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Many restaurants in South Queensferry describe themselves as a “restaurant with a view”. Some do. Some have outdoor seating facing the Firth of Forth, others facing a car park. A window seat at the wrong table in the Hawes Inn tells a completely different story from the right one.
What you see — and from where — varies significantly between venues. The Forth Bridge close-up from the Railbridge Bar & Bistro terrace is not the same view as all three bridges framed from the deck at Port Edgar. The open Firth of Forth from Orocco Pier’s Samphire isn’t the same as the bridge-above-you angle at the Hawes Inn terrace.
Six restaurants in South Queensferry give you a genuine view – it’s a special treat for anyone arriving at Queensferry cruise port on their itinerary.
Here are the best things to do in Queensferry if you want to find the best restaurant with the best view, and how each fits into a shore day from Hawes Pier.
Best South Queensferry Restaurants With a View: Overview
Samphire Seafood Bar & Grill at Orocco Pier is the best overall — floor-to-ceiling panoramic windows and a terrace facing the full width of the Firth of Forth, three minutes from Hawes Pier. For the Forth Rail Bridge close-up, the Railbridge Bar & Bistro and the Hawes Inn garden are both within five minutes of the cruise pier. Scotts at Port Edgar Marina has all three Forth bridges in a single frame, best at dusk. Thirty Knots and Rogue Bros at The Boathouse round out the waterfront options.
In this guide
Quick Comparison: All Six Restaurants
| Restaurant | View type | Walk from Hawes Pier | Price / booking note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawes Inn (garden) | Forth Bridge almost overhead | 1 minute | ££ · Book ahead in cruise season |
| Railbridge Bar & Bistro | Close-up Forth Bridge views and open Firth | 2 minutes | ££ · Booking essential |
| Thirty Knots | Three bridges from the outdoor terrace | 3 minutes | ££ · Booking recommended |
| Samphire at Orocco Pier | Panoramic windows and terrace over the Forth | 10 minutes | £££ · Booking essential |
| Rogue Bros at The Boathouse | Water’s edge views across the open Firth | 10 minutes | £££ · Booking essential |
| Scotts at Port Edgar Marina | Panoramic views of all three bridges | Taxi or 25-minute walk | ££ · Booking recommended |
Hawes Inn — The View That’s Right There
Two minutes from the cruise pier, which makes it the first choice many passengers settle on before they’ve considered the alternatives.
The Forth Rail Bridge doesn’t sit in the background here — it fills the sky above the garden. You’re sitting almost underneath the cantilevers rather than looking across at them from a distance. On a clear day it’s a genuinely unusual angle that no other table in town replicates.
Best table: garden seats facing the estuary. Ask for a table away from the car park side when you book — this matters more than it sounds. The inside dining room has some Firth outlook, but the garden is the reason to come.
In cruise season, the outdoor tables fill quickly. Noon on a busy ship day and the garden is often gone. Arrive early or book ahead if you want the specific table rather than whatever’s available.
Menu is pub classics — cask ales, hearty mains, nothing requiring a special occasion. That tends to be the right call after a walk down from the High Street or back from the bridge.
Price band: £–££. Advance booking is advisable in summer for garden seats; bar meals can sometimes be walked into.
Railbridge Bar & Bistro — Best Outdoor Views of the Bridge
The Railbridge sits west of the High Street, directly on the waterfront. The Forth Rail Bridge fills the window on the west-facing side. The outdoor terrace looks straight out over the Firth.
This is the restaurant most commonly described as having a bridge view — and, unlike many such claims in South Queensferry, it’s accurate. The close-up is different from the Hawes Inn angle: you’re at the same level as the water rather than tucked under the structure. The bridge is in front of you, not above.
Best table: window table looking west, or the outdoor terrace. Specify this when booking — both the window seat and the terrace are worth requesting specifically, and the staff will know exactly what you mean.
Scottish produce, seasonal menu. Breakfast, lunch and dinner service. Children’s menu available.
Booking is essential at weekends, and on any day a large cruise ship is docked. If you’re off a ship and thinking of walking in around noon, book ahead. The window tables go first.
Price band: ££.
Railbridge Bar & Bistro website — for current menu, opening hours, and booking
Thirty Knots — Three Bridges, Contemporary Setting
The most recently opened of the waterfront restaurants, and it shows in the interior — more city-bar feel than traditional waterfront bistro. Large windows and an outdoor terrace face the Firth. From the right terrace position, all three Forth crossings sit in the frame together.
Best table: the outdoor terrace in good weather. Window seats when the terrace isn’t the right call. The terrace is the specific reason to come — the inside, while pleasant, could be anywhere.
Menu is broad and informal: BBQ salmon, plant-based dishes, mac and cheese alongside pub standards. Good for groups with mixed tastes. Busy on summer evenings — booking recommended.
Where Hawes Inn has history and Railbridge has the close-up, Thirty Knots has a different energy. Younger, louder when full, less about tradition. That’s not a criticism — it’s a different kind of lunch.
Price band: ££.
Samphire at Orocco Pier — Best Panoramic Views
The Orocco Pier hotel is a ten-minute walk Hawes Pier on foot. Samphire Seafood Bar & Grill is the fine-dining option upstairs, behind floor-to-ceiling windows that face the full width of the Firth. Antico is the more casual alternative at ground level, with a terrace directly on the waterfront.
Of all six restaurants on this list, Orocco Pier has the most expansive view. The panoramic windows give you the breadth of the Firth in a way no other venue in South Queensferry does — the Rail Bridge to one side, open water ahead, the Lothian coastline in the distance. The terrace extends that out into the open air.
