Down the Hatch - South Queensferry

Wasn't sure where we were heading for breakfast this morning, but I'm so glad my friend brought us here. A wet and windy Sunday morning with most of the seating outside, but the place was packed which certainly indicates how good it us. Fantastic coffee and the breakfasts were bang on. See the attached picture and note how lovingly my pal is staring at his Scottish breakfast 🤣. Would definitely recommend.

My family & I always love both DTH locations. This was our first time trying the breakfast skillets, and we loved them. I hsd the full Scottish, and my wife had the Canadian - it was Canada day and so it felt appropriate. The food was amazing, and the staff all friendly and all incredible with out 1 year old who was chatting away to them all. Based on this, would definitely go back for breakfast again.

Food was fantastic, great price for what you get. Nice relaxed atmosphere with speedy service. Our server was really knowledgeable about the dishes too which helped with ordering. Definitely visit again

Food was absolutely top notch. First time going and couldn’t believe the quality and flavour of the food. Brilliant wee surprise it was. Definitely going back, they’ve got a heated outdoor seating area which is comfortable.

What a find. 😊Lovely place. Amazing food and nice selection. Good drinks too. very good service and staff. Definitely return if I lived closer. I left saying it's the best breakfast I've had.

Eaten here a couple of times, from the breakfast and lunch menus. My favourite is the Mexican breakfast skillet 😋 they have burgers, great sandwiches! But my fave is also the poutine fries. You won't be disappointed with anything you order, they also have a place to eat and drink in Edinburgh. City Centre

Lovely Canadian themed diner, food was seriously delicious 10/10. We had the haggis peppercorn hot dog, chicken tenders and Mac and cheese. The Mac could have been smoother and cheesier with a nice topped crust but, everything else was so nice that it was still 5*

Down the Hatch is a quirky little gem that we visited as a family during a recent trip, and it absolutely delivered on flavour and atmosphere. From the moment we walked in, the vibe was relaxed and welcoming, with a cool, laid-back interior that set the tone for a fun dining experience. The staff were friendly and attentive, making us feel right at home. Now, let’s talk about the food—because that’s where Down the Hatch truly shines. Every dish we ordered was packed with flavour and beautifully presented. The standout, without question, was the pancakes. Fluffy, golden, and stacked high, they were hands-down the best pancakes we've ever had. Whether topped with fresh fruit, syrup, or something more indulgent, they were a showstopper. Even the kids couldn’t stop talking about them! The menu offered a great variety, catering to all tastes, and everything we tried—from burgers to loaded fries—was cooked to perfection. It’s clear the kitchen takes pride in what they serve. That said, it’s worth noting that Down the Hatch isn’t cheap. Prices are on the higher side, especially for a casual meal. While the quality justifies the cost to some extent, it’s definitely more of a treat than a regular stop. Still, for a memorable family outing with incredible food, it’s hard to beat.

+3

Down the hatch in South Queensferry is a brilliant place to visit. We have gone on many occasions. Their skillets full of delight are something to behold. I love having breakfast there with the family.

This Canadian place is one of our favourites. If you haven’t been, I suggest u get your shoes on and move ur bum…. Located at the Forth bridge for a day to explore…. Always call before u go as very popular and kitchen closes at 11 for Bfast and opens at 12 again for the lunch menu.

+2

I would go as far to say this is the best breakfast I’ve had in a very long time. Especially after one of our recent visits to another well known place. This was leagues above. Service could have been a tiny bit better in attentiveness. Checking to make sure everything is alright, if we needed anything else but the staff were indeed all super friendly & knowledgeable. Not a huge fan of suggested service fees / tips (which you can remove). It happens many places and it’s an American (Canadian in this respect) system that shouldn’t be adopted. The products are priced accordingly inclusive of overheads. If I’d like to tip which I always do, I feel better about it being my own decision. However: Location speaks for itself. Down by the marina under the bridges. What more can you ask for. Would advise to book ahead on their website to ensure you get a table inside or out. Will for sure be returning! Well done 👏🏻

This a great wee place tucked away in the back of South Queensferry. Friendly service from the start to finish only had a coffee and Poutine. The coffe was brilliant.But definitely be back now I know where it is. Good choice of seating inside and out. Could see it being busy at the weekend as it was busy midweek.

