I have been very lucky to eat in some seriously swanky restaurants, and try some truly incredible dishes around the world. But there are few times that I feel as happy as in Edinburgh eating a plate of piping hot battered fish and chips drowned in vinegar!
Edinburgh is my favourite city in the world, and is also increasingly becoming one of my favourite foodie destinations. Over the last ten years the city has transformed into a serious foodie hotspot, with some amazing restaurants and bars offering the best of contemporary Scottish cuisine – and from much further afield.
Edinburgh has a preference for artisan and independent, and there are some great small cafes and local restaurants to be discovered. Super smart cocktail bars sit alongside centuries-old traditional pubs. Whatever your tastes and budget, I promise you will find somewhere you love in Edinburgh.
These are a selection of my favourite places to eat and drink – I really tried to whittle it down, but there are just so many amazing places that you will see I rather failed! Do let me know if the comments if I have missed your favourite – I am always on the lookout for new places to try.
What to Eat in Scotland
Haggis – Scotland’s national dish is made of sheep pluck (liver, lungs, and heart) minced with spices, oatmeal, suet and onion inside a lining of the animal’s stomach (although nowadays it is often artificial). I appreciate this sounds truly awful, and I usually really hate any kind of offal, but the spices are such that it is actually delicious.
Neeps and Tatties – the most traditional accompaniment to Haggis. Tatties are potatoes, but in the Faraway Dispatches household there is a vigourous ongoing debate as to whether neeps are turnip or swede! In most restaurants you will find it is turnip.
Black pudding – sausage meat and oatmeal mixed with pig’s blood. I am not a fan but The Husband tells me that black pudding with scallops is one of the greatest creations to ever come out of my beloved homeland!
Scotch pie – it may be wee (little), but it is mighty. Served hot or cold, and usually filled with minced meat. The crunchy, buttery double crust is the real highlight.
Salmon – Scotland is prime salmon breeding ground and is the third largest producer of salmon world wide (after Norway and Chile). Smoked, baked, pan fried or sashimi’d, it is all delicious.
Shortbread – the first printed recipe for this famous Scottish creation dates from 1736. It’s buttery, flaky goodness is the perfect accompaniment to a steaming mug of tea.
Tablet – sugar, condensed milk and butter cooked together until crystalised. Sold all over Scotland in ever more inventive flavours. Rather like Kendal Mint Cake in the Lake District, it is ideal to fuel a day on the Scottish hills.
Fish supper – a trip to a Scottish chippy on a Friday night is almost a rite of passage. Ask for “salt and sauce” if you want the full works – salty chips smothered with a dark vinegary chip-shop sauce. If you want to finish your meal off with a battered Mars Bar – a delight only the Scots could have created – that’s up to you!
Porridge – a steaming bowl of oats is unsurprisingly a popular breakfast choice around the world. In Scotland it is traditionally made with salt rather than sugar. Look out for Stoats bars in shops around the city – this is one of my all time favourite Edinburgh businesses. I loved them when they first started serving out of a small food truck during the Edinburgh festival, and love them even more now they are growing an amazingly green and sustainability focused business. They often have a stand at the Farmer’s Market, and I am obsessed with the white chocolate, raspberry and whisky porridge on a cold winter’s morning.
COFFEE SHOPS
Cairngorm Coffee – one of the best coffee roasters in Edinburgh – the beans are roasted weekly in the Cairngorms. The grilled cheese sandwiches are amazing – buttery sourdough, lashings of cheddar and chilli jam. YUMMY.
Grow Urban – cafe and urban plant shop with branches in the New Town and Fountainbridge. The Howe Street location is my favourite – tables are nestled in amongst the plants and the lovely window seats look out onto the tenement gardens at the back. Coffee is roasted locally and the cakes delicious!
Fortitude – independent coffee roaster, with friendly staff dedicated to fantastic coffee. Barely any seating so expect to wait, or get takeaway.
Fortuna Coffee Bar – great coffee, and a good breakfast spot. Always friendly staff.
The Milkman – probably the smallest coffee shop in Edinburgh, but also one of the best. The staff really know their coffee. Stripped back stone, and a window bench also make it a very picturesque option. Get there early to snag one of their scrumptious cinnamon buns.
