Looking for an opportunity to eat and drink in the oldest public house in Scotland? Want to dine where 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. read more

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We made reservations here to celebrate my parents' anniversary, seeing that it was very highly reviewed 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. read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Various roasts on the next table over - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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In from the States, my family and I enjoyed our first meal in the Oldest Pub in Scotland. Located near Holyroodhouse and Arthur's Seat, we made reservations, which are highly recommended. Entering the establishment, you are immediately taken back in time with the aesthetics. A bar is immediately to your right with bar area tables to the left. Further back and around is a small dining room where we were seated. In front of our table was another with two very high back chairs. HRH Queen Elizabeth II dined here in 2016. We ordered scallop with prosciutto appetizers, pub burgers and fish and chips. Everything was delicious. read more

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What a cool stumble-upon discovery! I had take the bus over to visit Dr. Neill's Gardens and then hike up to Arthur's Seat. I was a bit peckish and this was one of the only places in the immediate area to grab lunch. The original inn was established in 1360 - making it the oldest pub in the city. It's hard to say how much of the original structure is still there, but sitting in a 665 year old pub is pretty cool. (It also has the oldest bowling alley in the city tucked away in the back - only 2 lanes, but very cool historic decor.) The crab thermador toast & brilliant house salad were just enough fuel for my next adventure. read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Gord and I had supper Monday evening at the Sheep Heid Inn because it's apparently the oldest pub in Edinburgh ... established in 1360! Gord ordered Battered Line-caught Cod & Chips (minted pea pureé, chunky tartare sauce, lemon) and I ordered Steak and Ale Pie (creamed potato, beef-dripping. Plus Gord ordered a black currant mousse. All were good. Lucy was friendly and took good care of us. read more

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The history of the location is the reason most will attend. It is nice to see that the queen has eaten there. However, the service is not as nice. We had a cocktail and some bites to eat, where it appeared when we asked for service we were bothering the waiters. Even though, we mined our Ps and Qs. Still worth while to visit, but don't expect much from service there. read more

Fun, lively pub! Friday night & it was hopping. We made reservations. Go early! Good food. I LOVE the crispy duck salad!! Hubbie had the steak & Guinness pie & loved it. Had a blast. Would return! read more

This place was recommended to us by a local (Robert and Alfie) we met earlier that day. We were coming down from the Arthurs Seat hike and we are really glad we ran into them because this place was our favorite restaurant out of the 3 days we were in Edinburgh. Dr Neil's Garden down the road is great too, which Robert recommended also. Food was good, staff was nice, and the atmosphere was great. A lot of cool stuff on the walls, the back patio was very nice and we found their Skittles alley out back, which we were not expecting. read more

Excellent service by Jessie, food we outstanding. This is a must experience. Make sure to stop by the bowling ally. read more

The building is pretty cool. Service was nice, but the food is subpar. Dinner was edible however dessert was not. The flour on the apple crumble tasted raw, the apples were still firm and the most awful thing... the custard. It tasted like play dough boiled with milk. I actually gagged. Go for the atmosphere and a drink, skip the rest. read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Chairs - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Food? Great. Location? Beaut. The staff on the other hand, wholeheartedly rude. A friend and I popped by the Sheep Heid for a quick lunch and were greeted with nothing but stonewalling and looks of distain. The bartender on the day had proceeded to greet customers who entered the establishment after us, even going as far as knocking me on the shoulder as she walked past to do so. We decided to persist regardless. Throughout the short duration of our visit, she had not warmed whatsoever and continued to treat us as imposters while she kindly served everyone else. We continued to act graciously (as anyone would) yet nothing changed. It was an isolating experience that left a sour taste in our mouth. Not cute. Do better. Other than that, great gammon. read more

Fantastic lamb and drinks at the oldest pub. Loved the STP too. The calamari was good too. We will visit here again.

Good food, they were out of a couple things. My wife did not love her plate; I had the chicken and thought it was very good.

