White Horse Oyster & Seafood Bar in Edinburgh, City of

Tiny place on the Royal Mile, you would think it below average tourist fare. Anything but….. superb Small plates, everything was fantastic Monkfish satay I could eat many every night of the week One area for improvement - pacing, all the dishes came at once, filling the small table and some became cold. Highly recommended

The Swiss waiter cannot be more unpleasant...I think he's tired of living or he doesn't get paid very well🤦🏼‍♀️... To be in a place like this you should be more nice and kind, not treat the client like if you were made me a favor... I was eating on my own, that normally the service when you are a woman and you are eating solo, they are very attentive to you... Not this time.. It was 20.45h he was in a rush to request my food and every time that I asked something he quickly wrote in his notes without explain.. So he had to delete a lot 😂😂 because I was just asking, how was the portion, the means of some things and about the wine... Very impatient and no nice, almost I stand up and go but I wanted to try the octopus😉. Small portion, good food, but don't come here being very hungry. And the best one is that with all that rush he forgot to request the monk fish that I asked... Incredible..

Some waiter was trying to flirt with me and asking whether I had a boyfriend when my boyfriend was literally outside smoking. That is not acceptable at all. I hope this is dealt with accordingly. Food was average as well

This place has an incredible atmosphere when arriving and we were greeted by the super friendly staff, especially Hubert. We were sat quickly and served with great recommendations, including the Cherry Negroni as well as general places to visit in Edinburgh which was great for our first visit. We made it just on time for their amazing Oyster happy hour, which were the best oysters we have had so far! Hubert was especially helpful with his kind service, great suggestions about food and Edinburgh info as well just general vibes. It's a great place, very accommodating with great food and drinks and a lovely spot to visit, highly recommend.

We stumbled across this place and are so happy we did.. exquisite food , a really interesting menu , beautifully presented food. But the service topped it all . Expert knowledge, efficient but also warm and friendly . We were made to feel like the regulars we would definitely be if we lived here! A special mention to Hubert for his attention to detail.

The food was very good! We especially enjoyed the oyesters, samon tartare and shrimp tempura!!! Genuinely the best oysters we have ever eaten!! The service was really great, everybody was really friendly and accomadating. A big shout out to Hubert, who absolutly NOT threatened to stalk us if we didn’t leave a good review :)). Overall 10/10 experience, would recommend!!

High expectations from previous reviews. Small portions. Feeling pressured to tip as the waiter was waiting with the machine at the table

My fav meal in Scotland. What a pleasant surprise as we randomly popped in cause nearby pubs weren't available. Ordered the mussels &clams, lobster and prawn toast, buttermilk cod (my fav), ceviche, padron peppers. And the lindisfarne and caledonian oysters (so fresh and creamy). Service was great too.

Amazing food, exceptional service . We will definitely come back. Thank you Hobert for an amazing time and the way you took care of us

I’m one of those people who love and enjoy dining alone. This was the first time I’m eating at the White Horse all the way from Australia. I was served by Hubert who was so amazing, friendly and attentive. I ordered everything he recommended. Loved the mussels & clams and the selection of fresh oysters. The straw fries were super cute. I will definitely come back again before I leave Edinburgh. Thank you for the experience Hubert.

Wonderful ! Hubert was very attentive and made us feel special ! :)

Hubert provided excellent service, and we thoroughly enjoyed our meal along with the wine. We highly recommend the oysters, scallops, and lobster.

Fantastic food. Oysters were the best. Loved all our dishes prawn and lobster toast was delicious

Great ambience, food was delicious one of the best mussles I ever had!

An amazing experience on the Royal Mile! Fantastic food, the staff was friendly and professional. I would recommend this place to anyone who goes to Edinburgh!!! Can't wait to go back!!!

Fantastic seafood restaurant in the heart of Edinburgh. Attentive service and great atmosphere.

Incredibly delicious oysters! 💜

What a great find! It was a little expensive but the food was worth it. We had 2 rounds of drinks, oysters, and some small plates. The service could have been a bit better, but it looked like just 1 bar tender and 1 server around shift change. Our drinks came after our apps but it didn't change how great the food was. I would definitely visit again.

