Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The Keelson's stone building on the Shore at Leith, seen across the Water of Leith on a sunny day, with gulls on the river.
Edinburgh

The Keelson

A pub on the Shore at Leith from the team behind DogStar and Nauticus, with rotisserie chicken, oysters and classic cocktails, open every day.

Visit websiteCall
Welcome

The Keelson calls itself a Scottish boozer on the Shore, and it's the home of rotisserie chicken in Leith.

It comes from the team behind DogStar and Nauticus, in a stone building on the Shore looking over the Water of Leith, with arched green doors onto the quay. Herb-fed chickens turn on the rotisserie and come by the half or the whole, with roast ratte potatoes, cauliflower cheese and a jug of chicken gravy on the side. To start there are oysters, ham hock croquettes and mackerel sliders from a short menu that changes with the seasons, and behind the bar it's classic cocktails, beer and wine. It's open every day, from 2pm on weekdays and from noon at the weekend, until midnight or later. You can book a table for the kitchen through its own site, and dogs are welcome too, so it's an easy one for a long, lazy evening on the Shore.

Round the cornerBrown's of LeithA food hall in the old George Brown & Sons engineering works on the Shore at Leith, with Haze, Asu, ShrimpWreck's Shuck Bar and Civerinos inside.1 min by roadSee itThe hall at Brown's of Leith under its timber roof, with the Haze counter on the left, a round steel table and people at tables by the tall windows.
Before you go

Open every day, from 2pm on weekdays and noon at the weekend.

Tables for the kitchen can be booked through its own site.

Where
58 The Shore, Leith, EH6 6RA.
Open
Monday to Thursday 2pm to midnight, Friday and Saturday 12pm to 1am, Sunday 12pm to midnight.
The chicken
Herb-fed, from the rotisserie: a half for one or two, £25, or a whole for three or four, £50.
Booking
Kitchen tables online.
Dogs
Welcome.
Phone
0131 563 4547

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
2pm–midnight
Tuesday
2pm–midnight
Wednesday
2pm–midnight
Thursday
2pm–midnight
Friday
noon–midnight
Saturday
noon–midnight
Sunday
noon–midnight

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your tip
Where it is

At 58 The Shore in Leith, by the Water of Leith, EH6 6RA.

Close byThe Shore and Leith.
  1. A fillet of fish on greens and green beans in an orange sauce, on a white plate at a table at Barry Fish.Barry FishChef Barry Bryson's first restaurant, on the Shore at Leith, with a menu of Scottish fish and shellfish that changes every month.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. The room at Chez Bernard, with red pillars, wooden tables and chairs with red seats, and racks of wine behind the bar.Chez BernardA French wine bar and bistro on the Shore at Leith, with more than ninety wines, oysters, croques and planchettes of cheese and charcuterie.Under a mile 2 min by road
  3. Stepped gable buildings and the Toast shopfront reflected in Leith's still waterLeith ShoreThe old quayside of Leith along the mouth of the Water of Leith, where Mary Queen of Scots and George IV came ashore, now lined with bars and restaurants.Under a mile 1 min by road
  4. Friends chat round a candlelit table beneath a "Guest Keg" chalkboard menuTeuchters LandingA bar in the old waiting room for the Leith to Aberdeen ferry, on the Shore, with a pontoon on the Water of Leith and over ninety malts.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Water of Leith winding through Dean Village's stone tenements and old mill buildingsWater of LeithEdinburgh's river, followed by a 12-mile walkway from Balerno through Colinton, the Dean Village and Stockbridge to the sea at Leith.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. The dark painted front of DogStar on Portland Place in the evening, its name on the lit window.DogStarA small restaurant in a former pub on Portland Place in Leith, from chef James Murray and the Nauticus team, with sharing plates that change daily.Under a mile 4 min by road
Directions
The hall at Brown's of Leith under its timber roof, with the Haze counter on the left, a round steel table and people at tables by the tall windows.RestaurantsBrown's of LeithA step away
Fairy lights strung above a cobbled courtyard with wooden benches and stone buildingsCafeWilliams & Johnson Coffee CoA step away
Stone townhouse with sash windows and dark green door on Custom WharfShoppingBardA step away
Restaurant Martin Wishart's white frontage with large paned windows on Leith's waterfrontRestaurantsRestaurant Martin WishartA step away
The round stone watchtower on the Shore at Leith, with Fishers' blue and white restaurant front at its foot on a cobbled corner.RestaurantsFishers in Leith0.2 miles
The dining room at The Kitchin, with grey stone walls, dark beams and blue-green chairs at tables laid for dinner.RestaurantsThe Kitchin0.2 miles
Sunlit table set for two beside a leather booth and windowRestaurantsRoseleaf Bar Café0.3 miles
Nobles bar frontage with ornate blue façade and pavement tablesRestaurantsNobles0.3 miles
Petrucciolis Coffee shopfront with chalkboard menus and outdoor café tablesCafePrintworks Coffee0.3 miles

Recommend to a friend

The Daily for 21 October, from Scotland with love. a small wooded island reflected in a misty loch, autumn forest and hills along the far shore

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Stay nearby

Places to stay near The Keelson, and when each is next free.

A round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • 2 miles from The Keelson
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from The Keelson
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • 3 miles from The Keelson
Check datesClermount Cottage, EdinburghClermount Cottage
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Penicuik
  • 11 miles from The Keelson
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Read on

More in Edinburgh.

More in Edinburgh
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .