mussel inn

all four in our party rated the food very highly. the oysters and mussels were plump and delicious and the scallops were cooked to perfection. definitely a place for seafood lovers.servicewas also friendly and efficient.

i've visited the mussel inn a couple of times now, the mussels are delicious.
to start i had the grilled queenies - grilled queen scallops with black pudding. this was a really nice starter. i went for a kilo of the blue cheese, bacon and cream mussels for my main. the mussels taste great, really fresh and the sauce is so tasty we ordered a second basket of bread to enjoy with it. a kilo of mussels was overkill slightly, along with a starter the half kilo would have been enough.
the house white wine was flavoursome and went nicely with the food.
service was good, staff were much more attentive on the second visit,servicehad been slow on my first time there. they have had an interesting new special on the board when i have been in. the place has a nice atmosphere however on both visits i have found the restaurant to be very cold, we sat next to a radiator but it didn't seem to be on!

i was reminded of how much i enjoy oysters when i tasted some lovely plump ones from ancuig seafoods at the scottish food show last week. so when it was suggested that we go to mussel inn for dinner friday night i knew immediately what my starter would be. the mussel inn isn’t one of the places that ancuig supplies, and i’m not going to discuss the relative values of oysters, but i will wax lyrical over a meal of molluscs. ah, a beautiful thing, the mollusc, when fresh, sea-scented and accompanied by a clean white wine.

the mussel inn is a mid-sized and from the outside a somewhat unassuming restaurant tucked away on rose street, not all that far from seadogs. it suggests sea food from the get-go: there are huge mosaic fish on the walls and there’s a fairly fishy ambiance. the menu is straightforward and fish-focussed. mussels is an unsurprising speciality and comes in half kilo or kilo pots in several different sauces. 

since my mind was set on starting my meal with a half-dozen oysters, i thought it only logical to make my main a half-kilo of mussels in a shallot sauce.serviceis snappy so there was not long between order and starter.

the oysters made me very happy. they had that perfect sea flavour that needs no fiddling, although i find it difficult not to squeeze a little bit of lemon on, just because i like lemons so much. these would have been perfect on their own, dressed in nothing but their delectable liquor.

i enjoy the way mussel inn serves mussels. they come in a large pot, with the sauce written on the lid. the lid is where the shells go as you empty the pot. the shallot mussels come in a white wine, shallot and cream sauce. i was tempted by the natural mussels who come in nothing but their own juices, but the shallot won me over. it had a light flavour that complemented the mussels well. not overpowering, and light despite the cream. i ate it all greedily.

my companion had the vegetarian pasta. it came with mushrooms and a few leaves of spinach. really, not something worth talking about. not like the mussels. so let’s get back to them.

mussels are finger food: i eat mine using a small shell to pick the meat out of larger shells. i use larger shells to spoon up the sauce even when spoons are supplied. i stack the empty shells inside each other to save time (and because it looks pleasing). i enjoy hands-on food and i enjoy being hands-on with it. the lemon wipe at the end of the meal is very welcome.

to finish, i had affogato. exquisitely simple and a delightful mixture of adult and childish pleasures, affogato is vanilla ice cream onto which you pour espresso and liqueur. i chose amaretto to make the perfect indulgent and silly desert to round off a perfect meal.

the bill came to £60 which really impressed me considering that we had two 3-course meals and a £20 bottle of viognier.servicewas friendly and prompt. mussel inn gets busy on a friday and is quite buzzy too. tables at the mussel inn are close together so you can listen in to your neighbour’s conversation if you have none yourself.

it is a really good place for mussels. straight up.

it is small quite place for mussel lovers. the place is simple and cozy. theserviceand staff is friendly from the selection of menu till the payment.

they have combinations of meal which makes it interesting to try variety of dishes. you should definitely try them cooked in different styles, only then you can decide your own liking. if you are trying for the first time; don’t worry! they don’t smell
.
the photo describes the best i had here. they were perfectly cooked, right temperature and off course had all essential flavors. 
mussel pots are not be ordered if you are planning a quick lunch.

terrible service, basic food. badserviceseems to be a trend in reviews of this restaurant, i visited anyway and although i wasn't disappointed with the food, this was only because fresh fish is always tasty, not because of the restaurant's presentation or culinary expertise. this is yet another example of a restaurant becoming a victim of their own success. the food was tasty as i said, but the wait for a table, attitude of the staff that customers are lucky to get to eat there was a complete turn off for me. portions here have become smaller and smaller, getting a table is difficult, yet once there the staff are inept yet arrogant and the food is really basic. i'd recommend the mussel and steak bar in the grassmarket- far superior! beautiful presentation, consistently friendly staff members and all this remains the same despite its popularity. the mussel inn is on the way out...

average. my daughter said "i don't think it's a good idea to eat at a place with the food it sells in its name." and i would have to say in this case she was right. ok, it was a sunday evening, and being on the street it was busy, but i won't be going back. theservicewas not as good as i would have expected; three times we were approached with the wrong order, and each time the waitress's reaction was as if it was our fault. having said that, our waitress was more efficient, though still not quick. two of us had mussels which were average, on the small side but reasonably tasty. the sceptical daughter chose scallops and had a fine meal, showing her nouse again. bottom line, you can get better mussels in a nicer environment in edinburgh.

quality nosh!!!! popped in last minute, the second time we've eaten in the mussel inn and the second lovely meal we've had. oysters & fish cakes to start. mains of mussels, 1kg, mexican style & the fish platter. both my wife and i struggled to finish our meals. both were delicious and well presented. if you like fish especially mussels there's no better place in glasgow.service& atmosphere was first class too. excellent evening had by all...

fantastic chowder, delicious mussels and a really great hot sea food platter that can easily be shared.servicewas also attentive and friendly.

fantastic bread but i'd expected better mussels given the name of the restaurant.servicewasn't very friendly either, was better 4 years ago when we last dined there as were the serving siizes. meals are reasonably priced, easy to find city centre location.