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The Apiary

4.5 (30 reviews)
ModerateBritish
Closed 10:00 am - 3:00 pm, 5:30 PM - 9:00 PM

The Apiary Photos

THE APIARY ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Classy
Casual
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - The Apiary

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Cressida F.

From the moment I walked through the entrance, I was... Entranced. Punny but true. Larger than I expected, and darker, more romantic, was this beehive around which there had been such buzz. There was beautiful, unusual art on the far wall, and fairy lights twisted around the mantel above the warm electric fire. Behind me, a vast blackboard proclaimed the day's specials in proud lettering, and the staff bid me a friendly hello as I pranced past, a spring already in my step. So the setting was a joy. The company, as with all Yelpy get togethers, equally so. All that remained was to sample the food. Well, you can see from the rating just how that turned out. For a starter I tried the day's vegetarian special, the roasted mushrooms with garlic and melted taleggio. I tell you, I would happily come back for that dish alone, but the free range chicken supreme with cream cheese, ham hock, bacon, and mustard and veal jus on smoky potatoes maintained the flavour explosion. The final master stroke - a clementine and butterscotch mess presented like a knickerbocker glory topped with a glacé cherry - was fiendishly good. When you add to all of this how close it is to the Queen's Hall, my favourite venue in Edinburgh, and the fact that they have a two-course deal if you're early enough to vacate by seven, and you have one place I am very, very likely to return to many times...

Amy B.

As the sister restaurant to the well reviewed Three Birds restaurant in Morningside I was eager to try this place out. We needed somewhere to eat before an event at Summerhall and this place was perfect, situated just around the corner on the main road. The interior is very relaxed with more of a cafe feel than a restaurant. We were seated in one of the cute little booths. They offer an excellent pre-theatre menu of two courses for £15 if you are out by 7.15pm. I chose the squid to start and gnocchi for main. Steven had the Vietnamese beef salad followed by the venison. The staff are very warm, friendly and relaxed. With the atmosphere and a bottle of red we were quickly content with our surroundings. The food arrived quickly and beautifully presented, Not fussy but fresh and vibrant. Their menu is gluten-free unless stated otherwise so the food feels wholesome and healthy. With the starters quick;y devoured our mains arrived. A fantastic helping of homemade gnocchi that had been finished in a pan so it was nice and crispy! It's the best I've ever had! Steven venison looked beautiful and came with a fantastic red wine sauce. All in all a fantastic dinner for £30 each! They are also open for brunch which I can't wait to try! Cheers, Amy

Riiiiiiiiiibs of 3 animals on one board!!
Jurgen D.

The Apiary seem to take the job of feeding me very seriously and I appreciate this greatly. Brought to us by the same people as The Three Birds, the Apiary is bringing some foodie goodness to Newington. Not an area beset with many great eateries they certainly stand out in the area. On a coldish winters eve I was pleased to find myself in their warm and comforting surroundings, the wood finish around the place gives a very nice feel to the place. Having been to the Three Birds I had high expectations for this meal and I wasn't left disappointed. Having surveyed the menu I concluded having two rounds of starters was completely acceptable. Starter 1 was crispy pigs ears.....yes that's right pigs ears. the crispy, salty, porky delights were really tasty, served with the house aioli I was happy. Starter 2 I went for white bait. Fishy, salty....crispy and tasty....Happy JD. For my main I went for one of the sharing boards with fellow carnivore Dave.M, this beat came with beef ribs, pork ribs and chicken wings, along side slaw, chips and the obligatory side salad. Fair to say we destroyed it.....MEAT!! All of it was delicious...it was fairly nutritious and all in all I was a very happy JD!! This place comes Highly Jd Recommended!

Crispy pigs ears and aioli
Claire L.

