Oink Edinburgh! Awesome Pork Sandwich in Edinburgh, Scotland

Postcard from abroad: There is one place Cheryl and I always stop in at whenever we travel to Edinburgh, Scotland.  Oink.  It’s a little shop on Victoria Street close to the Royal Mile and the Castle which serves up great roast pork sandwiches.  Once you get to Victoria Street just look for the big roast pig sitting in the window.  That’s how you’ll know you’ve found Oink.

We were introduced to Oink a few years ago while visiting Cheryl’s sister who lives in Edinburgh.  Cheryl also spent a semester here during her collegiate years so we love visiting Auld Reekie.  Good pints, whisky, and Oink.  That’s pretty much what I look forward to!  Well, and seeing family of course.  Our trip to Edinburgh this year was for her sister’s wedding and wouldn’t you know it, the ceremony/reception was held just steps from Oink.  Pre-wedding lunch I say.  Too bad Cheryl was on wedding party duty and couldn’t get a hog-roll like me.  Make that a second hog-roll since the pre-wedding lunch was my second visit there on this trip.  Yup, it’s that good.

Oink is all about the pig and they just serve up one thing, the hog roll.  You get to customize your sandwich though.  First choice is a brown or white roll.  I usually go with brown.  Next option is what to put on the bottom; sage stuffing or haggis.  For toppings you can put an apple sauce, some chili relish, BBQ sauce, or chili cheese.  There are two sizes you can get: an Oinker or a Grunter (there is also a child version but that’s not enough pork for you so just know it’s available).  An Oinker is 160g and a Grunter is 250g of pork pulled off the big pig in the window.  And when I say pulled I mean it.  They walk over, pull the meat off, and make your sandwich.  I usually go for the Grunter.  On Friday I opted for the brown roll/haggis/chili cheese/Grunter.  The last time we were in Edinburgh at Oink I don’t remember there being a cheese topping so I had to try it.  Really, really good.  Nice addition.  On Saturday before the wedding I decided to go with a brown roll/sage stuffing/apples/Oinker (didn’t want to overdo it before the ceremony).  Also a very excellent option that carried me through the wedding and helped me make it to the reception.  And be sure to ask for some crackling, the crispy pork skin sitting on top of the roast hog.  It adds a nice crunch to the sandwich.

If you ever travel to Edinburgh make sure you find Oink.  It’s a place I hope to go to many more times in the future and always makes the long flight worth it.  Oh, and the wedding was really fun too!  Now to settle in for a few days in Amsterdam!