Best table: window seats upstairs in Samphire for the full panoramic frame. The Antico terrace below puts you closer to the water level — a different angle, equally good in its own way.
Seafood-focused menu at the higher end of South Queensferry pricing. The right choice when the meal is the event rather than a stop between sights. Booking essential, particularly on cruise days.
Orocco Pier hotel and restaurant page — for Samphire and Antico menus and booking.
Price band: £££.
Rogue Bros at The Boathouse — Water’s Edge, Less Known
The least prominently marketed restaurant on this list. Given that it sits a few metres from the Firth with a direct water outlook and a serious seafood menu, that’s genuinely puzzling.
Rogue Bros serves small plates — mussels, scallops, halibut, squid. The Boathouse position gives it a different feel from the High Street restaurants: lower to the water, slightly off the main footfall, the Firth directly in front of rather than across a road.
Best table: outdoor seating when it’s available, or the window seats facing the water. This is worth specifying — not all seats have the same sightline.
Price point is higher than Railbridge or Thirty Knots, in line with Samphire. Less well-known also means less likely to be fully booked by noon on a cruise day — but don’t assume you can walk in. Booking essential.
Price band: £££.
Scotts at Port Edgar Marina — Three Bridges at Dusk
Port Edgar is the marina to the west of town, 25 minutes on foot from Hawes Pier along the waterfront. The walk takes you along the same path that runs under the Forth Road Bridge deck — views on the way out are part of it.
Scotts’ position at the marina gives it the most expansive sightline on this list. All three Forth crossings — the Victorian rail bridge, the Forth Road Bridge, and the Queensferry Crossing — sit in the frame from the outdoor deck and window seats. At dusk, when the bridges begin to light up, it’s the best seat in Queensferry.
Best table: outdoor deck facing east toward the bridges, or window seats if the weather requires it. The three-bridge composition works from either.
The menu runs from fish and chips to dry-aged steaks — broad and accessible. Mid-range pricing.
One practical note for cruise passengers: 25 minutes on foot is tight if your all-aboard time is 5pm or 6pm. A taxi from Hawes Pier takes under five minutes and costs around £5–8. Worth factoring in if your shore day is time-pressured. For passengers staying locally, this is the one to specifically target at dusk.
Price band: ££.
Best Time of Day for the View
Most cruise passengers are back aboard by 5 pm or 6 pm. That cuts out golden hour — the 90 minutes before sunset when the light comes from the west and catches the Rail Bridge ironwork. In high summer, sunset in South Queensferry falls around 9.30–10 pm.
The most practically useful window for capturing the best shot of the bridges in Queensferry is daylight when dining between 1 pm and 4 pm, when the light is full from the south, conditions are at their most consistent, and the outdoor terraces are still in the sun.
The bridges are lit after dark, which changes the view at Scotts and Hawes Inn specifically — the illuminated structure against a dark sky is a different composition from the daylight version. If you’re staying locally and not back aboard a ship, an evening meal at Scotts at Port Edgar is worth planning specifically for this.
Midday in clear conditions — even without the golden hour — the Rail Bridge views from Railbridge Bar & Bistro and the Hawes Inn garden are fully dramatic. Don’t let the lack of golden light put you off a noon lunch.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which South Queensferry restaurants are closest to Hawes Pier?
The Hawes Inn is two minutes from Hawes Pier on foot. Samphire at Orocco Pier is around three minutes away, and Railbridge Bar & Bistro is about five minutes. All three have direct views of the Forth.
Scotts at Port Edgar Marina is the furthest from the cruise pier — around 25 minutes on foot or a short taxi ride.
What’s the difference between the views at Railbridge, Thirty Knots and Scotts?
Railbridge gives you the Forth Bridge close-up — the Victorian ironwork fills the view on the west-facing side. Thirty Knots has a broader Firth view, with all three bridges visible from the outdoor terrace.
Scotts at Port Edgar Marina has the widest angle of the three crossings together, especially at dusk, but it is not as close to Hawes Pier as the waterfront restaurants near the High Street.
Do I need to book restaurants in South Queensferry in advance?
On days when a large cruise ship is in port, yes. Railbridge Bar & Bistro, Samphire, and Rogue Bros at The Boathouse are the ones I’d be most careful with.
The Hawes Inn can sometimes work for walk-ins, especially for bar meals, but garden tables go quickly in good weather. Scotts at Port Edgar is less exposed to cruise-day pressure, but it is still worth booking in summer.
Is Orocco Pier good for views?
Yes. Samphire Seafood Bar & Grill at Orocco Pier has a sheltered, glass-fronted dining room facing the Firth. The view is broader and more open than Railbridge or the Hawes Inn, though less dominated by the Forth Bridge itself.
Antico, the more casual option downstairs, has a terrace that puts you closer to the waterline.
What’s the best restaurant in South Queensferry for views of the Forth Bridge?
For the most panoramic view overall, choose Samphire at Orocco Pier. For a close-up view of the Forth Bridge, Railbridge Bar & Bistro is the stronger choice. For the dramatic overhead angle in summer, the Hawes Inn garden is hard to beat.
For all three Forth crossings in one frame, Scotts at Port Edgar Marina has the best angle. The right answer depends on which kind of view you’re after.
Can I walk from the cruise pier to restaurants with views?
Yes. The High Street and waterfront restaurants in this guide are all within about ten minutes on foot from Hawes Pier.
Scotts at Port Edgar Marina is the exception. It is around 25 minutes on foot, or a short taxi ride if you do not want the extra walk.
For a full eating guide to South Queensferry including cafés, fish & chips, and quick bites, see the complete where to eat guide.
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.