The Shore

After a staying a week in Edinburgh in Leith for business, I ended up at a number of local restaurants with my clients. The Shore was by far the best dining, atmosphere, and friendly, knowledgable service staff. Fantastic place and I would recommend to all. Just beautiful food parings and great local beer & whisky selection.

great food

Food, drinks, service, everything, TOP DOLLAR AMAZING again. Can say no more, Best place in Edinburgh

Was not sure about this place when I first entered it felt a bit pertinaciously but I was won over by the dark wood and cost seating
The big wall mirror gave a feeling of space but was a bit weird keep seeing yourself .its divided into bar and restaurant but neither are much note than a large living room .food looks and smells good and there’s a decent enough real ale or two on but a little pricey.

Pleasant dinner in Leith. I had eaten at their sister restaurant, Fishers, previously and was very impressed with their oysters, and as such, when I found myself hungry in Leith the other day wanting a tasty but quick dinner, I thought I’d try this place. Despite being nearly full, they found a table for me and managed to get me in and out in under an hour when I mentioned I was pressed for time.
I had two starters — «40 degree salmon» with scallop ceviche and a seared wood pigeon with chorizo and kale, as well as a side salad with kohlrabi, fennel and apple. All were delicious and creative. Menu changes frequently to reflect the best of the season. «Safe» but good wine list — a glass of rioja that complemented the pigeon nicely. I’m looking forward to trying more of their creations next time I’m in Edinburgh.

Beautiful little restaurant! Came in on a Sunday afternoon and sat the bar. Excellent vibe with live music. Service was great!
Oysters amazing!
prawn cocktail a little disappointing, it was a cocktail in which you had to peel and eat.
Brown onion soup– best French onion soup I ever tasted! It will be challenging to taste a flavorful broth like that again, you can taste the right balance of redwine in the broth. The croûton was a little crispy as well.
Wish this place was in SF!

I always forget just how good The Shore is. So much effort goes into their excellent food, so much thought and careful preparation, and fantastic presentation. I love the fact that in the early evening one can go in and sit in the bar area, the décor of which is old worldy, somewhat maritime themed, but not to a twee extent, with white marble tables. Large wall mirrors, modestly lacking details of old beer and tobacco products, offset the dark wooden walls and give the place a soothing but bright feel.
The more affordable bar snacks like haggis balls and fish and chips tend to be offered consistently and are consistently good, but the real value comes on their ever changing a la carte menu. Every time I’ve order off their a la carte, I’ve been blown away by the attention to detail and shear deliciousness of the fare. There tends to be a strong showing of seafood dishes, with a focus tends on carefully delivered combinations of fillet, vegetables and sauces and jus that are not easily forgotten.
You’ll often see an amazing pork, ox cheek, duck or guinea fowl dish in there too. I had the pork and apple yesterday which was absolutely outstanding. The combination of this quality with the relaxed attitude of the bar is what really makes The Shore for me. If you want to just pop in for a pint, you can.
I’ve dined in The Shore several times now and it could be, it may be, my number 1 recommendation in Edinburgh. You know what? It is.

This was an absolutely flawless afternoon. it was chilly and rainy so we settled in, sat back, and had our high expectations exceeded.
Great starters — salmon remolade and lentil soup — then the Sunday roast and grey mullet fish special were sublime. Live jazz — great surroundings — definitely worth a little splurge!

And The Shore delivers again…
The Man and I chose The Shore for our wedding meal because it remains our favourite restaurant in Edinburgh for good reason. The food we’ve had has always been fantastic, the service impeccable, atmospheric setting, and price absolutely wonderfully reasonable.
The above goes for a meal for two, but we also discovered it remained the same for a rowdy group of 11 who had a few too many glasses of prosecco before dinner.
Eleven people, three courses each, coffees and maybe not quite as much wine as would be standard for a group of 11 (but still at least 4 bottles) due to aforementioned drinking, and the bill came to something around £500. What an absolute bargain.
Our server was not only incredibly professional, but also the most patient man on the planet and I really really hope he was tipped accordingly.
Now that I write this, I think I should actually write them a thank you card, for being so amazing.
The awesomeness of The Shore remains unrivaled in my book.

