Edinburgh’s Best Breakfast, The King’s Wark
Between 11am and 3pm on a Sunday The King’s Wark bar/pub is surely one of the Capital’s most popular destinations for breakfast. The King’s Wark may be able to squeeze you in without a booking, but as many Leith locals do I’d advise reserving a table in advance. I’ve eaten a hearty Sunday breakfast at The King’s Wark on a number of occasions and it’s been consistently the best breakfast I’ve found in Edinburgh; hence the proclamation that The King’s Wark is indeed Edinburgh’s Best Breakfast.
Factors that make The King’s Wark Edinburgh’s best breakfast destination include:
- Choice. The King’s Wark really do excel here. My staple is The King’s Wark Bigger Breakfast (sausages, bacon, egg, black pudding, haggis, tattie scones and more). However this is just one dish from a selection of bagels, vegetarian options, haddock, crepes, french toast, steak and egg, waffles and more. What a terrific selection.
- Quality. Every breakfast dish I’ve eaten at the King’s Wark has been very good quality e.g. the sausages, haggis, eggs and smoked salmon have all tasted great and are clearly from highly respectable suppliers. The general quality of the preparation, cooking and choice of ingredients for The King’s Wark breakfasts is very high. So far it has not disappointed.
- Portion Size. I like a filling breakfast and The King’s Wark certainly provide this. The Bigger Breakfast should satisfy the strongest of appetites until dinner time and the weakest until the next day. Other offerings such as the smoked salmon bagels with scrambled egg, always have plentiful amounts of salmon. I never feel the King’s Wark are economising on either quantity or quality.
The decision to name The King’s Wark Edinburgh’s Best Breakfast is based primarily on the product. As such The King’s Wark does have areas for improvement. Sometimes your table is tucked away in a corner and you feel a little cramped. Not much can be done here due to The King’s Wark’s layout. However other factors like occasional slow service, staff forgetfulness (where’s my toast..?) and general lack of great service (once we asked for more hot water to dilute the strong tea and, after a long wait, were delivered a completely freshly brewed pot of tea) could be addressed. The food, while great quality and quantity, is also a touch on the expensive side, especially when you add an orange juice and tea to the final bill. Some sample prices are:
- The King’s Wark Bigger Breakfast: £7.50
- The Bagel (cream cheese, smoked salmon and scrambled egg): £6.95
- The Fish Dish (finnan haddie, black pudding, poached egg & tattie scones): £8.95
- Homemade beans on waffle topped with brie: £5.75
The King’s Wark is located at 36 The Shore, Edinburgh, EH6 6QU. Telephone 2021 554 9260.
Best Breakfast - yes - but also best pub lunch in Edinburgh. We live nearby and are in here 2-3 times a month for Sat or Sun lunch
Just tried out the King’s Wark this morning based on this recommendation. We usually go to Bijou (www.bijoubistro.co.uk) - and that’s where we’ll be going in future still!
We were very disappointed with the King’s Wark. The service was quite poor, and the breakfast was not well cooked - raw tomato, quite raw mushrooms, sausages which looked liked they’d spent the minimum amount of time on a grill.
Definitely not Edinburgh’s best breakfast. The following are all much better in my opinion:
Bijou
Avoca
Hectors
The Roseleaf
Hamiltons
The Orchard
What a great blog site, living in France I can’t wait to get back to Edinburgh for a big brekky, I’m heading straight to King’s Wark to try it out.
Long been a fan of King’s Wark and miss it since moving to Stockbridge but planning a visit there soon as I agree it’s Edinburgh’s Best Breakfast. Service can vary - if staff awake then can be pleasant if a little remiss at times (agree re: “where’s the toast”). Think the food is good value for money, but don’t bother with the OJ!
I have been touring edinburgh trying to find the best breakfast and I was also disaapointed with the Kings Wark. By FAAAAAARRRR the best IMHO is Toast in marchmont. Yum Scrum.
I have to say this is definitely the best place in Edinburgh for breakfast which is why its so busy every Sunday. The choices are amazing and even the cheapest options come with free toast. My friends and I are there almost every week, the atmosphere is amazing, you can get lost just watching the staff who seem to enjoy being completely rushed off their feet. I would certainly recommend it to anyone.
The Kings Wark is awite but if you are looking for a challenge head to Gladstones bar just up the road! The biggest and best breakfast plate around! All the usuals on the plate and cooked to perfection! This and a nice cup of tea, the best hangover cure available…………
Just finished breakfast here. A lovely breakfast spot indeed. Thanks for the recommendation.
Do make a reservation as we have seen a dozen groups turned away (Sunday at 1pm).