The King's Wark
Quick info
About The King's Wark
At 36 Shore, The King's Wark occupies a waterfront inn built in 1432, serving Scots cuisine in a gastropub format. The kitchen turns out mussels and fish and chips alongside a veggie haggis in pastry and smoked haddock with haggis and bacon. Sunday brings a roast, with flat iron and venison among the options, and desserts run to sticky toffee pudding and apple crumble, often finished with custard or ice cream. Real ales are poured alongside the food. The place takes walk-ins rather than reservations, though it gets busy enough that arriving early helps secure a table.
Good to know
“This waterfront inn built in 1432 offers robust, creative Scots cuisine, banquets and real ales.”
- ReservationsWalk-in only
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, seating
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention apple crumble, venison sunday roast, mussels and fish and chips.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention apple crumble, venison sunday roast, mussels and fish and chips.
Customer Review Summary
The Sunday roast draws the most repeated praise, with the venison and flat iron singled out as excellent, and the veggie haggis in pastry also mentioned favorably. Close behind, the apple crumble comes up again and again as a standout, usually served with custard or ice cream, alongside the sticky toffee pudding. Several reviewers also point to the mussels and the fish and chips, and one describes a fish bowl with scallops, king prawns and sea bass, though on that visit the sea bass had sold out without the server mentioning it, and a staff member substituted in sea trout instead. Service is repeatedly called friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere is described as cosy, lively and sometimes noisy, which more than one reviewer counts as part of its charm. A few note the food runs pricier than expected, and one mentions booking ahead given how busy it gets. Most reviewers say they'd return.
Customer Review Summary
The Sunday roast draws the most repeated praise, with the venison and flat iron singled out as excellent, and the veggie haggis in pastry also mentioned favorably. Close behind, the apple crumble comes up again and again as a standout, usually served with custard or ice cream, alongside the sticky toffee pudding. Several reviewers also point to the mussels and the fish and chips, and one describes a fish bowl with scallops, king prawns and sea bass, though on that visit the sea bass had sold out without the server mentioning it, and a staff member substituted in sea trout instead. Service is repeatedly called friendly and welcoming, and the atmosphere is described as cosy, lively and sometimes noisy, which more than one reviewer counts as part of its charm. A few note the food runs pricier than expected, and one mentions booking ahead given how busy it gets. Most reviewers say they'd return.
Featured reviews
- Google user
“Although I live locally, it'd been a while since I last ate here, it didn't disappoint. I arrived with three guests, two from London and one from Australia. We ordered the fish bowl, it had scallops, mussels, king prawns and sea bass. A tantalising bowlful however, the sea bass appeared to be elusive! The server forgot to tell us it was sold out. Luckily, Ian came to the rescue and substituted the sea bass with a rather delicious sea trout instead. 5/5 guys, I'd forgotten how good the food and service was, I'll be back. Thanks.”
- Google user
“A fantastic traditional Scottish pub with a great atmosphere. The food was excellent – especially the mussels and the fish & chips, both were delicious. Friendly service and a perfect place to enjoy authentic Scottish cuisine. We would definitely come back!”
- Google user
“The King's Wark is a wonderfully atmospheric pub and restaurant with plenty of character. The staff were incredibly friendly and made us feel very welcome throughout our visit. The food was very good, and while it was a little on the pricier side, the quality certainly didn't disappoint. It can get quite lively and noisy, but that's part of the pub's charm. Overall, a great place to enjoy good food and soak up the atmosphere.”
- Google user
“This was our first time at The King's Wark and we really impressed. We had the mussels and venison Sunday roast, both were absolutely delicious. The portions sizes are also big, so we were very satisfied. We also had the apple crumble with custard and ice cream, which was fabulous!! Service was welcoming and friendly, and the atmosphere is great. We will definitely be back!”
- Google user
“Fun pub by the shore. The food seems to lean more American style and I’m not complaining. The fries were definitely more American being crispy and thinner and the fish batter was greasy to my personal liking. There was a crab roll special and I thought it was unique in its multi flavor profile utilizing ingredients such as apple. The fish and chips is the better choice though. But the real star of the show was the apple crumble. It was the perfect temperature, the apples and cinnamon flavors were at the fore front, and the crumble and ice cream brought the dessert full circle. Only suggestion would be the apple crumble needed more of the ice cream, about a half of scoop more.”
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 1
- Wheelchair accessible seating
Location
Bars near The King's Wark
- Port O' Leith4.55580.1 miWheelchair accessibleOutdoor seating
guinness, whisky selection, dogs welcome
- The Guildford Arms4.54,4331.7 mi
beef & ale pie, cask ale selection, cowder fish soup
- The Cocktail Geeks4.82,3251.8 mi
studio ghibli theme, themed cocktail storytelling, journey's end theme
| Place | Rating | Distance | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| The King's WarkWheelchair accessible | 4.51,624 | — | apple crumble, venison sunday roast, mussels |
| Port O' LeithWheelchair accessible · Outdoor seating | 4.5558 | 0.1 mi | guinness, whisky selection, dogs welcome |
| The Guildford Arms | 4.54,433 | 1.7 mi | beef & ale pie, cask ale selection, cowder fish soup |
| The Cocktail Geeks | 4.82,325 | 1.8 mi | studio ghibli theme, themed cocktail storytelling, journey's end theme |
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