The Tailend

À l’occasion d’une visite sur Édimbourg, nous étions à la recherché d’un bon Fish ans Chips pour découvrir ce plat typique de la région.
Après un rapide coup d’œil sur Unilocal,nous voici en route vers ce restaurant. Un peu excentré, à environ 15mn de marche de la gare principale.
Une fois sur place, nous avons bien accueillis par une très souriante serveuse ! Puis place au repas: un Fish and chips pour ma part et un burger pour mon amis, avec par gourmandise un supplément d’onion rings (d’après un avis Unilocal (d’ailleurs merci :))
Ce fut un véritable délice ! La quantité et la qualité étaient au rendez vous :) Nous avons même emmené le reste des onions rings avec nous pour le repas du soir.
À refaire sans hésité, tant pour le service que pour le repas !

The traditional fish & chips was served piping hot. Waiter and waitress offered pretty much what ever you wanted to put on the tasty fish. Very casual storefront with takeout. Place is VERY bright inside, only real negative is their two top tables are wood top and need a major scrub down.

As odd as it may sound, this one of my favorite meals anywhere I travel.
Tail end has the very best:
1. Cullen Skink soup
2 Breaded Haddock and mushy peas
3. Onion rings
I ever had…
SUGGESTIONS:
Pass on proper peas. Get mushy
Pay upgrade and pass on chips… Onion Rings are that good. Although not traditionally British.
But if you like Fish, do NOT pass up in Tailend…

After reading some reviews online that mentioned this was the best Fish N Chips place n Edinburgh, we decided we should try it. Both ordered the haddock fish special and were both pleased. I’d prefer different chips (style, cut, flavor, etc) but the fish was very good. Hard to be a fan of peas, but with enough salt and pepper I was able to get through the only available side – being regular or mushy peas.
I’ve had better, but they’re pretty dang good.

Excellent fish ‘n chips

Eek… overrated is my opinion on this place. Service fast, efficient and friendly. Tick. The menu isn’t mahousive but it’s all about the fish here! We didn’t do starters (thankfully). The main meals are large. Like very large. We ordered onion rings on the side (mistake!) which were for the most part left untouched.
I had a prosecco they quality of which was excellent.
Now the food… a little on the bland side I’m afraid. I had the breaded fish and it needed salt lots of it and the vinegar needed to be actual vinegar man! It was so watered down which I don’t see the point in as you end up using 3 times as much in an attempt to impart the same amount of flavour. We were just left so underwhelmed to be honest. I won’t be back. It wasn’t horrible but it wasn’t anything to write home about either

This was the best chippie I visited in my recent 10 day Scotland trip. Had the ‘regular’ platter which was too much for me, and I’m a big eater, I’d definitely get the smal one in the future. Delicious fresh fish, great chips, friendly fast service.

Chip shop food rarely my first choice of eating out, but when it is this is the only place I would consider. Freshly prepared food and very good service. My fish was kinda small as normally its huge but it did say on the menu it was smaller than a large supper. Wee bit pricy for chippy food but Delicious and will definitely be back.

I had heard such great things about the Tail End. I generally avoid Edinburgh chippys. They’re just not the same as back home and, usually, their only saving grace is sauce which I want everything to drown in.
I had a Haddock Fish Supper, the service was really good. I wasn’t find of the lack of gloves on the food — even though it’s going to be deep fried at a kajillion degrees I’d like some gloves.
The haddock was big, I asked for it battered and found the batter to be very fatty. I found the chips to be the same way and I was left with a horrid feeling in my mouth that made me imagine I’d just eaten a stick of butter.
As chippys go, it’s alright, but the best in Edinburgh? I hope not. Otherwise you people need to get your bums to Dublin and I’ll show you a proper good chippy!

Absolutely great place to eat traditional fish and chips. My friends think it’s too tasty and it even becomes some different food (joking). The only disadvantage is the location.

Of all my travels through Ireland and Scotland this was my favorite fish and chips place! And I had a lot of fish and chips!
The fish is delicious. If you are going to Edinburgh this place is a must!
A man on my plane recommended it to me and we walked more than an hour out of our way to get there… Totally worth it!

Best chippy in Edinburgh? I’m sure that would generate some debate, but this is a favourite of mine.
There are ‘standard’ haddock and cod available at all times and a board with the daily specials. Food is cooked to order so there is often a wait, but it’s worth it — lovely fresh fish and chips.
One note — they offer a haggis and spiced haggis. I wouldn’t bother with the more expensive spiced haggis as it’s pretty much indistinguishable from the non-​spiced version.

