Clamshell

Definitely did not meet 4-​star expectations. Doner roll and chips were average to subpar…

Estupendo lugar, comida para llevar todo frito, tomamos el clasico fish and chips y un mars frito. El pescado estaba jugoso y crujiente y las patatas fabulosas

They fry everything here. And I do mean everything. You can get fried fish & chips, haggis, pickles, ribs, and candy bars here. We went to the Clamshell right at 11 am but they weren’t open yet. The guy told us to come back at 11:30 am. So we walked down the Royal Mile. We ran into some friends so we decided to go to the pub for lunch. Afterwards, we came back for deep fried Mars bars at the Clamshell. Sure I can get deep fried Snickers at home, but apparently Scottish folk invented deep fried Mars bars in 1995. A group of us decided to go buy some. At £2.50 each, it was a small price to pay for warm gooey goodness.
There was a line when we went and the guy behind the counter was frantically trying to get the lunch rush orders out. He was a little like the Soup Nazi with his yelling. We ordered 6 fried Mars bars and paid right before they came out of the fryer. Only 2 of 7 people were in line for these since our group decided not to overwhelm the shop but a long line of hungry people started to form behind us. Once our bars were wrapped to go, we marched outside with our spoils. Unwrapped, the bars are coated in a crispy fried batter and they are warm, melty, and chocolatey inside. I shared mine with a friend and it was a delicious treat. I wouldn’t eat a whole one and still refuse to do so. It was a novelty and it was cool to eat while in Scotland.

Stopped in after a whisky crawl, and this place hit the spot! If you aren’t actively looking for this place like I was, you’re most likely going to walk right by it.
I ordered the chips with curry, and it was amazing. Well, night-​of-​whisky amazing, which is just as good! They have a huge menu, and it seems like they can deep-​fry anything. At 1am on a weekend, this place will be your best friend.

It’s okay, the deep fried mars bars are really not all they’re cracked up to be. They just leave an aftertaste of batter in your mouth.
Didn’t have fish and chips but it looked alright. There were some hairy 50 year old woman in when I came in but hey what can you expect from a fish and chips place?

GO HERE FOR YOUR DEEP FRIED MARS BARS. LOOK NO FURTHER: THIS IS THE PLACE. You will be addicted for life. In my time in Edinburgh I went here several times and always brought visitors here and they always fell in love!

I got fish and chips and its tasteless rubber that’s been sitting under a heating lamp for what tastes like hours.

I did the deed. I finally did it. I ordered myself a deep fried Mars Bar!
It wasn’t the overwhelmingly sickly mess I’d anticipated… it was molten, warm and comforting and the batter just provided a light crisp on the outside to hold this calorific creation together.
The Clamshell is a really cute little gem on the Royal Mile right near Edinburgh Castle with speedy, friendly service and if you’re so way inclined, they will pretty much deep fry anything for you!
It’s lucky I don’t live in Scotland, because I’d commit the sin again and again! And I’d be sure to come back to the Clamshell to do it!
Read the review here:

oh my. wow. ain’t had scottish chips for quite a while. I used to actually live off these things! like everyday! salt n sauce is a special creation no other nation seems to have got a grip on! would come back here in a heartbeat. like seriously, 2 fishcakes and a decent portion of chips for only £4.60… i miss scottish prices!!!

Sehr gutes Haggis. Bestellt Haggis mit Chips salt and brown sauce. Kostet 4,60 £ und ist richtig lecker. Ich muss die Tage unbedingt dort die deep fried Mars Bars probieren. Die haben nur beim besten Willen nicht mehr reingepasst.

Looking for chips with salt-​n-​sauce? This is the place when you’re in the Old Town. It’s often crowded with tourists looking for the infamous deep-​fried Mars Bar, but it’s worth the wait. Service has always been friendly and chips are always hot!

One of the best chippies back when I was a lad. I’d say the quality has gone down slightly simply through the professionals that ran the place 10 years ago handing the reigns down to their proteges. But that isn’t to say the customer service has done the same, the guys are as well-​mannered as ever.
Clamshell still delivers decent chips and battered goods. But they don’t come to mind when I think of freshness. They are there to satiate that 2:30am craving, which they do well and at decent prices.
A good option for a quick stodge fix on the Royal Mile. But if you could be bothered, there is better about.

Oh god! What else can you say about a place that offers you so much fried food, so late at night? I came here at the request of a few people we met at the bar, who basically insisted that we couldn’t leave Scotland without having deep fried haggis. Being a lover of haggis, I complied. But deep fried haggis wasn’t all Clamshell had to offer. The King Rib (the Scottish equivalent of the McRib, but without the sauce, and HUGE), a deep fried Mars bar, and that’s actually just the tip of the iceberg.
This is really good drunk food, and will probably shave a few years off your life. But it’s worth a try at least once. Bonus points: They serve Irn Bru, which is banned in the United States for containing ponceau, a chemical I used in lab for protein staining. It’s like liquid Pixie Stix!

