New Town
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,…
Must-see restaurants in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
A tiny restaurant punching way above its weight, Field pulls off that rare feat: fine dining at modest prices. The food is Scottish, contemporary, and…
Edinburgh
Serving up Edinburgh’s most creative and beautiful bakes, Lovecrumbs is a shabby-chic cafe popular with students and hipsters. Cakes and tarts are…
Edinburgh
This chic patisserie is owned by a chef – Mademoiselle Macaron, no less – who trained at Alain Ducasse’s cookery school in Paris. French precision is…
Leith
This is the genuine article: a tiny, no-frills bar tucked off Leith Walk serving up the best dim sum in Edinburgh. The authentic menu includes silky-soft…
Edinburgh
Light, bright and modern, Home mixes social purpose with quality food. The globe-spanning menu includes steaks, tagines, gumbo and posh mac ’n’ cheese…
Edinburgh
Established by the Michelin-starred team responsible for Kitchin and Castle Terrace, this laid-back gastropub adds a modern chef's touch to old-time…
New Town
Established in 1962, Henderson’s is the grandmother of Edinburgh’s vegetarian restaurants. The food is mostly organic and guaranteed GM-free, and special…
New Town
This appealing modern restaurant (part of the Scottish National Gallery complex) has picture windows providing a view along Princes Street Gardens. Try…
New Town
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…
Leith
This restaurant (and its companion bar, Teuchters Landing) inhabits a warren of nooks and crannies in a red-brick former waiting room (for ferries across…
Edinburgh
The scent of curry leaves and spices hits you as soon as you walk through the door of this unassuming cafe serving up some of Edinburgh's best South…
New Town
As with its sister restaurant, L’Escargot Blanc, this cute little bistro is as Gallic as garlic but makes fine use of quality Scottish produce – the…
Old Town
You've got to love a place where the waiter greets you with the words, 'I'll be your whisky adviser for this evening'. Located in the Scotch Whisky…
Leith
Started up by a Canadian on a mission to bring authentic Montreal bagels to Edinburgh, Bross Bagels is the real deal. Dense, chewy bagels are made by a…
Edinburgh
This snugly rustic restaurant takes pride in an extremely meaty menu, which begins with Fanagalo – a sharing platter of ribs, boerowors (South African…
Old Town
Eating here is comfortably laid-back – the candlelit ground floor has chunky wooden tables and modern art on bare stone walls; upstairs is brighter and…
Edinburgh
Taisteal is the Gaelic word for 'travel', so it's no surprise that the menu in this convivial bistro is a fusion of Scottish produce with influences and…
New Town
This more sophisticated city-centre branch of the famous Fishers Bistro in Leith, with granite-topped tables, split-level dining area and nautical theme,…
New Town
This bistro-style place uses cheaper cuts of meat (smoked ox heart, devilled sweetbreads) and less well-known, more sustainable species of fish (pollack,…
Edinburgh
This is fast food with a conscience – natural, nutritious, locally sourced and freshly prepared, from organic porridge to courgette, lemon and feta…
New Town
Describing its mission as 'good food for a good cause', this cafe is a social enterprise set up to support the homeless (25% of employees are from a…
Old Town
One of Edinburgh’s favourite eateries, this 1st-floor bistro (entrance stairs to the right of the Doric Bar) is handy for both Princes St and the Royal…
Forth Floor Restaurant & Brasserie
New Town
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 across the…
Edinburgh
The McKirdy brothers – owners of a local butcher business established in 1895 – have cut out the middleman and now run one of Edinburgh’s best steakhouses…
Old Town
This candlelit bistro, with its cushion-lined nooks set amid stone walls and wooden beams, is a pleasant setting for a cosy dinner, but at summer…
Edinburgh
This Swedish-style coffee house produces its own home-baked pastries and breads, which form the basis of lunchtime sandwiches with fillings such as roast…
Leith
A modern take on the old-fashioned steakhouse, this 'bar and butchery' combines slick designer decor (the ceramic brick tiles are a nod to traditional…
New Town
Small, dark, and invariably packed, El Cartel brings authentic, vibrant Mexican street food to Edinburgh, delivered super fast with a banging soundtrack…
Old Town
No trip to Edinburgh is complete without exploring the narrow closes (alleys) that lead off the Royal Mile. Lucky you if your explorations lead to this…
Leith
Housed in the old Victorian fish-market building next to Newhaven harbour, this stylish restaurant and seafood deli serves up spectacular shellfish…
Edinburgh
This is a modern Punjabi restaurant with attentive, waistcoated waiters, stylish modern decor and an unusual water feature trickling away in the middle of…
New Town
Named after a mountain in northwestern Scotland, this rustic cellar restaurant (paired with a chic modern brasserie and gin bar) adds sophisticated twists…
Edinburgh
Modern design is to be expected in the cafe at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art, but more of a surprise is the lovely outdoor seating area, a…
Edinburgh
Sophisticated it ain’t, but this is that rare find of kebab shops – quality shish kebab and tandoori dishes washed down with chilled lassi for around…
Leith
A combined deli, bakery and licensed cafe run by the same people behind Gardener's Cottage, this is a designer conversion of a former bonded warehouse…
Edinburgh
This elegant cafe, at the National Gallery's annexe, is dominated by a gleaming Victoria Arduino espresso machine and a plaster model of Sir Eduardo…
New Town
Candlelight reflected in the warm glow of polished wood makes for an intimate atmosphere in this New Town favourite. The food is superb value for this…
Old Town
This petite, buzzing cafe located in the heart of Edinburgh's studentland celebrates the humble bowl of soup. Focusing on fresh, seasonal ingredients,…
Edinburgh
From the waiter’s prayerlike gesture of greeting to the gold buddha gazing down on diners, everything about this restaurant feels authentically Thai. The…
