in friend, artist and tattooist Gre Hale to design many of the elements such as menus and wallpaper as well as the signage outside. Hale re-worked the existing external signage using the dominant typeface of Ancoats industrial past. Artist/designer Lei-mai could recently be seen scaling heights of this forgotten local gem to hand paint the lettering in 24ct gold on the solid black background.
Nick Muir, director of Edinburgh Castle, said: “We hope to be a welcome addition to Ancoats. The Edinburgh Castle pub has been serving locals for centuries and we can’t wait to add our stamp on its legacy. We look forward to becoming a part of this wonderful neighbourhood and will ensure we give the area, our neighbours and visitors what they want – a quality place to eat and drink and a stylish twist on traditional with exceptional standards.”
Edinburgh Castle Ancoats will officially open to the public on Thursday 14th November from 8pm.
Opening Hours:
Sunday – Thursday : 10am – 11pm
Friday – Saturday : 10am - midnight
See their Instagram page for updates: @ec_ancoats