The taste is very good, the portions are extremely small, half of the photos from 9 months ago, they only apologized saying sometimes the octopus arrives like this as if they didn't have more to weigh by grams

Some exceptional mussels. Open at unusual hours

We went to eat something without knowing that the portions were going to be TINY! It is a place with a good atmosphere and very nice, the service is good, however for 4 people we ordered 8 dishes and we had to go buy something leaving here. The flavor is very good but no more.

We had a wonderful meal of oysters here. The dog was also allowed to come along, we sat at the high table with a view of the outside.

We had crab scotch eggs, oysters, scallops and salmon tartare, slaw & straw fries for sides. Most of the food was excellent, (beets overwhelmed the flavour of the salmon tartare); and the wine was good. However we found the service lacking in several respects. Plates arrived a bit slowly, the salmon was forgotten until we asked for it, water was not refilled, and coffee was served long before dessert - we had to ask for the dessert as well. The server was not very responsive. We’ve been here many times before and never experienced this treatment.

We dined here recently and, while the food was decent, it didn’t quite live up to the price tag. The dishes were quite expensive, especially considering the portion sizes, which were honestly on the smaller side. I ordered the charred octopus, which unfortunately arrived lukewarm. As for the fries, they were more like mini fries served in a very small portion, and while they were quite greasy, they lacked flavor. The steak, which should have been a highlight, was a bit tough and underwhelming. On the bright side, the wine was excellent, though at that price, it was expected. The service was where the experience fell a bit short. The staff could have been more attentive—we felt overlooked at times, which dampened the overall dining experience. All in all, we had an okay meal, but it wasn’t quite enough to make us want to return.

I love fish and seafood and this is the perfect place to enjoy them. I had some oysters, hake cerviche, mussels and clams, padron peppers and straw fries and they were divine. The service was great. The music that they played was also very good creating a nice ambience.

A bit small serving of the mains but oysters were good

The Food was Fantastic in the restaurant. The Monkfish Satay is a must. The Scallops wasn’t to exciting, the Mozzarella and Tomatoes was nice and refreshing and the Crab Fries was a nice little side. The Caledonian Oysters being the highlight. The only let down was all the flies buzzing around our table, not a nice sight in a restaurant. The service was great though.

We selected this restaurant based on the fabulous reviews and White Horse deserves all the positive reviews. They serve small plates and we tried Buttermilk Cod, Sesame Tuna, Monkfish Satay and Seaweed Slaw. And then, for desert we ordered a 2nd Monkfish Satay - it was just that good!

Very good restaurant. Oysters, mussels, cockles. All very good and at a reasonable price.

Loved the seafood tapas selection here. Food quality was excellent and service was great.

We tried octopus, tempura shrimp and beef, it was incredibly good😌

Nice stop for seafood just off of the Royal Mile. We enjoyed getting three different types of the local oysters in particular. Nice modern interior with just the right amount of nautical elements.

We have been here many times and return due to the consistency of food, service and atmosphere…and the oysters!

Unbelievably slow. 30 mins for drinks. Over an hour for food. Forgot half our order. Incorrectly billed. The smallest scallops I’d met in my life and it’s supposed to specialise in seafood.

The atmosphere is good. However, the atmosphere and the food are disappointing. Spicy sauce and burnt octopus. Not recommended.

In and out for Oysters. Excellent in every way.

Great variety of seafood. We ordered a seafood platter which tasted SOOO fresh (highly recommend), a scotch egg and a rhubarb panna cotta. (The panna cotta was amazing...we went back the next day just to order that again.) Has a great and romantic atmosphere in an intimate space and the staff are very friendly and attentive.

We found that this place is overrated from Instagram posts. The atmosphere is very cool and we were excited to get a place, however the food didn't have much taste. We got the octapus that was smaller than 2 padron peppers. Service was lacking and not very nice. I would go back again.

Food was incredible in a quiet atmosphere! The Caledonia oysters were meaty and wonderful. Our waiter Anestis was attentive and very good. Highly recommend for dinner without all the tourist!

I had a terrible experience at this seafood restaurant today. Firstly, the seafood was not fresh at all; there was even sand in the shells, which made me very uncomfortable. Additionally, the razor clams were actually spoiled and inedible. I sincerely hope they improve the freshness of their ingredients, otherwise, I can't recommend this place to anyone.