Well started out strong here with reservations at Skittles on July 8th. Super fun way to start our night out. Then at 9 it all went down hill. Had reservations for 6 which they sat us but with not saying order now all you are getting including desert due to kitchen closing. Had these reservations for months and nothing ever said about this, but, we did what they requested. Got food out, and honestly it all looked good in pictures. Some stuff tasted better than others, but let's just say 3 of the 6 of us, got death defying food poison, and for us 3, we only had the tomato soup the same so it had to be from that. We were out 2 days being sick and it was not a way to start our 16 days over there. Waiter was fIne, servers sorta rude and was pushed inter time while eating and drinks forgot. Would not suggest if only going to say you been to this old place. I would say grab a pint and bowl a game then leave and eat somewhere else. read more

Excellent food, drinks, service. Off the beaten path in Edinburgh but well worth the journey for the meal and atmosphere.

A good pub, part of the same chain as the Salisbury Arms, Greyfriars Bobby, and various other Edinburgh staples, with lovely atmosphere, but more mixed food and service. I've been going to the Sheep Heid on and off for 10-12 years now. It's a lovely, charming venue and it's a fun place to show off when I've got guests visiting Edinburgh. There's good beer on tap as well. Over time, I do feel that there's been a gradual but increasingly noticeable decline in the quality of the food and service. It's basically £20-25 a head for a main and a drink, and other places in the same bracket (e.g. Spoon, the Outsider) have much more interesting, better quality options. The food isn't bad per se, just kind of standard meals at a high price, kind of like an airport pub. There's lots of choice from various international options to traditional pub fare. In fact, I wonder if having too much choice is part of the problem - it's a really big menu, and perhaps a narrower set of options would allow a focus on either a) some really impressive high quality options or b) the current stuff at a more reasonable price. Service is fair to middling. read more

What a wonderful way to spend our first night in Edinburgh! The history of the oldest public house in Edinburgh and the village where Sheep's Heid is located are both charming! The food was fantastic, the four of us had the Beef Brisket and cheese pie, the venison, the sea bass and the pork belly. Absolutely delicious each one! The Haggis was also delicious! Rachel, our server was just perfect and helped make it a fabulous experience. On her recommendation we tried the sticky toffee pudding and it was fantastic, as was the pavlova! Thank you to all of you and we wish you hundreds of more years of success! read more

This. Place. Is. Amazing. It claims to be Scotland's oldest pub, and it's easy to see why it's still in business since 1360. This place is just far enough out of the city centre that you can justify spending a whole afternoon or evening there, but close enough that almost everyone you ask will know about it or have been at least once. From the outside, it looks just like any given old man's pub, serving real ales and home-cooked food. Nothing surprising so far. But when you get inside the place has a surprisingly young and laid back crowd, with an atmosphere to match. The food is way better than you'd expect in most pubs, although it is slightly pricer. For your money though, you get decent-sized portions and according to the menu certain ingredients like the sausages are sourced locally, so you can feel proud of yourself for helping out local farmers/butchers in the process of stuffing your face with bangers and mash. I'm not a real ale drinker, in fact I'm about as far in the opposite direction as you can go, and there's definitely a good range of spirits and wines to cater for the likes of me. They stock ginger beer to go with my gin for a start, instead of watery ginger ale that a lot of places have. But saving the best 'til last... they still have the original Victorian skittles alley out the back which you can hire out. Most pubs are doing well with a pool table or an it-box, but this definitely trumps a dartboard and I'd highly recommend it. read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - image courtesy of www.sheepheid.co.uk - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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This is such a cool place! Not only is it Edinburgh's oldest pub which makes it great in itself, but it is set in a lovely location, being in Duddingston Village and close to Arthurs Seat. It's good to go to on sunny or rainy days. I love the atmosphere in this pub. When I went I was able to grab a seat in the beer garden, before it became really busy, and was able enjoy the sun (yes sun in Edinburgh). Then myself and a friend went inside to have some good food. I don't think you're allowed to have food out in the beer garden, though there is a small balcony area upstairs where it looked like you can have food. There's a good mix of clientele from families to groups of friends out for a few drinks. They had a guy singing in the beer garden yesterday which was a nice touch. He did covers of what I consider to be chilled out songs which suited the atmosphere of the place. There is also the skittles alley which I've yet to try, but I've heard great things about it so it's definitely on my list of things to do. Great pub! read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Nice chilled out music at the sheep heid. - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Outstanding pub. I appreciated the impressive vegan options. I ordered the Morracan-styled cauliflower tart. The pastry was delicious and the filling was so creamy it just melted in your mouth. For dessert I had the apple plum crumble with soy custard. It was the perfect ending. Definitely make reservations. The night we went there was a sign on the door saying they couldn't accept walk ins. read more

