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The pub’s story
Portobello Tap puts a specialist beer bar into a High Street address with several earlier identities. Time Out recorded the Palm Tree here in April 2015, and a contemporary dining offer places Jaffle Joint at the same address by 2017. Cross Borders reopened it as Portobello Tap in 2019; its first nine months ended with the March 2020 lockdown. The same year brought the Scottish Beer Awards’ Best Beer Bar title. Today the room has broad front windows, an open-plan layout, 18 draught lines and two cask lines at the main bar. Behind it, the garden contains the Porty Burger Shack, with meat, vegetarian and vegan choices. Cross Borders moved to contract and collaborative brewing in 2026 while retaining this taproom. Forever Edinburgh reported a recent garden refurbishment by May 2025; its exact date and scope remain unknown. The building’s age is still unestablished.
What to notice
- 01
The main bar carries 18 draught lines and two cask lines, with another eight rotating taps on the back bar.
- 02
The beer garden is tucked behind the High Street room and contains the Porty Burger Shack.
- 03
This is a taproom rather than a working brewery; Cross Borders now uses contract and collaborative brewing elsewhere.
The time rail
The building, the pub and its interior may date from different periods. The timeline keeps documented dates separate from tradition.
Time Out identifies the Palm Tree at 87 Portobello High Street. Its proposed beer-garden offer does not establish when the garden was made.
A contemporary dining offer records Jaffle Joint at 87 Portobello High Street; its opening date is not established.
Cross Borders Brewing Company reopened the premises as Portobello Tap.
The operator’s history records the lockdown interruption after the taproom’s first nine months.
Portobello Tap, Cross Borders won Best Beer Bar at the Scottish Beer Awards.
Forever Edinburgh described the beer garden as recently refurbished; the exact work date and scope are not stated.
Cross Borders moved to a contract and collaborative brewing model while keeping the Portobello taproom.
Sources & confidence
Time Out establishes the Palm Tree identity here in April 2015 but its promised garden does not establish completed works. A separate Forever Edinburgh account, dated May 2025 in the publisher’s page record, explicitly reports a recently refurbished beer garden. This is an attributed completed physical change, with exact date and scope unknown; it is not a claim that the garden was first created then. Six distinct pub-use stages remain supported, including the 2019 reopening and 2020 award. Current operator hours were rechecked on 3 September 2026. Building age and early pub chronology remain unresolved. Frontage source evidence and mapped coordinates are retained.
Research reviewed
- Portobello TapCross Borders Brewing Companyofficial
SupportsCurrent identity, address, telephone, hours, bar line counts, beer garden and Porty Burger Shack.
- Cross Borders Brewing CompanyCross Borders Brewing Companyofficial
SupportsCurrent operator, two-taproom structure and 2026 contract and collaborative brewing model.
- Portobello Tap, EdinburghCampaign for Real Alespecialist
Supports2019 reopening, former names, layout, line counts, garden food offer, hours and dated frontage photograph.
- The Portobello Tap map recordOpenStreetMapappearance
SupportsMapped identity, address and coordinates.
- Scottish Beer Awards 2020 winnersScottish Beer Awardsofficial
SupportsAward organiser identifies Portobello Tap, Cross Borders as 2020 Best Beer Bar. This is an award milestone, not an opening date.
- Cross Borders origin storyCross Borders Brewing Companyofficial
SupportsOperator history dates taproom birth 2019 and interruption on 20 March 2020 after its first nine months. Humorous brewery origin text is not literal historical evidence.
- Jaffle Joint dining promotionitisoneditorial
SupportsContemporary commercial offer identifies Jaffle Joint at 87 Portobello High Street, valid across December 2017 to January 2018. Establishes operation by 2017, not founding.
- The Portobello Palm TreeTime Outeditorial
SupportsArticle dated 13 April 2015 identifies the Palm Tree at 87 Portobello High Street, with a proposed Caribbean food and beer-garden offer. It establishes the earlier identity, not the construction date or completion of garden works.
- Portobello food and drink: refurbished beer gardenForever Edinburgheditorial
SupportsForever Edinburgh reports a recently refurbished beer garden at Portobello Tap. The publisher page record dates this text to 29 May 2025 (created 10:35:51, modified 10:35:55). Establishes a reported completed refurbishment by that date, not the precise work date, original garden creation or construction scope.