Wonderful and friendly staff. Sat outside but was warm with the heater above us. Had the chicken grilled cheese, mac and cheese and poutine. Delicious and very generous portions. Amazing local coffee too. Highly recommended. Friendly advice re halal chicken options and staff couldn't have been more helpful

I hadn't been there before and went with a friend for breakfast after quite a heavy night. We had the full Scottish breakfast in the skillet. You could tell everything was proper food and not cheap. I can eat but just managed the portion.

This place is awesome! They‘ve got the vibe, they‘ve got the food-proper meat no joke! The coffee is properly strong. It’s just all done the right way!

Brilliant a nice wee change Your potien needs a bit of work nothing like the one we had in Toronto

Lazy Saturday so decided to get a delivery after getting this place recommended... Ordered the mexi breakfast and the Argentinian breakfast. Mexi had a nice spicy kick to it and the steak in the Argentinian was to die for. Thoroughly enjoyed & we'd highly recommend

This is a really lovely wee restaurant. The food was so good I didn't get a photo until we where done. Huge portions of really good food for a brilliant price. The menu had something for everyone, We where there for breakfast and even then the choice was great! Hubby took me for a birthday brunch after he went to the one in Edinburgh for a stag do and really enjoyed it. I'm a huge plant fan as well so the outside area was my kind of place. Sadly it was too cold to sit out there but the inside was lovely too, a little like a fishing shack but purposely done so it was cosy and comfortable. The staff where extremely cheery and really helpful, great service and atmosphere between the staff members was really friendly. Highly recommend. We will definately be back again ☺️.

Great tasty food. Menu, order & pay via an app! We sat outside on wet cold Scottish afternoon, but the area had 2 large heaters so the weather didn't ruin the experience!

My partner had visited a few times and couldn't wait to take me. I was not disappointed, the food was so good. I had one of the burgers and he had the buffalo sandwich both were very tasty. We also got two milkshakes, nice and thick American style ones, lovely but can be a job to drink. He got the maple poutine he said tasted good not too sweet. I had the haggis poutine which worked so well together the spices from the haggis gave an extra dimension to it. I highly recommend it. Can't wait to go back and take our kid along with us.

Popped in for a real Scottish breakfast here yesterday. The breakfast was hearty and delicious. The Haggis was tremendous so much so that I asked for a second helping!! Highly recommended.

Been wanting to try Down the hatch for a while and it did not disappoint. They had the kids eat free offer on during the February half term which was a bonus and true saving. Food was great and fresh, Service was friendly and quick. Only negatives would be the price but I don’t believe Down the Hatch were any more expensive than a similar restaurant but more due to the overall economy issues facing the hospitality industry. Total bill was under £50 for the 5 of us but would have been closer to £70 if the offer was not on.

Service was amazing. Burger were tasty and juicy and the Poutine is the real deal, I say this as a Quebecer. Dog friendly , quick to get your food and very tasty coffee. Beautiful area. Can’t recommend more

Fantastic! We got a takeaway hatchbox and it was brilliant! Would definitely recommend for a treat! Ours had bacon cheeseburger, 10 roast chicken wings, beef dip sandwich, fries covered in bacon, cheese and Chipotle ketchup and some house salad. Amazing!

Great food as always, book in advance recommended. Wide range of breakfast choices that will fill you up for the day!

The three of us had brunch on a rainy day. The restaurant was very busy but the food quality as well as customer service was not affected at all. It was our first time but we had a thoroughly enjoyable experience. The staff were warm and friendly. The drinks and food were delivered speedily considering the volume of customers there. Staff checked in with us a few times. No mistakes or payment issues. Looking forward to coming back soon! Thank you!

Honestly, if you want to try a Full Scottish Breakfast in a skillet then Down the Hatch is the place to go! Great quality food, it really was and plenty of it! Well worth the visit!

Great food with a good atmosphere. Service was good and food was quickly served. The Caesar salad was so tasty!! Many choices of poutine and haggis was delicious. Hot dog was a very large portion and tasty.

Great meal, food was lovely, very unique but £3 for a can of juice plonked on your table is diabolical 😂

Had a very last minute trip to Down the Hatch South Queensferry. We were surprised at the very early closing time, however we were still welcomed in 40 minutes before closing and asked to order asap. Staff couldn't have been friendlier a credit to the business! And explained they experiment with later opening times which would be welcome news for latecomers. It might have been due to our late arrival but the buns were fairly hard and crumbly which weren't particularly enjoyable to eat. The sauce on the Philly burger wasn't great either. However, overall it was a great visit and I hope to come again soon!