Such fantastic seafood! Have the oisters and definitely have the cod!! Great choice in wine! White Horse works with sharing plates, make sure you tell the staff to take it slow! Definitely worth visiting!!

I love coming here! I always bring my out of town friends for the amazing food, drinks and atmosphere. The crab straw fries are delicious! We devoured 4 plates of them. The crab scotch egg was also a hit. The staff is friendly and helpful. Always a great experience. Go here!

The food was very good. Especially the ceviche. The waiters were very nice and welcoming , unfortunately the food was coming too slow. Don’t know if it was because of the lack of staff or they were having some problems. We waited for 25 min till our drinks arrived ( after we went to bar to remind them) and waiting for the food took about 30-35 min

The portion is not big but the taste is ok It’s cheaper if you don’t order wine.

Both children and adults enjoyed themselves, all the dishes were delicious

What a wonderful experience! The restaurant is by reservation... but we found an empty table The food is very delicious Ceviche artist has a delicious sour taste The code is great Broccoli in oil fantasy Potatoes with crab are also delicious The Scotch-Egg crab didn't suit me. I put salt and broccoli oil on it

We hadn’t booked but as it was only 6pm, we thought it would be ok to try. The place was fairly quiet, plenty of free tables. The chap who came to ‘greet’ us was unpleasant from the outset. We didn’t fit his style, as we were clearly not trendy enough for his taste, his look said it all! He didn’t immediately let us know there was no space, but instead went to ‘consult’ his diary. An inefficient diary by the look of it, because it took him 5 minutes to get back to us to tell us to come back in an hour and a half…it made no sense, he was offhand, snobbish and downright rude. Glad we found another place to eat just a few yards away, and had a great time!

Very small portions, otherwise good.

Service uninteresting, but oysters excellent! A reservation is required in advance, although the restaurant was rather empty. Strange....

Had been out and about in the city and were craving some oysters, what started as a little pop in turned into one of the best meals I had in Edinburgh! The monkfish kebabs were so good we ordered them twice and the oysters… well I will definitely be back next time I’m in Edinburgh! The only critique I have, the mussels should be served with bread to mop up the sauce! But everything was just delicious!

Excellent. Be careful, the portions are small. You will need to order two dishes and a side to be satisfied. Other than that, very fine cuisine.

Service was very slow. Never got all our food after an hour and a half wait. Two tables down they left because they didn’t get their drinks after 30 minutes. Waitresses didn’t seem to care. Out of many of the menu items/

Amazing seafood platter and v good service.

This is a small restaurant on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. The seafood was fresh and great. They serve small plates for sharing. The service was friendly and basically attentive.

Lovely experience and service by Ruban was amazing and ordered cocktail Old Fashioned and it was brilliant thanks for the experience must try.

Solid oysters, would come back for the happy hour deal (£2 oysters). Everything else was OK and overpriced.

Amazing food every thing is delicious 👌

Best seafood in Edi: Oysters and crab sauce, lemon pie and cocktails deserve the pricey bill. Small and tight for larger people.

Love it. The seafood. Right portion for us to go for drinks later.

It’s gone down hill a little, maybe just a sleepy lunch service on a Thursday. Staff pleasant enough, but the girl running the place before was definitely more on her A game. Still decent tho

Tasty cuisine, elaborate and elaborate dish. I recommend.

Booked happy hour for 4-5pm, confirmed a week ago via phone, arrived and was told happy hour is 12-4 now and there is no updates for us. Prawn toast size of half a toast for £14.

Food quality declined since I last visited. One fish dish was served when they brought the bill. Wouldn’t recommend. Decent atmosphere.

Excellent quality and freshness. Creative menu and a solid wine list. Lots of great pairing options.

Very bad. Poor and rude table service. Good oysters (compliments to the supplier), meat dish served smelly, prices quite high. Not recommended

Small portions, expensive but delicious!!!

Very good seafood restaurant and the wine list is nice, to remember

Amazing food with great service

Wonderful dinner, exceptional oysters and a great unique “crab Scottish egg”, the hake was great too!

Table was small and hard to get into, but the food and service more than made up for it!. Oysters delicious, crab Scottish egg marvelous, and the hake ceviche lovely!! And those matchstick fries crispy and not greasy!