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Have you wanted to get out of the City but you don't have a car and can't be bothered with buses? Head towards the famous "hill" of Edinburgh, Arthurs Seat. You can climb it if you want- it does have spectacular views from the top and provides the feeling of self accomplishment. However you can also walk around it and head towards the village of Duddingston. There are a variety of routes to reach the village, either following the road , from which you will get to see Duddingston Loch, or under via the Innocent Cycle Path or even over Arthur's Seat. Once you arrive at the village head towards the famous Sheep's Heid Inn- the "oldest public House of Scotland" (from 1360!). It was thought to be the stopping place for travellers and royalty going between Holyrood and Craigmillar Castle. Here you will find a good selection of beers and ales and other drinks (much needed after the walk) as well as food. The pub is like a treasure trove, with various memorabilia left from previous visitors-so take your time to have a look around(I surely did), as well as board games you are welcome to use. There is also a cute beer garden in the back if you are lucky with the weather, and do not miss out on taking a look at the old skittle alley- ask a member of staff to let you in if you can't find it. Skittles is like an early form of bowling and the Inn is quite popular for it, so it is usually hard to book a slot. There is a large variety of food to choose from, from tourist favourites of haggis and other Scottish delicacies to lighter options. On Sunday's there is also a roast which tends to get quite popular (call to book in advance!) and around spring and the summer there are various barbeques and beer festivals (check their website for more details: http://www.sheepheid.co.uk/history.html). Prices are on the verge of affordable, but one is really visiting this place for its ambience. I always take visiting friends here as a sort of "outing". Although the food can be quite stodgy and heavy I would highly recommend this place to any visitor or resident of Edinburgh who wants to let go of the city and get a feel of an "authentic" pub-a cosy place whatever the weather may be! read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Sheep's Heid Inn from official website - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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This place is the perfect country pub - but you don't have to drive out to the country. Very cosy with great staff (though maybe a bit mental). Always got a couple great Real Ales. Good bar menu, we had the steak frites and the burger, both were great value for money. freshly ground coffees also, and we shared a chocolate brownie, BOOM! This is what pub lunches are all about, don't look anywhere else. Also, don't forget, beer garden, beer festival, separate restaurant, child and dog friendly, skittle alley.... I HEART The Sheep Heid!! read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - I Sheep Heid Inn - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

After debating whether this pub was called the sheeps head OR the sheeps heed, a friend and I trekked past Arthur's seat to go find out! It's a beautiful walk up there in good weather, but definitely out of the way if one's situated in Edinburgh city centre. It has the cosy feeling that many Edinburgh pubs have, but seemed much lighter, probably due to the sunny day and after ordering our drinks, we made our way to the back where there's a really pleasant outdoor seating area. There was a little drama over our orders, as not that many bartenders are accustomed to mixing Guinness with coke! The most surprising aspect of the trip was how large and modern the bathrooms our; they would do any hotel proud! If the Sheepsheid was a little bit closer, I'd probably visit more often! read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - from "www.sheepheid.co.uk" - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I absolutely love the idea of this place but in reality it is neither as quaint nor accommodating as it seems. After reading the website, a month from my travel, I did not book a reservation to eat based on their website's insistence that they were "always avaIlable for walk-ins". I was a single, which I thought would make things easier, but was told straight away (at 4.15 PM) that they had "absolutely no opening". I got a spot w/in the bar area but was not told by the bartender that the Sunday roast is not available in the seated bar area (that information is also not available on their website). After asking, I was basically told "sorry/oh well" from both the hostest and bar staff, a trip I made solely for that roast. In all, lovely place but absolutely book because their laissez fare attitude on their website is hardly their practice. read more

