Old Chain Pier in Edinburgh, City of

Best Haggies! Super nice service, stylishly furnished and a perfect view of the water

I've been here a few times and keep on resolving to visit more often. This time I think that resolve will stick as everything seems to have improved. Look; the food isn't quick. There's a sign on the wall to warn you. If you don't book, you probably won't get a seat during the rush hours and if you do then they'll warn you again that you'll have to wait on your meal. I think it's worth the wait. Besides, the Old Chain Pier would be a venue worth a visit even if the food was average (it's better than that). This building hangs over the waters near the harbour. I love sitting there (book!) by the window in the sunshine or if the weather is so bad that the waters are choppy and dangerous looking. There's a good range of drinks, seats outside, dog friendly and bus stops just outside. It's no surprise that OCP is busy - just a surprise that it isn't even busier. Best of all; this is not a pub that seems to be much bother from young beer chuggers - I guess it's too far from the beaten track. Good news all round! [ Update: October 23 - Menu grown, pleasantly again. Staff fantastic. Still, I miss the nachos] [Update: May 24 - Lovely refurb] [Update: Nov 24 - Their outside hustle just keeps getting better]

Loved this restaurant. The staff were very nice and had a nice atmosphere. My friend and I went twice

Not a friendly staff or atmosphere. Had a starter and main OK the starter was £18.99.and fish and chips £17.99 .a pint of lager £5..00 got charged £58.99 thanks ut no thanks. .high way robbery.

More restaurant than pub, gets alot of food orders. Staff are friendly and pets allowed, love this. Great to stop in for a beer and use their beer garden when the weather is nice. Overlooking the Firth waterway, lovely.

Absolutely stunning! Get the Caledonian IPA, it’s a great beer!

Una experiencia encantadora. Teníamos tres jóvenes con nosotros, todos bien atendidos, nuestros dos perros pequeños fueron bienvenidos también. Deliciosa piel de Cullen y los jóvenes declararon las mejores papas fritas de la historia. Personal amable y eficiente y una hermosa mesa de pino rayado con fabulosas vistas del Firth of Forth. Cargo por servicio incluido y precio realista. ¡Gracias!

The service was very good, very friendly. The view of the sea from this place is incredible.

A 100/100% recommended place, few people (tourists) know it and it is not the first time I have been here. And I always come every time I am in Edinburgh Apart from the service, the food and the atmosphere of 10, it has beautiful views of the sea and the sunsets… without words

Everything I love from a dining out experience. Service was superb, relaxed / welcoming atmosphere and the food was amazing. The hot smoked salmon was bursting with flavour, I'll be raving to people about it for a long time. Thanks guys, easily one of the top places to eat in Scotland xxx

We enjoyed lunch and beer at the kitchen door facing the sea. I highly recommend this place！

Fantastic place. Nice fish and chips. Can't wait to be back again.

Probably the best fish n chips what i ever had !

Wonderful cullen skink but sadly I’m only giving 2 stars due to the poor service and extortionate prices. These are prices for tourists and local poshos and certainly not prices local working class folk can afford, certainly not on any regular basis. Sad to see a local pub with wonderful views cater only for some.

Great views over the sea. Lovely lady looking after customers.

Amazing view.... Best Fish&Chips Excellent Service by Bella,she made us feel at home🙏😇

Perfection. Beautiful sea-view in the conservatory. All our food was fresh and delicious. The beautiful lady serving us with her elegant turns of phrase was absolutely spot on it with the service, able to glide through the room sorting out all the tables with ease and professionalism.

On the water, intimate dining, excellent food and great service.

Rude staff, especially this one girl. saw her being rude to her colleague and then handling us with attitude. when asked for a manager on duty she said she is a supervisor and just ignored my complaint. underlined that she works here couple of years and knows her job description. atmosphere was awesome until dealing with such a disgrace. would like to come back.

Marvellous food! Fantastic!!! My steak bites and that peppercorn sauce was out of this world!

