the sheep heid inn

roast was okay but the potatoes weren't crispy and no crackling with the pork! i'm really picky about my roast and i just don't think this was worth the money (13£). thepubitself is so nice and a great place for a drink. for walk ins however i didn't find the service great. *a plus however is that the yorkshire pudding was great!

scotland's oldestpubestablished in 1360!! what a treat after a long stroll up arthur's seat. luckily a fellow scrambler advised us about this awesomepubin duddingston which is the other side of arthur's seat. it was a very cosy warmpuband booked out for food on a saturday afternoon so some beer and coke kept us company for a hour or two. :)

i love this place! i wanted to go because it is scotland's oldest pub, but when i found out it had old fashioned skittles i was even more excited to visit! after a year or living in edinburgh, i finally made it.
myself and 2 friends headed along at the weekend and played skittles before enjoying dinner. skittles were so much, we had the room to ourselves which made it more enjoyable and we all voiced how great it would be for a group of people to rent out the room for an evening.
being the oldestpubin scotland i didn't have high hopes for the food as i thought it would be quite gimmicky. i couldn't have been more wrong! there seemed to be a lot to local people in the sheep heid inn and the food was great. we shared halloumi to start and then i chose the lobster brioche roll and fries for my main. i took a while to decide on my main as many items on the menu sounded extremely appetising! for dessert i opted for the chocolate fondant. i really enjoyed all of my food and i can't wait to go back to sample more from the menu.
the atmosphere is lovely in the sheep heid inn; so warm and cosy! it's perfect for a cold winters evening. the only let down was the service. the bar staff were friendly, but the wait staff were not very cheerful and approachable.

if there was zero it would be there. i used to go to thispubfor both drinks and meals regularly - never again. the last 3 visits have shown just what mitchell & butler can do to destroy a once great establishment.
the most recent visit last week was a disgrace; staff forgot to direct us to a table it took a second reminder.we were severed incorrect drinks when our order of drinks eventually arrived.
our orders for starters and mains taken, 6 off items requested off the menu were unavailable and there were no fish on offer. starters were basicpubquality at restaurant prices.
when it cam to the mains there was only one rack of lamb although 2 were ordered (the place was still welcoming customers so more to be disappointed) and one pie although again 2 were ordered. the substitute fish cakes were barely edible and one was left. the pie was burned and inedible. the lamb was over done.
deserts; we all opted for the recommended cranachan. there was no flavour of drambuie, few roasted oats and it was over a strawberry mush.
allow 30 to 40 mins for service of each course and by the time we'd finished 4 of us had finished 3 bottles of wine.
this was a birthday disaster!!
all the manager, not robin, could do was continuously apologise profusely and discount the bill with the cost of the mains and deserts.
as i said at the start this was their 3rd and last strike.
our previous meal was so bad the manager discounted the cost of the entire meal, although in sympathy we paid an amount to distribute to the staff for their efforts to make good. this meal the manager in his attempt to make good had said was offered to us at a discount in an attempt to make good from the previous meal which was also disastrous.
i know reviews are often doubted, but do not doubt this because i have gone from a loyal customer to one who will never return.

a welcome sight for those who have just come down from arthur’s seat, the sheep heid inn in duddingston is the oldest runningpubnot only in edinburgh, but scotland as a whole. with a charming exterior and a lovely warmpubinside, it’s a great way to reward yourself after a long day rambling around holyrood park.

the sheep heid inn has a long and illustrious history. it’s one of the oldest pubs in scotland (the oldest, maybe), it has a skittles alley and a beer garden. it is nestled in the village of duddingston, in the shadow of arthur’s seat. it’s been there for a long time (651 years!) and is a well-known edinburgh attraction. there’s beer, there’s food, there are charming surroundings.

when i went last monday to look at the new menu, i hadn’t visited for years. why hadn’t i been? partly because i’m not over on that side of town often. but also because my memory of the sheep heid inn was of a run-down, very pubby pub. a lot has changed since i was last there, and not just the menu.

the sheep heid inn had a complete re-fit in november 2011. the new decor is neutral and comfortable. the upstairs dining room is inviting and warm. during the week, most people choose to eat downstairs where there’s a really nice little room between the bar and the skittles alley. (yes. the skittles alley is a very good reason to go to the sheep heid inn. have a drink, a bowl of chips and throw those wooden balls down the skittle lane. if you’re lucky, you’ll hit some skittles.) 

i started one of the kitchen’s very special specials: cy’s cullen skink. it was good! filling, smokey, delightfully peppery and finished off with mussels in the shell and crispy leeks. it was the perfect soothing dish and i’m not surprised it is one of the dishes they sometimes offer as a special snack-bowl in the bar. i’d have it every time. i blame the fact that i was too full to have pudding on the skink’s greatness. but don’t worry – i had a thorough look at the dessert menu and will talk about that later. 

the sheep heid inn is owned by a chain – mitchells & butlers – but the individual restaurants are given quite a lot of autonomy. the sheep heid inn is a localpubthat serves neighbours and visitors alike. because it’s so close to athur’s seat, it gets a lot of visitors at the weekend: walkers come for lunch and families drive over at the weekend. they are so busy at the weekend that if you want to visit, you’re best booking a table. on a sunday the kitchen serves a sunday roast with all the trimmings. book a couple of days in advance to make sure you reserve a spot.

