There are pubs in Edinburgh that lean on a bit of history, and then there is The King's Wark, which sits at No. 36 Shore in Leith and has been standing since 1434. It was built by James I as a royal residence, storehouse and arsenal, and it has survived a fair amount of trouble in the centuries since: it was badly damaged by fire in 1544 during the Hertford Invasion, and then burnt down again in 1690. Later, from around 1855 until 1900, the building was home to Rutherford & Co, a wine and spirit merchant. That long history is part of the appeal, but the place has settled into a straightforward life as a Scottish gastropub.
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The menu leans on local produce, wild game, meat and sustainable Scottish seafood and shellfish. You will find pan-fried Scottish salmon fillet, house-cured salmon, Shetland mussels mariniere, hand-dived king scallops, a Scottish seafood bowl, beer-battered fish and chips, an 8oz steak burger and an 8oz flat iron steak, plus a cheeseboard to round things off. A few dishes stand out as the ones to order: the crispy black pudding with wild mushrooms and parsley dress, halloumi with roasted fig, honey, tzatziki and slaw, a proper fish supper, fresh scallops and chorizo served in a shell, and oysters with Scottish Thistle. It is the sort of menu that works as well for a proper dinner as it does for a long lunch by the water.
To drink, there are cask ales, fine wines, cocktails and coffees, so it is not just a place for a meal. A few practical things are worth knowing before you go. The King's Wark is dog-friendly and child-friendly, though you need to let them know when you book. It is wheelchair accessible and there is free wifi. Reservations are recommended, and the way you book depends on the size of your party: groups of up to six can book through Resdiary on the website, while parties of seven or more need to email thekingswarkpub@gmail.com, where a deposit and a pre-order may be asked for.
The opening hours are the one thing to double-check, because they are not what you would expect from a pub. It is open Monday to Sunday from 12:00 to 22:00, but it closes on Wednesdays and Thursdays, so it is not the place to turn up on a whim in the middle of the week. For everything else, the phone number is 0131 554 9260, the email is thekingswarkpub@gmail.com and the website is thekingswarkpub.com. Price-wise it sits in the middle of the road, so it is an easy place to drop into for a meal and a drink without it becoming a special occasion. Whether you go for the history or the seafood, it is a solid Leith institution that has outlasted a lot more than its fair share of fires.
