Restaurants in Edinburgh
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Mum’s
After a change of name due to management fall-outs, the original founder of Monster Mash has reopened with a new name. This nostalgia-fuelled cafe continues to serve up classic British comfort food of the 1950s – bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips. But there’s a twist – the food is all top-quality nosh freshly prepared from local produce, including Crombie’s gourmet sausages. And there’s even a wine list!
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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 cafe-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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Café Marlayne
The second branch of the New Town French bistro is a hidden gem, down a steep cobbled alley off the Royal Mile, with a changed-daily menu of market-fresh produce and a lovely little lunchtime sun-trap of an outdoor terrace.
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Maxie’s Bistro
Maxie’s candlelit bistro, with its cushion-lined nooks set amid stone walls and wooden beams is a pleasant enough setting for a cosy dinner, but at summer lunchtimes people queue for the outdoor tables on the terrace overlooking 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 seafood platters and daily specials, and there’s an excellent selection of wines.
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Dome Grill Room
Housed in a magnificent former banking hall, with a lofty glass-domed ceiling, pillared arches and a mosaic-tiled floor, the Dome Grill Room boasts one of Edinburgh’s most impressive dining rooms. The menu here holds few surprises – from smoked salmon to chargrilled chicken or roast lamb – but it’s really the setting that sells the place; it’s hard to keep your eyes on your plate with all the stupendous finery that surrounds you.
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Mums
After a change of name due to management fall-outs, the original founder of Monster Mash has reopened it with a new name. This nostalgia-fuelled cafe continues to serve up classic British comfort food of the 1950s – bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips. But there’s a twist – the food is all top-quality nosh freshly prepared from local produce, including Crombie’s gourmet sausages. And there’s even a wine list!
reviewed
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First Coast
Our favourite neighbourhood bistro, First Coast has a striking main dining area with pale-grey wood panelling, stripped stone walls and Victorian cornices, and a short and simple menu offering hearty comfort food such as Thai marinated chicken salad, or glazed ham hough with mustard mash. At lunch, and from 5pm to 6.30pm, you can have an excellent two-course meal for £11.
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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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Blue
Set above the foyer of the Traverse Theatre, this is a cool white minimalist space with polished oak and Danish designer furniture. The food is simple but skilfully cooked and presented. Choices include Crombie’s sausages with mash and onion gravy, and ribeye steak with bearnaise and chunky chips. Two courses costs £16 between 5.30pm and 7.30pm.
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Fishers Bistro
This cosy little restaurant, tucked beneath a 17th-century signal tower, is one of the city’s best seafood places. The menu ranges widely in price, from cheaper dishes such as mackerel with beetroot, chilli and orange dressing, to more expensive delights such as North Berwick lobster served with garlic and herb butter.
reviewed
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Centotre
A palatial Georgian banking hall enlivened with fuchsia-pink banners and aubergine booths is home to this lively, child-friendly Italian bar and restaurant, where the emphasis is on fresh, authentic ingredients (produce imported weekly from Milan, homemade bread and pasta), and uncomplicated enjoyment of food.
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Always Sunday
If the thought of a greasy fry-up is enough to put you off your breakfast, head instead for this bright and breezy cafe that dishes up hearty but healthy grub such as fresh fruit smoothies, crisp salads, homemade soups and speciality sandwiches, washed down with fair-trade coffee or herbal tea.
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Black Bo’s
You can’t accuse the chef at Black Bo’s, a popular vegetarian and vegan eatery just off the Royal Mile, of being unadventurous. Check the daily specials, which are always interesting – beetroot and cashew balls stuffed with feta cheese, with chilli and garlic yogurt, for example.
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Rhubarb
Set in the splendid 17th-century Prestonfield House, Rhubarb is a feast for the eyes as well as the tastebuds. The over-the-top decor of rich reds set off with black and gold and the sensuous surfaces – damask, brocade, marble, gilded leather – that make you want to touch everything are matched by the intense flavours and rich textures of the food. Take your postprandial coffee and brandy upstairs to the sumptuous fireside sofas in the Tapestry and Leather rooms. A two-course lunch menu is available for £17. There is no public transport here.
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Cafe Royal Oyster Bar
Pass through the revolving doors on the corner of West Register St and you’re transported back to Victorian times – a palace of glinting mahogany, polished brass, marble floors, stained glass, Doulton tiles, gilded cornices and starched table linen so thick that it creaks when you fold it. The menu is mostly classic seafood, from oysters on ice to Coquilles St Jacques Parisienne (scallops with mushrooms and white wine) and lobster thermidor, augmented by a handful of beef and game dishes.
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Bigos
Any twinge of homesickness felt by members of Edinburgh’s Polish community is rapidly dispelled at this rustic haunt halfway down Leith Walk. The restaurant’s signature dish, bigos, is classic Polish comfort food – a slow-cooked stew of cabbage, sausage, meat and mushrooms. The rest of the menu is similarly hearty and filling, from potato pancakes to goulash and dumplings. Bigos is BYOB, so pick up a couple of bottles of Zywiec beer at the nearby Polish deli.
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North Bridge Brasserie
This stylish brasserie inhabits the former lobby of the Scotsman newspaper building (now the Scotsman Hotel), a huge airy hall with four massive marble columns. Book a table up on the balcony, where you can admire the gilded capitals or gaze down on the street through the arched windows. The menu takes its inspiration from hearty Scots fare, ranging from hot buttered crab on sourdough toast to roast rump of lamb with haggis and mashed potato.
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Valvona & Crolla Caffé Bar
Try breakfast (served till 11.30am) with an Italian flavour – full paesano (meat) or verdure (veggie) fry-ups, or deliciously light and crisp panettone in carrozza (sweet brioche dipped in egg and fried) – or choose from almond croissants, muesli, yogurt and fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice and perfect Italian coffee. There’s also a tasty lunch menu (noon to 3.30pm) of classic Italian dishes.
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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. The friendly staff here serve up 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 6.30pm) for £13.
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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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Amber
You’ve got to love a place where the waiter greets you with the words, ‘My name is Craig, and I’ll be your whisky adviser for this evening’. Located in the Scotch Whisky Experience, this whisky-themed restaurant manages to avoid the tourist clichés and creates genuinely interesting and flavoursome dishes such as fillet of pork with black pudding and whisky and apple compote, or vegetarian haggis with a whisky cream sauce.
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Sushiya
The neat, geometric decor in this pleasingly smart little sushi bar – square hardwood tables with black-leather stools and square light fittings, set against white walls, wasabi-green doors and brushed steel – is mirrored in the neat, geometric portions of market-fresh tuna, salmon, scallop and octopus prepared to order by the smiling Mr Yuen. Other options include teriyaki beef and chicken, udon noodles and ramen soup.
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Thai Lemongrass
From the waiter’s prayerlike gesture of greeting to the gold Buddha gazing down on the diners, everything about this restaurant feels authentically Thai. The rustic decor of terracotta tiles, yellow walls and cane tablemats makes for a relaxing atmosphere, while the rich and varied flavours of the food – fiery chilli, fragrant lemongrass, tangy lime leaves and sweet coconut – will keep you coming back for more.
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Atrium
Elegantly draped in cream linen and candlelight, the Atrium is one of Edinburgh’s most fashionable restaurants, counting Mick Jagger and Jack Nicholson among its past guests. The cuisine is modern Scottish with a Mediterranean twist, with the emphasis on the finest of fresh, seasonal produce – carpaccio of Aberdeen Angus beef with truffled potato salad, or rump of Perthshire lamb with dauphinoise potatoes.
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Locanda de Gusti
This bustling bistro, loud with the buzz of conversation and the clink of glasses and cutlery, is no ordinary Italian, but a little corner of cosmopolitan Naples complete with hearty Neapolitan home cooking by friendly head chef Rosario. The food ranges from light and tasty pasta fresca (ravioli tossed with butter and sage) to delicious platters of grilled langoustine, sea bream and sea bass.
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