Salt Horse in Edinburgh, City of

Found this little place on google maps and wasn’t disappointed. Great beers all served as a third of a pint within a cosy building. Can definitely recommend the Black Isle IPA. There is also a small menu of burgers, which were very tasty and reasonably priced. All in all a very happy find and I shall return when I’m next in Edinburgh.

Super adresse.Côté pile : un bar avec pas mal de pompes, des "loaded fries" et burgers top.Côté face : un shop pour ramener à votre hôtel de quoi prolonger encore un peu la nuit.Vraiment top, que ce soit pour la cuisine que pour le choix de bières.

The tiny local has a nice atmosphere, really cosy. The food's great and so the selections of craft beers. The only disappoints me is the guy working behind the pub, the one with the glasses who is usually really rude, no costumer friendly and his attitude is always snobby. I'm just gonna mention him, as the others are absolute gems. I understand sometimes people have bad days and your mood may swing to grumpy, but a skilled bartender should be able to leave whatever's going on in his mind outside of his workplace. Overall, I really like the place.

Hubby likes to find craft beer pubs wherever he goes and he fell on his feet when he found Salt Horse when he was working away. The first night he called in with one of his work colleagues - originally to the Bar and then to the Beer Shop next door. Fantastic choice of beers and the barmaid in the Beer Shop was very knowledgeable. The second night he called back in on his own to the Beer Shop but noticed that the music was louder and more "alternative rock". Having sat through four tracks of the same band whilst he had his first drink he went to buy another can and asked the barman was he a big Pile fan (the music that had been playing)? He said he was and, when asked if he had anything more upbeat, said he had 3 more tracks of this first. Hubby sat down with his new beer but the music got to him and he left and went to the Salt Horse Bar instead. He even left his beer as he didn't realise he could take it between the two! He asked the barman about the music policy and was told the staff are free to play whatever they want. There are two issues here - firstly, in the Beer Shop where the barman stands there are no speakers as they are located where the customers sit. So for the barman to enjoy his music he has to turn it up louder. And secondly, whilst my husband likes to hear different music - half an hour of the same band can be a little wearing when you're trying to relax. In saying the above he thought the Bar and Beer Shop and choice of beers in both was fantastic and has recommended them to others since. He would definitely return but maybe not if they're playing Pile:)

Great little beer shop and separate bar. Knowledgeable staff, good selection of beers, and a friendly place to while away some time away from all the tartan and shortbread shops

Called in for a drink and would happily go again. Knowledgeable staff, well kept beer and easy going ambience. Keen to try the food next time I go.

Very small but popular place. We’re there on Friday - could not find any available seats. Beer choice is not wide though.

Great burgers, great fries, unique flavours and good selection of AF beer. Staff also helpful with decision making. Would recommend a visit!

The craft beer was awesome probably some of the best in Edinburgh. Would have stayed longer but there was some heavy Jazz music going on and got to much to handle 😂.

Excellent selection of beer. Friendly staff, and cosy ambience. The vegan burger was very tasty but I found a hair in it. Tsk tsk

Loads of beers to try. Good recommendations. Great burgers and good company. Fun night had by all the family

There are many good beers at this place. I really liked the food as it was nom nom. The staff were very knowledgeable and friendly. They recommended a really tasty beer that made my taste buds happy.

Somewhat smaller and more functional than we expected and without a "pub" feel.. Chairs must have been from a school clearance. Good craft beers on draft but not much to choose from of the "session" variety (perhaps should have explored bottles and cans). Thought the burgers were novel and tasty, albeit pricy, especially taking the fries into account. Not much atmosphere but it was a Saturday afternoon to be fair. Could see it being much busier in the water evening. Friendly folk.

Booked a table with friends. Place was busy with only one member of staff. 2 of us were veggies and say let down by the only veggie opinion having run out... Chef had no alternatives. I ordered a burger and it looked good but when bit into it... Cold and raw...a shocker to be honest. I had a chicken burger as a replacement which was good. I won't go back and a real shame. Oh and ran out of cider from the fridge. Needs attention.

Was recommended for the burgers! Lovely atmosphere with interesting craft beers! But the burgers were absolutely fantastic! Brilliant! Sack off hard rock and have a real treat! 🙂👍

Very busy spot on a Saturday evening. You need to get in early if you want a table. Good variety of craft beer styles. As regards food I had a very tasty spicy jackfruit burger and carnivores in neighbouring tables also seemed to be very happy with their choices. Friendly, attentive service.

Having just came off the flight from a stag do in Europe, we ventured this place on a Sunday evening through a recommendation.