Just back from a lovely dinner at the Shore — we ate in the bar area which is super cosy and has little banquette type seats which are very romantic.
Staff were super friendly and accommodating — they were eager to seat us and then moved us to a better table as it was opening up. Helpful with explaining the food and very kind to keep the kitchen open a few extra mins to accommodate my brother who decided to come down as well.
Good thing was that we could mix and match the bar snacks (Calamari, Whitebait and HUGE olives for us) with the restaurant food menu. I had brill which was very nice and light in a shellfish broth, wife had guinea fowl which was nice (but not as gamey as the pigeon it replaced) whilst my brother (who is a chef) had a great rump of lamb that he was very happy with.
No desserts as we were full but overall this was a great evening in a romantic pub like venue with great food and excellent company. Can’t ask for much more than that…

I was taken here by my boyfriend for my birthday at the end of December and we both thought it was great! As we live down by the shore we have been to most restaurants in the area but had yet to go here so this was a perfect opportunity.
We were greeted when we walked in, shown to our table and our coats were taken. The atmosphere was very relaxed and had a very cost feel to it making you feel very at ease. The staff were friendly, especially a male member of staff who had a lovely manner and walked around whistling, very cheery. We ordered our wine and everything on the menu sounded delicious so it was a tough choice.
To start with i had terrine which was very tasty and presented well with caramelised onion chutney and little oatcakes, a perfect amount. For my main course i had Pork belly & king scallops with Butternut squash, chorizo, confit tomato. The pork belly was served in two cube pieces which was again a perfect amount, i really can’t fault the dish at all.
After all this we were both full so we shared a pudding, a chocolate pot with orange shortbread. I was relieved we shared it as it was quite large and rich. It was a bit disappointing and i couldn’t taste any orange in the shortbread, but of course we ate it all :)
Overall i loved this restaurant and was very close to giving it five stars. We will definitely be going back!

I brought my mother-​in-​law Mary, her cousin Judy, and my 5 and 9 YO daughter’s here (although, I don’t recommend it for kids) while visiting from the US.
We were seated immediately, served drinks shortly after that and bread brought to the table shortly after that. So far, so good.
Eating the yummy bread selection and having drinks while perusing the varied menu was nice. I had a Hendricks Martini (what else is there?) and the other adults got Pimm’s. All excellent. Kids got double Glenlivet’s on the rocks (just kidding ;-). But, that would have gotten them to sleep a little faster.
We skipped apps and ordered main courses only. Think 1 and Thing 2 split the pan-​seared duck, Mary had the steak, Judy had the Monkfish and I had the Scallops. I tested the duck (had to make sure it was good enough for my daughters) and it was really good. They loved it, too. Perhaps it was even a little better than my scallops. Came with some roasted root veggies but the scalloped potatoes were a bit dry (maybe cut too thin). Other dishes were reported to be excellent. My scallop dish was delish and unique.
Service was good but could have been a little more attentive. No serious complaints. They did accommodate my request for a carry-​out to my wife who was at home working. The only disappointment was that her meal (the sea bass special) was lacking in luster… just a piece of fish, some green beans and steamed new potatoes… pretty plain… she thought it was OK but not great.
The Shore has achieved a great balance between the public bar side of the restaurant and the more formal dining room on the right. A quaint little spot with a really good vibe. Overall, loved the feel and the food. Would definitely go back. I thought the price was reasonable as well for our group…120 pounds incl tip.

