Dirty Dick’s Pub

Looking for classic fish and chips and whiskey in Edinburgh? Dirty Dick's in Edinburgh is the right place.

I first noticed Dirty Dick’s Pub as I walked with my luggage from the Edinburg Waverly train station. While walking up Rose Street to the Kimpton Charlotte Square, I marveled at the ambiance and the amusing name of the pub. It caught my eye, to say the least.

Later, after a welcome drink at Baba within the hotel bar, I set out to find a place to eat. Now, one thing you need to know about Edinburgh is that the restaurants close EARLY. When I say early, I mean that kitchens start to close around 8:30pm. To say I was blindsided by this fact is an understatement. It’s also a bit disorienting to have the  It was also blazingly bright at 9pm.

So when my first choice, Miros Cantina Mexicana, said their kitchen was closed – I walked up to Dirty Dick’s.

Now, the whiskey selection at Dirty Dick’s is outstanding. I learned about various brands and tastes and smells that I’d never heard of before. But, what I came for – the POSH FISH AND CHIPS (Locally sourced fresh haddock battered in beer batter, served with chips, picked onions, peas and tartar sauce)  – was outstanding. The fish was so large and filling – I couldn’t finish it. I relished sprinkling malt vinegar on for seasoning, savoring the tartar sauce and the hot thick fries.

I had it with an ounce of the TOMATIN 12-YEAR-OLD (classically smooth and matured as traditional Scotch Whisky in ex-Bourbon and ex-Spanish Sherry casks). It was truly one for the books.

As I sat at the bar, drinking whiskey and taking in the lively local color, I simply felt blessed and happy that my desire to see Beyonce’s Renaissance World Tour had inspired me on a delicious adventure in Scotland.

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