Absolutely amazing! Helpful staff great food! Highly recommend the fish and chips and the cider! 🍺

Fuimos dos de nosotros que elegimos el lunes - jueves 2 - almuerzo de curso a £ 19. 95 cada uno el jueves, 20 / 02 / 25 . La factura llegó y se cobró inicialmente erróneamente en £ 60. 80 con un cargo de servicio del 10% de £ 6. 08 . 66 libras. 88 . Se corrigió a 39 libras. 90 , pero con el mismo cargo por servicio de £ 6 . 08 ie £ 45 . 98 . El cargo por servicio debería haber sido del 10% de £ 39. 90 es decir 3 libras. 99 haciendo un total de 43 libras. 89 . El servidor dijo que el servicio se cobraba al precio completo de la comida. En ningún momento antes de la comida se aconsejó esto o el cargo por servicio del 10%. No vi nada en el menú que aconsejara ninguno de estos cargos. La comida era excelente, así como el servicio general, pero empañado por la experiencia final. Los clientes deben ser advertidos de estos cargos antes de comer.

Amazing service & the atmosphere is incredible.

Thoroughly enjoyed the experience as always.

Had the Sunday Roast which was excellent. The service was great and the Heineken zero on draught was brilliant too. Will definitely be back

Lovely lounge bar with great views over the River Forth, friendly staff, and reasonably priced drinks.

Gorgeous sea views from the window table at conservatory area! Good menu, very polite and friendly service and delicious food. One of my and my mums favourite place to do for lunch or dinner !

Hermosa ubicación con vista al agua desde el mejor asiento de la casa! El servicio era perfecto (gracias Jeremy) y la comida deliciosa. Mención especial para el Cullen Skink, el mejor de todos. Excelente lugar con comida de calidad, poco exigente a un precio razonable justo en la costa. ¡Mi nuevo lugar favorito!

Creemos que el cóctel de langosta y langosta estaba fuera de los alimentos agrícolas que eran así de pequeños y nadando en salsa en tarro fue una experiencia que no vamos a ir de nuevo.

We had a beautiful family meal & drinks, over the Christmas period. The food and service, are of a very high standard. We are regular customers & can highly recommend.

Amazing sea views, very cozy place with friendly service. Good choice of tasty food, including seafood, although portions are not too big and prices quite high.

Great food, great team and grearlt view! Thanks for the great hospitality.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had in the UK! Not only was the food absolutely extraordinary but we also had exquisite customer service — especially by Mikey! The place is an absolute vibe and highly recommend. Thank you for making our first outing in Edinburgh unforgettable.

This charming seaside restaurant in Edinburgh offers breathtaking views of the ocean, adding an incredible touch to the dining experience. The atmosphere is comfortable and inviting, creating a relaxed and enjoyable setting. The staff are warm and friendly, providing service that’s just the right balance—attentive without being overbearing, allowing guests to fully enjoy their time. Although I had heard that this was a popular spot among influencers, I believe their food is truly of high quality, not merely relying on the stunning views to attract customers. The dishes themselves are impressive and definitely worth trying.

Lovely old school upscale bar. Steak pie was really nice, mixed crumble was huge, enough for 2. Staff all really nice

Decent pie of the day. Friendly staff. No kids after 8pm

Really nice restaurant - great range of gluten & dairy free foods and the staff were very knowledgeable about the ingredients.

El lugar está bien y agradable toque con pequeñas lámparas en las mesas, tal vez un pequeño fuego en el conservatorio, ya que hacía frío . . y lo haría más acogedor . . tuvimos el cremante y aunque agradable . . bastante caro en £ 39 . . . . lubina era delicioso y muy bien sazonado . . pollo tiernos estaban demasiado cocinados e inseguros si casero? Frito y un poco aceitoso... Preguntamos si el menú de postres 🍨 era casero y nos decepcionó que no eran . . una ubicación fantástica . . solo un poco más caro para lo que teníamos. Puedo elogiar a su personal, sin embargo, ya que eran fantásticos, amables y atentos. . . Una pequeña propina sin embargo. . . cargo por servicio no es un dado automático. . . . . por favor considere eliminar la inclusión automática de este 🙄🙄🤔🤔

Wonderful view and deliciuos food!

Excellent fish soup (Cullen skink); Tastes very close to the original! Super!

Estuvimos congelados todo el tiempo que estuvimos allí. Uno de nuestros miembros preguntó si había otra mesa libre, pero el personal dijo que no (a pesar del hecho de que parecía haber un montón de mesas vacías) Realmente grosero y no ofreció ninguna solución - solo un arbusto y un "no sé lo que quieres que haga al respecto" Muy caro, servicio añadido. Un montón de otros lugares agradables para ir - así que lo hará la próxima vez!

We had a delicious early evening dinner. Food and wine excellent. Window seat with great view. Friendly staff.. warm and cosy.

