Portobello Beach

I had previously reviewed Beach House a while back, and had given it a good rating on that visit, however a recent visit last month to 'the competition' - 'Miso' (just next along the prom) I am saddened to say that both I and my dining partner both preferred 'Miso' to Beach House.

Although there had been a bad service timing issue at our recent visit to 'Miso' - a human or otherwise error(?) the menu, the value for money, and the overall atmosphere of 'Miso' is preferable to our liking.

The service at beach House was good and the staff knowledgeable and helpful, the food just was not what we had expected, given what we had experienced at 'Miso', and the overall value for money suffered due to that.

A observation not included in my review. There were also a lot of dogs and 'doggy people' (Doggers?) lurking around outside, which was not a comfortable experience for my dining partner as they are adverse to dogs, particularly when they jump up on strangers without warning.

Hopefully, our next visit will be a better experience, and we'll let you know.

Lovely clean beach. We were on the far left side of the beach as you face the sea and there were lots of dogs playing and a dog friendly cafe nearby on the front where the staff even brought dog water bowls to the table and shared their chips with the dogs when having their breaks. Dogs loved it and though it was almost new year, we even had sun. Nice day out even in winter and great coffee.

The Portobello Promenade is a delightful walk from the Joppa Pump Station all the way towards Leith Harbour. We were there on a blustery, but not raining January day and views of the water and the houses and shops along the way were very enjoyable. Not crowded at all because of the time of year and the weather, but I would expect the beach gets much more crowded on a nice summer day.

What a surprise ! We were lucky to visit on a hot weekend so saw the beach busy with families, young adults and children alike. It was not so busy you couldn’t feel relaxed and there are many places for food to sit on the promenade or takeaway. There was very little litter and what was had been cleaned up by the next day. There was a small but good arcade / ice cream stand etc etc but none of the kiss me quick feel. The beach at night remained quite busy with groups around fire pits etc and whilst people were drinking the atmosphere still felt welcoming rather than intimidating as some places can. The town itself has a bit of a run down feel BUT there are great places if you look - a couple of nice craft beer places, the Forresters Guild serving higher end food (has a French bistro feel) excellent fish and chips you can eat in or out at Andrew’s and the wonderful Portobello Books. There is also a very good bus service into city and further afield and the buses were cheap snd clean so no need for taxi’s. Overall I would definately recommend the beach and town as a place to visit or act as a summer base.

This is the nearest beach to Edinburgh. It's crowded, rubbish left lying around, too many folk on bikes trying to get through the crowd and too many dog owners allowing their dogs to roam off the lead. The eateries are very expensive for what you get and they not the most pleasant folk on the prom. It's a shame really as the place could be really nice.

This place used to be good but not any longer. The waitress is very rude and speaks little English. Its expensive and when asked for more hot water top up our drinks she just glared at us but it was because the drinks were cold and the food took so long. When paying i was charged an extra £1.50 for the hot water!! Then was told my bill had been already been put through and did i have a problem with that. I will never be back again in this place. Over priced, horrid staff and poor food and drinks.

We recently visited Portobello beach for the first time with my sister and her husband who live a few miles from this location. The sand is spotless and the beach was crowded with families and dog walkers enjoying the fresh air.. The beach stretches for quite some distance and offers great views of the Fife coast which Is directly opposite. I was really amazed to see Arthur’s seat from the town centre. It is well worth seeing when visiting Edinburgh.

Lovely beach plenty of ladies swimming (or were they Mermaids)
Places to eat and drink are plentiful. Parking not bad further along and it’s free.
A busy place with an excellent busy feel The house prices reflect
how popular this area is.

Gets fairly busy due to people out for walks during lock down so remember your face mask and try and remain socially distanced. Most shops and cafés are closed due to lock down restrictions, but a few are still offering takeaway options along the promenade. Plenty of dog walkers and families alike. Open beach area with sand and sea, can get very cold with the chilly sea wind blowing in.

Whilst in Edinburgh on a short family break we headed to Portobello Beach arriving about 1045. The first car park we tried was full but soon stumbled across another one on a piece of dirt land right next to the Amusement Arcade on the sea front (free so a big bonus).
Parking was also right next to the toilet block (double bonus) which was kept thoroughly clean & fresh during the day, inevitable queue for the ladies. Toilet opening hours 11 x 18.
We then set up camp on the beach to the left which was virtually deserted all day, however to the right hand side in front of the promenade shops it was very busy.
People were still distancing but it looked v busy.
We walked a short distance along the promenade which appeared full of a variety of food shops.
The beach was clean & we enjoyed a lovely 5 hrs before heading back into town.
Would recommend a trip but best to get there early.