The Jolly Judge is a small, low-beamed pub hidden down James Court, one of the old closes off the Royal Mile near the Castle. You go down a stair into a snug, painted-ceiling room that feels a long way from the crowds up on the Mile. Good for a quiet whisky or a pint, with a decent range of both. Worth seeking out precisely because it’s tucked away — easy to walk straight past the close mouth.
