Calendar An icon of a desk calendar. Cancel An icon of a circle with a diagonal line across. Caret An icon of a block arrow pointing to the right. Email An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of the Facebook "f" mark. Google An icon of the Google "G" mark. Linked In An icon of the Linked In "in" mark. Logout An icon representing logout. Profile An icon that resembles human head and shoulders. Telephone An icon of a traditional telephone receiver. Tick An icon of a tick mark. Is Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes. Is Not Public An icon of a human eye and eyelashes with a diagonal line through it. Pause Icon A two-lined pause icon for stopping interactions. Quote Mark A opening quote mark. Quote Mark A closing quote mark. Arrow An icon of an arrow. Folder An icon of a paper folder. Breaking An icon of an exclamation mark on a circular background. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Caret An icon of a caret arrow. Clock An icon of a clock face. Close An icon of the an X shape. Close Icon An icon used to represent where to interact to collapse or dismiss a component Comment An icon of a speech bubble. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Comments An icon of a speech bubble, denoting user comments. Ellipsis An icon of 3 horizontal dots. Envelope An icon of a paper envelope. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Camera An icon of a digital camera. Home An icon of a house. Instagram An icon of the Instagram logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. Magnifying Glass An icon of a magnifying glass. Search Icon A magnifying glass icon that is used to represent the function of searching. Menu An icon of 3 horizontal lines. Hamburger Menu Icon An icon used to represent a collapsed menu. Next An icon of an arrow pointing to the right. Notice An explanation mark centred inside a circle. Previous An icon of an arrow pointing to the left. Rating An icon of a star. Tag An icon of a tag. Twitter An icon of the Twitter logo. Video Camera An icon of a video camera shape. Speech Bubble Icon A icon displaying a speech bubble WhatsApp An icon of the WhatsApp logo. Information An icon of an information logo. Plus A mathematical 'plus' symbol. Duration An icon indicating Time. Success Tick An icon of a green tick. Success Tick Timeout An icon of a greyed out success tick. Loading Spinner An icon of a loading spinner. Facebook Messenger An icon of the facebook messenger app logo. Facebook An icon of a facebook f logo. Facebook Messenger An icon of the Twitter app logo. LinkedIn An icon of the LinkedIn logo. WhatsApp Messenger An icon of the Whatsapp messenger app logo. Email An icon of an mail envelope. Copy link A decentered black square over a white square.

Former Mercantile bar in Dundee reopens as The Barrelman following £630,000 refurbishment

Post Thumbnail

Opening a bar during a pandemic and on the day that a 10pm curfew came into force was probably not what the licensees of the former Mercantile pub in Dundee had in mind when they began an ambitious refurbishment last year.

Following an investment of £630,000 to refurbish the premises, The Barrelman in Commercial Street opened its doors today with Tommy and Jacqueline Fox at the helm – four years after the Mercantile closed.

The Grade A listed building, which had fallen into disrepair during its closure, has been transformed into a stylish bar offering food and drink and, when things return to normal, entertainment by Heineken-owned Star Pubs and Bars.

A total of 25 jobs have been created with the opening which was delayed from April due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Licensees Tommy and Jacqueline Fox.

The investment has given The Barrelman a stunning contemporary design with exposed brickwork, wooden floors and a glass stage plus a subtle nautical vibe in its quirky artwork and features.

Spread over three floors, it comfortably holds 120 even with social distancing. The venue boasts a bar, dining area, zones with booths and soft seating and a mezzanine-level function space as well as outside café style seating.

Other changes include new toilets, a new kitchen and massive floor to ceiling windows.

Huge interest

Tommy said: “Local interest has been huge. It’s exciting to be finally opening. The Barrelman looks totally different to anywhere else in Dundee now. Anyone who comes is blown away; they can’t believe it’s the same place.

“The centre of Dundee is picking up again but with bars and restaurants operating at reduced capacity, it’s difficult to get into many places.

“We feel very fortunate that The Barrelman is such a big airy venue where customers can easily space out. It can accommodate 120, so people can safely enjoy drinks, a meal or a great night out in a fantastic atmosphere with a social buzz around them.”

The interior of The Barrelman.

Meals at The Barrelman will use locally-sourced produce from Angus farms and the city’s butchers and fishmongers. The menu will offer contemporary Scottish dishes, pub classics with a modern twist and a variety of small plates. The drinks range will span premium lagers and craft beers, a superb selection of wines, spirits and cocktails and barista coffee.

Anyone who comes is blown away; they can’t believe it’s the same place.

Tommy Fox

Tommy and Jacqueline have put a host of safety measures in place to keep customers and staff safe during the current Covid-19 restrictions.

Customers will be greeted at the door and shown to their tables, which will be sanitised between every use. While booking is encouraged, there will be an allocation of tables for walk-in customers, too.

Professional operators

Brian Davidson, Star Pubs & Bars operations director for Scotland, said: “Tommy and Jacqueline are highly professional operators with great vision and we wish them well.

“The Barrelman is certainly worth the wait – it looks amazing and it’s totally unique. This is a major development that will really add to Commercial Street and the centre of Dundee.”

The new name pays tribute to the history of the city of Dundee. A barrelman was the person stationed in a barrel on the foremasts of early oceangoing vessels to help with navigation.

There would have been a barrelman on the RRS Discovery, so the name brings together Dundee’s seafaring past and the Foxs’ vision of exploring new flavours with customers at the pub.

The building, which dates back to 1871, has housed various businesses over the years including a bank and Alex Smith Stores – which is still remembered by many – and the Horseshoe Bar.