The Lioness of Leith

Reviews

• Karen A.

  star star star star star 11 June 2026

  I loved this place!
  
  What a cool little establishment! Stopped in unexpectedly one evening and was so glad I did.
  
  Just came in for a beer and it wasn't too busy. Super friendly bartender and great selection of suds.
  
  I couldn't stop looking around, as there was sooo much going on with the decor. Pinball machine, old video games, cool pictures everywhere. Loved the vibe here.
  
  I would definitely suggest stopping in for a pint if you're in the area and can't wait to return!

• GreenTara R.

  star star star star_border star_border 10 June 2026

  Pros:
  Service was good.
  Love the location. I  Leith.
  Atmosphere warm, friendly, comfortable, hip.
  Appreciate the free range,grass fed, etc ...
  
  Cons:
  Was excited about the 'gourmet' burgers . Our party of 4 ordered burgers. Very disappointing. Liked the bun. Fandom ends there. I asked for medium rare, was told well done the only option. . My well done, super dry burger was the worst burger I've had in years. Granted, I am from Northern California, and gourmet burgers r us!! Big time. So, my baseline is high.
  The burger did not meet my juicy, yummy expectations.
  Hopefully it was a bad day. I really wanted to like this place, and it came highly recommend by our air b&b hostess.
  
  Please up your burger game!

• Stuart B.

  star star star star_border star_border 2 June 2026

  Came to Lioness of Leith with as part of Brunch club with other Yelpers.
  
  It's appeared on a few lists as a recommended brunch spot in the city, and judging from some of the past reviews it seems to have had some interesting brunch options in the past.
  
  I'm not sure if it's changed hands recently but it seemed pretty unremarkable. They had the usual brunch options - poached eggs, black pudding, eggs benedict. Mostly fine but wasn't executed to a really high standard. Some of the english muffins weren't toasted and just a few details not quite right. The poached eggs were a high point though.
  
  I'd go for tea over coffee here. They make an effort but it's not a place for a decent flat white.
  
  As a bar, I think this place is pretty cool. There's old arcade machines and a retro vibe. I could see myself coming here for drinks rather than morning brunch.
  
  I wouldn't be in a rush to come back for brunch but if I was in the area I'd check it out again in the evening or potentially to see if dinner was a better option.

• Rachel R.

  star star star star star_border 30 May 2026

  LOL! Well, if they will call themselves Lioness of Leith, it's to be expected.
  
  I quite like the Lioness. Yes, it's super hipster at first glance, but the clientele is a nice mix of younger, well, hipsters, families, and other non-dodgy residents of the burgh of Leith. Duke Street isn't the first place you'd think of to find a nice, friendly and SAFE pub, but LOL took a chance and it worked.
  
  The purple woodwork, the pinball machine, the big game heads and the bizarre three-eyed Ginsberg portrait might put you off at first, but look beyond the wacky interior and you'll find an interesting menu and a decent selection of beers on draught.
  
  We've popped by for drinks a couple of times, but until yesterday hadn't eaten.  I suppose this is mostly because I've read so many mixed things about their food, largely that when they do it well it's really, really good, but they struggle with consistency, and to be honest consistency is what you need.  But on a lazy Sunday and in need of sustenance, we decided to finally have a go and eat.
  
  Sundays at LOL mean one thing, the roast! You can get a whole chicken for £17.50, or a half for £9, with a selection of sides at £3 each.  Whilst I'd initially had every intention of having the roast, a quick tot up in my head made me realise that this was an expensive option.  Sure, all the roasts coming past our table looked amazing, and I was jealous of them all, but I'm not made of money.  Instead I settled on the fish and chips, and Kip S went for the bacon and brie burger.  And lord, was that fish good!  Perfectly crispy batter, succulent cod, skinny fries and unexpectedly delicious peas.  I'm assured Kip's burger was very tasty too, and he ate it so quickly I can only assume he enjoyed it!  I was stuffed, and mine was a proper fish tea so came with bread and butter so I really was very full.
  
  We washed it down with (in my case) a pint of their housee IPA brewed by Leith locals Pilot (cloudy and a big whack of flavour), and (for Kip) their house lager Lioness (much easier to drink).
  
  I've noticed they now do an afternoon tea, and I've spied £4.95 cocktails on Tuesdays!  Usually Nobles is my go to for pretty special pub grub in Leith, but LOL is definitely getting a look in now.

• Cressida F.

  star star star star_border star_border 23 May 2026

  Oh, it's so very cool here - I love the bright walls and the wacky decoration (a stuffed antelope head on the wall adorned with a tacky tiara sums the place up pretty perfectly) and the retro arcade game. I also love the sense of space.
  
  The brunch menu is limited, and of the four options, two appealed to me: the Mary Moriarty (poached eggs and smoked salmon on a brioche bun) and the Eggs Irvine Welsh (scrambled with chorizo, I think). I plumped for the MM, but I was surprised to find the salmon cold. To be fair to them, it was clearly meant to be - not a case of "outrage! My dish arrived cooled down!" More a case of "that's a bit odd, with hot eggs." Maybe just me, but I wasn't sure about it. The brioche bun was very nice - again not my expectation - I think of brioche as super soft and fluffy and this was toasted to rock-like crunch - but pleasant.
  
  Our waiter was very perky and achingly cool in style; big plus points for dealing with a confused rabble of brunch-hungry Yelpers on a Saturday morning with such efficiency and cheer.
  
  All in all, I had a lovely brunch, but I think much of that was related to the lovely company. I'll be happy to go back and try it again to see how it fares in a less brunchy situation because it really is a very nice spot.