We just happened to find this place as we were out for a walk. We decided to go in and get some food. Glad we did. The food was amazing and had good beer on tap. If I ever go back to Edinburgh I'll definitely go back here.

Came here during Fringe as we live the two Meat:Stacks in Newcastle and it was just as delicious as they are. Think we will be back next weekend when we are heading back to Fringe. Quarter pounder triple with Parmesan truffle fries was delicious and my parter loved his double Mexico & fries. Best burgers in Edinburgh!

Myself and my partner had been told about this place by a friend. We decided to nip in for a beer and some food in between seeing shows at the Edinburgh fringe. Now theres a fantastic beer selection. We should have stopped at that but we decided to order food. We went simple and ordered a burger and chips each. After 45 minutes we still had no food. It was at this point we had to leave or miss our show. We spoke to the young lad behind the counter and asked for it to be boxed up. A further 5 minutes later it arrived with no apology. When mentioned the time it took, we were just told it was busy as he walked away from us. No apology, no partial or full refund offered or any offer of a free drink or future discount. Absolutely shocking service. My advice would be if you really want a beer they stock, take it out.

A cosy & cool city centre bar serving a great selection of craft beers & delicious burgers. As a vegetarian I'm used to my options being limited, but the paneer burger with truffle oil & partisan fries more than met my needs. We returned after two nights. Dog friendly too.

After reading the reviews TA we decided to visit for lunch recently.

Excellent service. Smiles all around. Variety of beers are second to none. Food is everything expected plus more. Great place to come with friends for food and drink. Would recommend to anyone! 5/5

After dinner nearby a group of us decided a trip down memory lane was the thing and went to this bar where back in the day some of us worked. On entry the staff refused to serve us on the basis that we appeared drunk. Had it not been for the fact that one of our party was celebrating her 60th birthday and was keen to stay we would have left, instead found ourselves convincing staff we were very capable and could safely be served. Embarrassing, patronising, we're clearly not the demographic they're after. Subsequently restaurant staff come through and made more noise with bar staff than anyone else the place. Nothing like embarrassing older customers eh? Avoid.

Went with friends for a drink after having been for dinner. We all used to go there years ago when it was a welcoming bar where all kinds of people met for a drink (a real Edinburgh melting pot). Bar staff (a girl in his early 20s) refused to served us on the basis that she perceived us as being drunk. Sorry but we were not drunk. We are a bunch of 50 and 60 years old having a bit of fun. Unprofessional judgmental staff who have turned what it used to be an amazing pub into an unfriendly space.

A nice beer bar and shop just off the royal mile. Try the beer shop where you can choose from a huge variety of beers- probably the best collection in this part of Edinburgh. And sit and have a nice cold one! Heaven for beer lovers ...

On the site of the famous Black Bo's now stands The Salt Horse.

Came to Salt Horse for Sunday brunch with another couple after it was highly recommended. ‘Best burgers in town’ they said. Must say, I don’t think they were wrong.

Good ale bar. Burgers are good but whole experience is let down by the overly seasoned fries. Too much salt. Spoke with bar staff and received a £2 discount on bill. Not good and left after two drinks.

There are two bits to the bar, with ne side being more of a bottle shop. Both side have a bar and food available. I really like this place for the huge range of beers and the great set of staff.

Fell up on this place by accident !!! What a find !! Probably the best burger I’ve had !!! Great service,atmosphere and the wine is very quaffable! You must try this place !!

I haven't eaten here so food has to go on rep but the beer is astonishing. Not only are there a number of ever changing cask/keg ale taps but the you can buy anything you like from the amazing bottle shop next door. Small cosy and great location in historic Edinburgh.

OK, so to be fair, the burgers are Meat:Stack, but these guys brought them in, so that makes it better!!

Fantastic beers! Great selection of really interesting and hard to find craft beers. Tried two different beers from The Bruery and they were both amazing.

After reading the other reviews we were so excited to try the burgers here but they were soooooo salty. It was like someone had accidentally just poured loads of salt over the top of them; it was the same with the chips. Chicken wings and beer were delicious and we'll definitely be back for a drink but were so disappointed by the burgers - all we could taste was salt!

This is the best place in Edinburgh, hands down. The beer is exceptional. The staff are friendly and knowledgeable. The burgers are god-tier (get the yellowstone, thank me later) and the wings are amazing. Just go here all the time.

We needed some food after visiting the catacombs and we were lucky enough to find this place. Proper US burgers served on a tray wrapped with paper. The blue cheese fries were out of this world (a bit spicy but just what it needs) and the burgers were really tasty.

More craft beer bars should be like this.

