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Recommended Reviews - The Beehive Inn
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If I could give this place zero stars, I would. If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. The bar staff were rude, unfriendly, and seemed determined to make customers as miserable as they were. Hospitality clearly isn't a priority here. There are plenty of better places nearby where you'll actually feel welcome. Avoid this one.
My husband and I stopped in for a quick bite while out on Holiday. The food was good, highly recommend the fried Halloumi cheese as a shareable. We did not have a reservation but they had a reservation side and a walk in side. We were lucky and walked in and found a table right away!! It's a cozy place with plenty of seating. Great spot to pop in a grab a drink!
I would say more of a 3.5 overall. So we are staying on the Grassmarket area (which is a perfect place to stay btw). So The Beehive is really close. We popped in for dinner. If you don't have a reservation, no big deal. If you can find a table, grab it! Totally allowed. Make your way to the bar. Get a drink (if you want). Then tell the bartender your table number and they will send someone over. Or order there and have it brought. We had a table service. They charge a 10% surcharge for this. Here it seemed to mean: it's a bit impersonal and slow. Plus you have to find a refill either from the bar or if you can flag someone down. We both had the fish and "triple fried" chips. Fish? Piping hot, flaky and not overdone. The chips seemed like frozen steak fries. Nothing special there. The peas were ok. Shared a sticky toffee pudding. With custard. Super rich. Oh, and super good! Kind of a no frills, loud at times place.
The Beehive Inn in Edinburgh is history, history and more history. It is a typical pub vibe with wood everywhere. It sits in the shadows of the Edinburgh Castle with a legacy of 400 years. A counter service spot, this was a quick dinner. During my visit, I had the pleasure of sampling a few of their notable dishes. Fried Halloumi I loved the spice of the red chilli. The halloumi was both crispy and light. Hake & Romesco Ragout The grilled hake fillet served with a romesco white bean ragout, salsa verde, and carrot crisps surprised me. Contrary to my initial expectation of a stew, the dish had a beautifully cooked fillet of fish laid over a rich but light ragout. The salsa verde added a zesty pesto type touch and the carrot crisps provided a special crunch. Fish & Chips A visit to Scotland wouldn't be complete without chowing some Fish & Chips, and The Beehive Inn's version did not disappoint. The hand-battered Atlantic haddock was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Although I'm not a pub girl, The Beehive Inn proved to be a treasure trove of classics.
I had to be taught the proper way to do stuff around this place. Pub ordering flowchart: Food Y/N? Drink Y/N? Use the term "soccer" Y/N? These are all critical in creating your ultimate pub experience at Beehive. The food was good and the atmosphere was friendly, with lots of drink choices (it's a pub). Question 1: you want food? Find your table, look at the number, remember it (harder if this is your third or sixth pub today), keep remembering it, maybe write it down, remember where you wrote it. Okay now order with that number you'll never forget. Question 2: you want drinks? Pick it (this could take a while), I guess buy multiples (since they asked "is that all" when I said one drink), find that table of the unforgettable number. Question 3: Do you call it soccer? If yes, note your table will likely not be in view of the 6-10 screens airing a TV playing an Association Football game (this is why you could even get a table here game-time). Think SEC times NFL, minus two quarters, times 1/3 commercials. But enjoy your view of the wall/post with a glimpse of the match, if you crane your neck, and be glad you got a seat. Of course we Yanks partly come just to hear everybody talk. It's across the street, so 75-80% chance I'll be back, just not sure in which order.
Looking for good pub food within walking distance of the Royal Mile/Castle. While the Beehive seemed inviting, the meal greatly disappointed us both. Friendly, fast bar service, but the quality of my mussels & chips and her toastie (glorified grilled cheese) was seriously lacking. The mussels were served in a flavorless broth (was it white wine/French? Beer/Belgian? A cream-based stock???) with several unopened shells. Her toastie featured more of a thin cheese spread rather than a real slice of cheese. Our shared mac&cheese was bland and thin. Just a disappointing £50 spend for dinner and two pints.
A local recommended the Beehive tilt White Hart (two doors down) for a nearby pub "experience." We chose the Beehive because we saw more options of food that weren't so out-of-the-usual for our unadventurous pallets. (Although I've heard fried haggis balls are pretty good.) Right on the Grassmarket, after a long day touring the city with the on/off Cityseeing City double decker, we popped I for an early dinner. The servers were friendly, helpful, and didn't roll their eyes when we asked for more ice. (Americans- we're obsessed with it apparently.) The haddock fish & chips were delicious, and while I usually prefer cod, this haddock didn't seem quite as fishy. The side of mac-n-cheese was cheesy, rich, and amazing! The dairy here in general is much better than the typical stuff we get in grocery stores at home. My mom enjoyed the bacon burger. The beef seemed to have a bit of a different flavor we couldn't put it fingers on, but good. We loved it.
One of the many touristy trap bar/resto pub in Old town Edinburgh and the food is average. We came in after walking the Royal Mile. No reception, you go in and theres instructions everywhere as to how to go about and order food. Find a table remember your number and order at the bar. Unusual, but it was alright. Theres also a comedy bar upstairs and sports tvs all over the place. Love their onion rings the lighter option sandwiches (the ones we had) not so much. They also have nice selection of ciders if youre into that. All in all it was alright
Super cute bustling Scottish pub near the University of Edinburgh. First come first seating all over restaurant, pub , and beer garden. They were busy on a Monday night! We had to order at the bar and state our table #. They have a great little menu with salads and hamburgers and appetizers etc. we ordered Loaded Nachos and they were great. Some kind of spicy powder on a strange pita tortilla chip. Good avocado. Really delightful. Not mounds of cheese like in the US. Just right amount of cheese. Friendly service even tho we bussed our own table bc we had to snag it. They were fine with that. My daughter drank Guinness and then a cider. I had my usual Sauvignon Blanc. Really reasonable price! Great cheerful busy pub vibe! PS their side salad was great! Arugula, slivered cucumbers, chopped greens, cut tomatoes, fine dressing. I was pleasantly surprised.
Recommended by the hotel front desk clerk for our first meal in Edinburg. We were looking for something within walking distance. She said it was Scottish food -so jumping right in there. At the Inn, you seat yourself and the server comes to the table and takes your order. The menu is on the table. There wasn't a drink menu on the table but of course there was a full bar. We just had Diet Coke and water. The hubby ordered Sausage and Mash and I ordered Steak & Ale Pie. The mashed potatoes are a little different than what we are used to having. Different types of potatoes are used and Americans add much more milk and butter. The greens were crispier than I expected. The gravy on the Steak & Ale Pie was delicious. The bread was very flaky, the steak tender. The server Egan was very helpful at making recommendations. There was a little wait foe our food, but when it came the portions were generous. Each country has its unique foods and ways they cook those foods. Don't really have anything to compare it to but it was hearty comfort food.
6 months ago
A very comfy pub, a mixture of locals and tourists. Friendly bar staff, nice drink selection, we watched some football on the telly and we really enjoyed the toasties ! read more
14 days ago
Ambiance - a pub atmosphere with lots of tables and TVs Service - certainly friendly enough when they drop stuff off, but nowhere to be found otherwise Food - Had the Karaage chicken, cheese and bacon burger, steak and ale pie, proper chips, sticky toffee pudding, and cheesecake. The chicken was okay, maybe a little overcooked. The mains were tasty, though the burger says served with onion rings and there were only two tiny rings. Technically not lying, but a misrepresentation for sure. The desserts were also fine. My biggest gripe was with the app that you used for ordering. It was very scattered, and not a great experience. It seemed to be the only way to order, as I said the table service was limited to the drop off. If you're going to force me into an app experience, at least make a better app. read more
2 months ago
Lovely day in Edinburgh! Another late lunch this time at the Beehive restaurant and pub. The atmosphere inside is flat. The layout is discombulated. Eating outside is the place to be on a beautiful day. It's open seating.You order at the bar and they bring your order to you. The tables are numbered and you provide your table number at time of order. We started with two pints of Tennants. Tennent's Lager is Scotland's best-selling pale lager. It reminded me of Innis and Gunn with a slight citrus taste. We then ordered salt and pepper fried calamari as a starter. It was OK, kind of bland. The Asian dipping sauce did give it a bit of life. Jan ordered the fish and chips. I thought it was the best we've had in Ireland and Scotland. I ordered the chicken sandwich on a Chibatta bun and it was below average. The chicken was cut into small strips, like you might find in a salad. I had a couple of bites that were all bread and it was difficult to keep the small strips on the sandwich. The bacon on the sandwich did little to help the overall flavor of the sandwich. Service is based on placing your order at the bar and waiting for it to be delivered. When the server delivered our order we were too busy looking at the food to notice that we had no ketchup or malt vinegar. Jan had to go and hunt that down in the restrauant. We arrived hungry and thirsty and both were taken care of, so mission accomplished. read more
2 months ago
If I could give this place zero stars, I would. If you're in the area, do yourself a favor and go anywhere else. The bar staff were rude, unfriendly, and seemed determined to make customers as miserable as they were. Hospitality clearly isn't a priority here. There are plenty of better places nearby where you'll actually feel welcome. Avoid this one. read more
