The Espy in Edinburgh, City of

I had heard about this place but it wasn't quite what I expected. Very busy, very pleasant staff. Food was good but the place could do with a bit of a spruce up. A bit tired.

Seriously need to improve their vegan options. The “vegan haven” breakfast should have been called “vegan hell”. Won’t be back unless they update the menu.

Very enjoyable food and service

Enjoyed my experience. Would go back 😪. Thanks. Kenny.

Nice location for lunch. The Espy was able to accommodate our larger group even with the poor weather outside. Would recommend for all your libation requirements if you are in the Porty beach area.

Dog friendly right next to the beach ⛱️ what more could you ask for 1st class 😀

Very cozy pub. Friendly staff and very quick service aswell as nice food. Served by Urmil and Sid. Both of these individuals had brilliant service and were responsive to everybodys needs. Would highly recommend.

Very cute beach restaurant with great views and delicious fish and chips. The service is attentive and very friendly

Attentive service, beer always lacks fizz its like the elephant in the room that no one talks about great place but lets be blunt the beer is flat.

Very welcoming and dog friendly. Great decor and background music was good. Food was lovely. Staff were great and Flossy our dalmatian loved the liver cake. Will visit again when in the area

Really delighted with my experience here. After a very disappointing experience with allergens at another place, they were brilliant for Gluten Free options. They looked after us so well, went the extra mile and explained everything beautifully. Really recommend if you want gluten free options (though I'm not sure about it for coeliacs) as they have so many things. My pulled pork was a little salty but otherwise really enjoyed the experience and will definitely be back!

Beautiful place, good atmosphere and delicious food. They also had board games available if you wanted to play and they are pet friendly.

Beautiful restaurant on the promenade. Great food and friendly service. Kids enjoyed it too.

I've been here before and been happy. This time they recommended a really strange dish, fried chicken with cheese on sweet waffles with maple syrup... the chicken was good, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside, but the combination with the waffles didn't fit, better without it. For the rest, the place is worth a visit or two.

This is a nice pub that I had bad pub grub in. I always feel resentful when I am served food I believe that I can cook much better at home. I had the halloumi burger which was in a pale looking processed white bun and the halloumi I am guessing was from a bulk bargain pack of deep fried halluomi. It was collectively wet, tasteless, small and uninspiring and paying around £13 for that added to the bad taste... My friend had the plant based burger which again she could not really find much to compliment. I cook from fresh at home every day and for me this has the air of typical low quality pub grub and I would not be coming back to try this again. The pub as a pub was lively , the service was polite and friendly and we had a great chat with some other nearby. The let down was the food.

A great place to stop for a drink, food , coffe & great views. 🏖

This is the first time of visiting this lovely place. Came across it when walking along the promenade at portobello beach. Nice friendly staff, clean and tidy place. There are seats outside beside the beach if you would prefer to sit outside. We sat inside. It's nice and spacious. We got a table just inside the door. I had the chips topped with chicken strips and cheese sauce which was lovely it comes with jalapeño but I asked for without, I had tea which comes with a teapot of hot water, the other 2 people in the company had the steak burgers and the both enjoyed them, it does come with side salad but you can ask for it without. You can also get a large cup of coffee. Would go back again.

Fabulous breakfast and lovely staff. View of beach ! Perfect Saturday morning

Absolutely incredible burgers next time it will be gish as it look amazing 12/10 guys stunning

Everybody take care for customers from menagera ending on chef from kitchen. I live this please.

Always a lovely experience at the Espy! Great food and service and they are very welcoming of our oversized puppy 😁

Solid food&service at the beach line. Simply good.

I met for a catch up & like last year, both the strawberry & raspberry daqueri are so delicious 😋 we were sitting outside with a beach view, which makes it all the more special. Only fries as a quick snack this time, but the menu looks awesome 👌 all the staff are friendly 😊 at the espy at porty! I highly recommend 😋

Nice place but only one vegan option and yes, you’ve guessed correctly, it’s a burger. 😵‍💫 Come of Jefe, I believe in you.