Finally had dinner here after several visits for breakfast, the music (Friday & Saturdays) and drinks. Regretfully it will be our last for food. Disappointingly mediocre- fish & chips didn’t taste fresh (and why pay more than the Fishmarket just down the street?). The ‘Jarvis’ locally sourced chicken & ham pie had plaster-hard pastry, stringy chicken absent of ham, overly seasoned with rosemary and sage and dry (Suggest changing to Anderson butchers in Leith far superior pie). Cullen Skink also fell short of local competition, lacking smoked haddock overrun with potatoes and dill, which has no place in this soup (chives not dill). All of this with a beer and a glass of wine for 70 pounds isn’t worth it. Go for the views but not the food.

A perfectly unobstructed view of the sea, with a varied menu! A ten minute ride from the Edinburgh city center. Was here last week, and asked if I could modify the one pasta to only include seafood, instead of seafood and sausage, as I only eat fish (Pescatarian). The server was so kind about it, which is surely not always the case. I also loved the fusion of the old and new UK cuisine. It is mixed with an even greater Italian-focused, yet worldly influence. Unique and just stunning place. Dog friendly too, and has one or two options for vegans and gluten free diners, and are happy to accommodate if you ask!

£38 for a glass of wine and fish & chips. It’s pub grub not fine dining! Pop in once a year for 10 years and always love it in here. Fish and chips are not as good as they used to be but who knows what the rent and rates are for that building.

Great location with a view of the water, the waiter, French, super friendly and efficient!

Great view, reasonable prices and big portions. I would definitely recommend it. I think the menu has room for improvement hence missing one star from perfect

Very good, just a bit overpriced

The food is not quite fresh. And the service is very bad. We order the tap water and they did not tell us it is not free until we pay. So we refuse to pay the service charge which is optional in Uk, but they refuse to do so. Very bad attitude

Enjoyed a huge pot of the best mussels. Fish and chips were great too. Good service friendly and prompt. Overall a great time in a beautiful location

Went to the OCP for the first time in years. Food and service was brilliant! Considering the area is very competitive they have done well to up there food offering and service. The previous complaints don't seem to tally up to our own experience! Had the Sunday roast, and it was brilliant, can't wait to go back and try some of their fish dishes!

Always a pleasure to spend some relaxing time there. Been there many time and never been disappointed. I am always happy to bring friends visiting or a member of my family. A must visit in Edinburgh!

Cozy place to go. Very good food. Not the cheapest but with generous portions. Pretty view on the sea, and if you are lucky you can experience live music. There is a beer garden in the summer.

The view is stunning from this restaurant. Food is ok nothing special. The Apple and cherry crumble was not ideal.. It’s a bit pricy when they charge you additional 10% service charge even though there’s not a lot service， i.e. Waited ages for the food to arrive， staff were busy or chatting with each other while not attentive to their customers. (Pics to prove I visited the restaurant lol )

Great little place with stunning views out across the water, delightful food and a very comfortable, cosy ambience.

Lovely little place 100% need custard for the crumble though :)

Nice view and professional staff

What a delightful lunch. Our first visit. Lovely seating overlooking the bay. We had homemade Cullen skink soup with crusty bread . It was stunning. Chock full with tasty smoked haddock, potatoes, & onions. The chef should be very proud of that dish. For desert there was homemade fruit crumble & ice cream. The other treat was espresso with yummy vanilla ice cream. Heaven in a teacup. The staff were so welcoming and kind. Mikey even took the time to recommend places to visit during our stay. Highly recommend a visit.

Very beautiful restaurant with sea view, very good service, nice, attentive and understanding waiter. I came alone and I had a very good, pleasant time. The food, the fish and chips very fresh and good, the pea puree is very good. THANKS. If I have the chance, I will come back.

I genuinely don’t get how people rate this so high. Honestly the food is absolutely horrible, no spices, not even salt whatsoever. Multiple mistakes as there’s one server/barman, and if I may say so truly serious mistakes. It’ll probably be good for a night out as it has live music and the view is amazing. If only there was a semi experienced chef that values whatever they’re doing and actually knows how to chop onions or boil pasta. Wishing that we took photos to show the state of the plates. It’s literally such a shame, whatever we’re paying with we’ve worked for and should be respected. Update!! I am aware as I’ve seen your responses on previous reviews that you get defensive. I am not talking about the chef as a person whatsoever or the server, the server is a gem!! And as i mentioned before the mistakes were made due to the lack of staff. As for the kitchen staff, it’s truly baffling to me how instead of accepting the fact that their probably just not too into it that much and a bit bored and you go to the extent to say I’m insulting someone. Never my intention and I do think anyone could see that.( I never mentioned publicly the mistakes made by the server, so yes do trust that I’m not insulting anyone) You do have a beautiful space i really hope us locals can enjoy it more!

