Edinburgh Restaurants

  1. Fishers Bistro

    This cosy little bar-turned-restaurant, tucked beneath a 17th-century signal tower, is one of the city's best seafood spots. The menu changes with the morning's catch, but there are a few regulars. Fishers' fishcakes are an Edinburgh institution, crisp on the outside, filled with flaky salmon and creamy mashed potato, and served with lemon and chive mayonnaise.

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  2. Fishers In The City

    This sleeker, more sophisticated version of the famous Fishers Bistro in Leith , with granite-topped tables, warm yellow walls and a nautical theme, specialises in superior Scottish seafood - knowledgeable and efficient staff serve up plump and succulent oysters, meltingly sweet scallops, and sea bass grilled to perfection.

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  3. Forest Café

    A chilled-out and comfortably scuffed-around-the-edges antidote to squeaky-clean style bars, this volunteer-run, not-for-profit art space and café serves up humongous helpings of hearty vegetarian and vegan fodder, ranging from burritos to falafel burgers.

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  4. Forth Floor Restaurant & Brasserie

    The in-store restaurant at Harvey Nichols has floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking St Andrew Sq, making it a great place to enjoy sunset views. The food has as much designer chic as the surroundings, while the less formal brasserie offers simpler dishes, and also serves Sunday brunch ( to ).

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  5. Gordon's Trattoria

    The aroma of garlic bread wafting into the street will guide you into this snug haven of wisecracking waiters and hearty Italian comfort food. In summer you can chomp on pizza and slurp wine at a pavement table, and late-night hours means that Gordon's often develops a bit of a party atmosphere after midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

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  7. Hadrian's Brasserie

    The Balmoral Hotel's brasserie has a 1930s Art Deco feel, with pale green walls, dark-wood furniture, and white-aproned, black-waistcoated waiters. The menu includes posh versions of popular dishes such as French onion soup, haggis with whisky sauce, and roast duck with plum compote. There's a two-course lunch for around £15 .

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  8. Henderson's Salad Table

    Established in 1962, Henderson's is the grandmother of Edinburgh's vegetarian restaurants. The food is mostly organic, guaranteed GM-free, and special dietary requirements can be catered for. The self-service restaurant still has something of a 1970s feel to it (but in a good way), and the daily salads and hot dishes are as popular as ever. Three-course set lunch is around £9 .

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  9. Howie's

    A bright and airy Georgian corner house provides the elegant setting for this, the most central of Howie's four hugely popular Edinburgh restaurants. Their recipe for success includes fresh Scottish produce, good-value, fixed price menus (three-course dinner around £19 ) and eminently quaffable house wines from £11 a bottle.

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  10. Jasper's

    This bright and sunny café specialises in juices and smoothies, from citrus blast (orange, grapefruit and lemon) to beetroot zinger (beetroot, apple and lemon), and superb Fairtrade coffee. Breakfast is served till noon, and includes porridge with a choice of toppings (honey, jam or banana), omelettes, cereals and fry-ups, plus lunches of soup, sandwiches, scones and pastries.

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  11. Kalpna

    One of the best Indian restaurants in the country, vegetarian or otherwise, Kalpna serves mostly Gujarati cuisine with a smattering of dishes from other parts of India - try the khumb masala (spiced mushrooms in a coconut milk, tomato, garlic and coriander sauce). Specials include the buffet lunch (around £6 ) and a vegan thali ( £13 ).

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  13. Katie's Diner

    As you might expect from a place run by a husband-and-wife team, this cute little diner has a warm, welcome and homely atmosphere. The handful of tables enjoy a view onto the parkland of Bruntsfield Links, and the menu runs from BBQ chicken wings and nachos to prime Scottish steaks and juicy homemade burgers with fries and coleslaw.

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  14. Kebab Mahal

    Sophisticated it ain't, but this is the Holy Grail of kebab shops - quality shish kebab and tandoori dishes washed down with chilled lassi for a little over a fiver. It's a basic cafeteria-style place with a stainless-steel counter and glaring fluorescent lights, but the menu is 100-percent halal (the Edinburgh Mosque is just 100m along the road) and the kebabs and curries are authentic and delicious.

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  15. Khublai Khan

    OK, the authenticity may be questionable but a Mongolian barbecue certainly makes a change from curry or pizza. Choose from a buffet of raw meat, seafood and vegetables, flavoured with oils, spices and sauces of your choice, and have it cooked to order on a Mongolian-style barbecue (veggies have their own grills).

