The Ship on the Shore in Edinburgh, City of

Can’t say enough good things about this place. Close by to the hotel we were staying at, it became our home away from home. The inside is cozy, the bartenders are absolute gems, and the fish & chips rock. I literally love it here, Leith is just awesome in general.

The Ship has a fantastic reputation & great standards a good hospitality venue . With this being said really disappointed as last night I took my mum out for a special dinner. The quality of the food and service wasn’t up to standers at all, not sure if it was the restaurant manager but one of the staff members was rather rude to me and my mum which isn’t a nice experience for anyone. Unfortunately the food wasn’t that good as well no seasoning tasted bland very disappointing. I have been to the ship meany time and I can only say good things about the food. I am not one for leaving reviews. But working in hospitality myself, I know feedback is very important. Perhaps last night was just an off day. Thank you.

The seafood is so fresh and sweet😍 Great with white wine

The Seafood Restaurant in Leith is very special and you discover it as soon as you enter. The furnishings are reminiscent of ships (even the bathroom 🙂) and every single part is taken care of. The environment is very clean. The proposed fish menu includes numerous dishes, from the most classic Fish and Chips to huge plates of raw fish (which have their cost). The portions of the dishes are very generous. The fresh and very good fish makes it a restaurant that is not cheap but not too expensive. Very positive experience!

We booked a table for our 29th wedding anniversary over 2 months ago based on a family recommendation. When we arrived we were about to be shown to our table when the (possible manager) interjected and told the waitress where to seat us. We were then led to a small table, right next to the bar, with the bar hatch right beside us, where drinks were being collected from. Despite the restaurant being less than half full, when we asked for a different table, we were told the one we asked to move to wasn't free and we were offered another table, hemmed in by several noisy tables. The manager was indifferent to our decision to leave. Would not recommend this kind of welcome to anyone.

The royal paella was amazing 10/10, only shame was the service, they give an option for service charge at the end, I declined it and heard them discussing about it and pulling faces. And even refusing to say goodbye when leaving very disappointing service, we even had to pack our own food and ask for water multiple times before we were given a jug. Very unprofessional as they already get paid to be a waiter ... However, do go and try their paella. The chefs are top-notch.

A great place for seafood lovers! Nice atmosphere and fast service! I highly recommend this place! It's one of my favorite restaurants in Edinburgh!

We had a wonderful meal here - I would fully recommend it.

Reposting my dining experience in April 2023, I ordered this seafood platter. The plump oysters, tender sashimi, and plump scallops brought the most original flavor of the ocean, accompanied by fresh mussels, clams and various Shellfish, full of natural flavor. The mayonnaise in the center adds a rich texture to the whole, balancing out the deliciousness of the seafood. The lemon on the plate is not only bright in color, but also provides diners with a sour and refreshing garnish. The fish is golden and crispy on the outside and tender and juicy on the inside, making every bite unforgettable. This platter perfectly showcases the freshness of the ingredients and the skill of the chef, making it a rare seafood experience.

Just fabulous !! Best meal out in a long time. Thank you x

This place is a seafood heaven for seafood lovers. Fresh catches and friendly staff with a big smile on thier faces. We've ordered: Seafood showder 3.5/5 Grilled Salmon 4/5 Shrimp cocktail 4/5 Ceviche 3.5/5 Reservation is preferable Seascalop 5/5 Half Lobster 5/5

It was a little cold when the door was open.

Found this incredible place with a recommendation from a true food and drink expert which was spot-on. The atmosphere near the water makes you feel great with delicious seafood and quality drinks. Would recommend for a nice dinner with your beloved ones.

