The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Craving a fish supper that’s worth a wee wander out of town? Then point your tastebuds towards The Crab and Lobster Fish Shack in South Queensferry, a proper hidden gem that’s absolutely worth the 30-minute drive from Edinburgh city centre. In true Scottish fashion, you’ll find ‘fish suppers’ on the menu - haddock, sausage, lobster and soft-shell crab suppers, served up battered or breaded, and always with a glorious dollop of mushy peas (the unsung hero of any plate). But this isn’t your run-of-the-mill ‘chippie’ either. We kicked things off in proper seaside style with two absolute classics that deserve fanfare and perhaps a little seafood-themed slow clap.

King Prawn Scampi with Marie Rose and Honey was nothing short of sensational: each bite wrapped in a golden, crunchy armour that gave way to sweet, succulent prawn meat. And that drizzle of honey? A genius touch, bringing out the richness of the Marie Rose without overpowering the delicate seafood underneath.

Then came the Shack Prawn Cocktail, and this one didn’t mess about. No sad limp lettuce pretending to bulk it out, this was a generous mound of king prawns heaped high, bathed luxuriously in that sweet, velvety Marie Rose sauce that clings just right to every mouthful. Refreshing, indulgent, and very easy to polish off.

All in all, an opening duo that set the tone perfectly - retro charm with elevated execution. If this was just the warm-up, we knew the mains were about to sail in strong.

A warm sourdough loaf paired with seaweed butter added just the right touch of shoreline charm, perfect for mopping up every last drizzle of honey and Marie Rose from the seafood starters.

For the main event, we stayed firmly anchored in classic territory and it didn’t disappoint. First up: a battered haddock supper, the size of a small whale (and yes, they do a Jumbo version if you’re feeling especially brave). The crispy golden batter crackled perfectly under the fork, revealing tender flakes of white haddock that practically tumbled off in juicy, steamy chunks. Tartare sauce on the side added that punch of tang to keep every bite singing.

Then came the Half Lobster Thermidor, which brought serious indulgence to the table. Served in its own shell, this beauty was generously packed with sweet, luscious lobster meat, swaddled in thermidor sauce and finished with melted cheese. Rich, satisfying, and surprisingly plentiful.

Both came with chunky chips -fat and fluffy, and a portion of marrow-soft mushy peas that added just the right touch of comfort-food nostalgia. Altogether, it was the sort of dinner that leaves you happily stuffed and utterly smug about your ordering choices.

Though we were well and truly stuffed, there’s always room for sticky toffee pudding. A generous slab, sticky and date rich, arrived with a swirl of soft serve vanilla ice cream that melted just enough to mingle with the toffee. It was pure comfort in dessert form, a warm, gooey finale to a sensational meal.

The staff? Friendly, young, quick, and good at keeping the good vibes flowing. The place is spacious, with plenty of booths and tables, and it was already starting to bustle not long after we arrived so if you fancy a relaxed seat and time to savour, be sure to plan ahead.

Pro tip: They close daily between 3:45pm and 5:00pm, so avoid rocking up mid-afternoon unless you fancy a wander while you wait. Booking ahead is wise especially if you’re aiming for prime-time fish and chips and a cheeky pudding to...

We popped in for lunch on a Friday, having booked online earlier in the day. It's in an old Frankie and Bennie's restaurant that's been redone, and what a difference to that chain! Ample free parking outside as such.

The restaurant was moderately busy; it looks like it sits around 100 and was maybe a third full. Laid back atmosphere with some families with kids etc, and while there's background music it wasn't at all loud or intrusive. The staff were great- attentive without butting in. We were seated immediately, had our drinks order taken; then given the menus, told the specials and so on within a couple of minutes.

Food is cooked fresh- it's an open kitchen so you can watch it being prepared- but still arrived quickly, within 10 minutes for each course. As others have said, the crab nachos are a must! Plenty for two people and really tasty. Specials were a lobster dish we didn't try, dressed crab with chips, bread and salad, and monkfish either fried or grilled. We went for the latter two, the monkfish grilled, and both mains were fab. Too much food for us to finish in the end!

Pretty hard to fault this place (and we'll definitely be going back). Soft drinks felt a wee bit expensive but the food is really not, given the quality and amount, so they have to make their money somewhere!

I'd note as well there's the dreaded 10% service charge automatically added onto the bill, but before I'd even read it the waiter- who it turned out was also the manager- had told us it was on there, and that we were obviously free to leave it off. It always nips me when it's added automatically, but he did a good job of telling us quickly (and yes, we paid it and rounded up for a tip!)

Didn't even know the place existed until this morning, when I saw it on Google...

Very excited to try out this new restaurant but left somewhat disappointed. Firstly want to say that the food we had tasted delicious so no complaints there whatsoever but lots of other issues that I hope are just teething problems and will be rectified over time. Had to ask for drink order after waiting over 10 minutes. Lots of staff (seemed like too many) all standing around chatting amongst each other. Asked if there was any zero alcohol wine to be told no just beer. Head waiter went into great detail about the zero beer and pushy saying how nice it was. We were aware of how nice it is but fancied a wine. He didn’t seem best pleased when asked for water instead. In fact he was quite rude for the remainder of the duration. One party member ordered oysters and asked if there was any tobasco sauce. Got told no and no chilli sauce either. However the butter which came with bread was amazing! Another member of party had battered fish and chips. Batter was extremely thick and ruined the flavour of the fish. Only half eaten. Highly recommend the minted pea salad! Lobster was ordered and although it was tasty, it was very expensive for what it was. Never had such little amount of lobster. This was such a let down. The younger members of staff were all very friendly and could tell they were new to hospitality but that was ok. They were just lovely. The head waiter however kept taking over and put a real dampener on things. If they’re not careful it’ll end up being a glorified chippy in a Frankie and Bennys setting (purely because of the overpriced dishes). Will return but won’t rush back. Maybe it will improve once...