in the summer, they have plans for the barbecue in the beer garden and events and festivals will start this spring. the sheep heid inn beer festival will not stop just because the management changed. a local restaurant/pub like this needs to strike a balance between new and traditional. follow them on facebook and twitter to stay up to date with the latest specials and events.

for my main, i had salmon with bubble and squeak and a mushroom sauce. i was quite intrigued by the sea bass on the specials menu, but stuck with the salmon. it was generous and tasty and more than i could finish. the specials on the day that i was there included pan fried sea trout on sauteed wild mushrooms and a parmesan encrusted white bean and pancetta cassoulet, veggie and non-veggie haggis, neeps and tatties with a brandy pepper sauce and crispy duck breast with confit duck and celeriac lasange. rather more exciting and tempting than you normally expect from a pub. one the standard menu are all the things you’d expect: burgers, steak, beef and guinness pie, mussels of the day (sauces vary. nice idea), and a couple of vegetarian options. there’s a good variety on the menu and even without the specials i would have founds things i wanted to eat. with the specials i was in a serious quandry since i couldn’t have everything. the specials menu is what makes the sheep heid inn exciting for food.

to my great regret, i don’t seem able to eat as much as once i could. no really, it is a sadness. there was lemon tart, creme brule and treacle and ginger tart on the dessert menu, and bitter chocolate cheese cake on the specials. home made bitter chocolate cheese cake. mmm. the special dessert is made by the resident pastry chef, meehan, so there are some very special things on offer. i’ll have to come back for dessert…

i’m nosy so i talked sharon, the manager, into letting me visit the kitchen and say hello to richard, the chef, and some of his team. much magic happens in the kitchen and it’s always interesting to see one. the sheep heid inn kitchen isn’t the biggest in the world so they don’t take bookings for groups of over ten. space dictates how many plates they can get out at the same time. the restaurant is so cosy and intimate that groups bigger than that would be rather annoying to other diners, i think, so it’s a good idea to cap the table size. 

the sheep heid inn has had a lick of paint and a new menu and drinks list. they do sensibly priced supper and lunch menus during the week so there’s something there for most budgets. there’s a car park if you prefer driving to walking and the 4, 42 and 44 stop nearby. those are all good reasons to go, but warm service, a really pleasant ambiance and good food are even better. if you haven’t been for a while, it’s time to visit again.

if there’s anything in particular you want to see on the menu, why not suggest a spcial? the sheep heid inn is running a competition: suggest a special and be in with a chance to win a free meal. find out more on their website.

when i lived on west nicholson street, my flatmates and i couldn't go far wrong on a sunny day by visiting the pear tree. now i've moved further afield, i'm lucky that the famed sheep heid is my local beer garden. thepubis famous for being the oldest establishment in scotland, tracing it's history back to 1360, as well as having welcomed a slew of historical figures to it's well trodden hearth over the years. a group of friends and i set off for the sunny spot last week for a late lunch in the summer heat.
to start, i had the 'sauteed portobello and oyster mushrooms in a marsala sauce on toasted brioche'. this is one of my favourite dishes and one that i make at home for myself often. i was pretty impressed that the sheep heid's version came up to scratch. the sauce was creamy and the brioche was tasty, if a little blonde, and the mushrooms were the hero.

following this i went for the 'sticky chicken' on the recommendation of a friend. it was fairly tasty, a nice sauce and a standard salad to complement, but nothing extraordinary. i have to say i don't ever expect too much frompubfood and this is why: it tastes good, eats well, and doesn't move a mountain. i should've perhaps stuck with my intuition and gone for the 'sticky crispy duck salad with pea shoots, cucumber, mooli & ginger', which i'll no doubt end up ordering on another sunny summers day.
the sheep heid is a destination establishment. with all its history and village charm (duddingston is adorable) it really is the best place to end up after a long walk in the sun or in the snow. their skittle alley out back is a sure fire hit with any group of friends, and the beer garden is a place of quiet relaxation. though the food is average, the bar selection is brilliant and the staff are very helpful and knowledgeable. i'll definitely be back.

i'm lucky that the famed sheep heid is my local beer garden. thepubis famous for being the oldest establishment in scotland, tracing it's history back to 1360, as well as having welcomed a slew of historical figures to it's well trodden hearth over the years. a group of friends and i set off for the sunny spot last week for a late l

within a few minutes i realized that if thispubwere closer it would be one of my locals. it has that fantastic balance of old and new. a look that anypubowner who has hired an expert to make theirpubgastro understands. you can't have it looking too modern and lose the locals and you can't keep all the old crap around and lose the younger generation that don't appreciate it. the sheep heid inn strikes a perfect balance.

a burger, a pint and skittles!. what a fantastic place! this traditionalpubnestled into the streets of duddingston is thought to be scotland's oldest pub. it is filled to the rafters with all sorts of odds and ends, which combined with dim lighting gives thepuba fantastic atmosphere! through the week you can order wholesomepubfood and be fed in the downstairs bar, and at weekends in the upstairs bar. there is a large courtyard full of tables, heaters and umbrellas should you wish to brave the scottish elements, and on weekends in the summer there is a bbq here cooking up all your snacking needs(ostrich burgers no less). the best bit about this weepubis that is houses a proper skittles alley which you can hire out by the hour or evening. i recently had my birthday there and the on site catering was extremely well done. a bit out of the way, always heaving (make reservations), but worth the visit.