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A seafood platter with oysters at the White Horse.
Edinburgh

The White Horse

An oyster and seafood bar in the White Horse, an inn of 1742 at the head of White Horse Close on the Canongate, with British shellfish.

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Welcome

On the Canongate, at the head of White Horse Close, the White Horse has been an inn since 1742, and it is said to be the oldest on the Royal Mile.

The close behind it takes its name, the story goes, from a white horse of Mary Queen of Scots, stabled nearby.

Today the old inn is an oyster and seafood bar. The shellfish and fish come from small suppliers around Britain, and the menu runs from oysters served on ice, raw or dressed, to langoustines, crab, mussels and scallops, whole platters of seafood piled on stands for the table, and small plates to share, with good wines to go with them. The rooms are dark and elegant, with deep green walls, round tables and a bar of polished wood.

The White Horse opens every day from noon until late.

Close byClarinda's TearoomA tearoom on the Canongate since 1976, named for Burns's Clarinda.1 min by roadSee itAntique plates and framed portraits line the walls of a lace-tabled tea room
Before you go

Open every day from noon until late.

Tables can be booked.

Where
266 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8AA.
Telephone
0131 629 5300.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
noon–11pm
Tuesday
noon–11pm
Wednesday
noon–11pm
Thursday
noon–11pm
Friday
noon–11pm
Saturday
noon–11pm
Sunday
noon–11pm
Where it is

On the Canongate, at the head of White Horse Close.

Close byThe Canongate.
  1. WedgwoodWedgwoodPaul and Lisa Wedgwood's restaurant on the Canongate, next door.Under a mile1 min by road
  2. Morocco LandMorocco LandA turbaned stone figure in a niche on the front of Morocco Land, a Canongate tenement, with a story of a runaway who came home rich.Under a mile1 min by road
  3. Room & RumoursRoom & RumoursA coffee shop and doughnut bakery in one of the railway arches of East Market Street, by Waverley, with fresh doughnuts every day.Under a mile1 min by road
  4. Guide leads a whisky tasting group seated at a long purple-clothed tableEdinburgh Gin DistilleryUnder a mile1 min by road
  5. White Horse CloseWhite Horse CloseA white-harled courtyard of crow-stepped houses at the foot of the Canongate.Under a mile1 min by road
Directions
Illuminated LOUDONS sign above dark glass entrance doors, reflecting nearby buildingsCafeLoudons New WaverleyA step away
Tenement corner building on Edinburgh's Royal Mile, The World's End pub belowRestaurantsThe World’s End0.2 miles
Green shopfront sign reading Cadenhead's, Scotland's Oldest Independent Bottler, established 1842ShoppingCadenhead's0.2 miles
Canongate Tolbooth's turret and projecting clock rise above Edinburgh's Royal MileRestaurantsThe Tolbooth Tavern0.2 miles
Painted figure of a newsboy shouting above The People's Story signAttractionsThe People’s Story0.2 miles
Roofless nave of Holyrood Abbey, gothic tracery window framing bare stone ruinsAttractionsHolyrood Abbey0.2 miles
Sandstone mansion with tall chimneys and turret, fronted by a lawnAttractionsLauriston Castle0.2 miles
Sandstone turrets and arched windows rise against an overcast skyAttractionsThe Scotsman Steps0.2 miles
Pink and pale blue hydrangea blooms among dense green leavesAttractionsDunbar's Close Gardens0.2 miles
Stay nearby

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