What trip to the United Kingdom would be complete without some fish and chips?
On an episode of «No Reservations», Anthony Bourdain went to The Mermaid, but after asking some locals, most of them had never heard of it. Probably not a good sign.
I was pointed to The Tailend, not exactly in the city center, as it is located in Leith, but only a 10 – 15 minute bus ride away. Despite the location, most of the diners were American, oddly enough.
The restaurant is split up into two section: one a take-​out place, and the other half a casual sit down restaurant.
There was a new waitress working the shift who didn’t understand English all that well, so service was sort of slow. She was super nice and very attentive however.
The shrimp appetizer includes four plump shrimp that were deep fried. The shrimp were succulent and crisp. Unfortunately, we had ordered the grilled shrimp but didn’t make a big deal out of it. A small side salad was served with the appetizer, however it had seen better days as it was very tired looking, with some very wilted and brown pieces of lettuce. Very few leaves were crisp. Even the tomatoes were a little over ripe and did not have much flavor.
The Fish and Chips are the reason you are here. A large piece of fish is lightly battered and perfectly fried. It is super crisp and not at all greasy. The meal comes with a small side of garden peas or mushy peas, and a huge mound of chips. The chips are thick cut, and are crisp on the outside, and smooth and creamy in the middle.
The «Chocolate Pudding» is a little misleading, as it is really is a molten chocolate cake. The cake is moist, but a little dense and heavy with a large river of melting chocolate oozing out of the center.
The Sticky Toffee Pudding is a nice large piece of cake, which is a little dense covered with an overly sweet toffee sauce. The sweetness is reduced by the scoop of ice cream (or whipped cream if you like, I believe) dolloped on top. It was hard to discern if there were dates or prunes in the cake, but very good nonetheless. Although this is a rich dessert, it is well worth the calories.
If you are in search of some good fish and chipsre in search of some good fish and chips, you can’t go wrong with The Tailend.
See blog for pics.

So happy we don’t have to drive to Anstruther to get great fish and chips any more! light flaky batter — chips that are crispy on the outside and soft inside — my perfect Fish and Chips. I’ve taken away and sat in the restaurant — both great.
If you go for take away — be prepared to wait. they fry the fish and chips to order — nothing is sitting around!

Wow. I haven’t experienced such bad customer service in a long time.
Now I appreciate that if you order fish online that it might be a little soggy when it arrives, having been steaming inside a box, but you don’t expect it to fall apart and the batter to be able to be wiped off with your finger.
But worse than the awful fish, was the reaction I got when I phoned to complain. Which, given I’d just paid £7.50 for a cod supper, is not unreasonable. I was on hold for longer than I actually got to speak to anyone, hearing the raised voices of the chef in the background, and was told that cod is greasy, or in effect, shit happens. Grease had nothing to do with it. And somehow I make it home the same distance when I collect with the fish in fine fettle. There was no apology, just excuses and being made to feel like an idiot about a valid complaint. The eventual offer to send another driver «later» sounded like it was a massive inconvenience, so I declined.
I used to really like the Tail End. Not any more.

Tailend is owned by the partner in the famous Anstruther Fish Bar in Fife. They do amazing ‘posh’ fish and chips too. It’s not exactly white clothe napkin and silver cutlery, just really good battered haddock, chips and mushy peas. There is a restaurant area adjoining the take-​away offer. The restaurant is modern/​basic but clean with views into the kitchen. Note to management: please change the background elevator music!
Among other things you can order pizza in the restaurant. I tried it once, but seriously don’t bother. The bases are doughy and pizza toppings are bland. Stick to what you are good at — FISH! Lets put it this way, if I was to rate Tailend primarily on the pizza, it would have been 2 stars, but their fish ‘n’ chip suppers are the best I’ve tasted. Why bother with pizza when La Favorita are the masters of pizza a block down the road?! The fish are sustainable sourced which leads to a variety of specials like: sole, sea bass and rock turbot. The everyday menu includes the usual seafood, cod, haddock, calamari, hake and monkfish — all available in a light, crisp batter, breaded, or just grilled. The chips are big and chunky fried in beef dripping for crunch and a fluffy inside. Yum! Oooh I might just go and grab a chippy there tonight!

I’ve been to both the restaurant and the takeaway; both are excellent, but the takeaway is MUCH cheaper if you’re looking to get bang for your buck.
The restaurant has solid lunch specials that include a tasty Haddock and chips. Battered fresh fish and crispy chips with tartar sauce can’t be beat! I ordered chicken goujons from the takeaway, and while they weren’t the best I’ve ever had they were battered and cooked when I ordered them.
For lunch, you’re looking at ~£10 for a meal if you stick to the specials. From the takeaway, you can walk out with a full meal for as little as £4.

