barnacles & bones

I thought the beef was going to come with gravy, so that was a bit disappointing. Overall though, the price was more than fair.

I don’t have anything complicated or smart to say. You hungry? You near John Lewis? Then you got a treat in store. Incredible beef or crab, on chips, roll or salad. Street food at its best. Popped up recently at Skylark in Porty so keep an eye out for more chances to gorge on damn fine beef.

Barnacles and Bones is one of my go-​to choices for when I am out and about and need something tasty and relatively quick and tasty for dinner.
As the name would imply your choices are pretty simple. Slow cooked beef or crab. You can have it in a roll, with chips or with quinoa salad. I pretty much exclusively go for the salad; it’s fresh, pretty generous and I feel like I am eating something vaguely healthy. Watching the food being cooked and prepared from the the police box, it’s not the fastest place but it feels like more real and homemade and not just fast-​food junk.
Focusing on a couple of items and doing them well is commendable, but the lack of choice means everytime I come here it’s pretty much the same and a little variety might make my visits more regular. The crab also feels a lot like a summer dish and the beef a winter one. There are occasional specials from time to time but I’m yet to try one.
It’s a box, not a truck so it’s not going anywhere. The advantage of that means you always know where to find it, plus it’s open during the evening during the week. If your are near St James and you want some street food that’s better than a greasy burger, give it a go.

Without a doubt Edinburgh had become a major foodie haven in the last few years. From amazing burger joints to quaint cupcake cafes and a huge offering of Michelin starred dining, this city has it all. So I shouldn’t be surprised at the appearance of Barnacle and Bones but the fact it’s in a tiny police box really leaves me a bit flabbergasted.
Let me start with the basics, this wee police box is right across the way from John Lewis in front of the church who’s name I can’t remember. It’s subtle with a light purplish grey paint and yellow lettering so chances are you may just walk by it. Don’t though because the food is amazing!
On one of the last warmish days of Autumn we opted to grab some food from here and eat in St Andrew Square. I went for the crab over quinoa salad and the boyfriend had the beef over tarragon chips. Food took a few minutes to come as everything is made fresh to order, which in a tiny police box is impressive. It looks like he does do a bit of prep though as the crab was ready to top my salad and the beef just needed to be heated up. The chips though are made fresh to order which made them extra crispy and delicious.
After getting our food we wandered over to grab a seat in the square eating along the way. My crab and quinoa salad was super delicious and felt filling without leaving me feeling too full. That said I was jealous I didn’t get the chips as I can confirm they were superb after stealing a few. So a relatively quick lunch with good sized portions for just over £12 for two people made from a tiny police box. Seriously impressive stuff and I will definitely be back! I’ve also noticed that they are now on Deliveroo so I may be persuaded to use that service again…

After some extreme bargain hunting at the Omni car boot sale I needed some quick grub!
I had passed Barnacles & Bones a couple of times on my way home from work and going on the recent reviews I decided to give it a go. I was also interested to see what food you can make in a tiny police box!
A friendly hello came from within as I studied the menu. The options are simple — crab dressed with lemon mayonnaise or slow cooked rib of beef. Pretty gourmet for a phone box! This can be served on tarragon fries, quinoa salad or on a roll. We decided to go for one of each on chips. The food is fresh and made to order so be patient, remember there is only room for one chef!
Our food arrives in cardboard boxes and we happily take our wooden forks and dig in. Delicious! The chips are wonderfully crispy and the tarragon salt is unusual but the aromatic flavour works. The main attractions of the beef and the crab are lovely and soft in contrast to the crunchy potato. The flavours are delicate and tasty. I felt the beef was more of a success as it was hot. Although the crab was delicious it was cold and didn’t work as well on the chips.
At £6 a box it’s not the cheapest but a nice treat. It’s an original idea, something I have not seen before, always good to try something new!
Cheers, Amy

It actually took me a second to put two and two together, but this is the birth place of the best damn beef roll I’ve ever had. Cue a story about Jody running late (as always). I had just lightening bolted out of a meeting across the street at The Glasshouse and had minimal time to eat before I was due at the next one. Usually, BMB is my go-​to take away in this area and I was actually headed that way when I saw the sign for slow roasted beef. *screech to a halt*
Like Rachel & Kip, I opted for a roll, as I thought it would be easier to manage. However, having snooped the crab on chips before writing this review, it will hands down be my next meal here. The beef was perfection. So simple, so good. It was honestly one of the best beef rolls I’ve ever consumed at breakneck speed while running down the street.
I just realized today they are on Deliveroo, so i’ll keep my fingers crossed that they delivery to Stockbridge. If not, with Barnacles & Bones AND BMB in in the mix, this might be my favourite guilty pleasure nook of the city and obviously requires lots and lots of trips to further investigate.

«I’m so hungry!»
So moaned Kip as we made our way home, him from a busy Saturday shift at the pub where he works, and me from meeting my mum in town. Aha, I remembered, we’d be passing that new street food police box that Blythe reviewed earlier today, let’s stop by and try it.
Cue, the best decision I made all weekend.
Having had a busy day, what with the Tram Stop Market, the lovely chap who runs B&B had run out of slaw, so gave us a discount on our meals. Totally unnecessary, but very welcome nonetheless. As we were going to be walking and eating (no mean feat) we both opted for rolls — mine with beef, Kip’s with crab. The beef was slow-​cooked short rib in a sherry gravy, umm, amazing! Tender and delicious, the roll (from Manna House) soaked up the juices wonderfully providing an entirely enjoyable experience with every bite. The crab comes in a home-​made lemon mayonnaise, and Kip declared it better than the beef (I wouldn’t agree, they were both excellent and I preferred the warm temperature of the beef to the cold crab).
B&B had proved to be so good we stopped by again on Sunday — this time I had crab on ‘tarragon salted chips’ and Kip had crab with quinoa salad. Again, he was certain his meal was better (it was very nice) but I’m a sucker for chips and these were perfect, yellow, crispy chips made in their little deep-​fat fryer to order.
Mr B&B told us he’s got the lease for 12 months, so please do pop by and try! There’s a couple of great sounding brunch options which I’m keen to try. In fact I want to go back again today, but I suspect 3 days in a row might be a bit excessive. Oh, and of course now I’ve made myself really hungry. Mmmm crab and chips…

An absolute corker of a new police box eatery, serving crab or short-​rib beef on chips, a roll, or a quinoa salad. Tis quite spectacular so make sure to check it out.
Overall, we said: «Barnacles and Bones is a superb new addition to our al fresco dining options. It will trade as a fixture from this high-​traffic spot at the rear of John Lewis from now onwards. I look forward to seeing how the menu develops over the coming weeks and months. Rather handily it’s five minutes from my office, so I suspect I’ll be a frequent visitor.»