I liked The Shore, I don’t think I would go as far as others in terms of describing it as perfect — I have had better dining experiences elsewhere — but that is not to say by any means that this was a bad experience, as 3 stars will show. It’s just not a 5, but it’s awfully close to a 4.
Firstly, for a group of 13, we were a little large for their small dining area, and split across two tables — originally, despite being requested to have the tables close together, we were placed on two tables along a wall which meant that mixing together would have been awkward. However, they did resolve that and placed one group of us (myself included) in the middle, so mixing across was easier, and less intrusive for other tables. Having the door open was also a little offputting for this recovering smoker as the smell of tobacco wafted in from outside — its been a while since I mixed nicotine and food and whereas it was fine 4 years ago, it’s not so much now.
I didn’t always feel that service was always that attentive (i may have annoyed one waitress by asking for a spoon a little prematurely)_ — my starter took a little longer to come out and the waitress who was primarily serving our table seemed to off chatting to someone else, leaving me confused while everyone else tucked in until eventually another lady appeared with my dish. Bread baskets were taken away without checking to see if we didn’t want any more, and a glass of wine put in front of me without checking if I wanted any (as the DD, I didn’t). Kudos though — the ladies serving us did replace cutlery pretty prompty without checking (shame of me for assuming not as our other table had cutlery for starters when we had not).
But my starter, that was superb. Sesame halloumi grilled and served with broad bean houmous and pea shoot salad. Now, this was a set of flavours that all worked independently as well as together. I loved every, single, delicious bite. If I could have a recipe for that creamy houmous, I would eat it every day.
Others varied in terms of how much they enjoyed their starters — the soup didn’t seem to be as well enjoyed (tomato and basil). I think I picked the star of the show last night.
And to be honest, it remained the star. I had the red gurnard, with crayfish couscous and sea greens but sadly, it was a little more forgettable. I could have sworn it had some sort of chilli sauce but the chilli was barely evident, and pretty bland. The sea greens seemed to be overwhelmed in butter, with any flavour lost as a result. The crayfish cous cous was pleasant but not a showstealer like the houmous. Again, combining the flavours was very nice, but in this case, individually less impressive. As for the red gurnard (a first for me), i didn’t feel it had any impressive flavour, but it was cooked nicely and had a nice meaty feel to them.
The summer pudding seemed to be a disappointment to those who tried it, but can’t comment on that myself, I was busy being jazzed up on rocket fuel coffee that had me awake til about 5 this morning. Note to self — can’t drink coffee in the evening any more…
Overall, I enjoyed my meal, not sure I would rave over The Shore though, although they are more than welcome to bribe me in broad bean houmous (did I mention it enough yet?). I am cheap like that.

Ahhhhh, a pint of Deuchers IPA to wash down perfect pub fish and chips.
This place has the style and grace of the best pub or bistro you can imagine. It’s dark wood interior is split between a public bar area with cozy fire at the far end of the room for those winter weekend afternoons, and a white table cloth dining room. Both areas server the same menu, so you get to choose your surroundings.
The staff have a stiff formality about them, but are very welcoming and friendly in their white aprons. The menu seems part static and part seasonal. There are perennial favourites such as the wonderfully light fish and chips done with a beer batter, a decent steak pie. Recently though I had a rabbit stew which was scumptious.
The bar is well stocked, with a decent wine list for a pub and has a warmth about it that makes you want to curl up and entrench yourself in the best pub in the world. This is how pubs should be.

