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Shebeen

4.3 (26 reviews)
ModerateAfrican, Barbeque, Bistros
Open 12:00 pm - 10:00 PM

Shebeen Photos

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Beef and reef!
Louise H.

Went here for a birthday meal and was really impressed. We were quite a large group and they asked us to pre-order our food (which i thought was a bit strange). I am quite indecisive so this was slightly off-putting but to be honest everything on the menu looked good. The staff are really fab. Super friendly, really funny and they do seem to care that you're having a good experience there! (They got our mate a free birthday shot and specified at the end the service charge wasn't compulsory despite the fact we were a group of 11 people!!) THE FOOD! Amazing, super steaks, super beef, awesome looking bunny chow. Absolutely stuffed by the end. It is pretty pricey, but the portions are generous and it's sooooo tasty!

Giant steak!!
Shona F.

Do you like meat? Do you like a lot of meat? Say no more, head to Shebeen. It's a South African restaurant and apparently it is very authentic. It's located on the second floor near Lothian Road. My partner and I shared 'fanagalo' which was such a large portion. It included: - meatballs - a half rack of spare ribs - homemade boerewors sausage - pork belly and beef sosaties' OMG the ribs were AMAZING! I want to come back already for the ribs alone. The pork belly was really good too. Actually, everything in this sharing platter was so tasty - everything was very well seasoned. For mains, I had the 'cheetah size' sirloin while my partner had the 'lion size' rib-eye. My boyfriend's steak was the size of a chopping board!! So unbelievable that I started laughing uncontrollably when the server brought it over. My steak was also quite large but manageable (mind you I did not finish it). The steaks were great. They weren't perhaps the best steak I have had but the price, we both agreed it was good value. My boyfriend brought half of his uneaten steak home in a doggy bag. I thought the service was good but there were some hiccups when our bill came - a beer that we hadn't ordered and the wrong wine was charged. Overall, if you fancy some meat sweats venture over to this establishment. You'll definitely have a giggle when your steak arrives!

Steak
Jurgen D.

For some time now the name Shebeen has been bouncing around the city as the spiritual home of carnivores! A place where meat is the main event. Under the banner of being a South African restaurant the guys here have built up a reputation for serving up big plates of well cooked, well seasoned meat. It's a reputation which is very well deserved! On reading the menu you quickly get a sense that this unapologetic reverence for beef had been taken to new levels. On the starters you'll find samosas filled with either beef or veg, 'mini' boerewors with they homemade tomato relish, frikadelle - a meatball stuffed with various things including cheese and a number of the other main courses in start portions! I opted for the calamari however, crunchy, soft and delicious with a lovely dipping sauce! If it was hard to choose a starter selecting a main was well nigh impossible, steaks of varying sizes, traditional South African dishes and some straight up meat challenges! Amongst these challenges you will find the Jo Burger, 1.2kg of beef or a custom baked bun WOW!! This would have to wait for a another day however, I was after some steak! My friend Scott went for the Lion ribeye you see up on the board, that was sensational, cooked to a beautiful rare the flavour was superb! I went surf and turf, rare steak and prawns covered in garlic and chilli with double cooked fries!! This lead to coining of the phrase #meatgasm! What really stands out for me in Shebeen is the care they give to the meat! From doing their butchery, to their seasonings, to the way in which they perfectly rest the meat before serving. These guys are the kings of grilled meat as far as I am concerned! To top it all off the service and the welcome you receive is first class! The chefs are all more than happy to chat steak and the front of house staff are welcoming, funny and efficient! They really do have it all!

Seating inside
Jennie S.

What's this that has popped up on Morrison Street out of nowhere? Another Shebeen! For those of you who don't know, the original Shebeen is located next to Mithas down at the Shore, Leith. So this new addition was a very welcome surprise. We decided to pop in for a drink at the weekend to see what it's all about. I think it is easiest if I just split my experience into pros and cons. The pros: - Great central location. - Fun South African themed interior. - We didn't eat this time but we saw food being served and the the traditional South African menu looks amazing. - Friendly staff. The cons: - I had to change my drink order 3 times before they actually had the drink in stock. - It is pretty small and chilly inside. - The staff seemed a little nervous and unsure of what they were doing. I shall forgive the cons. They are very newly opened and it is only natural to have teething problems, as long as they get them ironed out. For now, I wouldn't return for a drink (as it is just a small restaurant area) but i will go to their Leith bar for a drink, and I will return to Morrison Street to sample their exciting menu. After that I will update my review with the outcome :)

Katelyn W.