Great atmosphere but small. They have an awesome burger that if your American, like me, you will love it! All the drink are awesome also! read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Good local spot. Food was good but service was lacking. She brought the wrong bottle of wine to another couple at our table then it took longer d for food. Trivia was starting as we were finishing so it got very crowded in the front of the restaurant. We will go again in hopes the service improves. Food and prices are good. read more

At 1360 years old, it's the oldest kittle alley in Scotland. The mini boing alley is absolutely awesome and hidden gem if you ask anyone. The Sheeps Heid Inn is, in and of itself, is awesome. Besides the history, the customer service and local bits and beers are tops. I highly recommend this historic experience to anyone who comes to Scotland. #sheepsheidinn read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Following the steps of Her Majesty the Queen we paid a visit to the renowned Sheep Heid Inn. We booked for 4 people at 1:30pm, the table was waiting for us upon arrival and we're welcomed by friendly front of house Kelsie. The place was rather busy as all tables were pre-booked. We ordered some drinks (alcohol free beers, Caesar Augustus ale and some orange juice) As per starters we had two soups of the day, Stilton & Mushroom with artisan rustic bread & butter, Salt & Szechuan Pepper Squid followed by Cod & chips, Wagyu Burger with extra bacon, child portion Fish Goujon and a Duck Salad as mains. And here's when all kicked off... we were served by a tall dude who looked spaced out/in the zone and by waitress Kelsie & a bearded waiter as a back-up... Tall Dude took the drink orders, but they never arrived...until we re-asked to Bearded Waiter and ...voila drinks arrived in 1 minute... After a 25 minutes wait our starters arrived; the Stilton & Mushroom soups were a terrible disappointment as they did not taste of Stilton or mushrooms either, they were certainly not creamy and they looked more like some green over diluted salty stock...or dirty warm water... To top it up, Tall Dude got catering lesson 1.0.1 wrong as he did not do the mise-en-place...AKA forgot to bring spoons....we asked him for them to no avail so I started to drink it from the bowl, camping style... when we got the attention of Bearded Waiter we got the spoons in a second... After finishing our almost edible starters, we ordered a second round of drinks to Tall Dude; who of course did not deliver...after 5 minutes we got Kelsie and she brought our drinks in a good timely fashion, thank goodness. After a long wait for our mains, Tall Dude appeared with all our mains; but guess what ... catering lesson 1.0.2 was missed too as he forgot to clear the empty bowls & plates from the starters to make room...anyhow... My mate's Cod & Chips was a 5/10 experience while my Wagyu Burger was good enough; so it was the Duck Salad (7/10). Pros: Kelsie & Bearded Waiter, the atmosphere, the pub interiors. Cons: the food & the Tall Dude appalling non-existent service. Plenty room for improvement as you may guess...but it won't be me testing if that happen (or not)... any time soon.... read more

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If you're in Edinburgh, stop in to the oldest pub! Food and service were fantastic! A bit out of the way but worth the Uber ride over. read more

The Sheep Heid Inn - Roasted Chicken - Pubs Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Glad we tried the oldest pub in Scotland (I think?). Drink choices were good and I like that it's hidden away a bit and doesn't feel touristy. read more