Perfect.
Not much of a review, but more is not needed. It is to the point and accurate. But for those of you who want a story, you can continue reading although all the text following from this point forward will just continue to point to that one word review.
My girlfriend and I were visiting Edinburgh on vacation and we wanted an especially good dinner for our final night. The owner of the B&B we were staying with suggested we go to Leith. For me that was a shock as during my last trip to Edinburgh in 2002 there was no reason to think that was the place for great cuisine. But for my girlfriend, she was not at all surprised; a professor at the University of Manchester she knew had suggested the same city for exquisite dining as that was where he and his wife always went to for great cuisine when in Scotland.
So, on a (rare) clear Friday night we took the bus out to the waterfront of Leith, hopped out where the restaurants seemed to be, and searched. We quickly found a little street near the water which had nothing but seafood restaurants. All of them but the Shore were fully booked; we only got in at the Shore thanks to a cancellation. The staff was very friendly and tried their best to accomodate us tourists who were trying to sneak in a nice meal on their trip.
After wandering the local area waiting for out seating time, we sat down and perused the menu. My girlfriend was recommended a local mixed drink while I stuck with water (as usual). We ordered ham hash cakes as a starter. For a main I went with haddock and chips.
The drink came and my girlfriend was instantly in heaven. The standard had been set. The appetizer came and it continued to hold the standard high.
I then got my main course. Admittedly, I am not a fish person at all, but being at a seafood restaurant off the water, I went with the fish. I am very glad I did. It was a simple dish, but it was perfectly prepared. I devoured as much of it as possible until I was so full I literally could not go beyond a single bite of my girlfriend’s dessert. If you knew me you would know that me praising any fish dish is a big deal.
After sitting there for a short while, enjoying the simple atmosphere and our meal, we left pleased that such a fine dining experience did not decimate our pocketbooks.
Reflecting on this meal, my girlfriend and I still remember how much we enjoyed it. She has called it the best meal she has ever had, and I would tend to agree with her (although I have a soft spot for my various meals at Fuel).
As I said, my review comes down to a single word: perfect.

What a lovely place! It’s in a great location and has lovely views of Leith and the canal. A few of my mums friends have told me to come to this place for Unilocal,and I’m annoyed it took me so long to come here! It’s got a great reputation amongst locals, which is always a sign of a good restaurant.
The staff are lovely, they really want you to have a good time and they are at your beck and call.
The atmosphere is cosy, really pleasant and what you’d expect from a busy restaurant. The food is lovely too, everything is mouth watering and reasonable!
All in all, a wonderful experience!

Having only just discovered the delights of Leith, I am now about to do my first review of a place on the waterfront.
Firstly, I was attracted to this place first because of how full it was — odd reasoning you may thing, but frannkly it was an excellent reason as the atmopshere here is great on balmy sunny evenings such as the evening we were here.
The staff were friendly and helpful, especially at the bar which was so well stocked I couldnt believe it — they even had my favourate drink which I always struggle to get anywhere.
The restaurant itself was sublime, the menu is mostly fish based, but there are a few other options. However, the fish that is served here is deleiciuos, so I strongly recommend eating here as often as you can, to try all the menu.

I haven’t had the pleasure of dining in the restaurant part of The Shore, but the bar part is really superb.
Dark, atmospheric and really cosy, this bar would be perfect for a glass of wine after a big meal in the five star restaurant. We nipped in for a drink one evening and the bar was quiet, which is perhaps why the staff were so attentive. I loved the décor, which was old fashioned but really lovely, and the dark wood set off the ambiance perfectly. We had a bottle of white wine, which was quite reasonably priced at £15.
The restaurant was busying up when we were leaving, and it looked great!

The Shore is a little haven of atmospheric bars and restaurants in Leith, away from the centre of town, and away from most of the places I’ve already been to about a thousand times, purely because I was feeling lazy and couldn’t be bothered to walk the extra 20 minutes into Leith from the centre, or jump on a 5 minute bus to come that tiny, wee bit further.
The Shore and the Water of Leith are really pretty, both at night, and especially during a beaming, sunny day. I think when you live in a busy city, it’s always good to know you have that option of being by the sea, and it’s nice just having a wander about here, in between the chains of the pier and over the little bridge. There is the consistently delicious Fishers restaurant to visit, Malmaison, The Ship, and various other good looking bars and restaurants to pick from. Ocean Terminal shopping centre is also just a quick stroll up the road, if you fancy some shopping entertainment.

Had dinner here my last night in Edinburgh. The place was packed though this may not say much as almost every place seemed to be packed on a Friday night.
The staff was friendly and was kind enough to squeeze us in without a reservation. The seafood chowder was excellent. I would’ve licked the bowl except somehow I felt I needed to be on my best behavior as an American.
I had the crab special which was also delicious.