A busy Portobello chippy-and-pizza spot with genuinely popular fish and chips, useful gluten-free options, and a real value-for-money split between dine-in hits and inconsistent deliveries; worth it if you keep expectations focused on the core classics.
St Andrews Restaurant & Takeaway delivers solid core food quality, with haddock and chips earning consistent praise, but inconsistency between dine-in and takeaway experiences prevents a stronger grade. Service ranges from genuinely warm to visibly stretched during busy periods, while the functional seaside setting appeals to casual neighborhood diners rather than drawing destination traffic. The gap between its best and most uneven offerings keeps it from approaching grade A territory.
St Andrews Restaurant & Takeaway feels like a classic Portobello stop: part seaside chippy, part casual pizza-and-pasta house, with a steady stream of locals, walkers, and takeaway regulars. The best reviews sound genuinely contented — “fresh, crispy, and perfectly cooked” comes up a lot — but the place can also look overrun when the beach crowd hits, and service speed takes the first hit when that happens. The cooking is at its best when it stays in its lane. Fish and chips, haddock, curry sauce, gluten-free batter, and the simpler pasta/pizza options are the stars; that’s where the kitchen seems to have the most confidence. The menu is broad and family-friendly, but it’s also the kind of broad menu that invites inconsistency, so adventurous diners should not expect a chef-y destination restaurant — think comforting staples, not culinary theater. For families, this is one of the easier places on the promenade: there’s a kids menu with nuggets, fish, burger, spaghetti, and macaroni cheese, plus enough familiar food that picky eaters should survive happily. Gluten-free diners also seem well looked after, with separate fryer use mentioned in reviews. The only caution is that busy periods can slow everything down, so it works best when you have patience and a hungry child is not currently making a scene.
Area vibe: Coastal residential district with a promenade, local shops, and seaside leisure.
Safety: Generally safe with decent evening lighting on main streets but quieter after dark in some stretches.
What's nearby: Near Portobello Beach promenade, the High Street shopping parade, bus routes to city centre, and local leisure facilities.