Ended up here after reservations with another restaurant fell through, but the excellent offerings did not leave our party feeling like we settled. We split the lion's share sirloin and ribs, with a bottle of wine. Everything was great - I really enjoyed the favorable spice rub on the steak and the bbq on the ribs. It was nice to not have to season my meat, for once. If I had any criticism it would be the chips - I prefer a nice, crispy potato and these were very soft, though wonderfully seasoned. Still, a small personal preference was hardly enough to derail a wonderful meal.

bunny chow, so-so
Chelsea H.

My husband was craving a big steak after being on seafood for a while, so I found Shebeen. The size of the steaks did not disappoint. He got the giant ribeye and I got the bunny chow. Bunny chow I could have done without, it wasn't super flavorful and I wasn't sure what veggies I was eating, but his meal was big enough for the both of us. The side were great. The steak was good, but it wasn't cooked well. Against my better judgement and on the waitresses recommendation, we ordered it medium-rare instead of rare. I just had this feeling it would come overcooked, and I thought we should order it rare to get it medium-rare. Sure enough, our medium-rare came back medium. No pink anywhere except right next to the bone. It was still good, we just prefer our steaks at a true medium-rare: pink on the inside and maybe even slightly red still. The seasonings were good enough to make it tasty, though. I'd still recommend the restaurant, I'd just say if you need your steak at a certain temperature to enjoy it fully, I'd order on the rarer side.

Lamb bunny chow

This was so awesome. Meaty perfection followed by wonderfully comforting milk tart. Proper south african food at its best and obviously made with love.

Ermagerd!! such a big steak!

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Shebeen Reviews in Other Languages

Review Highlights - Shebeen

I'm a vegetarian, and while (being a steakhouse and grill) the veggie options were few, the Bunny Chow I had was tip top.

Mentioned in 4 reviews

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Bubba Q - my fav thing to order

Bubba Q

(21 reviews)

££

Old Town, Royal Mile

I learned about this place from. You tube blogger and I thought it would be a great place to try…read more I walked down the narrow staircase and entered in. There quite a bit of tables with guests. I waited a little bit and no one showed up to greet me so I took a moment to take a small video of the dining area and front counter when I hear a lady from behind me yelling at for making my quick video. She demanded I delete the video immediately- I was still in shock that she had yelled at me in front of the other customers who are now looking at both of us. Feeling awkward I told it was just one person to eat here and she sat me down and walked away. After a few minutes, while she was gone in the back, I noticed a few other tables were either waiting to get their order out in or waiting for their food. After some time, I see her walking back to the front, I get up and let her know I changed my mind, that I don't want to eat here so she simply smiled in agreement. Not recommending this place to anyone. I hope if you decide to visit that you have a better experience than I did.

Interesting menu- everything we had was good. Donut burger, chicken waffle sandwich, tacos, loaded…read morehotdog. Quick service, hot food. Only minus point were the loaded fries, wouldn't get again, nothing exciting about them- regular fries in a soup bowl with a ladleful of gravy. Presentation needs elevated. In all, a good meal, and would return.

Jones & Son Bespoke BBQs - The whole hog, so to speak.

Jones & Son Bespoke BBQs

(2 reviews)

£

New Town

A godsend: good barbecue in Britain--the best we've found, and not just because they actually know…read morethe difference between "barbecue" and "grilled food". In case you're skeptical, they often have samples--after which, resistance is futile. I've now visited just twice and wish I could go more often. Not only does the barbecue smell alluring, look great, and taste wonderful, but Toby also said what any great pit-master should: "We're still experimenting." Oh, to be a test subject for all those experiments. Food (4.5): Excellent applewood-smoked pulled pork sandwiches (£4) made with local ingredients. Personally, I'd suggest skipping the (tasty) chili jam, which I think over-powers the smoke and pork. The ribs (a new experiment) were great--moist and tender with a good bark (no mean feat)--though I personally would've liked a little more of a smoke ring and a tad more of the delicious barbecue sauce. If Toby starts making oak- or mesquite-smoked brisket, I'll have to initiate a weekly pilgrimage to Edinburgh. People (5): Great people; great service. They know barbecue and will sell you a smoker (or maybe a pit). They're also happy to talk shop... though maybe not to divulge secret ingredients. Side note: I grew up in Texas and have a high bar for barbecue. If you're an aficionado, this probably won't be the best you've ever had, but it's very good and it's certainly the best we've had in Britain. Also, they seem to be aiming to master a range of barbecues. (Right now, it seems mostly NC-style.) It's absolutely worth a visit now, and I'd really love to see what they'll have after a couple more years of experimentation. P.S. I can't believe they keep it up through the Scottish winter. That's dedication.