Fab gluten free options and great non-standard vegetarian options. Being GF can be a challenge and having to do the whole asking thing and then it being clear that staff don't have a clue what you are talking about then makes the whole thing a bit awkward and full of trepidation in case they got it wrong and you suffer the consequences later. Not here. Most of the menu is naturally gluten free - no cheap wheat fillers here clearly! Good quality ingredients and lots of choice. I could have crispy stuff (normally off limits), I could have chips without fear of contamination. The Apiary rocks and I'm heading back in a few days with a friend who missed out. Beware though. The whole menu is so damn tempting - from little bites, the starters, the mains and the desserts. Portions are on the hearty side for mains so I was full to bursting after dinner here. Crispy pigs ears were delish with aioli as were the whitebait starters. I opted for one of the specials - guinea fowl wrapped in pancetta with duck confit and sage and shallot mash - it was lovely but even I was defeated in not being able to clear the plate. Plus I had seen the dessert options and I wanted to test them out. Dessert was a coconut sponge with lime and Malibu - it was delish. I never did the whole Malibu thing as a teenager but all the flavours worked out so well. Everyone appeared to love their food and there were lots of head nods and smiles as we chowed down. So, I still think Newington rocks as an eating area and The Apiary is a great addition. It is cosy without being cramped and there are some lovely touches - little booths with coat hooks on the side, gorgeous prints and décor and just a lovely warm, buzzy feeling. So I'm heading back in a few days and I plan on taking my next lot of visitors here too :-) Prices - bites around £2.50 (bread is cheaper and GF is available too), starters around £5 with mains around £10-17 and desserts around £6. Wine - starts from £3.50 a glass with carafe options (£8) and a decent price range for bottles.

Entrance
Tanja R.

This place definitely has a bee-hive charm. I like the interior with solid wooden furnishings and the blue wallpaper with bees on them. I like the romantic fire place with the bee candles and the electric stove heater. The service is very friendly. There are lots of reviews raving about the food and yes it's very different to the norm. The menu choice changes and offers pork, venison and vegetarian dishes. To me the menu sounds very a la carte and the prices are very acceptable. I did not choose anything fancy, just Egg Benedict, whereby the bacon was cooked a bit too hard for my taste. The olives as a starter were amazingly large and tasty. For dessert I ordered scoops of ice cream with very unusual flavours like chocolate stemginger & honey truffle. These are very particular tastes indeed and the texture more on the watery side. They offer an amzing lunch deal £9.50 for 2 courses. We will definitely be back for a dinner option. Will you?

BBQ beans. Drool.
Roisin R.

This is a bloomin' FANTASTIC place! This cosy, twinkly lights and soft furnished little restaurant is the perfect date night location just 10 mins from Princes Street in a taxi. I arrived here with my other half on a slumberous Sunday evening and ordered a glass of prosecco as we browsed the short but tasty looking menu. So many different dishes caught my eye, particularly the seafood sharing platter, however my other half is more muscles than mussels so we instead decided to have the famous 3 Birds and Beasts platter (£36). We also chose a starter each to get our gastronomic juices flowing- Duck confit potato hash cake, poached egg, hollandaise (£5.50) for me and Venison & 3bee haggis meatballs with a whisky mustard sauce & potato discs (£6) for my partner. The started portions were perfect! My duck extravaganza was salty, creamy and full of flavour. My partner's meatballs were rich and saucy. Oh my. On to the main event- the platter from heaven. And yes, I truly believe God had some kind of hand in this. A huge wooden board crammed with delicious meat and sauces arrived at our table with chips and condiments. We were treated to miso beef rib, wasabi & gouda fried sandwich with French dip, Mamak fried chicken, cherry Coke pulled pork, star anise ox cheek, Thai slaw, fries, chipotle ketchup AND BBQ bacon beans. As you have probably guessed, we could not finish it but it was truly wonderful. I will dream of that platter for about a month! I recommend this brilliant, friendly place- well worth a visit as long as you go with a huge appetite.

Yelp dinner party in lovely surroundings!