INDEPENDENT CAFÉS
Eteket – if tea is your thing, this is your place! Hundreds of tea choices to choose from – including tea cocktails! Breakfast is served until midday, before the lunchtime menu kicks in.
Archipelago – a real New Town favourite, expect to share your breakfast with arty looking local residents reading the weekend papers. They make exceptional artisan bread, and I also love the inventive salads. Gluten free bread can be ordered if you phone in advance.
Honeycomb & Co – This Bruntsfield café is picture perfect with its sunny yellow seats and gorgeous cake display. The Shakshuka is always a popular breakfast choice, and the chocolate cardamom honey cake makes for a lovely mid-afternoon treat. Slightly pricier than some of the other choices.
Hideout Café – hidden down a small street at the top of the Royal Mile. Good selection of cakes (try the honey cake!) and sandwiches, as well as great coffee. There is also a branch in Leith.
Urban Angel – stripped back wooden floors and an old open hearth in a traditional Edinburgh building. The French toast on the breakfast menu is particularly yummy. Doesn’t take bookings and can be hard to get a table at the weekend.
BRUNCH
The Little Chartroom – simple menu and laid back décor bely how super this brunch spot on Leith walk is. The menu is creative – have you ever tried sausage rolls with haggis, served with turnip ketchup?!
Leo’s Beanery – my top brunch pick in Edinburgh. The breakfasts here are delicious and hearty. If you are here for lunch the homemade balsamic salad dressing is the stuff of dreams! Word is getting out so book ahead.
The New Town Deli – affordable, friendly neighbourhood café on Henderson Row. Good spot for breakfast eggs, or come for the lunchtime chilli (be sure to add the guacamole).
The Pantry – friendly staff and laid back breakfasting. Come early at the weekend to secure a table. One of the best eggs benedict in Edinburgh. Portions are generous.
Loudons – this family run café is a lovely spot for a leisurely weekend brunch. The gluten and dairy free pancakes are always good – or try one of their cakes from the in-house bakery.
MUMS Comfort Food – if you want comfort food – sausages and mash, a hearty pie – after a night out in Edinburgh’s best drinking spots this is the place for you! This retro-style diner close to the University serves very generous portions so come hungry.
Addressing a Haggis…
“Fair fa’ your honest, sonsie face, Great Chieftain o’ the Puddin-race!”
Every year, on 25 January Scots celebrate Burns Night to mark the life and works of the man considered to be Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns.
Burns was born in 1759 the son of a poor tenant farmer. He wrote his first poem at 15, and went to produce over 550 poems, folk songs and sonnets. His most well known works include Auld Lang Syne (which must be sung merrily and without much skill on New Year’s Eve!) and A Red, Red Rose. Burns Night was first celebrated by his friends in 1801, only five years after his death in 1796.
Running orders vary, but a typical Burns Night involves a haggis being brought to the table to the sound of bagpipes, before one of Burns’ most famous poems, Address to a Haggis, is read. It is essentially a love poem to the haggis! It culminates with the reader drawing his sgian-dubh – the ceremonial dagger worn as part of traditional highland dress – and slashing the haggis from end to end.
The Burns Night meal traditionally consists of a Scottish broth – usually cullen skink (thick smoked haddock soup) or cock-a-leekie (chicken stock with leeks and barley). Haggis, neeps and tatties dressed in a whisky cream sauce follows, before rounding off the meal with cranachan (raspberries, oats and honey).
SIGHTSEEING LUNCH BREAK
These Edinburgh foodie hotspots are perfectly located for a tasty lunch break whilst seeing Edinburgh’s top sights – check out my guide to Edinburgh if you need inspiration for your itinerary!
The Outsider – one of my absolute favourite restaurants in Edinburgh, The Outsider offers insanely well priced, and seriously delicious, lunches with super friendly service. Try and get one of the coveted window tables with Castle views.
Mussel and Steak – pretty self explanatory! Good seafood and steak (I love the dripping chips!) in the heart of the Grassmarket.