The best pulled pork I've tasted so far.... since first tasting their pulled pork roll last year…read moreI've made the mistake of having it in various other restaurants and realised the thing Jones & Son do so well is the sauce that's added into the pork - it's just so damn tasty!!!! The combo of the "slaw" and chilli jam is just delicious. Go go go!

Calabash - Jerk Chicken

Calabash

(8 reviews)

££

City Centre

Wow. What an adventure this place was! Thanks to Rocco G for suggesting an outing here! It wasn't…read morequite where I thought it was but if you walk along Union Street enough times you're sure to stumble across it (or look for Japanese Bull Leader, this place is next door). Head down the zebra striped stairs and you'll find yourself in a brightly light, casual basement restaurant which is well decorated and has a large TV on one of the walls. I'd had a brief look at the menu online but it was good to check it out properly and the staff were really helpful with any questions we had. I opted for veggie samosa followed by jerk chicken for main, and shared the mukimo (traditional Kenyan mash of potatoes, green peas, corn & greens sautéed with onions) with Graeme. There wasn't much of a wait for the food. Three samosas to a portion (reasonable for £3) which were jam packed with lovely vegetables and quite a bit of a spicy kick. There's mayo on the table as a condiment which might be useful for the more spicy dishes! For me, the real highlight was the jerk chicken. It was SO flavoursome and delicious with a lovely smoky charred flavour. I really enjoyed this dish and the rice that accompanied it (Caribbean rice and beans) was really tasted, packed full of veg as well as a lot of nice flavours. The mukimo was also really lovely and tasted better than it looked (green mash potato could be a little off putting) - I'm going to try to recreate this at home as I could happily scoff a whole bowl on it's own. I also tried the African Fanta - a less fizzy version of the Fanta we know, and I actually preferred it like that. It also comes in a pretty cool bottle which I forgot to take home with me - next time! Service was good, efficient and attentive and we never had to wait long for anything. It was a really fun place to dine in a large group and I'd definitely head back for another meal in the future. The prices are pretty reasonable as well so you don't need to spend much to eat here - starters around £3-£5 and mains around £10. As it is a basement restaurant they don't have any mobile reception (and seemingly no wifi). The other downside was that the music was really loud while we were there which made chat a little difficult!

I wouldn't be surprised if you walk down Union Street every day and had no idea that there is a…read moreAfrican restaurant located there. It is basically just a door with a small sign above it. Once through the door you descend down the zebra wallpaper lined staircase into the fairly large restaurant. Decor wise there are simple tables and chairs, with it being in the basement there is no natural light and the ceilings are pretty low. They also have the crackliest sound system in the world and the music was pretty loud which was annoying, bizarrely there was also TV's showing a music channels on silent mode? I would describe it as basic but comfortable enough. To start with I chose the Lamb Samosas these were fantastic deep-fried thin pastry parcels which were filled with seasoned lamb and came served with lemon wedges. It was a generous serving of 3 samosa of which I only managed to eat 2. The pastry was light, buttery and melted in the mouth and the meat was succulent and tasty - an excellent first dish. For my main I wanted to try the Samaki which is a grilled fresh water tilapia fish. However as soon as the lovely waiter told me it came as a whole fish eyeballs and all that was immediately changed to my second choice which was the jerk chicken. Yeah I am a chicken but eyeballs on a plate are a serious no-no to me. The Jerk Chicken was described on the menu as a ¼ Chicken portion lovingly marinated in jerk spices & grilled to perfection served with Caribbean rice & peas. What arrived was 2 pieces of gorgeously flavoured chicken which had a bit of a lemon taste. The rice portion can only be described as mammoth and was peppered full of beans, onions and peppers - it was so good and a meal in its self. A really fantastic dish which I didn't even come close to finishing. For sides we choice Cassava chips, this is a root vegetable which was slightly bitter but really delicious when you dipped it in the accompanying sauce. I was desperate to try the Plantain which is deep-fried African semi-ripe bananas, this was probably my favourite part of the meal cause it had this seriously lovely savoury/sweet thing going on which I adore. We also got a side of chips which impressively were hand-cut fresh chips when in all honesty I half expected frozen. I wasn't sure what to expect from African cuisine but all in all I was pretty happy with my choices and definitely think I choose wisely. If you are feeling adventurous I think a jaunt to Africa might be just the thing for you.

Shebeen - african - Updated May 2026

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