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Most visitors to South Queensferry stay on the High Street, between the Hawes Inn and the pier. That’s a fair choice. The bridges are there, so are the pubs, and a few restaurants with a view.
But one of the better reasons to visit the town now sits out beside the Tesco and the Dakota Hotel. The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack opened in June 2025.
Many restaurant guides and tourist blogs love to throw around the phrase “the best this” or “the best that”. Most of the time it means nothing. No judges, no date, no list of who else was in the running.
This one comes with a named award and a date. In October 2026 the restaurant was named Fish & Chip Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Restaurant Awards.
This guide covers what the place is, what the award does and doesn’t tell you – how to get there, and what I ate.
In this guide
- The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack is a family-run fish and chip and seafood restaurant beside Dakota Edinburgh and Tesco on the edge of South Queensferry – a five-minute drive from the Queensferry Crossing.
- It opened in June 2025 in the former Frankie & Benny’s unit.
- It won Fish & Chip Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Restaurant Awards 2026, and is shortlisted in the top 10 for Best Restaurant of the Year at the National Fish & Chip Awards 2027.
- Parking is free at the door. Booking is essential, especially in the evening. It closes relatively early: 8.30pm Monday to Saturday, 8pm on Sunday.
- It’s near Dakota Edinburgh, so it works best as a meal stop on the Edinburgh–Fife route, not as part of a High Street wander.
- On the menu I photographed on 17 October 2026, a haddock supper was £16.95 and the sharing seafood platter was £60 per person for two or more.
Where the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack Sits in South Queensferry
The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack is a sit-down restaurant on the edge of South Queensferry, beside the Dakota Hotel and Tesco, a short drive from the M90 and the Queensferry Crossing. It isn’t on the High Street, which is why most visitors never see it.
I grew up in the Ferry and left in 1996. Back then this ground was a field. No Dakota, no Tesco. The Frankie & Benny’s came later, and then the unit sat empty.
Now it holds a fish shack with an open kitchen and a neon sign over the pass reading “Ye cannae beat a Crab & Lobster Fish Shack supper”.
The Coghill family runs it. Bryan Coghill created the concept with his son Jack, who is head chef. Bryan’s wife Michelle is part of the team. The same family also runs Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s in Dunfermline. (At the time of writing, it’s closed).
Where the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack really makes its mark is the quality of the seafood. The restaurant says its scallops are hand-dived and its shellfish creel-caught, and the menu lists grilled day-boat landed fish. In fact, Manager Michelle told me they use a whole filleted fish rather than the two thin fillets many places serve.
How the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack Won Its Awards
As reported in the Edinburgh Evening News, The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack won Fish & Chip Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Restaurant Awards 2026, held in Glasgow on 12 October.
It’s also shortlisted in the top 10 for Best Restaurant of the Year at the National Fish & Chip Awards. The restaurant says it’s the only Scottish business on that shortlist.
It’s one award in one year, and it’s worth putting in proportion. The restaurant opened in June 2025, so it won roughly sixteen months in. What’s more, they were up against tough competition – Quayside Restaurant & Fish Bar in Montrose and City Restaurant Fish & Chips in Edinburgh were also in the same category.
Jack Coghill had already been named Young Chef of the Year in 2025 at the Scottish Excellence Awards, shortly before the family took over the site.
The National Fish & Chip Awards use mystery diners who judge frying technique and customer service. The final five from that top 10 are due to be named before the ceremony in February.
Our waiter told me it had been noticeably busier since the win.
A Meal Stop Between Edinburgh and Fife Near the Queensferry Crossing
The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack works as a meal stop for anyone driving between Edinburgh and Fife in either direction. It’s a short five-minute drive from the M90 near the Queensferry Crossing, with free parking at the door.
That matters more than it sounds. Most places worth eating at in South Queensferry sit on the High Street, where parking is tight and the road down is steep.
This one sits beside a retail park. Park, eat, and be back on the A90.
If you’re not on the A90, it’s a destination, not a detour. I’d say that flatly. Nobody should plan a day around one restaurant they haven’t booked.
The Fife link runs both ways. Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s in Dunfermline is the family’s other restaurant. If you’re visiting Dunfermline Abbey and Palace, it’s an easy pairing.
What I Ate at the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack
I had the seafood platter. It came with lobster, langoustines, mussels, cockles and fresh fish, with chips on the side. It’s the sharing dish on the menu, at £60 per person for two or more. It was excellent. I’d order it again.
I didn’t have the haddock supper, which is what the award is for. So I can’t tell you how it compares with the best chippies elsewhere in Scotland. But when I asked another diner who ordered it, they said it was well worth the price and they’d order it again.
The dining room is spacious and doesn’t feel cramped. The open kitchen adds to atmosphere, because you can see the pass and the fryers from the door. It filled up as the evening went on.
I paid for my own meal. The restaurant’s PR supplied two images and some background after my visit. Everything else here is my own or independently sourced.