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8 years ago

The menu was especially interesting & varied, reasonably priced, lovely servers in a relaxed atmosphere,

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The Apiary Reviews in Other Languages

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Pie Not? Bistro - full breakfast

Pie Not? Bistro

(2 reviews)

Morningside

This place is PERFECT as a comfy meet-up spot. Hot drinks, tasty food, cozy desserts, and a cute…read moreand sweet atmosphere--it's all good. And we left with full bellies, even though we only spent about 15 each! So, the food. YUM. We had some trouble deciding which of the menu items looked tastiest (we'll totally be back to try more options!), but she landed on the steak & ale pie, and i had the black pudding, tomato, & chorizo pie. Both were delicious--so tasty and satisfying! The chips that came with them (sweet potato for her, skin on for me) were perfect, and the mac & cheese side we split was also totally indulgent. We had sticky toffee pudding and a brownie for dessert, and those were so good they vanished pretty quickly even though we were already stuffed! We also got lucky and got to taste some of their soup of the day AND some fudge--both were heavenly. I'll be going back just to have some more of that soup, for sure. We both were really pleasantly surprised at how good the serving sizes were; I know I went in pretty hungry, and I came out COMPLETELY satiated. To top it all off, the waitress was an absolute delight. She was so sweet and patient, and she really went out of her way to spoil us! It almost felt like being at a friend's place. I'm really surprised I couldn't find any reviews on this place! It's such a treasure; we're really, really glad we gave it a try. I'll definitely be back. :)

Fantastic wee place full of character and appeal. Great for a coffee and a chat and the staff are…read morealwats friendly and go out their way to make things for you, even if they aren't on the menu. I could sit all day reading the paper, eating cake and drinking coffee! :-)

The Sheep Heid Inn - Roasted celeriac is amazing.

The Sheep Heid Inn

(100 reviews)

££

Looking for an opportunity to eat and drink in the oldest public house in Scotland? Want to dine…read morewhere Queen Elizabeth did? Then this is the place. It's the oldest public house in Scotland and worth the journey outside Edinburgh to visit. The interior is warm, welcoming and friendly. It's quiet and relaxing. The service is impressive and the selection of food and beverages are top notch. If you can find it, I recommend you spend time exploring and enjoying it.

We made reservations here to celebrate my parents' anniversary, seeing that it was very highly…read morereviewed and had vegan options. Perhaps the problem is that none of us ordered a roast, which is what they're known for. Personally, the cocktail I got was the best part; a rose and raspberry sort of spritz with vodka. Simple, light, and not sweet, it was perfectly refreshing. The vegan risotto was much less so. I deeply appreciate the ambition to put something unique and more elegant on the menu for plant-based eaters. It was certainly well plated. However, my favorite part was the three cubes of Violife feta on top, as the rest was tasteless. Rice dry enough to be pilaf, zero flavor, and about 5 woody ends of asparagus. I'm grateful that they removed it from the bill, as it was largely inedible. Again, I applaud and encourage the effort to add thoughtful options for people of all dietary needs! I'll assume I went on an off-day based on all the other glowing reviews.

Southside Social - Cosy upstairs seating

Southside Social

(2 reviews)

££

Newington

I was here from day one and the staff, the service, the food all make this place one I keep coming…read moreback to. Forget any preconceptions you may have regarding a social enterprise bar. This can beat most of the bars around for having a real feel of always being welcomed in like a local. A ton of respect goes to the owner who started this venture. And you know what, it's all for a good cause. Go on, guilt free bevvy and scoff, you know it makes sense. Also... Don't forget to go upstairs, there's a turntable, remember them? And a ton of vinyl to check out..... And a big couch to enjoy it on. Just the perfect pub!

As a student anywhere that gives a discount is great, a bar that gives a discount is wonderful! No…read moreI get to drink and five to charity at the same time, priceless. I came here for a birthday not expecting much but a nice time with friends. But I was surprised how great the atmosphere is and how it has more to offer than just a student discount. It's a small pub so the variety isn't huge but it is a nice balance. The staff are incredibly friendly and absolutely lovely! The price is a bit on the expensive side but if you're a student you get a nice 15% discount I believe. But anyways it's a pub that support charity how much better is that! The food. I didn't order but my friends dos and it looked delicious with a nice serving size. Pulled pork sandwich looks lovely bit done be fooled it will get messy in the most yummy way. There are cocktails but the list is small, it is a small bar though. And some of the cocktails are well priced for what you get but many of them are overly priced and not much different than what you can get somewhere else. There's seating upstairs so get wary if it seems crowded! ;)

