The Sheep Heid Inn

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

Oh. My. Goodness. I loved this place. It was so cozy and I loved the history of the place. Our tour guide (a Scottish native) told us it was a must see and he was right. It’s supposedly the oldest pub in Scotland. I ordered the Paddington Bear drink because I am a bit of a wuss when it comes to alcohol, but it was delicious. My husband has a whisky and we all left stuffed. The courtyard out back has games and people were actually playing and having a good laugh at themselves. I would have joined in, but after the amazing meal I needed a nap!

Food — A++
Beer — A++
Skittles in the back room — A+++
The Sheep Heid Inn is an institution in the area, and worth the taxi ride out of central Edinburgh to get to. The staff were amazing (heard we were Aussies, gave us the beautiful table in the corner).
The bar staff are keen to impress with the range of beers, and their mulled cider was fantastic.
I could rave about the food for days. Vegetarians are not left out in the cold at the Sheep Heid — you can grab a meal as hearty as any roast, though it is a bit on the pricey side.
You can’t visit Edinburgh and not dine at The Sheep Heid Inn.

This pub, that claims to be the oldest in Edinburgh, was a disappointment. The food was average and no different from any other pub in the area. Our group consisted of two couples, one of which was a well known political figure. One would have thought we would’ve been given at least decent service. The service was slow and the server indifferent.
The worst part of the evening was when one of the people in our group asked to take home to her pooch the remaining pork that she could not finish (i.e. doggy bag). The server said that is was the policy of this pub to not allow any carryout of food not consumed in the pub. She said they did not have the items needed to wrap up items … i.e. foil, plastic wrap. Really? Or was it just that the server could not be bothered?
We would never return to this pub again under any circumstances. Hard to believe it is the oldest pub and it has lasted as long as it claim.

This is a great place to come for food we had seafood platter and it was wonderful. Super place to relax and the bottle of white wine was nice too. So if you want and lovely meal come here. The staff where very friendly and nice !

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.

The Sheep Heid is our local so we’ve been in quite a few times & it’s a lovely little gastro pub, with a good atmosphere & above average food.
During the week it’s great for an after-​work drink & after a couple of glasses of wine I’ll inevitably crack & order the scallops which are delicious. There’s also a great mix of people with local mingling with tourists who’ve just finished climbing Arthur’s Seat.
However, over the weekend it becomes a bit of a nightmare. It ends up being packed & even when we’ve booked ahead for dinner or lunch, we’ve been sat in a cramped corner surrounded by people, which doesn’t exactly make for a great dining experience. We also found the Sunday lunch to be pretty disappointing considering the overall good quality of the food.
Overall, I’d definitely recommend a trip to the Sheep Heid whether you’re a visitor or an Edinburgh local, but avoid the weekend!

Nach einem anstrengenden Tag in Edinburgh ein perfekter Ort für eine Mahlzeit. Das Essen ist perfekt, sehr lecker, nicht zu teuer und der Service ist sehr zuvorkommend und freundlich. Die Whiskyauswahl ist für einen normalen Pub gut. Absolut empfehlenswert.

The gammon steak and chips is my all time favourite from the heid sheep in, it is a nuce and cosy pub with lovely and welcoming staff and reasonable prices.

Set in the very historial location of Duddingston Village, The Sheep Heid’s Inn has had a revamp of late and looks like it has a boost of much needed TLC. We were only stopping by for a wee tipple for Mr C’s birthday but the menu looked nice and i would like to give it a try soon. I love the cosiness of the place and could quite happily curl in a corner for hours here.

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.

This place is wonderful. My husband and I walked to Duddingston Village from Arthur’s Seat. The Sheep Heid Inn was a welcoming sight as we’d worked up an appetite after a long walk. Firstly, they were playing Johnny Cash’s Unearthed album, which was so nice to hear from us as we are from the American South and we were in Scotland on vacation. Secondly, the staff was just so friendly. We chatted with the bartender about music and beer. The décor was really cozy. I hear the place had recently been remodeled, but it seemed quite homey looking in there to us. The food was really amazing! We were there during lunch, and I had the marinated sticky chicken in lemon, honey & chilli sauce. It really was extremely good. My husband had slow-​cooked British beef & Black Sheep Ale pie with thyme carrots & British summer cabbage mash. We enjoyed their beer selection. Scottish beer is my favorite and we can’t find it in the U.S. Many people were sitting outside and enjoying the lovely sunny day. As Florida natives, we were happy to skip the sunshine and enjoy the ambiance and the friendly staff inside. I really enjoyed our meal and our experience there. The next time I am in Edinburgh, I will definitely be back! Duddingston is a quaint and lovely little village.

Freshest fish and chips I’ve ever had! And the scallops with pea sauce were perfectly prepared. Great place to stop after a climb to Arthur’s Seat

It’s the oldest pub in Edinburgh! Definitely worth checking out!
It’s kind of out of the way but it’s definitely a nice way to treat oneself after a few hours on Arthur’s Seat.
Honestly, we just went because we heard it was the oldest pub in Edinburgh/​Scotland (?). We didn’t try any food so I can’t comment on that. The bartenders were friendly though!

