Restaurants in Edinburgh
Old Town eateries like The Grain Store Restaurant and trendy Outsider serve modern Scottish cuisine. Breathe the sea air in Leith while tucking into fresh fish at Skippers and splash out on Michelin-starred Restaurant Martin Wishart. In the New Town, there's everything from organic to Middle-Eastern and Indian, or opt for the panoramic views at Forth Floor Restaurant. Most restaurants are open for lunch. Tips at 10% of the bill are discretionary.
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20 Results
- Contemporary French
21212
The concept is simple: a choice of two starters, a set soup course, a choice of two mains, a set cheese course, and so on. The works of art presented to awed diners at 21212, however, are anything but simple. Michelin-starred chef Paul Kitching takes…$$$New Town - Scottish Bistronomie
Aizle
Aizle rhymes with hazel (and is the old Scots word for spark or ember). At first glance the new-fangled culinary style—Scottish Neo-Bistro—might set your teeth on edge, but go with it. You haven't seen the menu yet. In fact, there isn't one, just a list of ingredients from which your…$$Southside - Modern Bistro
Bistro Moderne by Mark Greenaway
It could have been risky opening a second restaurant in the space of a year (Mark Greenaway's eponymous restaurant is just up the hill) in a venue with a dubious track record (the converted bank on Circus Place winding down to Stockbridge has seen off an Italian and fish restaurant);…$$Stockbridge - British Bistro
Café St Honore
Starched white tablecloths, a black-and-white tiled floor, and dimly lit interior: This hidden gem down a little cobbled alley in Edinburgh's New Town is the closest thing to an authentic French bistro you'll find in the Scottish capital—it's the Auld Alliance, the historic…$New Town - Cafe Deli/New British
Earthy
'Forage. Nourish. Share' is the tagline at Earthy. The staff are called Earthlings, the word mission is bandied about, the cheerily painted distressed furniture is made from timber dug out of skips and wind-damaged trees. For anyone who can remember '70s vegetarian chain Cranks,…$Canonmills - New British
Field
There's no shortage of restaurants in Edinburgh preaching about local, seasonal produce and raving about Scotland's larder—and this little bijoux billet set up by a breakaway crew from the Plumed Horse in Leith is one of them. The name is a hint, …$Old Town - Seafood
Fishers
The once down-at-heel docklands in Leith is now gentrified, the waterfront lined with buzzing bars, gastropubs, and a boutique hotel, along with two Michelin-starred restaurants and a cooking school. There's a smattering of fish restaurants here too,…$$Leith - Swedish Gastropub
Joseph Pearce
It all started with Bar Boda, a tiny hole-in-the-wall joint down Leith Walk. Now, at the last count, entrepreneurial Swedish couple Anna and Mike Christopherson have five Bohemian bars and eateries: Boda, Victoria, Sofi, Hemma, and Joseph Pearce. Décor is eclectic: Think retro chic…$East End - Japanese
Kanpai
This Japanese restaurant, tucked away behind the Usher Hall, is understated, restrained, and sleek. Leith-based design agency Four-by-Two created the cool minimalist interiors inspired by contemporary Tokyo sushi bars. It all feels pared back—until you spot the overblown stylized…$$West End - Progressive British
Mark Greenaway
The pudding man cometh. When Mark Greenaway opened his eponymous restaurant in the New Town in 2013, waistbands groaned at the prospect. Deconstructed desserts such as the Knot Chocolate tart, composed of custard jelly, frozen cookies, crème fraiche parfait, salted caramel, and…$$$New Town - Swedish Bakery
Peter's Yard
Scandimania (the UK obsession with all things Scandinavian) in Edinburgh is more about crispbread than crime dramas. Swede Peter Ljunquist established his first artisanal bakery and café in the city's Southside Quartermile conversion, a …$Stockbridge - British Revival
The Dogs
David Ramsden's mutt-themed empire expands and contracts like a yo-yo dieter. Seadogs (the fishy one) Amore Dogs (Italian) and the Underdogs basement bar have bitten the dust; however, the original top dog clearly has a winning recipe. This shabby-chic little joint (old wooden pews…$New Town - British
The Gardener's Cottage
From pop-up to permanent fixture. Chefs Edward Murray and Dale Mailley's practice session at the Edinburgh Farmers market was just a stepping-stone for the 2012 launch of their communal dining hotspot in a 19th-century stone cottage in the bosky …$$East End - British Brasserie
The Honours
Martin Wishart's Michelin-starred eponymous restaurant down in Leith's revamped docklands might be on the formal side, but at his city center brasserie everything loosens up a bit. Ian Smith Design's interiors jump from Las Vegas to Dubai via…$$New Town - Modern British
The Kitchin
After stints in a clutch of three-Michelin-starred restaurants in London, Paris, and Monte Carlo, Tom Kitchin came home and opened his own restaurant in an old whisky warehouse in the rejuvenated Leith docklands in 2006. Just seven months later, at…$$$Leith - Gastropub
The Scran and Scallie
The rise of the gastropub might be old news (although Scotland could still do with a few more), but when two Michelin-starred chefs (Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack) start playing with the concept, they take it to a new level. This is gastropub with attitude. (Scran means "grub" and…$$Stockbridge - Modern British
Timberyard
The foodie Radford family's latest venture, Timberyard—housed in a sprawling 19th-century costume and props warehouse—was one of the most exciting restaurant launches of recent years. Tucked behind a giant red doorway, the space opens out into the Warehouse, an industrial-scale…$$Old Town - Cafe
Urban Angel
Ethos, sourcing, recycling: All the buzzwords are there on the website of this ethical two-branch eaterie. But that's not worth a jot, of course, if the food's not pulling its weight. Thankfully, Urban Angel, a light and airy neighborhood café in the lively East End, delivers on…$East End - Italian
Valvona & Crolla
The Contini family are Edinburgh deli royalty—and this local institution, established in 1934, is reassuringly old school. It feels like stepping back in time, with hams dangling from the high ceiling, old wooden shelves crammed with Scottish and Italian delicacies…$East End - Contemporary European
Wedgwood
"Deciding Time" is a pre-dinner feature at this little restaurant at the bottom of the Royal Mile—a diplomatic device to help indecisive diners by plying them with champagne and canapés. But then if grey squirrel is on the menu, which it sometimes…$$Old Town