I love this pub. Found in Duddingston Village, the walk around Arthur's Seat is good enough to warrant a few stars but the pub itself deserves the full 5. Claiming to be the oldest pub in Scotland (and dating from 1360 it probably is), the Sheep Heid retains a traditional pub atmosphere but manages to avoid the trap of alienating young people because of this. The clientèle are a mix of young and old, and each are catered for in equal measure. There is a good selection of guest ales, that rotate every so often, so you can always be guaranteed to have a new brew to wet your whistle. There is an excellent selection of Malt Whiskies, with different strengths and flavours to suit all palates. And that's not all. Upstairs, the food is probably the best you can get in an Edinburgh pub. With their recently updated menu you can now add a duck and orange salad to the traditional steak pies, fidget pie and excellent burgers and fish and chips. The starters are much better than you would expect from normal pub food, with the best being the fish cakes and the salmon wrapped around cucumber. A starter and a main with a beer or two will cost you less than £20 a head which is pretty reasonable when you bear in mind the quality of the food. And that's still not all; their beer garden is surrounded by the rest of the pub so you aren't distracted by outside noise when supping. On Wednesdays there is a pub quiz which is always good fun, and you can win about £30 to £50 depending on how many groups are taking part. As well as this they have the only remaining Victorian skittle alley, which can be rented out for parties and is a great way for a group to spend an evening. An extra incentive to come to what is already one of the best pubs in Edinburgh. And that's all. read more

It claims to be the oldest pub in Scotland. It has a wooden skittle alley. These are the two reasons I went searching for this pub. And as I walked past Arthur's Seat, admiring the view I was quite sceptical about this place, I heard it was great, I heard it had one of the best selections of ales in the city and even offered brilliant tasting food! Imagine a pub offering great food! And did these expectations all live up to the hype? Well, yes they did. The bar is quite traditional inside, with a warm, cosy atmosphere. The ales on offer were all very tempting, and were very reasonably priced. The food as well was not expensive, and the Sheep's Heid menu had an extensive menu for a traditional bar. The beer garden outside looked very nice, slightly too cold for me to use that day, but during the summer it must be great! It also has pub quizzes and live music most weeks! The aura of being in Scotland's oldest pub adds to your own experience of visiting this place. Go on, step back in time and visit Scotland's oldest pub! read more

I've always really enjoyed a trip to the Sheep Heid, especially after a walk up Arthur's Seat. What is it about walking that makes you really want a beer? Is it a UK thing, or a Scottish thing? Is it because you've just done something healthy, you must counteract it? And man does that beer taste good after a long walk. It makes me want to go walking this weekend so I can tuck into a few well deserved pints. Anyway .... I have always really enjoyed coming here for pints. The best bit, in my opinion, is in the summer when they have the BBQ on. They even have amazing beer festivals here and when you combine beer festival with BBQ and sun, you have my perfect weekend. My guy and I are house hunting at the moment and last weekend I looked at a house about 8 minutes walk from here. My guy wasn't too keen on the house itself and I was like "but then we would live withing really really close walking distance to the Sheep Heid and the beer and the barbeque and the beer and the beer!!!" He was not convinced that my argument was strong enough to buy a house there. Pff. The only downside is the tourist trade. Dastardly tourists take up lots of space in this place, but at least they have good taste. read more

I love this place. Officially the oldest pub in Scotland! After a long post Christmas walk up and around Arthur's seat we needed some grub. We had visited the Sheep's Heid before so we knew we would get something good. Nestled down a cobbled street in Duddingston, The Sheep's Heid is the cutest Inn you ever did see. Inside is super cosy and welcoming. We walk into the bar and the friendly staff show us to a table in the back. This pub looks small but it can hold quite a few tables! The lighting is dim and the chairs are super comfy, after a couple of pints you could easily drift off into a slumber. We look at the menu and David does his usual and goes for the burger. I decide upon the seabass. The food doesn't take long and we are soon tucking in. My seabass is beautifully cooked and came with delicious vegetables and dressing. David's burger must have been good as he seemed to inhale it! We are both too full for a dessert even though they do sound amazing. Lunch cost about £30 but that was with a drink each as well, not bad at all. A great place to bring the family to or just hanging out on a Sunday. I am desperate to try their Sunday roast! If you have the energy afterwards you can play a game of proper old fashioned skittles, they have an alley in the back. Just ask the guys at the bar. A definite winner for me! Cheers, Amy read more

