Auld Jock’s Pie Shoppe

I’m starting to discover that I’m not the most observant soul in the world. I must have walked past Auld Jock’s Pie Shoppe loads of times without it particularly registering with me, but I spied it the other day when on my way to the Blackcherry Café, and thought it looked worth a visit, next time the pie mood took me.

Exterior

I had built up a considerable appetite by the time lunchtime arrived, today, so a hearty pie sounded like an excellent plan.

With its joyously silly name, and given it’s located right in the Grassmarket, it’s a fair bet that their main focus is on tourist trade. Of course, there’s no reason not to try a place just because it has the whiff of a tourist trap about it. That was what my perception of Angels with Bagpipes was, prior to visiting, and that proved to be a really impressive place.

Pie, beans and mash

This place is entirely more down-at-heel, but has made a few concessions to neat and tidiness, particularly with one of the bare stone walls featuring some artwork for sale. For me, I’d have preferred if they’d embraced the shabby-chic a little more openly, as they’ve somewhat missed an opportunity to deliver a glorious over-the-top, full-on greasy spoon pie shop.

They have a broad selection of pies, from which I chose the haggis pie. I chose to add both mash and beans.

View from the window

The friendly counter woman soon delivered me a no-nonsense plate of grub. The beans proved routine. The pie was deeply filled with decent haggis, but the pastry wasn’t the crispest. The mash, however, was excellent, with an ejoyably smooth texture. It was nicely seasoned, too.

I shovelled down the items with a degree of relish, and with belly full, I was soon on my way back to the office.

So overall, the mash at Auld Jock’s was the standout item. The rest of the experience wasn’t quite so highlight packed. The place is quite tourist trappy, and for the quality on offer, it is a little pricey. I’m glad I acted upon my curiosity, after finally spotting this place, but I’m not sure I was rewarded richly enough to consider a repeat visit.

Scores

Blythe scores Auld Jock’s Pie Shoppe
3.5/5 for food
2.5/5 for presentation
3/5 for service
2.5/5 for setting
giving an overall 11.5/20

Today’s quester was: Blythe

I ate: haggis pie, mash and beans

I drank: water

I wore: purple striped shirt

Total bill: £4.90