8 months ago
My husband and I stopped in for a quick bite while out on Holiday. The food was good, highly recommend the fried Halloumi cheese as a shareable. We did not have a reservation but they had a reservation side and a walk in side. We were lucky and walked in and found a table right away!! It's a cozy place with plenty of seating. Great spot to pop in a grab a drink! read more
26 days ago
Great atmosphere and food. You order at the bar but they bring it to your table. The staff are very attentive especially with the size of the crowd. The food was hot and delicious and the beer was cold and refreshing. Great location, definitely recommend! read more
I would say more of a 3.5 overall. So we are staying on the Grassmarket area (which is a perfect place to stay btw). So The Beehive is really close. We popped in for dinner. If you don't have a reservation, no big deal. If you can find a table, grab it! Totally allowed. Make your way to the bar. Get a drink (if you want). Then tell the bartender your table number and they will send someone over. Or order there and have it brought. We had a table service. They charge a 10% surcharge for this. Here it seemed to mean: it's a bit impersonal and slow. Plus you have to find a refill either from the bar or if you can flag someone down. We both had the fish and "triple fried" chips. Fish? Piping hot, flaky and not overdone. The chips seemed like frozen steak fries. Nothing special there. The peas were ok. Shared a sticky toffee pudding. With custard. Super rich. Oh, and super good! Kind of a no frills, loud at times place. read more
The Beehive Inn in Edinburgh is history, history and more history. It is a typical pub vibe with wood everywhere. It sits in the shadows of the Edinburgh Castle with a legacy of 400 years. A counter service spot, this was a quick dinner. During my visit, I had the pleasure of sampling a few of their notable dishes. Fried Halloumi I loved the spice of the red chilli. The halloumi was both crispy and light. Hake & Romesco Ragout The grilled hake fillet served with a romesco white bean ragout, salsa verde, and carrot crisps surprised me. Contrary to my initial expectation of a stew, the dish had a beautifully cooked fillet of fish laid over a rich but light ragout. The salsa verde added a zesty pesto type touch and the carrot crisps provided a special crunch. Fish & Chips A visit to Scotland wouldn't be complete without chowing some Fish & Chips, and The Beehive Inn's version did not disappoint. The hand-battered Atlantic haddock was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. Although I'm not a pub girl, The Beehive Inn proved to be a treasure trove of classics. read more
I had to be taught the proper way to do stuff around this place. Pub ordering flowchart: Food Y/N? Drink Y/N? Use the term "soccer" Y/N? These are all critical in creating your ultimate pub experience at Beehive. The food was good and the atmosphere was friendly, with lots of drink choices (it's a pub). Question 1: you want food? Find your table, look at the number, remember it (harder if this is your third or sixth pub today), keep remembering it, maybe write it down, remember where you wrote it. Okay now order with that number you'll never forget. Question 2: you want drinks? Pick it (this could take a while), I guess buy multiples (since they asked "is that all" when I said one drink), find that table of the unforgettable number. Question 3: Do you call it soccer? If yes, note your table will likely not be in view of the 6-10 screens airing a TV playing an Association Football game (this is why you could even get a table here game-time). Think SEC times NFL, minus two quarters, times 1/3 commercials. But enjoy your view of the wall/post with a glimpse of the match, if you crane your neck, and be glad you got a seat. Of course we Yanks partly come just to hear everybody talk. It's across the street, so 75-80% chance I'll be back, just not sure in which order. read more
4 months ago
10 months ago
2 years ago
Looking for good pub food within walking distance of the Royal Mile/Castle. While the Beehive seemed inviting, the meal greatly disappointed us both. Friendly, fast bar service, but the quality of my mussels & chips and her toastie (glorified grilled cheese) was seriously lacking. The mussels were served in a flavorless broth (was it white wine/French? Beer/Belgian? A cream-based stock???) with several unopened shells. Her toastie featured more of a thin cheese spread rather than a real slice of cheese. Our shared mac&cheese was bland and thin. Just a disappointing £50 spend for dinner and two pints. read more
2 years ago
A local recommended the Beehive tilt White Hart (two doors down) for a nearby pub "experience." We chose the Beehive because we saw more options of food that weren't so out-of-the-usual for our unadventurous pallets. (Although I've heard fried haggis balls are pretty good.) Right on the Grassmarket, after a long day touring the city with the on/off Cityseeing City double decker, we popped I for an early dinner. The servers were friendly, helpful, and didn't roll their eyes when we asked for more ice. (Americans- we're obsessed with it apparently.) The haddock fish & chips were delicious, and while I usually prefer cod, this haddock didn't seem quite as fishy. The side of mac-n-cheese was cheesy, rich, and amazing! The dairy here in general is much better than the typical stuff we get in grocery stores at home. My mom enjoyed the bacon burger. The beef seemed to have a bit of a different flavor we couldn't put it fingers on, but good. We loved it. read more
One of the many touristy trap bar/resto pub in Old town Edinburgh and the food is average. We came in after walking the Royal Mile. No reception, you go in and theres instructions everywhere as to how to go about and order food. Find a table remember your number and order at the bar. Unusual, but it was alright. Theres also a comedy bar upstairs and sports tvs all over the place. Love their onion rings the lighter option sandwiches (the ones we had) not so much. They also have nice selection of ciders if youre into that. All in all it was alright read more
Super cute bustling Scottish pub near the University of Edinburgh. First come first seating all over restaurant, pub , and beer garden. They were busy on a Monday night! We had to order at the bar and state our table #. They have a great little menu with salads and hamburgers and appetizers etc. we ordered Loaded Nachos and they were great. Some kind of spicy powder on a strange pita tortilla chip. Good avocado. Really delightful. Not mounds of cheese like in the US. Just right amount of cheese. Friendly service even tho we bussed our own table bc we had to snag it. They were fine with that. My daughter drank Guinness and then a cider. I had my usual Sauvignon Blanc. Really reasonable price! Great cheerful busy pub vibe! PS their side salad was great! Arugula, slivered cucumbers, chopped greens, cut tomatoes, fine dressing. I was pleasantly surprised. read more
Recommended by the hotel front desk clerk for our first meal in Edinburg. We were looking for something within walking distance. She said it was Scottish food -so jumping right in there. At the Inn, you seat yourself and the server comes to the table and takes your order. The menu is on the table. There wasn't a drink menu on the table but of course there was a full bar. We just had Diet Coke and water. The hubby ordered Sausage and Mash and I ordered Steak & Ale Pie. The mashed potatoes are a little different than what we are used to having. Different types of potatoes are used and Americans add much more milk and butter. The greens were crispier than I expected. The gravy on the Steak & Ale Pie was delicious. The bread was very flaky, the steak tender. The server Egan was very helpful at making recommendations. There was a little wait foe our food, but when it came the portions were generous. Each country has its unique foods and ways they cook those foods. Don't really have anything to compare it to but it was hearty comfort food. read more
3 years ago
I arrived to Edinburgh last night and I was hungry from traveling all day. And because this evening was Halloween, many of bars, and pubs were packed full. So today I was happy I was able to get in find a table and have some lunch. For me today was all about beer and chicken wings. Once you have found your seat, you go and order your food and drinks from the bar and let the bartender know what table number you're sitting at so the food can be delivered to the right place. As I was waiting for my food, I looked around and just observed the patrons here. There's a really cool vibe here. The chicken arrived nice, crispy & golden Brown. It was seasoned well and juicy. The salad was basic but good. Overall, I'm happy I came here for lunch and I was able to get a seat and order some food. I definitely want to come back here again. I hope if you pop in that you have the same experience I did. Njoy! read more
2 years ago
Came here on a Friday evening and would recommend that you book ahead of time like we did. There was live music and they served traditional pub food which was good. read more
4 years ago
This is my first time in Edinburgh, so we have been walking around seeing all the must-see attractions, this we come to Grassmarket. We went into The Beehive Inn because the name caught our eye, and I am sure glad we did! A very nice and relaxing environment, paired with good drinks and great food made for a 10/10 experience. It's seat yourself and you just go up to the bar to order and they bring it to your table. They had plenty to eat for vegetarians like myself, AND ITS DOG FRIENDLY!!! Highly recommend!! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
2 years ago
4 years ago
Have to visit this spot every time I've been to Edinburgh. Food is great, lots of beer options. Good service. Prime location. Highly recommend read more
4 years ago
3 years ago
3 years ago
13 years ago