The place was great. Staff very friendly and nice. Gave us time to order were chatty. The food had amazing flavours but lacked meat? You had the good flavours just very meat shy

Great spot for some lunch, the insta photos make it look like an American BBQ but it's more like an up market cafe. Don't get me wrong the food was tasty but it came on a plastic takeaway tray like the American bbq joint use and my can of Irn-Bru was just plonked on the table without a glass or ice. I think I was expecting an American style BBQ joint with beers but that's not what it is. They don't sell alcohol and it's not really a BBQ. Also every item from the menu we had previously choose before we got there wasn't for sale even though it was on the menu the night before we got there. Even after this I would still eat there again, if you take it for what it is it's a reasonably priced cafe with decent food

I was really really looking forward to this experience. We arrived and were seated we picked what we wanted, cheeseburger and a GOAT burger and a portion of fries. We ordered our drink as well 2 cans of juice and the food literally came with our drinks, the burger sizes are small, tasty but small. I was still chewing my food when a waiter asked if we'd finished, I reluctantly said yes. 30 mins from seating till our plates being taken away, I've been in a burger King longer but I left still hungry.

The breakfast skillets are very good, the Mon-Fri deal is superb. But it had been a while since I've eaten a burger from there so I went for lunch last week and got the double bacon cheeseburger, fries and strawberry milkshake and was left seriously disappointed. I get inflation but it's not justified when portions have gone down in size. The skinny fries portion of chips for £4 is not good value at all, strawberry milkshake with just strawberry syrup and cream is lazy for £6.50 put even 1 fresh strawberry on it. I could have the exact same meal sans the house burger sauce from 5 guys for the same price and the burger, fries and shake beat what I had from DTH. I used to bleat about this place to everyone I knew for years. What happened?! Complacency, greed? I get it overheads, staff etc but I paid for 2 shakes, 2 double bacon cheese burgers and 1 portion of fries was £51.70 that included the added 10% service fee charge just shy of £5 I doubt server fees have to be paid from the food, those charges albeit can be taken off but the level of guilt tripping for that is mad. I'd recommend the breakfast but won't recommend the burgers, fries or shakes.

Enjoyed it. Nice place. Mostly outdoor seating but heaters make it warmer then inside. Friendly staff, food came quickly, although we were more than half way through our burgers before the pouting arrived. Generous portions. A nicely cooked burger, tasty chocolate shake, and pouting that lots of large chunks of cheese curds and just the right amount of gravy. Haggis on to was a nice touch and highly recommended.

Went for a breakfast 🍳 good choice for breakfast skillets, 2 x skillets plus juice and a tea for £31 . Don’t pay for parking at the car park as this is covered in the restaurant you add your car registration number once you are inside. Now to the food five of us went for a feed all skillets were not served at the same time. I had the full Scottish skillet I found the link sausages and square sausage to be tasteless but apart from that the rest was good.You can change items on your plate if you ask.

I want to like this place, but sadly it fell short. Worst part was the portable toilets outside, they were cold and dirty - and this was lunch time on a Wednesday, not 9pm on a Friday night. Kansas Pulled Pork Grilled Cheese £13.00 - was decent. Montreal Cheesesteak £13.75 was less impressive. £3 for a can of coke and £3 for Diet Coke and didn't even come with a glass or ice. £36 for a quick bite. Scott's is 30 yards away is very good and The Hawes Inn at the other end of town is excellent. Granted they're both a wee bit more expensive but I've never been disappointed by either.

The biscoff shake was nice but can make better at home. The Montreal cheesesteak wasn't very good at all. Steak was too thickly sliced and the onions and peppers seem like they were microwaved and soggy. Not enough cheese. Overly salty too. Nothing like the Philly cheese steaks I've had in USA. And again I can do better at home. If I'm back I will try the burgers or breakfasts as they looked much better. Staff were nice though. Would have been nice to knock some money off as me and the wife were both dissatisfied.

I don't like leaving negative reviews but I was really disappointed with Down the Hatch. Bland, tasteless food at a ridiculous price for the quality. I haven't been here in over 3 years and I remember it being much the same. Gave it the benefit of the doubt as I was in the area. Service and atmosphere are good, however. I guess the social media photos of the food make it seem more appealing to others.

This used to be a 5 star review, restaurant was really good, it seems the owners / staff no longer care. Food isn’t cooked very well I do a better job myself of making what I would normally order, I emailed (I wouldn’t normally do this) but I really loved the restaurant so I emailed so that maybe they would be aware of the lack of care in making the food, but I got no response. Waste of your money overly expensive and the food is bad. Sad to see, used to be my favourite restaurant.