Great staff but they play noisy music. Often the staff will try to clear your table when you have not finished eating 😂

Always a great meal. Love the fun atmosphere and great food.

Lovely place with a great view, cheerful and helpful waiters and delicious food with generous portions. Great variety of choice between typical and non-typical dishes. Absolutely recommended

We've been twice now, once for lunch and once for dinner. This is a great place to bring kids with the most hilarious kids menu and the staff are awesome with little people. The food is fantastic, the atmosphere is really energetic and the staff are welcoming and really friendly. Highly recommended 👌

Not bad, nice location, good service and atmosphere and adequate food.

Just had a drink. No complaints

Good range of gluten free, little disappointed on last visit wasn't up to usual but taking that as a one off. Don't go looking for health food or vegetables but it you want loaded fries or a burger and gluten free non cross contaminated chips ! It comfort food for the win and right in the beach

THE absolute best restaurant/bar in Portobello! The staff is outstanding! The service is top-notch. The food is delicious and the serving sizes are very generous. I highly recommend!!

Been coming to espys for years and always satisfied with our food. However, we recently visited and got desserts after our meal and was shocked at how poor they were. I got a bannoffee pie and it was literally a biscuit with sliced banana as the filling with a sauce on top which cost nearly £7. Not worth the price at all and it wasn't even a pie. Another person I was sitting with got a fudge cake and the portion was also very small which cost the same. Literally half of what I would expect for the price. Very disappointed as it is one of my favourite places to visit.

Amazing pub at Portobello Beach! Legendary!!

Wonderful cafe on the beach. Perfect portions, good prices, great atmosphere, wonderful service. I recommend the salmon toast, tons of salmon and great flavor without over doing the smoke!

Great restaurant, quirky and eccentric. A friendly ambience, excellent service and food.

Always a joy. Many happy memories.

Quirky wee bar. Sells decent food and has a good selection of beers.

Nice location next to sea front. Good food and drink. Dog friendly which is great. Nice staff. Would recommend a visit.

We had a great breafast Espy Benny & Seaside Egg sitting outside in the bank holiday sun. Highly recommended. Oh and Hot Ginger is awesome.

A great place at the promenade to have a bite and some beer. I think the cosiest pub around.

What a great place to eat! The staff are very welcoming and helpful and the food is delicious.

We've been to the espy many time's over the last few year's, always great as we always have the dog with us and of course dog friendly, food ,drinks and staff brilliant

Was really busy when we arrived, so we sat at the bar and had a quick drink until a table was available. It only took about 5/ 10 minutes to get a table. Service was fast and the food was nice too. The servers are very attentive. Overall, I'd defo go back again in the future.

been here a lot of times, recommended if ur looking for a nice and quirky place to spend your night with your friends, good food, especially the espy burgers. friendly staff and great atmosphere

Love the espy love the food and staff are very friendly

Great food, toilets are nice and you can even do a book swap in them, love the idea! Right by the beach, great view and warm place, thank you <3

Very good pub, well located near the beach. The food is excellent !

Tried fish and chips. Didn’t put salt on it which is good that you can customize the flavor yourself

A very suggestive place that overlooks the sea, offering a beautiful view while you eat. It offers a lot of variety of fish-based foods. The value for money is really excellent. The service was fast and courteous I recommend it to everybody

Just been two nights in a row whilst on holiday. Food was really nice, atmosphere really lively and the staff are all really friendly and catering. Big shout out to Berta who served us both nights, she's really friendly, polite and considerate. Would certainly go back

The freshest salsa I have ever tasted! I got the taco taco, which was fish tacos wth salsa and salad, which was just fab. The other half got the burger with dirty fries, which he said were great. Lots of gluten-free options The kids at the table next to us had hot chocolate, which they loved. The staff are friendly and look like they like their job and interacting with the punters. I'm definitely going back and also plan to go in the summer for food and cocktails!!

Had drinks at the bar and a huge tray of nachos. Not been in the Espy for a while, loving their new decor and seating booths. Will be back very soon.