Awesome seafoods <3 Reservation required

Stumbled up on this place on a Thursday night with my boyfriend as we were walking around Leith and it was a happy coincidence. We had no reservation and it was super busy but they managed to squeeze us in. The staff were friendly and attentive. They have quite the menu with so many delicious dishes but we ended up going for the Fruits de Mer Sharing Platter and wow, so fresh! The Shetland Mussels, Scottish Smoked Salmon & Mackerel were my personal favourites. The Loch Creran Oysters too but personally I felt like it was missing a little dressing of some sort. Maybe a chili and ginger dressing just to enhance the flavour but it was still good regardless. Overall, we had a lovely experience and I will definitely be back with my seafood lover friends and family for a visit. I highly recommend this restaurant and will make sure to book in advance just in case.

Really good fish and chips adjacent to the Leith harbor. Very interesting nautical decor in the restaurant. Cheerful staff. Strongly recommend.

Top class meal. I had the seafood platter and it was superb. Very good service as well. Definitely recommend

This place is great and has some great outdoor seating when the weather is nice. Very typical for the area. Really enjoyed it.

Fantastic food no complaints best fish and chips I have ever had!! Lovely menu choices for eating in or take out will be going back and heartily recommend

Came for dinner as a couple. The place is cozy, with old school vibes. Cullen skink was great. Ordered the cold platter, received the smoked platter. Our waiter was cold and acted annoyed when we asked abut dishes. My husband really liked his surf and turf. Cocktails were great.

Nous y sommes allés le midi après la visite du Britannia. Nous avons pris le plateau de fruits de mer royale qui chose rare en Écosse est servi froid et s’apparente à nos plateaux de fruits de mer. Nous nous sommes régalés. Huîtres, moules et praires cuites mais froides, coquilles St jacques froides fumées, haddock - saumon - bar et maquereau fumés, crabe avec ses pinces et un homard entier froid. Copieux pour 2 et vraiment savoureux. En outre, un très bon rapport qualité-prix. Un très bon moment avec un service agréable. A noter qu’autour de nous les moules’ soles, bars et fish and ships qui sont passés étaient magnifiques et copieux avec des convives qui semblaient tous se régaler.

Great restaurant. Nicely decorated and the service is top notch. Food is also very fresh and the price is normal. Definitely recommend this. We happened to be lucky, but I would definitely recommend booking in advance.

Last meal here for my birthday weekend, really disappointed thought I would save the best for last but definitely wasn't. Staff were rude not welcoming at all ordered the surf and turf for the price they are charging I would of expected more than a little meat in my lobster I literally had the bit at the end of the tail the rest was empty. Steak was perfect as was garlic butter. My partners meal was nice.

Make reservations - it's worth it. Our hotel concierge recommended this great restaurant when we wanted great seafood. The staff was great. The food was fantastic, great portions!

Reasonably good seafood, though both quality and volume in little relation to the price. Smoked salmon in particular froze on the plate, with frozen sinews taking away from taste. We had a great seat but the experience was dampened by strange behaviour from the American waitress, first treating us as if we were crazy for asking to try the wine before getting a bottle (her recommendations were also uninformed). After that interaction she proceeded to huffily walk away every time she came to the table, seemingly deliberately overhearing addt'l questions and request. Not the kind of service experience one would expect from that kind of background.

Cute place near the water. Well done and tasteful nautical decor. I really enjoyed my cocktail. We were a large group there for a business dinner. We put the wait staff through their paces, but they handled it well and with smiles. Highly recommend the summer garden cocktail.

Edinburgh has changed a lot in the last 30 years. Not only in a positive way over the past 5 years, but this subject is well known. Leith, a former working-class port area has turned into a trendy area. The ship on the shore is located in an exceptional environment at the port. A cozy, casual terrace during sun-drenched evenings. The service is very professional, the reservations are always correct and the quality of the fish on offer is of a very high level. I ate here several times on the recommendation of professional relations, local residents and on my own initiative. As a fish lover I can only recommend this. Would love to come back here often and wish the business a long life.