This restaurant was phenomenal. Everything we had was delicious - with the Mussels and Clams hands down the star. This is a must visit - but do make sure to book in advance.

Never eat here. The location is perfect, the atmosphere is decent, the service is usually good/great but the food is beyond redemption. Save yourself and go somewhere else.

Great food, atmosphere and service. Good oysters. They forget one of our dishes and when we informed them of such, they took it off the bill, unprompted.

Ate here last year and can't wait to visit again. Some of the best seafood I've ever eaten and amazing atmosphere. A must for any visitors to Edinburgh.

The oysters were great. I found the experience at the bar less so. Disjointed service. I would try for a reservation in the restaurant next time because the full menu, not available at the bar, looks great.

This restaurant has gone downhill since our last visit a year ago. They have become sloppy. 1. Ordered charred Octopus from menu but got some other less good version of Octopus. Menu description was misleading. 2. £110 hot seafood platter promised razor clams. None there. Another false menu item. The waiters could have said something when we ordered. 3. Lobster over-cooked and rubbery! Don't mind spending £110 for lobster, but if I do I expect it to be cooked properly! What amateurs. 4. Service well-mannered, but long waits for food and to get detritus off the table, which was too small to have piles if plates and shells sitting waiting to be cleared. 5. The door to the toilets was filthy, probably a health hazard if you touched it! 6. There was a blast of freezing cold air coming from the kitchen. Others around us were unhappy with this also. 7. Our neighbour was "disappointed" with her mussels. This is a badly managed restaurant which has rested too long on its laurels! We will not be back, not for £265 for two.

Best oysters in Edinburgh. Lobster and other sea food not the best .

I had the pleasure of dining at White Horse Oyster and Seafood Bar in Edinburgh tonight, and it was an absolute delight from start to finish. The atmosphere and setting were simply captivating, setting the stage for a memorable dining experience. The locally produced food was a true highlight of the evening. From the Oysters during happy hour to the selection of snacks, each dish showcased the freshness and quality of the ingredients. Whether it was the seafood or the snacks, every bite was equally delicious and left me craving more. Rob, our host for the evening, was exceptional in providing impeccable service. His warm welcome and attentive demeanor truly enhanced the overall experience, making us feel right at home. I must extend my gratitude to the entire team at White Horse Oyster and Seafood Bar for creating such a lovely and relaxed atmosphere. Their friendly and professional demeanor contributed to a truly enjoyable evening. In conclusion, I wholeheartedly recommend White Horse Oyster and Seafood Bar to anyone in search of exceptional seafood and oysters in Edinburgh. With its great setting, delicious food, and friendly staff, it's a dining destination that I'll be returning to without a doubt.

The food was absolutely out of this world!! The clams and mussels were the best throughout. Salmon tartare was great too. Would recommend and will come again

What a gem. Super small plate seafood.

We only went for a drink before going to their sister restaurant but the bar man was so friendly and helpful. Thank you!

An excellent place for seafood lovers. The menu is designed for people to order a few small plate dishes to share. The wine list is good and a 10% service charge will be included in the bill.

Gorgeous meal last night. From the oysters to the incredible cheeseboard

Seafood tapas style (small plates). Everything we ate was excellent. The oysters were incredibly fresh and perfect. Service was attentive and the waiter knew the menu and the wines very well. It is really beautiful inside also. Highly recommend.

Great restaurant with a nice atmosphere and fantastic food! Definitely book a table for dinner in advance as it was packed on a Wednesday evening. It's a tapas style restaurant with smaller portions, so they recommend getting 3/4 diajer per person. Staff was very welcoming, and the service was fast even though it was busy. The atmosphere is nice, but it's a bit too dark and not in a cosy way, but it was still nice. The food was simply amazing! The charref octopus was nice and tender, and the scallops were very tasty as well. But my absolute favourite was the prawn and lobster toast! Full of flavour, I couldn't get enough of it! Then we shared a dessert, a chocolates mousse, which was also delicious! I would definitely recommend this place!

ordered the hot seafood platter and portion is very small and expensive. we were still hungry after the dinner. platter was served after 45 mins and lukewarm even when the restaurant was only half full and we got diarrhoea the next day. could be because of the oysters which were very small for the price. wouldn’t recommend.