Worth the journey! We read about Sheeps Heid in our lonely planet guidebook: the oldest existing inn/pub in Edinburgh. Tucked away behind Arthur's seat, on a house lined street that looks like it's an ancient little town of its own, is a precious gem serving contemporary gastropub fare along with some simple but interesting cocktails I've never heard of. If you love atmosphere, you'll forgive the slant in the floor of the dining room and the slender pickings at the bar and just enjoy soaking up the vibes of what's been a travellers waystation for several centuries. read more

Cruised Edinburgh last weekend and (thanks to yelp!) discovered the Sheep's Heid. Between us, we had: Scallops The goat cheese salad Veggie potato/squash cake Roast chicken Everything was wonderful- the service was lovely, the food was delicious - we left stuffed and with big ole smiles on our faces! Oh - but one note- don't even think about trying to walk there from the middle of town at night. Just take a cab.... read more

So good here! The onion and mushroom tart are so good or the fried brie This is by far the best pub we went to on our trip. Amazing food and away from the tourist area. I really wish I could go back here. I am recommending it to everyone who visits Edinburgh. read more

Let me go on the record. I love pubs and I love history. Put the two together and we have a winner. This for me is the case with the Sheep Heid Inn. I first came here back in 2004 and I'm pleased to say very little has changed...as you'd insist with the oldest pub in Edinburgh. As far as the visit on Sunday just past...I'm happy to say that my order of a pint of Guinness and a white wine at 12.29pm was not effected by the barkeep until 12.30pm (take note Licensing, Customs & Excise inspectors!) and my wanting a table for three upstairs for lunch was warmly received even though I had not booked prior. The staff were more than accommodating of us and of our young son and the meals, huge! I partook of the bean casserole with chorizo and crusty bread (totally yum-ola!) and my wife's steak & guest ale pie looked and wafted a treat...and according to the report back from the other side of the table, very tasty (& yes I did manage a cheeky taste of it and in my limited capacity, all ok from me too). I'd love to bore you with the fantastic history of the pub (wars, deception, deal making, intrigue...and sheep husbandry) and of the village of Duddingston (all of the above) but I'll not put you through it. Suffice to say this pub is a hidden gem within Edinburgh located amongst beautiful surrounds and vista at the base of a (pretty magnificent) rock...superb! read more

I had a cracking dinner here with work friends on a Thursday night, it oozes character with the flattering dark lighting, fireplaces, selection of board games and interesting multitude of 'dust gatherers' (my Mums phrase for general decorative faff) covering the walls. There are alot of animal heads hanging around to watch you enjoying your grub but I did feel sorry for whatever animal was killed and seem to have had only its butt and tail mounted for people to laugh at forever more. I had Fidget Pie because I was reading Harry Potter at the time and the name appealed to me. It had delicious chunks of smoked gammon and apricots in it - delicious. My colleagues had warm salads which also looked scrumptious and really filling.I managed to squeeze in a slice of banoffe pie which was good but not great hence the 4 star rating. read more

I'd heard quite a bit about the Sheeps Heid Inn, mostly very positive, so it seemed like the natural place to stop after a day wandering the Lothian countryside. The pub has a decent bar, but we were in to eat so grabbed a table in one if the dining areas. We were served with a smile and chose the fish and chips and a goats cheese salad which arrived about 10 minutes later. I have to say I thought the food was fairly average. The fish seemed heavy with fat, and the goats cheese salad lacked imagination - a handful of green leaves with a lump of goat's cheese dumped on top. Just a small improvement wih the food would see this place elevated to 'real gem' status and make it worth the trek out of town to visit. On this evidence they've got a bit to go though so I'd pop in for a passing pint but there are better eateries closer to home. read more