Good chips and amazing fried Mars bar! The deep fried mars bar was 2.50 which was a bit steep but it was delicious-​not as disgusting as you might imagine

Deep fried everything here. King rib, haggis, and mars bar are the ‘menu’ I’d suggest to people who are stepping into a chip shop for the very first time. Though take care — the caloric value is off the scale, so I would split that order amongst 4 friends, whilst totally plastered.
At the time, I did enjoy the King Rib, but let me clarify: I don’t think this is a place I would cruise in for lunch on a normal weekday. This is not a thing to be enjoyed more than once a month, tops.
Wash it all down with an Irn-​Bru, though be careful: It isn’t marketed in the USA because it contains a chemical considered carcinogenic by the FDA.
And, BTW, it tastes like shit. There, I said it. Sorry, Scotland. But your chip shops can stay.

The only thing I tried was the fried mars bar, but that alone is worth a five star rating. Do not leave Edinburgh without trying one of these! They were reasonably priced and melt in your mouth. It’s a cute place and wasn’t to busy when I visited. It’s in a good area and is totally worth it!

When I was eating their chips it was heaven but … I had them about 2.5 hours ago and I’m feeling seriously nauseous. Since I’ve not eaten anything else that could’ve caused this, I’m having the sneaking suspicion that it’s the chips.
While I was eating, I also found a couple of pieces of grit, I think sand, between my chips. Well, how did you find them, you might ask? By biting on them! EEK! Know that horrible crunchy sound your teeth make when there’s sand between them? Not good eats.
I have NO idea how this happened or what to think of this since I’ve only heard good things about this chippy.
But,. I do think it’s fair to warn my fellow Unilocalers that 2.5 hours after eating their chips, I’m not feeling too well …
This experience needs of course to be verified, just not by me,… maybe I’ll ask someone else to take one for the team and order some chips. I’m not doing it again anytime soon!
— Right, update from the next day: it was definitely a mild case of food poisoning. AVOID!

Solid fish and chips. Not too greasy. Fish is fresh. Easy place to order from.

This has always been the 3 am sweaty takeaway stop from Studio 24 after Balkanarama on the walk home. That was a mouthful. But yes, this is one of those other places I have never had the pleasure of entering completely sober. I don’t think I’d want to.
They do your chips and your chips and cheese and they’ll deep-​fry a Mars bar or two for you. Essentially, they do what every good takeaway should, i.e. line your stomach with grease so that you don’t wake up with your head up your arse the next morning. And they do that pretty successfully.
During the day, it’s full of Edinburgh’s teenage goths. At night, it’s full of drunks. It’s a lively place, evidently. But it’s only on your way home if you’re walking up from New Town into Old Town. And since most sensible people live in Old Town, they have a pretty consistent clientele.

I first encountered Clamshell when returning home after a long night out on the Cowgate. I saw two guys eating out of the plastic boxes associated with chippies. I asked them where they got them from and they directed me to Clamshell, assuring me it was the best chip shop in Edinburgh. I was sceptical but too hungry to challenge it. I ordered a sauasage supper, devoured it all the way home and whole-​heartedly agreed that it was the best chippy in Edinburgh.
I have since been back in a more sober disposition and I still think it makes some of the best chips I’ve tasted. Being on the Royal Mile, however, it is quite expensive with battered sauasage and haggis suppers costing around £3−4 and fish suppers being over £5. It is worth it though as the service is great and the quality is truly amazing.

Clam Shell, cloistered up between posh Scottish eating establishments and continental cafes, is a good old fashioned chip shop to satisfy your fast food cravings.
As far as food quality goes it’s a higher standard of takeaway, and a winner in the fast food arena. Specialising in massive pizzas and succulent chippy chips, Clam Shell was always the first port of call when I visited Edinburgh as a kid. I have many fond memories of sitting out in the rain, munching my way through a soggy paper bag full of the best chips I’ve ever tasted. Big, fat chips drowning in brown sauce suddenly made the weather a lot more bearable.
Years later, it’s barely changed and still offers speedy service and yummy fish suppers. The piping hot chips from Clam are a great way to warm yourself up on a drizzly day. This place shouldn’t be overlooked in favour of the surrounding fancier options because as far as chips go, they are top class.

The only thing Im going to say about this place is that it charges £2.10 for a bag of chips.
£2.10 for a bag of chips!
Shocking!