This was a return visit to the Ship on the Shore and I was not disappointed. The atmosphere was very good. A very bubbling dining room. A wide selection of delights on offer. I would recommend the smoked sea food platter as a starter. Quick friendly and efficient service. The food was beautifully cooked and presented. If you are visiting Edinburgh and enjoy fish step out of the city centre and head for Leith and Ship on the Shore

After a good walk, following the bed of the River Leith from Edinburgh and arriving at the mouth, we saw this fantastic restaurant with seafood dishes for all tastes, we had a luxurious, tremendous seafood platter.

So disappointed after reading all of the positive reviews… £60 for the smallest lobster served with soggy, “school dinner” chips and wilted salad… the atmosphere was of a place that had seen better days - not helped by the fake flowers and the placemats on the tables….

The hot seafood dish, the worst I have ever eaten.

We came because it was the only place in the area with a place and it went very well, everything we ate was delicious, good service and a great place.

Authentic. Food was great. Oysters where outstanding so where the smoked platter.

That was delicious. The place is charming. The staff at the top.

Delicious meal with friends, highly recommended.

A must must try when in Edinburgh. The freshest finest seafood restaurant in town. And poppy was a lovely wateriest. Make sure to book in advance as they are super busy.

Had a great dinner here with a couple of friends. The seafood platter was great and fish and chips the best I've had on my trip to Scotland. Also great service, professional yet still a personal touch.

Well worth the visit every time one is in Edinburgh. Great food, great service. I yet to find a better restaurant in Edinburgh.

Excelente atención y muy buena comida, aprovechamos las propuestas de pescados y mariscos. Muy linda la zona del puerto de Edimburgo, luego de almorzar vale la pena una caminata por la zona. Recomendable

Decent food and friendly service. A good place to visit if you're looking for seafood.

Overall, it is FINE. Deserves about 3.5 stars, but is severely overrated with 4.5 on Google right now. Everything is priced about 1.5x what it should be for the quality and technique. Food was yummy, but certainly not refined. Crab salad was pretty good. Limited flavour and technique, but would have been happy with this at a seafood shack. Overall good way to start. Ceviche was fine if you don't actually like cevivhe. Tiny portion, no real flavour direction, they may as well have skipped the acid alltogether and just chopped up some poached fish. crisps were uninspired as an accompaniment. Despite this, definitely not a chore to eat, but I wouldn't recommend. Arancini lobster bisque was an exciting concept, bludgeoned by mediocre technique. Rice was overcooked mush, insufficiently seasoned. Bisque definitely has lobster flavour which was a plus, beautiful colour, but oversalted to the point of obscuring some of that lovely lobster flavour. Seafood pie was the only thing I would actually endorse. Certainly hard to screw up, but they actually executed it well. Again, tasted like I was eating at a little shack on the coast, but in all the right ways on this one. Delicious, well seasoned, well cooked. Again, this review would be different if they took a hard look in the mirror and just became the seafood shack that their chefs seem to want it to be, rather than billing this as fine dining.

Delicious food. Perfect fish and chips, then trio of desserts. Not cheap but completely worth the little extra.

Great food and service. Large selection of seafood.

Came in for a late brunch. It was very quiet which was confusing as the food and service were excellent. Eggs poached perfectly and the best hollandaise I have tasted. Will definitely return.

Food & atmosphere was very good. Food was excellent. Staff were very attentive.

Absolutely beautiful place. Service was exceptional as was the food. They made my experience extra special as it was my birthday. Thank you 🙏

Ship on The Shore was a great place to have an early (15:30) dinner with little ones. We pretty much had the place to ourselves. Amazing food and service. A place to eat while visiting Edinburgh.

Came for lunch 2 days in a row. Really loved the food and my daughter said it was the best fish and chips ever! Great service as well, thank you 😀

Such a nice place. Wait staff and hostess were friendly and welcoming. Great menu made it hard to choose!

£9.00 for a pint of Hoegaarten!!!

Nice place, but toilets let them down, not clean!!!