We dined here a couple of years ago and had an excellent experience so hoped we'd have a similarly good evening. Oysters were tasteless, small and still had grit through them. We ordered a few of the small plates and waited over an hour for them to arrive. When they did arrive, the food was lukewarm, overcooked and basic in flavour. The wine we ordered was also served warm and not pleasant to drink. It was not busy when we arrived so can see no reason for the delay or below par service. Service was also lacking and not what you would expect given the prices they charge. We mentioned our disappointment to the staff on paying the bill and we were met with a shrug and a patronising tone from the waiter. We spent £100 and came away feeling incredibly disappointed, and hungry. We are locals and enjoy supporting businesses in the city, however we will not be back and would advise people to find much better options, of which there are plenty!

It’s alright, not worth the hype. I went there with quite high expectations. Was left a little disappointed. I was there to celebrate my birthday but for some odd reason didn’t really feel welcomed at the restaurant. The male waiters were really nice, spoke and suggested a few good wines. But the female waitress.. not sure if she was having a bad day or anything but she was a bit rude. The food was not upto its standards The oysters are okay. We had the carlington ones, idk what’s the difference amongst the 3 that’s on the menu but in general these felt … tiny? If that’s an appropriate word to describe. But in all, Okay. £15 for 3 tempura prawns is a bit much. Fair enough it tasted nice but I have paid similar price and got more quantity from a Michelin restaurant. The charred sourdough didn’t really feel charred, it was pretty much burnt. This and the crab straw fries made me and my partner feel sick. Definitely not recommending those two. The chocolate mousse dessert is overly sweet but not going to complain about that one cause the waiter did give a heads up on that one.

Extremely disappointed in the service received by White Horse. I received a voucher last year. I then fell pregnant and unfortunately wouldn’t be able to enjoy a lot of the menu due to this. I’ve called, emailed etc to try and have my voucher extended until my baby is here and I am being completely ignored. When calling the restaurant in Edinburgh they were also extremely unhelpful. It seems they care more about the fact they already have their money than having a customer, who would probably go back repeatedly had they just extended my voucher due to a change in circumstances.

Charmy place on the Royal Mile with great service and good list of drinks including cocktails. A bit disappointed by the food because they use creams and juices over fish, covering a bit the true taste. For instance, I did not like the amount of lemon poored on lobster upfront or the cream accompanying mussels, too heavy. Still, the quality if fish as such is very good.

Lovely night dining here 👌Food was outstanding loved every dish. We ordered 5 small plates 2 sides and 1 desert with two cocktails and thought the price was reasonable. The service was excellent and the vibe in the restaurant was really nice. My only complaint was or complaint is too strong a word but the water was on the bill a 750ml bottle and it was £5.50 me and partner thought it was a bit excessive bar that we couldn’t fault it 👌

Delicious, lovely food, amazing service and nice decor. Will be back for sure!

Best restaurant en Edinburg Oysters delicious! Beef and oysters extraordinary, salmon tartar, prawns and lobster tempura… all food was beyond expectations. Good price for the quality of the food. Nice restaurant, great location, great service.

Fantastic food and great customer service! Niki at the bar treated us incredibly, with GREAT cocktails and some the best oysters I have ever had. Selection of 3 Oysters and all of a very high quality. Steak was good and the octopus was great! Highly recommended and cannot wait for our next trip to Edinburgh so we can come back to this restaurant.

Great seafood, amazing oysters will definitely be going back.

Service was terrible. The waitress didn’t even wait until we finished our order and was busy to leave to chat with her colleagues. We ordered wine from the beginning and it was not served until we asked for it. Oysters were good with a fair price. But the hot platter was not worth the price at all with bad quality. We didn’t expect to pay 110 pounds for a plate filled with mussels.

Salmon and cod blew me away. Great atmosphere, lovely staff. Understated and thoughtful. One of the best restaurant experiences to date.

Happened to stop in at 4pm after a hike up Arthur's Seat, turns out happy hour was just starting with £2 oysters (3 different types). Very good! Great service and got some good advice from our server on places to hike, etc.. would go back!

My wife and I had dinner here. The service was outstanding, the atmosphere was very cool, and the food was sublime. Cannot recommend enough!

Nice restaurant. The are serving seafood tapas style. Food is very good, but a little bit expensive, due to the small portions.