Wunderbarer Blick auf das Meer. Fair gepreiste Drinks und freundliche Bedienung. Ein pub mit Charme und Atmosphäre , ideal für Feiern

This place either went downhill or I remember it wrong. Really average food, slow service, no decent local beers despite so many great brewers in the area. Just imported shite and cocktails in a can. Avoid unless you're desperate for a sea view. So disappointing. Edit: what a weird response. Instead of me taking it up with your landlord (why would i do that?), how about you relay customer feedback to them yourselves. Not confidence inspiring.

My friends and I visited the pub last weekend for some drinks. We also brought our babies with us, and brought some cold potato chips and snacks in a small container. We were told very abruptly by the manager/waitress that we should have ordered from the menu for them instead. We apologised but explained that the food was only for the babies, not us. She became very rude and patronising, and had no tolerance for the fact that we had 2 hungry babies with us. I’ve not had this issue anywhere else. I’d like to make it clear that it wasn’t necessarily what she said that we disagreed with, but it was her condescending, rude tone. We apologised but she was combative and patronising. We were quite taken aback and it really ruined the experience. We couldn’t believe the poor customer service and we won’t be back. A lovely pub ruined by one persons poor attitude.

We stopped in for a couple of drinks. It was nice but then when got home and checked the receipt I noticed that they had automatically added 15% service charge! It’s already a very expensive pub for a pint. But adding that much service charge automatically for a couple of drinks and not even being clear to customers it’s been added is out of order. I shan’t be back. What a predictably rude reply. You absolutely did charge us 15% charge. But I think you e missed the point entirely. Shame seeing such a nice pub run by an awful staff member. Honestly folks, just go down to road to the Starbank Inn. Nicer people and much cheaper!

One incredibly rude member of staff. Such a shame. Expensive. Just go 100m down the road to the Starbank Inn. Cheaper, nicer staff

7.50 for a lager in a plastic glass is pure extortion. I’ve moved here local to this place and I will never return. On top of that I will never recommend this place. There is absolutely no excuse for charging this price for a lager. Especially since it’s in a plastic cup. Shocking.

Great little pub with a stunning view. Staff is super friendly. Went for a coffee with my friend and my dog. The team went above and beyond to make sure we're all looked after. Krystyna even gave my dog some treats which was such a nice gesture. Thank you

The view is lovely, service generally good (sometimes a bit mixed). They don’t really like you coming for just a drink, it’s definitely more of a restaurant. Quite touristy and expensive. The outdoor seating is great when the weather is good enough, but the plastic cups are a real shame, and when busy it’s hard to get served at the hatch. All in all we like coming for a drink and the location is fab but the experience overall could use a bit of fine tuning

Visited on a Sunday for a traditional "Sunday Roast" with the added bonus of the water view. The service was fantastic. The setting was and old waterside pub with character, with a beautiful view. The £20 Sunday roast was "average" in quality, above average in volume.

Highly recommended restaurant with a view of the water - if there is no thick fog, like here. Very friendly service, a small but fine menu from delicious fish 'n chips to steak, freshly tapped beer and a wide selection of spirits. What more could you want?

We already went to the Old chain Pier in January 2023, we had to come once again for your new visit! After a long walk on the coast, we arrived a bit earlier than our booking at the restaurant but they managed to get our table a bit earlier as well. Last time we came it was already dark outside, this time we chose our booking time more wisely and we're greeted by a stunning view of the sunset on Leith. The menu offers diversity, with Scottish specialties and more Mediterranean influenced dish that looked delicious. The Cullen skink is to be damned for and they also have a very good fish and chips! Kristina has been our host for the dinner and it has been such a pleasure to have her and to chat with her on various subjects. I wasn't able to eat as much as I wanted and she did her best to accommodate me and gave me recommandations on the menu. She and her colleague at the bar, made this second visit at the old chain pier as pleasant as the first one . On weekends they have live musicians playing, everything you need to have a awesome Scottish meal!

