Review: The Volley, a pub on Leith Walk

The Volley, newly opened at 180 Leith Walk, stands in the familiar shell of The Dog House, but step inside and the transformation is immediate and striking.

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Girdy’s been to check out Leith Walk’s latest pub The Volley. This was day two of its training week so team Edinburgh Reviews are looking forward to what comes next.

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I liked the Dog House as a geek cave. The previous pub was dark, quirky and safe. How does The Volley compare? It’s clean, bright and mainstream.

The Volley has opened up windows, found lovely brickwork arches during the renovation and quite the find. The Volley now has a touch of a “wine bar” (not an insult), with clean wood, red brick and lots more sunlight. I’m not sure if The Volley is aspiring to be a wine bar, but I’m the only geek here, so I think they’re on track to getting the mix of drink options right. I hope they can get more local brews in, though, as there are two fantastic breweries almost within a tennis ball smash from the pub.

Visiting on its second night of operation has me in a pub with a nice vibe, attentive staff, and everyone drinking beer (so much for the wine bar chat). There are two dogs, some couples, some tables of mates (and I may be the only nerd), and so full marks to the owners for letting potentially muddy paws onto their shiny new floor.

Drinks

As you walk in off the street you’ll be at the bar immediately, though there are some tables by the door. Traditional brews such as Fosters and Guinness are on tap, but I didn’t see any Tennents.

Behind the bar, there’s a good range of whiskies and a few other spirits, and I know that’s just the start.

How do I know? On our tables and printed on good cards is a notice that they are keeping the drinks simple for the next couple of days and letting the staff get up to speed. Cocktails are due in June. I like this approach. I’m reassured there’s a plan and that there’s management coordination to tell me about it.

I don’t believe there’s any ambition to add more food to the bar, but the rotating hot tray I saw certainly had more space for extra slices of pizza if they wanted. Honestly, I think anything else would be redundant on Leith Walk.

I only had beer while I was here and didn’t find the pints too expensive.

Atmosphere

I found the staff chatty and friendly. It was day two of They Volley’s life so idiots off the street might not have had the chance to wear the team down, but my gut feeling is that these aren’t students roped into whatever jobs were open and that these are people with opinions on what makes for a good pub or even a good hospitality experience.

There’s a downstairs area, too, and it’s here that the biggest transformation has been seen. I imagine The Volley could be weighing up whether they wanted this almost watchable place to offer table service and tabs against whether that would be unmanageable. It’ll be a big decision. If I can sit at a table, get my Kindle out and enjoy cocktails and brandies brought to me then it’s a very different pub than one I pop up to the bar and order a Neck Oil at.

Things to do on Leith Walk

The Volley is not at the shopping end of Leith Walk, it’s three-quarters of the way down, but that does mean it’s near Steam Bunny, Origano, Leith Arches and Out of the Blue Drill Hall.

The Volley is on the tram route, well known to taxi drivers and there are plenty of bus stops.

Overall

Early days for The Volley, but the signs are promising. They’re an experienced team but have no shortage of competitors on Leith Walk. I suspect they’re trying to make The Volley a place for everyone, which is welcome but also a challenging task as a lack of definition might sometimes mean a lack of audience.

For now, it’s a bright, welcoming spot for a well-kept pint, with the promise of more to come. It will be interesting to see how The Volley carves out its niche on the competitive Leith Walk.