Fantastic breakfast and friendly staff

Brilliant Mac and cheese very cheesy. Dog friendly and spacious areas. Good service 👍

Why have you removed the Cluck you burger?!? The only delicious, gluten free and vegan thing you have </3 only to change it to potato and spinach burger?! Rank. Sooooo gutted. Please please please bring it back.

Nice cocktails, the chilli beef nachos are amazing! Staff are friendly

Took the kids after a walk along the prom. First time back there in a few years. Wonderful friendly staff as always. Fast and efficient service and delicious food. I recommend The Filthy burger. Also, the kids chocolate shake was amazing! 😁

Love the Espy, really friendly little place right by the beach. Good selection of food, recommend the fish and chips. Really dog friendly, they sell liver cakes for your pup (which comes in a handy scooping bag for later!) Can be a bit sandy inside, so be aware it may not be to your taste if you like things to be pristine.

Went with a big group .. the service was good. Pub food.

Enjoyed a nice meal and couple of drinks with a friend catching up..

Mulled cider was excellent 🍺 👌🏼 Food was really tasty and served quick. Moroccan soup of the day was 10/10. Would definitely recommend

Nice place with nice views. Average food. Below average dessert. Very slow service. You pay for the place but it’s expensive for the food quality and quantity and service needs improvement

Always a great place and the McEspy Burger is my favourite ever. A nice vibe. Great staff and service.

Very good location (near the sea), menu with wide choice (vegan too) everything is very good and the staff is friendly. Not that I'm a particular fan of it but dogs are allowed indoors.

Not been to the Espy for food for a little while and hadn't got a seat at the back as I clearly missed that the big sofas had got changed to booths! Was busy the the four of us got a wee booth at the top, but worked fine. The large TV was on and the kids started watching it, so asked to have it off as I didn't seem like anyone else was watching it and the waiter kindly turned it off, thank you! Had rhe Espy burger, which I also had not had for a while as we've usually been for breakfast or brunch recently, seems like the burger size has shrunk in size 🤨 Very tasty though. The kids wanted ice cream for dessert and i was surprised to find there was only vanilla available, although there was two different sauces to have with it. Coffees were okay 👍 Good atmosphere and the staff were really friendly and welcoming which was nice compared to other places we've been to across Scotland recently. Overall a nice lunch and look forward to returning again sometime soon

We had a lovely breakfast this morning and ver reasonably priced we will be back.

Love this place on Portobello Esplanade. We had a wee dog AND a baby with us. Nothing phased this friendly and helpful staff. If I could give them more than 5 stars I would!

Great place, very relaxing and brilliant for dogs.

Staff could be a bit more welcoming and a smile goes a long way

We’ve been coming to the espy for years, we’ve always loved the food but recently it’s really upped its game. Food this weekend was fantastic, new menu is great and atmosphere was perfect. Some background music really gave the place a wee buzz!

Love everything about this place

Looked nice enough, contemplated going in at lunch time after our walk on promenade to then turn the corner and be greeted by a female chef at the side door hunched down leaning against the outside bin, smoking while IN HER CHEF whites!!!! This is a major no no coming from a catering background…. Decided there and then would never step foot in it. Shame :(

Staff is incredibly friendly. Food is very reasonably priced. LOADS of gluten free options which is a huge plus as someone with celiac. Never thought about putting Brie on a burger, and it was amazing. Overall a great experience!

Lovely friendly place, beautiful view if sitting at window. Food delicious and nice friendly staff 😍

Good food! Kind of a sports bar. Dog friendly as well

Always a great place to have a drink or some food, breakfast ia really good, right next to the Promenade with a great view of the sea, options for sitting outside as well

Had a reasonable pint of cask ale but the servers were overwhelmed and some beers were running out. I guess they hadn't checked the weather forecast; sunny day on the beach front.

Calling it now, this place has a good year left, max, before it gets bought out Management must be in shambles to let things get this bad. The food is abhorrent, and crazy overpriced. Can't wait to visit this when it's a Starbucks in 18 months.

Worst ever seafood Caesar salad - 2 prawns, cheap quality smoked salmon, iceberg lettuce and cheap croutons smothered in thick mayonnaise served in a large wilting lettuce leaf in a wide shallow pasta plate - terrible! Our waitress was really friendly though, otherwise I would have given a 1 star.

