Brown’s Of Leith food market review: A brilliant addition to Edinburgh
From Shucks to Civerinos, variety and discernment are key ingredients here
Tinned fish is the new cool: do keep up. Brown’s Of Leith opened late November and behind the big blue doors of a former engineering works on The Shore, a new style of eating and drinking is unfolding. Brown’s is a flexible space, with food vendors, creative workshops and room for fresh ideas and collaborations, conceived by GRAS Architects (the guys behind Custom Lane, just across the Water Of Leith).
We’re no strangers to multiple operators sharing a venue; both Edinburgh Street Food, Bonnie & Wild and The Pitt do it very well. But Brown’s feels different. The former warehouse retains an industrial charm (old piping and high ceilings will do that), with beautifully polished metal bars and tables echoing the building’s history. Thick curtains cosy up the space and there’s ample seating, some at big communal tables.
Vendor-wise, first up is Haze, from the family behind Timberyard and Montrose, serving coffee and pastries in the morning and simple tasty snacks, mostly on toast, later in the day. There’s a wide selection of up-market tinned fish, but also burrata, carlin pea hummus and wild boar saucisson. The wine list favours the natural and interesting, and they do an excellent Negroni too. Seafood slingers Shucks have been brought in from the cold of ShrimpWreck, their Portobello beach shack, offering fresh briny oysters with a slug of Woven whisky (also a resident business), fat juicy Thai mussels with sourdough, and a few Porty favourites such as the lobster roll. Their Portobello neighbours Civerinos join them here too, with thin and crisp New Haven (Connecticut) style pizzas, a delicious departure from their usual slices. It’s cut to share but you may not want to. Brown’s is a diverse offering that really works: a relaxed, welcoming space that’s a brilliant addition to the food-loving, creative community in Leith.
Brown’s Of Leith, 4–6 Shore, Edinburgh; average price around £12 for a main dish.