We had a brilliant experience at the Salt Horse. Even though it was very busy, our waiter Straun was friendly, efficient and did his best to make sure we had a great experience. We both had a different beer from the extensive selection, they were draught beers and were excellent. The halloumi burger was out of this world, as were the vegetarian chips! (not on the menu but you just have to ask). Overall very satisfied.

I pop by every now and again, bar staff are always amazing, it’s like sitting around your mates house and he’s showing off his beer collection and wants you to try everything!

Incredible beer selection, I'm a huge beer nerd and live in Manchester so I'm used to amazing beer, and the selection here is by far the best in Edinburgh. The food is also really, really good. It's a really nice chilles vibe with lots of character and is by far mine and the girlfriends favourite place in a city where there are a lot of tourist type pubs which lack genuine character.

I visited on a Tuesday evening and it was fairly quiet so lacking any real atmosphere - other bars I'd been too were quite a bit busier. It's a relatively small bar and it's split into 2 - there's a bar and a bottle shop - they are next door to each other and linked via a passage down some stairs - the bottle shop has 6 kegs and a few fridges with bottles and cans, and the bar has 12 kegs but no fridges, so you can choose which works for you.

If you're at all interested in craft beers and visiting Edinburgh you really have to drop by Salt Horse. They've got a great, eclectic selection of beers that's constantly changing. Lots of international breweries, weird sours, and varieties to suit every taste in the bottle shop next door. The atmosphere is really laid-back and friendly. Staff are always happy to recommend beers too. The food is superb - especially the chicken wings.

The plucky burger is by far the best burger I have ever had . Good selection of craft beers excellent place to visit

We went as a result of other reviews. There was a range of beers and burgers, wings and chips. It was all fine but nothing exceptional as far as we were concerned, although obviously a cut above Macdonalds. Nice staff, good background music.

Great beer bar, very good food from meat stack pop up, nice big dirty burger! Very knowledgeable bar staff and very broad beer choice. They’ll help guide you if you can’t choose from the selection.

I was a bit sceptical about Salt Horse, never heard of it, doesn’t look much on the outside and I don’t even like burgers much – they are never as good as you want them to be. A friend dragged me here because we couldn't get a table at Civerinos.

Went here a few times on a vacation in Edinburgh. Cozy and comfortable local pub with fantastic beer choices.

Just back from a weekend in Edinburgh, this is definitely the best craft beer bar in town. Excellent tap selection, huge selection of cans and bottles, and great burgers. I was in town for 3 days and visited each time. Will definitely be visiting again one day.

Cracking rotating tap selection, fantastic bottles and cans in the shop, great knowledgeable staff and brilliant burgers. A fantastic bar! Please don't change a thing!

This is one of my regular locals - it's perfect.

Our sons both stated to have eaten the best Burgers ever. And they were right. My favorite was the Buffalo Chicken, but the Yellowstone and Quarterpounder also tasted great. Together with the IPA and the huge brownie for dessert it was fantastic.

I've had several visits now since the bar opened.....always great beer & helpful, friendly staff....the beer taps even have a twitter account, so you know before you go draft wise. The reason I'm writing this.....on Monday night, I finally got to have food......I think that's the best cheeseburger I've ever eaten.....to thank my friend for the food, I bought him a nice can to enjoy on the train home.

First time visiting this restaurant on Saturday and was pleasantly surprised. Was attending an evening reception of a wedding at the caves so my friends and I were looking for somewhere close by to have some food and drinks. Very casual relaxed vibe and quirky layout. It has a beer garden too which is a plus. Staff were friendly and attentive. The best bit though is the food and drink. The food was very reasonably priced and the menu wasn't overly complicated. I had the £12.99 meal deal which came with a burger, fries and a portion of chicken wings. The chicken wings were definitely my favourite as they add a sublime blue cheese sauce. I did spy amazing looking donughts of various flavours on the counter but was too full to try them so I'm going to have to go back again to try those. I liked that they don't skimp on the portions and nothing was greasy or lacking flavour. A big draw was the astonishing choice of drinks though . They have a wonderful selection available on draught of ales, beers and stouts and if that's not enough you can nip next door to their off licence and choose something from their and they will add it to you tab. The imperial stout was my favourite of the drinks I had along with the german coca cola both very refreshing on a hot summers day. 10/10 for ambience too. my friends and i will be back again for sure.

A fantastic selection of beers and such a chilled atmosphere. If you don’t know your stout from your saison, the bar staff are always so friendly and happy to help. The food is really good, definitely recommend the plucky cheeseburger or the Yellowstone (that’s a special so fingers crossed it’s on when you come). Best not to come here in big groups as tables are limited but other than that it’s a total gem. Edinburgh’s best kept secret!