The seafood is so fresh and extremely tasty. The staff are excellent, friendly, helpful and very attentive. Highly recommend

The kitchen closes at 9PM, but they were very accommodating to us when we arrived only a few moments before that witching hour. Service was impeccable, the food was both delicious and immense, with the paella (for 2, but could probably feed 3 or more) being especially good. Its high reputation is well earned.

Had the chance to call in here with some work colleagues this week and had a great time. Staff were great and can really recommend the food. Looking forward to going back.

Great lunch last Sunday and made our dog Winston, very welcome!

went here for some drinks in the sum this bank holiday and it was great. Staff were friendly and it was nice to have the outdoor seating area.

Nice place, good food and friendly service. Reservations are recommended

Nothing works here without a reservation. Seafood is fresh and very delicious. The ambience is maritime but very nice due to the proximity to the harbor. Service was excellent despite the “full house”.

Great food, atmosphere and fast and pleasant service. I had broccoli soup, cod with potatoes, everything came fast and delicious. Price was £47 including a glass of wine. It's also located on the Shore Rd offering pleasant views if you sit outside.

Reservations can be done online. Highly recommended for seafood 🦞 lovers. Friendly waitress with best recommendations of lemon sole with sautéed spinach and butter baked baby potatoes. Coffee are Italian standards. Price is above average but worth it. Walk after meal 15 min to visit the H.M.Y Britannia royal yacht which is a museum nearby.

The food was divine. There were 3 of us, so we decided to order different meals and rotate our plates, so we got to taste everything. It was amazing.

Nothing compares to The Ship. You have to try foods, be careful, you should go there when ur hungry. Don’t hesitate to eat by hand.

Very good restaurant on the terrace. Fresh fish, tasted, children's menus, specialties. We feasted. The service was very good! A superb address

My girlfriend and I both got sea food poisoning here a week ago. We shared the sea food platter. I just want the restaurant to be aware of this.

The best seafood in the world !!!!

Beautiful restaurant. It was a sunny day so we sat outside. Had the most beautiful hot smoked salmon sandwich with chips and dressed salad. It will be a place we revisit next time in Edinburgh. Excellent

Ship on the shore has a fabulous reputation and I can see why We had the most amazing lunch washed down with a very nice bottle of wine followed by the perfect coffee to finish. The staff were friendly, witty and very knowledgeable about their food If you are ever in this area TREAT YOURSELF

Incredible fresh fish and seafood!! Great staff and wonderful ambience. I'll be back 🍻

A wonderful place to take your wife and dog and watch them eat and watch the world go by in a nice sun hat

Found this place just walking around! What a great place. We stopped by for one drink and we ending having few more and delicious appetizers! Thanks Isabel and the rest of the staff for make our time more fun!

One of the most memorable meals I've had since moving to Edinburgh - the seafood platter was absolutely delicious, I will definitely be back!

A little expensive, but all good food and coffee.

Food and service were excellent. Everything we ordered was cooked to perfection.

I was in for breakfast on Saturday. They do not seem to be interested in the breakfast trade. I felt like I caught them off guard a bit. I was the only one there. Food good but not great. A bit pricey compared to others locally.

Great fun birthday finner - well organised, right tempo.

Couldn't recommend Ship on the Shore enough! The food is exceptional, especially the seafood platters. Have been three times now whilst visiting Edinburgh and each time it's been perfect.

Amazing experience, and the butler was so friendly. I loved the food aswell. We had a hot platter with a fine variety of seafood. I definitely recommend this place. L

Amazing meal. Amazing staff and food was first class.

Iconic small restaurant in Leith, close tonthe sea, just 20 minutes off the Royal Mile. Fresh local fish and interesting champagnes to pair.

The most disgusting and overpriced experienced in a fish restaurant ever!!! Stay away as far as you can! The food was absolutely disgusting! You get some raw fish served (not mentioned in the menu that it's not cooked), it costs you £ 110 and it doesn't even come with bread on the side. You literally feel like throwing up!! I've never had such a bad experience at a fish restaurant. Stay away!