A mí, a diferencia de a la gente en general, me FLIPA el fish and chips. Entiendo que no es precisamente una comida que vuelva loco al 90% de la peña, pero lo cierto es que me encanta, sobre todo cuando está bien hecho.
No es que sea un experto en este plato que, por lo que me enteré, es bastante escocés, pero puedo decir que es probable que este sea uno de los mejores fish and chips de todo Edimburgo. Está frito con grasa animal (lo que sin duda contribuye a mejorar el resultado y hacerlo más apetitoso) y el empanado es de tan buena calidad que, la verdad, ni se despega del pescado.
Por si esto fuera poco, tienen una de las mejores brown sauces que he probado en mi vida: lo suficientemente sabrosa como para resultar adictiva pero lo suficientemente suave como para no esconder el sabor del pescado. ¡Riquísimo!

Best fish and chip in town, according to locals. The Traditional Fish and Chip is great and better than Sea Cod fish and chip.

The Tailend has a takeaway to the right from the street and a restaurant to the left which seats around 30 – 40 people.
I’ve never sampled the takeaway, but did sit down to a weekday lunch.
My dining companions both ordered off the lunchtime special menu — 1 to 3 courses from around £6 rising to just over a tenner, so excellent value.
The soup of the day on this menu was tomato which appeared to have a lovely, thick, rustic consistency and I’m assured, was delicious.
Both parties ordered the Small Haddock & Chips which is a decent size when combined with a starter, dessert or all 3 courses.
I ordered the Tailend special from the à la carte menu, a full fish tea with mushy (or garden) peas and bread & butter.
I’m by no means a Fish n’ Chip connoisseur, but I really enjoyed it — the mushy peas being an unexpected highlight.
The other 2 diners in my group both rated the Anstruther Fish Bar as their (relatively) local favourite prior to this visit. After their meal, one said that The Tailend had bettered it and the other felt it was a tie.
The crispness of the batter and white, fleshy fish were mentioned in between mouthfuls.
Having had a starter, one of the group had no room for dessert, so I cheekily asked whether I could enjoy it instead from the special menu. The waitress had no issue with this at all.
They have San Luca ice cream here, so I chose that (Vanilla & Raspberry Ripple) and the other dessert ordered was the Banana Fritters with S. Luca ice cream and toffee.
Both were very palatable indeed.
All in all a thoroughly pleasant experience.

Oh the tail end.
Eaten at this place maybe twice a month for the last 4 years. They fry in dripping so good taste but recent changes (aka new owner) have ruined this place for me.
Please fix ASAP
— Massive ben and jerrys freezer — REMOVE! This has nothing to do with the purity of your original mission. (MISSION — to provide the most pure fish and chips experience)
— Pizza??? THIS IS A FISH AND CHIP SHOP — NOT A PIZZERIA They are keenly priced but your cheese tastes like it has blue in it which I don’t think is intentional (small plus note, the bases are made fresh)
— A million advertisements for Just Eat? Tacky.
— YOU NOW DELIVER??? Again what about the purity of the mission? You never used to even be able to telephone an order to pick up as the fish had to be the freshest. You still don’t pre fry fish to beat the rush so why the frying hell do you deliver???
— Last time I was in got 7 pieces of calamari as the starter portion in the restaurant. For this I was charged £7.50. Have times really got that tight??? MORE THAN £1 A PIECE OF CALAMARI?
— You’re now frying your chips wrong, they are too tough round the edges suggesting the first fry temp is too hot. How do I know this you ask? Well I have eaten here like 100 times and also am a former chef.
— Fish has drastically reduced in quality. Have you changed suppliers?
I used to have a routine! Drive down here, order fish, eat in the car while listening to Radio 4. I EVEN HAD CONDIMENTS IN THE GLOVE BOX. WHAT THE HELL TAIL END???
I loved you and you have broken my heart.

As far as fish and chips go, this is some of the best you’ll find in Edinburgh.
Visitors, tourists, those wanting a ‘traditional’ Scottish fish supper — come here. There are so many chippies all over town, about 80% off them serving fish that has been battered and cooked several hours before, then left to sit under a heat lamp so it goes dry and chewy.
Not here. The fish is of the best quality; everything is fried fresh; and it’s fried in ANIMAL LARD. So no veggie batter — although they will also grill fish for GF and veggie options.
After walking up Arthur’s Seat, then Calton Hill, then down to Leith Walk, this was perfect. Valerie M and I shared the fish platter (on the main menu) which had a grilled sea bass fillet, a breadcrumbed cod fillet, haddock goujons, calamari and prawns — all for £20 (£10 each). Amazing value, so fresh, such a great way to eat fresh fish cooked in the traditional Scottish way.
It’s not that healthy, although they had hot smoked salmon salad and grilled fish options, so you could go healthier if you wanted — by why go to a fish and chip shop and not get the battered, deep fried fish? Mmmm.
It’s worth the trip down to Leith, it’s worth passing all the other fish and chip shops to come here. There’s a take-​away and a sit-​in area too. Perfect.