The great thing about this place, it's small and intimate, and there's two parts, so if the bar is busy, pop into the shop and try and find a seat - if you struggle, probably best to enjoy a beer and wait... it'll be worth it.

Salt Horse stocks a great range of bottled and canned craft beers to suit all tastes as well as a decent selection of draft ales. Carry out cans and bottles are £2 cheaper than drinking in store. You can also follow them on Twitter for regular beer goodness updates.

I have come here a couple of times because I like the variety of craft beers they have. Last Monday I tried their burgers and they are absolutely amazing, really tasteful! I definitely return and recommend.

I love this place, we make sure we visit the Salt Horse every time we come up to Edinburgh. Food is super lush, and they have a really good beer selection.

Great little bar with a pop up restaurant inside. Very friendly and prompt service from the team inside and genuinely the best burger I have eaten in the UK. We will definitely be back!

We came here for a few pints and some food, but we ended up downing our pints and leaving, as the place seemed a bit unwelcoming.

my second time in the salt horse & another great range of beers on the menu. quite a small relaxed bar with some smooth not too loud music. a mixed beer menu with a range of strengths and styles so something for all. the knowledgable bar staff will let you have a taster of the tap beers before you buy. tap beer is also sold in 1/3s which is perfect for trying a few off the menu. the burgers and fries were also excellent.

Me and my girlfriend popped in for a burger yesterday after it being highly recommended by friends. We were not disappointed! Food was delicious and the selection of beers very impressive!

After a long tour, we were up for some burgers and our guide recommended Salt Horse and we were not disappointed. Huge selection of beers, fries and cheeseburgers. Grab your favourite beer and consider the meat stack deal for 12 GBP consisting of beef dripping fries, buffalo wings and cheeseburger of choice (the plucky cheeseburger with haggis was great!).

What do I need to say? Great beer as standard. Amazing bottle selection if you manage to get through all the taps too. Staff are always helpful and friendly. To top it all off, that paneer burger is just the best!

I love beer and burgers so this place is perfect for me. Such an interesting selection of beers, had a great time sampling Northern Monk and Siren brews. The burger was sublime, a true Californian burger. Simply stunning!

Love the food. Proper American style burgers and at really decent prices too. This place is worth a visit.

Brilliant beer selection in the bar. Ridiculous number of cans and bottles in the shop next door. Burgers and chips were great but the wings were on another level. If there was a Salt Horse in my hometown, I'd never leave.

I didn’t used to be a beer person but have been won over recently and this place helped with my further conversion. Massive choice and fantastic burgers, wings and fries for munchies too. We actually ate in the shop (stupidly not realising there was an actual bar too)...only people in that bit so it was very private and relaxed! Staff very knowledgeable and able to recommend other beer to take away based on the draft that we had sitting in.

We are visiting Edinburgh for just one night and some friends of ours recommended this place! It’s great! Absolutely fantastic beer!! Great atmosphere and we were served by the friendliest bar man! Enjoyed our time here thoroughly!!! In fact we are still in here, but it’s so good I wanted to review here and now

Un choix de bière exceptionnel, un accueil mieux qu’au top, des burgers et des wings en repas très bon (attention tout de même, c’est relativement épicé).

A terrific, low key bar with knowledgeable servers who are as enthusiastic as they are friendly. We had several tastes of terrific beers and enjoyed our time at the bar.

This is undoubtedly the best craft beer creation on offer in Edinburgh, the hanging bat is amazing but this may just pip it? The addition of a shop and a really cosy bar and the location just wins. If you like beer and are in Edinburgh I would make a line for here

More Craft Beer than you could possibly drink in an evening served mostly in 2/3 pints, great choice, lots of varieties in strength. Cheese Burger with bacon was good, perhaps not as big as expected, but tasty. Beef dripping chips very good.

Salt Horse is a somewhat hidden gem in Edinburgh. Great guest taps and friendly service with a warm, down to earth atmosphere.

There are a fair few taps on and they all come in 2/3rds, except the strongest Nice selection to drink on a back drop of ambient faux pop that gently twinkles in the background It feels like Scandinavia, not a bad thing

So you may know that Salt Horse is an amazing craft beer venue in Edinburgh which serves brews you probably won’t see elsewhere in Scotland! But did you know about the excellent burgers and wings that these guys now serve? You really should try...

Little hole-in-the-wall bar that we wouldn't have found except for a recommendation. Seemed like mostly locals (short jaunt off the Royal Mile, but we did need directions); friendly wait staff and loved the quinoa pomegranate salad, as well as the trio of dips with pita--great flavors.