Very nice, cosy with views out to sea. Nice food good price

Fantastic view and a great selection of quality food. The physical menus need updating but would definitely recommend.

Whiskey and service were fantastic . Didn't have food .

The food is delicious, the setting idyllic and the service friendly

We entered this place and the first person we saw told us that a table near the window was available, the other girl said it was booked. I guess it was racism towards foreigners.

The food was delicious. The service was friendly and attentive. The menu always has regional and seasonal dishes. The ambience cannot be topped. A beautiful restaurant with a view of the sea. On Friday evening we had great live music. For us the best evening of the holiday. We didn't feel like tourists here at all and were simply warmly welcomed.

We were coming with no hopes because we were just arriving in Edinburgh for the first time and needed to eat. We chose the first restaurant coming up and it was amazing. Food was really good, vibe was awesome, we had a musician playing while we were eating view by the sea ! Perfect !

Very nice little restaurant with live music on weekends and a beautiful view of the sea. 😍

Fantastic location, great views, service food and the bonus is draught Fyne Ales.

Very nice atmosphere, good dishes, great view

Great for lunch. Can watch the sea while eating

Really lovely pub/restaurant with live music, amazing views and friendly staff. Varied menu and wonderful pie specials.

Personnel (français) super accueillant et serviable Carte courte mais du coup produits frais très bien cuisinés Bon rapport qualité / prix

There were 7 of us for dinner. Firstly we were seared in the conservatory which is a lovely space. Our server was fantastic as was the food. We shared a couple of portions of the mixed seafood platter for starters which was excellent. Everybody enjoyed their mains, mine was the mussels, a giant pot, which came with bread and chips to mop up the delicious juices. Most had dessert and thououghly enjoyed them. Overall a great night, highly recommended.

The food was delicious, love the atmosphere

We have travelled up to Edinburgh twice this year, and made a detour so we can visit here for lunch. The staff are brilliant, friendly and always make an effort. We shared the Shetland Mussels which are incredible, you get enough as a main meal to feed both of you. Highly recommend!

The view and location deserves 5 stars. Unfortunately everything else is poor. Overpriced average food and very expensive drinks. Furthermore you should expect a long wait for food to be prepared due to the tiny kitchen. The staff are very friendly though and try their best.

Excellent and plentiful fish and chips! Nice atmosphere, by the sea, just a few minutes by bus from Edinburgh city centre. Highly recommended!

Very nice spot !!!!!, amazing views over Leith , i was looking for somewhere nice to eat so was grabbing some amazing fish and chips on my one night stopover , after meeting my cousin she highly recommended eating here , good selection of drinks as well !! will definitely be back !!!!!

The best thing about this place is the view of the sea - unparalleled. They fit us in without a booking and we were very happy with where we sat. Our server was really friendly and attentive for the most part, however we did majorly struggle to get the bill at the end of our meal when it began to get busy elsewhere in the restaurant. The food was what you’d expect from a waterside pub, with large portions, but we felt slightly underwhelmed by the fish and chips, having looked at previous reviews. The area is gorgeous, particularly around sunset, and it gave us a good reason to venture down to this beautiful area of Edinburgh. A welcoming spot for pub grub and drinks.

Lovely view. Special thanks to Iwona for such good service.

Lovely meat mac n cheese staff very knowledgeable and helpful

Nice staff and views, sub par food at high a cost

The service of this restaurant is so bad and make us so disappointed!! We book a table for family at 7:45pm, but when we arrival, waiter’s attitude is so rude.

Incredibly yummy food, had the best haggis bon bons. Strange to say but they were delightful. Went again, still outstanding food

The prices really high, £18 for a burger and fries, fish cakes etc looked like they were fried in old oil, cooked far too long everything looked burnt. Spent over £100+ and they had the usual thing that seems to be creeping in everywhere 10% tip just added to your bill, which I asked to be removed , staff member face said it all, one of shock that their money spinner not being made allowed. Nice views but not worth the money definitely wouldn’t go back, overpriced for what you get

Personally not a fan of live music when out for food and a catch up with friends. Couldn't hear ourselves speak last time we were there.

Good food friendly staff but a bit invisible at times. Definitely worth going through.

What a fabulous place , we loved it !! Made to feel so welcome , great service , lovely food and the live music was brilliant and created such an amazing atmosphere We will be paying another visit when we come for another trip !!