If you're looking for some nice British pub food in a nice area of Edinburgh then look no further. Grassmarket is a really cool area of Edinburgh for places to eat and enjoy a drink and to be honest, we chose this place because we liked the name and the sign!!! After checking the menu we decided we liked the sound of the food and went in and got seated. You seat yourself and place your order at the bar. We had a nice window seat so could people watch on Grassmarket and there was also a nice outdoor area to the front of the pub where people were sitting drinking and smoking. The food arrived in good time and was nice and tasty. Sometimes with this generic pub food it can just be very average (soggy chips, stale bread, cold veg or whatever) but we really enjoyed our food. I had a chicken and bacon sandwich with chips - the bread was soft and fresh and the chips were crunchy on the outside and fluffy on the inside. My boyfriend had the steak and ale pie with mashed potato and veg. To be fair the veg was not as hot as he would have liked but the gravy was hot enough to warm it up. The pie was really, really good. We finished with a good British treacle pudding and custard. I would say prices were a little more than what I am used to paying for pub food...probably because it is Edinburgh. For a drink (non-alcoholic), sandwich and treacle pudding it was about 11 or 12 pound. read more
3 years ago
11 years ago
We saw this place from the street, read the menu, and wanted to love it... So we took a seat and ordered what looked to be some tasty treats from the menu! The ambiance seemed low key and relaxing which was just what we needed... I ordered the Slow Cooked Lamb & Sweet Potato Pie... I looked great; however, the veggies weren't cooked and were crunchy. The mashed potatoes were bland. The lamb pie was full of fatty pieces of meat that I had to really work to chew. It was so disappointing! The boy ordered the Big Ben Burger with high hopes... Unfortunately, the chips were quite disappointing. How can you mess up chips?! He wasn't sure what was in the "burger sauce," but it wasn't too tasty. We had to order from the bar as there were no servers... I can't say that I've ever been to an establishment with no servers! Of course, nobody paid attention to us and we had to go to the bar if we needed anything. When our food finally came out (it took upwards of an hour) the crowd had change substantially... I would almost compare it to a mosh pit! No wonder there were no servers! They didn't want to put any of their staff in the line of fire of the crowd! This was a disappointing visit at best! read more
8 years ago
16 years ago
The Beehive Inn has a pretty cool name and it certainly stands out as one of the plushest and most interesting pubs in the Grassmarket. It's deceptively spacious inside and has plenty of comfortable seating. The decor is stylish with nice wooden flooring, traditional artwork on the walls and a big, impressive bar. The staff are friendly and cope well with the queues when it gets busy. The main selling point of The Beehive has to be the beer garden which is the perfect place to flock to on warm, sunny days. There are plenty of picnic benches outside to relax on with your friends and enjoy a drink. I attracts a large and lively crowd of locals, students and tourists who all mingle together well. The drinks are pretty moderately priced and they have a great range of ales and spirits for you to try. This place is definitely worth a look if you're in the area. read more
7 years ago
We liked this quirky little pub! It's one a series of pubs that carry traditional fare along Grassmarket. The servings were big and bold, and a great value at the price. We tried the Mac and cheese which was great and the Tatties Neeps and Haggis with a whisky sauce that was filling and delicious. Our friends had a bacon burger that was enormous, and a gigantic fish sandwich that was crisp and juicy and satisfying! You will not leave hungry! read more
4 years ago
11 years ago
I LOVE The Beehive! The sausage & mash was soooo amazingly delicious! Hands down the best dish I had during my whole trip to Scotland. Wonderful! We stuck around after enjoying our lunch indoors in a booth. We wandered through the restaurant out through the back. Out back are more tables and several different tiers, like a treehouse. It's pretty fantastic, with an abundance of seating that manages seclusion through tiering. The rest of our party met up with us on one of the decks out back and we enjoyed some drinks and sunny weather. Very nice! Some reviewers are put off by the service. We stopped in for lunch, and got our food pretty quickly. Yes, it is a bit of a "serve-yourself" kind of place. You have to go to the bar to order your food as well as any drinks. That isn't a deal breaker for me - I've been to plenty of places that run this routine. Hey, they bring you food and utensils rather than making you go fetch it - that's a plus! read more
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More info about The Beehive Inn
18-20 Grassmarket
Edinburgh EH1 2JU
United Kingdom
Grassmarket, Old Town
Directions
0131 225 7171
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14 years ago
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The Beehive Inn - pubs - Updated July 2026
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