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  16. Khushi's

    Established in 1947, Khushi's is something of an Edinburgh institution, despite having moved from its original canteen-like home to bigger and brighter premises. Its speciality is basic Punjabi dishes cooked in the traditional way (listed on the menu as plain lamb, chicken or fish curry), but there are also several good vegetarian dishes. It's not licensed, but you can bring your own booze (no corkage).

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  17. Kitchin

    Fresh, seasonal, locally sourced Scottish produce is the philosophy that has won a Michelin star for this elegant but unpretentious restaurant. The menu moves with the seasons, of course, so expect fresh salads in summer and game in winter, and shellfish dishes such as seared scallops with endive tarte tatin , when there's an 'r' in the month.

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  19. La P'tite Folie

    Breton-owned la P'tite Folie is a delightful little wood-panelled bistro whose menu takes in the French classics - moules marinières (mussels) and coq au vin (chicken casserole with red wine and mushrooms) - as well as steaks, seafood and a range of plats du jour . The two-course lunch is a bargain at around £8 . There's another branch in the West End .

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  20. Loch Fyne

    Housed in the old Victorian fish market building next to Newhaven harbour, this stylish restaurant and seafood deli serves up spectacular shellfish platters (around £40 , enough for two people) of fresh oysters, mussels, scallops, clams, cockles, crab, lobster and langoustines, as well as sustainably fished or farmed salmon, prawns, cod, halibut and haddock.

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  21. Maison Bleue

    Eating here is a comfortably laid-back affair - the candlelit ground-floor dining room has basketwork chairs, chunky wooden tables and modern art on bare stone walls; upstairs is brighter and more café-like. The menu lists bouchées (French for 'mouthfuls') - starter-size helpings of which you can have as many or as few as you wish - and the food is an eclectic mix of European, North African and Far Eastern influences.

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  22. Maxie's Bistro

    Maxie's candle-lit cellar bistro, with its cushion-lined nooks set amid stone walls, cream plaster and wooden beams, is a pleasant enough setting for a cosy dinner, but at summer lunch times people queue for the outdoor tables on Victoria Tce, with great views over Victoria St. The food is dependable - Maxie's has been in the food business for more than 20 years - ranging from pastas, steaks and stir-fries to superb seafood platters and daily specials.

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  23. Mckirdy's Steakhouse

    The McKirdy brothers - owners of a local butcher's business established in 1895 - have cut out the middleman and now run one of Edinburgh's best steakhouses, with friendly staff serving starters, such as haggis with Drambuie sauce, and juicy, perfectly cooked steaks from rump to T-bone, accompanied by mustard mash or crispy fries. There's a kids' menu, and you can get a two-course early dinner (until ) for around £11 .

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  25. Monster Mash

    The sort of place where you half-expect to see Desperate Dan sitting in the corner chowing down on cow pie, this nostalgia-fuelled, comic-book café specialises in bangers and mash with onion gravy, shepherd's pie, fish and chips and deep-fried ice cream. But there's a twist - the food is all top-quality nosh freshly prepared from local produce, including Crombie's gourmet sausages, mustard-flavoured mash, and red wine and onion gravy.

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  26. Mussel Inn

    Owned by west coast shellfish farmers, the Mussel Inn provides a direct outlet for fresh Scottish seafood. A busy, informal restaurant decorated with bright beech wood furniture, its tables spill out onto the pavement in summer. A kilo pot of mussels with a choice of sauces - try leek, horseradish, cider and cream - costs around £11 .

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  27. Nargile

    Throw away any preconceptions about doner kebabs - this glitzy Turkish restaurant is a class act. Enjoy a spread of delicious mezeler (think Turkish tapas) followed by meltingly sweet, marinated lamb char-grilled to crispy perfection. Finish off with baklava (nut-filled pastry soaked in honey) and a Turkish coffee. If it weren't for the prices, you could almost be in Turkey.

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  28. Ndebele

    This South African café is hidden deep in darkest Tollcross, but is worth seeking out for the changing menu of unusual African dishes (including at least one veggie option) - try a boerewors sandwich (sausage made with pork, beef and coriander) with samp'n'beans. Before you leave, pop downstairs for a look at the gallery of African art.

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  29. New Edinburgh Rendezvous

    Edinburgh's oldest Chinese restaurant, dating from 1956, is still one of its best. A no-frills, no-nonsense place, it offers an extensive menu of expertly prepared Cantonese and Peking dishes with classic favourites, such as shredded beef with chilli sauce and aromatic crispy duck, alongside more adventurous dishes, such as shredded sea blubber, boneless duck's feet with mustard sauce, and pickled cabbage with chilli sauce.

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