We visited the Salt Horse for lunch one day during a weekend break in Edinburgh. Absolutely incredible selection of craft beers - there bottle shop is rammed chockablock with all sorts, and their draft choices were superb too. We both had a burger and some fries; the burgers in particular were delicious. Would definitely visit again.

Second visit to Salt Horse this year and again an excellent night with some very good beers kept very well

Nice selection of bottles & draft in the bar, not bad price-wise. Friendly atmosphere, definitely would go back

Interesting place this as it comprises of two different shop units each with its own entrance & staffing and both relatively small with no inter connection within the premises.

Went for the afternoon for a few "special beers" as a birthday treat with my girlfriend. First impression was that it is a lovely little hidden gem of a pub. Didn't try any of the 10+ beers on tap, but had quite a few beers from the shop (some of the best beers from around the world at very reasonable prices). The bar snacks were good too but the best thing about the place was the friendliness of the staff. The man in the shop (red hair) was one of the nicest bar staff I've ever met and definitely one of the most knowledgeable about beer. He was excellent at recommending some beers and I liked the fact he didn't just try and get me to buy the expensive ones, he picked things based on my taste! Will definitely be back here

Amateurs de bières courez vers le salt horse vous aurez un large choix de bières pression côté pub et un fabuleux et énorme choix de bouteilles dans la partie magasin que vous pouvez boire sur place dans une ambiance chaleureuse. Les vendeurs seront heureux de partager leur grandes connaissances avec vous sur ce magnifique breuvage.

Loved all the taps on when I visited. Loved the atmosphere, and the volume levels were great to just have a chat in.

Barman très sympa, bon choix de bières dans un environnement épuré mais authentique. Pas facile de tomber dessus par hasard, les amateurs de craftbeer adoreront !

Friendliest and most knowledgeable staff I found in Edinburgh. There beer selection is also un paralleled. Would recommend to anybody who thoroughly enjoys their beer

Entramos por casualidad y no nos arrepentimos. Cervezas excelentes y buenas hamburguesas. Ambiente local, más tranquilo que en los bares más transitados. Servicio rápido y eficiente.

Visited the Salt Horse on a Monday afternoon/ early evening hoping to get some BBQ food and a decent beer. Unfortunately they don't serve food on a Monday but the beer was awesome. Would visit again.

This is one of my local beer stores / bars. The selection of ales and beers is utterly incredible. The staff are knowledgeable and helpful too, if you're after an unusual beer, go here!

Fabulous place, the beer was great and the food was excellent. My partner said his burger was the best he'd ever had and the veggie one was lovely too. Returned for another visit.

We called in for a few thirds of different beers but ended up eating as well. My burger was great.. real meat. We love having thirds so we can taste lots of beers and we'll be back for the food. The beer is expensive but you get what you pay for and the clientele is nice

No pints? No problem! Sometimes it's nice to sample a few schooners of interesting beer rather than sink numerous pints of lager, and this place is definitely about the quality rather than the quantity. It's a good place for couples, or to go and have a few quiet drinks with friends- or with a book!

The pub is divided between a bar, a bottle shop, and a beer garden downstairs, and you can flow freely between all three. The fridge is stocked with beer you may not find elsewhere, so be sure to dig through it if you're after something in particular. Highlights include rare sours, Belgian brown ales, and some gems like stouts aged in barrels from Scottish distilleries. It's a great option for those fatigued by the flood of pale ales or IPA out there.

Salt Horse is a very trendy bar with benches rather than individual tables. I was in at lunchtime on a Saturday so it was quiet. The selection of beers and ciders is amazing. Staff were very friendly and polite

Beer choice in the bar and shop was unreal, lots of gems!

We couldn't decide whether to have a coffee or a drink. Solution easy we just had a coffee beer instead! A great suggestion from the charming young man behind the bar. It was a great central place to meet and have a good catch up. Will return and try something to eat the next time.

Great little bar. If your a beer drinker then you will love this. A breath taking range of beers. This place would give Bruge a run for it money.

This is a nice bar with very pleasant staff....................a great choice of beers is only held back by heavy pricing. Other establishments in Edinburgh sell many imported beers but are not quite so edgy on the cost. Maybe the prices will come down in October when the silly/Summer season has ended.

Enjoyed this place which we visited for the first time this Festival following a visit to Dazzle at Dovecot - the amazing jewellery exhibition held every Festival. Interesting food and delicious coffee and alcoholic drinks at very reasonable prices. Good atmosphere.