Locally located on the paved promenade by the sea. Nice service, moderate prices

The quality of food has gone downhill for this restaurant, McDonald's cheese burger looked more appetising than the Porty Burger 😒👎 When the promenade is so busy, inflation, etc. I can understand why the standards have gone downhill for this restaurant.

Wasn't the same place I dined in many years ago. Menu very limited but the burger was tasty and brie for starter was nice.

The staff were nice enough, but the food we got was really over priced and the portions were small. Would drink here again but not eat.

Twice been in here recently staff are a funny bunch Not welcoming at all. Even less friendly once you've paid as its almost like got your money bye ! My food was mossing half the things stated on the menu also Food over priced also for what you get Tini tini serving and way inflated. Lots of banging and crashing and no music on at all. All in poor show shame as its a great spot but lost its Way.

Went in and fair enough we didn’t have a reservation. However, the waiter indicated that if my friend and I would be willing to sit at the bar then there was a table about to become available. An hour later after drinking at the bar, there were a number of larger tables that had been sitting empty for at least half an hour. When we tried to politely remind the same waiter, it had become apparent he had forgotten about us and in a short tempered fit of frustration exclaimed that every person who had walked throughthe door had a booking, and “I am not giving you a table for 4 for just the two of you!”. It seems to me that this kind of restaurant is built on the model of high one-time tourist throughput with minimal focus on customer service.

Wonderful place. Perfect seaside café. Makes you realise that now is the best time to be alive.

I always order the nachos - highly recommend it!

Food seemed okay and then later that day i came down with food poisoning. Never been so sick in my life. Had a burger. Wont be back sadly!

Very friendly staff, nice atmosphere and the food was excellent. Was a bit chilly for sitting out but during the summer at least the couple of days we get in Portobello, it’s beautiful.

Lovely dog friendly pub good reasonable priced food Great guest ales Friendly staff Ticks all the boxes Not to forget the doggie liver cake for your best friend WENT THERE TODAY BEEN REGULAR FOR ALMOST 2 YEARS I WAS TOLD BY A GUY PRESUMABLY MANAGER THAT THE TABLE I'D BEEN SITTING ON FOR 4 HOURS EATING DRINKING WAS RESERVED I'D HAVE TO MOVE SOON I WON'T BE RETURNING ALSO LAST WEEK HAD A MINISCULE BURGER I COULD HAVE SOULED MY SHOES WITH ME AND MY DOG MILO WON'T BE BACK

I booked a week ago for my friends visiting from London and I have been told that I would not be seated somewhere with the view when I arrive and then a waiter bullied me because I was making face to the one who told me to not to seat somewhere nice so I told him when British does that it’s being soft skill 😉

Not a very welcoming bar restaurant we left after one drink.

Just popped in for a beer on a cold April Monday evening. Expensive beer - £6.00 for a pint of Blue Moon. Too much.

Excellent food and great Customer service.

Visited first time yesterday. My 2 dogs were made very welcome. Lunch was absolutely yummy😋 blue cheese dip, toasted sourdough bread (3 big slices) and side salad for £5. Definitely value for money. I also had a portion of chips which were hot and crispy. My daughter had southern fried chicken and dirty fries. It was piping hot and so tasty! We will definitely go again and will take the family for lunch.

Home made ginger beer was good food was good also

The Espy has the most friendly, attentive staff, they were so helpful assisting my aunt in her wheelchair. It was exceptionally dog friendly, they provided a blanket, biscuits and water for our dog. The food was lovely, good portion size and lots of vegetarian and vegan options. Great atmosphere, would like to visit in the evening.

Went here for breakfast this morning and was not disappointed. Very affordable, delicious food and coffee. Had the Italian Job - eggs, mozzarella and tomato on toast 🤩 Very generous portion. The service was super also. Will be back !

Went to an Australian themed day. We did an Aussie quiz. The staff were really friendly and accommodating. They did get an order incorrect but fixed straight away.