Menu snapshot, 17 October 2026
Prices come from the menu I photographed on 17 October 2026. They’ll change, so check with the restaurant before you go.
| Dish | Price |
|---|---|
| Regular haddock supper | £16.95 |
| Jumbo haddock supper | £19.95 |
| Sausage supper | £16 |
| Fish Shack Supper Club (Mon–Fri, 11.30am–3pm; includes bread, butter and a pot of tea) | £15 |
| Mussels and chips | £21 |
| Crab and lobster roll | £25 |
| Taste of the Sea to Share (minimum two people) | £60 per person |
Grilled fish and shellfish specials change daily and are priced at market rates.
What “supper” means
In fish and chip restaurants and takeaways, an item called a “supper” simply comes with chips. A haddock supper is haddock and chips. A sausage supper is a sausage and chips.
Parking, Booking and Getting to the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack
Parking at the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack is free, in the car park beside the Dakota Hotel and Tesco. Booking is essential. On my visit it filled up through the evening, so I’d book for dinner and for weekends.
- Address: 7 Ferrymuir, South Queensferry, EH30 9QZ
- Parking: free on site (my visit, 17 October 2026)
- Booking: online through the restaurant’s own site
- Opening hours:
- Monday – Saturday: 11.30 am – 3.45 pm and 5 pm – 8.30 pm
- Sunday: 11.30 am – 3.45 pm and 5 pm – 8 pm
- Weekday lunch: the Supper Club menu runs Monday to Friday, 11.30am to 3pm
From the High Street or Hawes Pier it isn’t a stroll to the next shop. From the bottom of the Loan, it’s a 15 – 20-minute uphill walk. I’d take a taxi unless you’re happy with a longer walk. You’ll need to call a local taxi firm like Dalmeny Cars and the cost is around £7.
For the wider picture of getting around, see the Edinburgh and Queensferry transport guide.
Who the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack Suits, and Who Should Skip It
The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack suits sit-down diners who want proper fish and chips or a shellfish platter and are happy to book ahead. It suits drivers on the M90 travelling between Edinburgh and Fife. It’s a poorer fit for a quick takeaway, a tight budget or a High Street-only visit.
However, on my visit, I saw many people leaving with takeaway bags. So, phone ahead, put in your order, and enjoy a “proper chippy” at home.
It suits:
- Drivers between Edinburgh and Fife who want a proper meal stop
- Anyone marking an occasion who’s happy to book
- Visitors who read about the award and want to see what it’s about
It’s a poor fit for:
- A cheap, quick bite. The haddock supper is £16.95 and the platter is £60 per person
- Anyone without a car or a taxi, unless you’re happy to walk out of the centre
- Walk-ins on a weekend evening. Book
My guide to things to do in Queensferry has a list of ideas for spending more time in this historic town.
Other Places to Eat in South Queensferry
For a High Street meal, my default answer is still the Hawes Inn, Orocco Pier or Scotts. For a proper pint, it’s the Ferry Tap. The Crab & Lobster Fish Shack is the out-of-centre option that rounds the list out.
The where to eat in South Queensferry guide covers all of these, with notes on what’s open and what’s changed.
Frequently Asked Questions
These are the questions the main sections don’t already settle: where it is, whether it won best in Scotland, booking, closing time, parking, prices and who owns it. Each answer is short.
Where is the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack?
It’s beside Dakota Edinburgh and Tesco on the edge of South Queensferry, near the Queensferry Crossing. The address is 7 Ferrymuir, South Queensferry, EH30 9QZ.
Did the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack win best fish and chips in Scotland?
It won Fish & Chip Restaurant of the Year at the Scottish Restaurant Awards 2026. That’s one award in one year. It’s also shortlisted in the top 10 for Best Restaurant of the Year at the National Fish & Chip Awards. The restaurant says it’s the only Scottish business on the shortlist.
Do you need to book the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack?
Yes. When I went, it filled up through the evening. I’d book for dinner and for weekends. Book through the restaurant’s own site.
What time does the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack close?
It closes at 8.30pm Monday to Saturday and 8pm on Sunday. Plan for an early dinner rather than a late supper, and check the restaurant’s website for the times on the day.
Is there parking at the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack?
Yes. Parking is free, in the car park beside Dakota Edinburgh and Tesco. That was the case on my visit on 17 October 2026.
How much is fish and chips at the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack?
On the menu I photographed on 17 October 2026, a regular haddock supper was £16.95 and a jumbo was £19.95. There’s also a £15 midweek lunch deal, Monday to Friday, 11.30am to 3pm.
Who owns the Crab & Lobster Fish Shack?
The Coghill family. Bryan Coghill created the concept with his son Jack, who is head chef. The family also runs Jack ‘O’ Bryan’s in Dunfermline, which is temporarily closed. [CHECK: update when it reopens]
Scott Gibson grew up in South Queensferry and runs queensferry.net. The Forth and Edinburgh guides come from lived experience — tender days at Hawes Pier, cruise traffic, the shortcuts into the city. For the wider Scotland cruise ports, he draws on friends in some of the port towns alongside port, operator and transport sources — so the detail holds up on the ground, not just on paper. Clear directions, real timings, no brochure fluff.