Absolutely excellent meal. Booking advised as it must be very popular. The food was so well cooked and served by friendly attentive staff who managed to be available but not intrusive. I really enjoyed eating there. Had a good range of wine on offer, we only had wine and whisky so can't comment on other drinks. The coffee was also lovely. Would recommend every time, well worth a visit to Leith.

Great spot .... especially outside in the sun

An indulgent treat for us and almost 24hrs later I'm drooling at the memory of the Monkfish Tail Thai Curry with Pak choi and broccoli. My son had good old fish and chips and his friend settled for the pan fried salmon. I have absolutely zero negatives to say about our food, the service or the atmosphere. However a brighter light in the ladies would be helpful for touching up makeup 😁

We requested alcohol-free food and they made sure all our food did not contain alcohol.

Very good fish and seafood cuisine. Perfect service that you rarely see. Black outfit, lintel, ☺, as in the Belles brasseries in France. Nice decor, woodwork.

Called in for lunch on Monday. Very enjoyable.

Unbelievable place. Fantastic atmosphere, beautiful dining room and superb service. Not to mention the outstanding food

We had a fabulous meal, the Hot Seafood Platter, accompanied by an excellent bottle of red wine. The service was superb.

Second time here and still as lovely as ever. Food was really tasty: oysters were something special and washed down with a delightful Telmont Brut. Surf & turf to follow, steak was lively and charred on the outside as well as juicy and pink on the middle. Lobster was tasty, but a touched over cooked. The thermodore sauce was not nice. Very gloopy and glad it was weaved on the side. Proper old school chips, so no argument there. Finished off with a cheeseboard. Lovely blue cheese dipped in honey was very good. Although busy and assume from all the reviews it always is. Service was a touch slow and could see was under staffed. But yet again will no doubt be back as best oysters,,,

A stunning restaurant, staff were attentive, food was sublime. 100% will be back.

Good Seafood! I think it is the best one in Edinburgh! Paella and cold platter are my favorite ones! The waitresses and waiters are so helpful! The manager is so knowledgeable for wine recommendation! If you are in Edinburgh and want to have some seafood, this is the place to go for!

Fantastic seafood in a traditional classy restaurant. Service was excellent and although it was a quiet Tuesday night the atmosphere was really good

Expensive but what do you expect down at Leith docks?

Fantastic meal excellent menu choice, Good value, very clean, Nice atmosphere Very friendly and helpful staff. Great location on the Riverside in leith

Lovely bar/restaurant in Edinburgh great food but a bit expensive great drinks and cocktails Lovely staff would recommend

I have had the very best Bloody Mary’s I have ever had here and they are down to the excellent cocktail making skills of Isabel, what a lovely lady 🥰 x

We turned up on 31st Dec around mid afternoon without a booking for a quick lite lunch. The restaurant was busy but they found a table for my son & I. My son ordered their steak sandwich which was fantastic, meat was perfect medium rare.

I had the best Dover Sole I’ve ever had at this restaraunt. The service was excellent and prices reasonable. High recommended a visit you won’t be disappointed

Excellent et magnifique plateau de fruits de mer, dessert également très bon... Bien que le prix soit assez élevé, les proportions étaient généreuses. L'ambiance et la décoration du restaurant étaient superbes. La terrasse était aussi très jolie à côté du canal. Trois grosses déceptions : pas de lingette humide au citron pour se nettoyer les mains après avoir mangé les fruits de mer et le service n'était pas des plus agréables… Après avoir demandé de récupérer le fumet de poissons pour le boire, ils n'ont même pas pris le temps de me le réchauffer!! Pas très professionnel... Conclusion : un bon restaurant de fruits de mer avec une bonne ambiance, mais qui devrait revoir ses manières de services.

Excellent food and service as always! I would love to see scallops with black pudding on the menu for a starter.