Sheep Heid has location, location, location. Duddingston is a lovely wee part of Edinburgh, and for those on the tourist trail (and locals, who are not), The Sheep Heid Inn offers more than most. However, Sundays are mental crazy busy — too much for me. We took the parents here, and were crammed into a corner for Sunday lunch. The various meals we had… none of us really got that excited about them — lacking in flavour and generally just… meh. I wouldn’t rush back to be honest, it’s definitely for me, style over substance but perhaps on a quieter night I would have a different impression.

Cruised Edinburgh last weekend and (thanks to Unilocal!) 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 olé 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…

It’s good. Not world-​beating but reliably good. It’s a bit pricey and it can get very busy. It amounts to glitzed up gastro pub but the atmosphere is rather homey and lovely and its location makes it almost the only game in town. I really love the fish and chips and they do cater for vegetarians with more than just the usual suspects. My husband had the veg haggis with neeps and tatties and loved it. The draught beer is always excellent and the beer garden is nice in warmer weather. I love the skittles hall and generally the walk there after a trot around Dr Neill’s Gardens or Holyrood Park is the perfect Sunday but you should book. It’s super busy on a Sunday because everyone had the same idea.

Somehow I’ve lived in Edinburgh for 8 years without ever venturing to The Sheep Heid Inn before, mostly because I don’t have a car. However, this week, with the two siblings with whom I share a car back in Glasgow both being on holiday, I had unrestricted use of the Clio so it was brought through to Edinburgh and I’ve basically been driving everywhere to get some practice. Yesterday we went for a lovely drive round Arthur’s Seat and ended up in Duddingston. Finally making it here, after so many years, it seemed silly not to pop by The Sheep Heid for a drink.
Obviously, being the driver, I wasn’t able to sample anything more exciting than a diet Pepsi, but my sister and boyfriend both opted for the more unusually named offers on draught — Mad Goose and Shark Bite (or something Shark anyway). The former was delicious — not too hoppy but with enough of a flavour to give it some body — but the latter was a little disappointing (or at least the small sip of it I had was). I love a cool, light and refreshing lager, but this Pilsner was a bit meh. Maybe the rest of the pint was better, as I didn’t hear any complaints.
The inside was busy, as we’d arrived bang on teatime, but the outside courtyard is pleasant with wrought-​iron tables and chairs and a covered area with comfier seats (useful when it started to rain!). The interior looked very nice though, in keeping with its oldest pub in Scotland tag. On that, by the way, it’s worth noting that whilst there has apparently been a pub of sorts on the premise since 1360, the present building is much newer (though still about 200 years old).
We didn’t eat, but the food looked and smelled okay. I was a bit perplexed by the prices though — the starters and desserts were on the cheaper end (£¾) but the mains were distinctly averagely priced (£9/​11).
Maybe it deserves 4 stars, but it’s hard to tell at the moment. They didn’t have a great selection on draught (or at least, not a great selection of anything interesting) and whilst the inside is nice, it’s nothing massively special when you consider other Scottish pubs in Edinburgh.
It is nice though, and would be treat to reward yourself with at the end of a walk or drive through the park. I’ll be back I imagine (mostly cos I want to try the 19^th century skittles alley!), but I won’t be hurrying here.

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!

I have come here several times now, and must say I really like it.
Having lived most of my life in the countryside, going to a cosy pub or café was the reward at the end of a long walk. Edinburgh is great at providing instant satisfaction, but sometimes it’s nice to go through the ordeal of facing the elements, in exchange for a nice reward.
Most times I have been to the Sheep Heid Inn, I have really come face to face with the Scottish weather. To get to Duddington, one must walk around the foot of arthur’s seat, a passage, a path that is often blasted with gail force winds which feel like continuous slaps across the face, made even more severe by the hail, drizzle, or whatever else Scotland feels like throwing at you. Aside from this, it’s a pleasant walk. Arthur’s seat is beautiful, and you will see the loch at Duddingston before actually reaching the village.
I advise you to walk a little around the cobblestone streets before entering the pub. There’s a cute little church overlooking the loch, which is itself quite a stage to the spectacle of elegant swans. You may think you just stepped into Hogsmeade? Not so far off. Apparently this little village influenced even J.K.Rowling.
The pub prides itself in being the oldest in Scotland. Inside, it does feel a little more modern than one might expect, but it still retains a certain charm. Arriving after a wee walk in the cold is a massive relief. Though the quality of the drinks is great, they are a bit pricier here than elsewhere. I have had some good cider and gin and tonics here over the years, and came here for New Years eve for two years running. There’s a skittles alley, a VERY difficult pub quiz, and a area reserved to dining upstairs.
I am yet to try the food, but it looks very good went put out on the plate!

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!

Einer der ältesten pubs in Edinburgh!
Unten kann man gemütlich sitzen, oben ist ein kleines Restaurant.
Es gibt original Haggis, sowie eine vegetarische Variante (lecker).
Ideal nach einer kleinen Wanderung über den Arthur’s Seat.