The Outsider

The Outsider

(275 reviews)

££

Grassmarket, Old Town

Three of us stumbled upon The Outsider while out looking for a place for dinner. It was so good we…read morewent back with 2 more friends a few nights later. Nice pleasant room with good size tables and very helpful, friendly courteous wait persons. Very good steaks, and fish, and affogato for dessert. Go to read the creative food descriptions on the menu!

My wife has been following The Outsider on the socials for a bit. So as we find ourselves in…read moreEdinburgh, this was a must. Tonight's dinner destination. We got here at 6 with no reservation. We were able to be seated upstairs. This place is busy (much busier when we were finished for sure). So if you can, I'd suggest reserving a spot. It's a bit loud in here. Not out of the ordinary for a busy place. We started with the pressed pork belly app. Perfect crisp. Could've used more of the celeriac puree bed. The confit shallots were so good and nicely sweet. Black pudding cubes (small. More of these!). Candied pears. Mmm. Great start. Wife got the char grilled venison on a butternut squash purée and spicy daikon planks (I didn't find the heat, she did tho!). It was excellent and perfectly prepared. Not gamey at all. I got the 35 day aged hangar steak. This is hands down one of the best steaks I have had out in a very long time. So well seasoned! Which was such a pleasant surprise as it left me wanting for nothing to add flavor. The hand cut fries were good but did need some salt. No dessert as, well, our server was scattered a bit all night. We asked for the dessert menu. She brought us dinner menus and we didn't see her for 10 minutes. So we opted to leave, a bit disappointed at the end. We would come back tho. Thats for sure.

Mums - Shepherds Pie Vegan

Mums

(252 reviews)

££

Old Town

I was so excited to try this place after seeing good reviews but our experience was terrible. There…read morewere gnats everywhere that we were killing at our dusty booth. When our food arrived we finally asked to move spots but the back of the restaurant was just as bad. I can't believe other families weren't complaining. We also found a hair in our appetizer and the mains were subpar. My husband complained about his fries and burger and the manager was combative. They comped us for one whiskey and we left as quickly as possible. The shepherds pie was very salty and the side of veggies was very clearly from frozen.

**RACIST & DISCRIMINATORY** The young blonde hair girl in…read moreher maybe late-20s hostess, bartender or server (not sure which) was super rude! We came in excited about this place, and the restaurant had open tables at about 6:50pm on a Friday ... we had just walked all day and were starving with a 2-year old and an elderly after walking all over town and sightseeing all day long. However, was told by this girl that they didn't have a seat for us. Although there was no wait, no one ahead of us and empty tables. I told her she could seat us in that booth, we didn't mind since our 2 year old wouldn't be eating. However, she cut me off and said that would not work. I thought that was weird but that should have been That it would take them about 30 minutes to get us a table. We walk around in the cold, come back to the restaurant ... there are plenty of open tables. My husband takes my 2-year old inside to wait so she is not in the freezing rainy cold (especially since she was sniffling). The hostess then says it's going to take longer and that we must wait outside the restaurant. We tell her it's cold, and we've been waiting. She then says ... "This isn't going to work, I'm not serving you. You guys can leave." She did not want to serve of us this entire time! She could have told us when we first walked in, but made us wait and walk around outside in the cold rain with a 2-year old and an 88-year old ... then decides she doesn't want to serve us. We walked in at 6:50pm, came back at 7:30pm, waited until 7:45pm when she told us she wouldn't serve us. By this time all the other restaurants were fully reserved or with 1-2 hour waits. We ended up not able to have dinner that night, and got snacks from the grocery store. DO NOT COME HERE UNLESS YOU WANT HORRIBLE CUSTOMER SERVICE! NEVER TREATED THIS BADLY BY A RESTAURANT!

The Apiary - british - Updated May 2026

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