The Look Out – floor-to-ceiling windows offer amazing views from the top of Calton Hill. The food is really fantastic, with locally sourced and seasonal menus. They also do a good (and slightly more affordable) weekend breakfast if you want an early morning trip up Calton Hill.
Dishoom – as it is almost impossible to get a table in the London restaurant I always feel like we have stumbled upon a great secret when we have lunch here! The décor is gorgeous – designed to look like an Indian railway station. All of the food is incredible, but the black dahl is what keeps us coming back again and again.
Oink – really not one for vegetarians… The Husband can’t walk past the whole roasting pig in the window of this little Victoria Street eatery without picking up a hog roast roll. He tells me you must try the crackling!
The Mosque Kitchen – a favourite student haunt – not really surprising given the large portions of veggie curry and incredibly low prices.
Rokku Rokku – fantastic ramen and equally good cocktails in Stockbridge.
SWEET TREATS
Mary’s Milk Bar – fantastic ice cream and gelato shop in the Grassmarket. All flavours are made fresh daily, and they have justifiably won a raft of awards. The scoops are generous so come hungry.
Marshmallow Lady – amazing homemade marshmallows, sold at the café on Rodney Street and markets across the city. How can anyone resist overflowing milkshakes and gooey s’mores?
Zebra Coffee – very good locally roasted coffee, and mind-blowingly decadent brownies! In the heart of the Old Town, at the top of the Mound so perfect for a bit of a sugar hit after the climb up to the Royal Mile!
La Barantine – artisan patisserie and bakery and patisseries with locations in Stockbridge and on Victoria Street.
Stockbridge Kitchen – their window display alone is drool worthy, let alone actually tasting the cakes! Also does light lunches.
PICNIC SUPPLIES AND STREET FOOD
IJ Mellis – fellow Edinburgh foodie fans will be very familiar with this lovely shop! Selling Scottish artisanal cheese, this is the place of my dreams. There are literally mountains of cheese, chutneys and pickles here to choose from. They also do sourdough toasties dripping with melted cheese…
Sabotuer – if loud dance music and no booking is not your thing (looking at you parents!), this is probably not the place for you! But if you fancy laid back Vietnamese street food there is nowhere better.
Tuk Tuk – authentic Indian street food. It is really not hard to see why this place has won so many awards. The saag paneer and baby aubergine and potato are my favourites.
Valvona & Crolla – opened in 1934 to serve the city’s Italian population, this family run business has a loyal following in Edinburgh. The café services rustic Italian food, and is a wonderful place for lunch. They also make lovely cakes (try the orange polenta) if you are looking for a quick afternoon sugary treat. The Instagram-worthy Deli out front is a great (but pricey) place to pick up dinner if you are self-catering.
Meltmongers – if you have indulged a bit too hard in the whisky hotspots the night before, this is where you need to come. Toasties with names such as the Macaroni Melt are a genuine hangover cure.
Farmer’s market – every Saturday on Castle Terrace, one of the best farmer’s markets in the UK. Over fifty specialist producers have been setting up stalls here for over 16 years.
Stockbridge Market – every Sunday on Saunders Street, irrespective of the weather! It has a really buzzing atmosphere, and a real community feel. Stall holders change weekly but you will always find some artisan arts and crafts, as well as a range of delicious foodstuffs.
DINNER
Bodega – it is all about the tacos at this tiny Mexican street food place tucked away in Leith. The menu regularly changes – including more quirky weekly specials for those who want to try something a bit different.
The Fishmarket at Newhaven – this harbourside restaurant is quickly getting a reputation well beyond Edinburgh for the place to go for seafood. The sleek tiled interior will have you snapping photos – booking is a must.
L’Alba D’Oro – awarding winning traditional chippie in the New Town. Super friendly staff and the best fish and chips in Town. There are a few bar stools so you can eat in, but get the proper experience by taking yours to eat on your lap on a nearby bench or park!
83 Hanover Street – Chilean meets Scottish would not have been a combo I would have expected to work, but it does! Sharing plates are the focus here – the lamb croquettes and the tres leches donuts are our favourites.
BABA – the menu at this Middle Eastern grill and cocktail bar is short, but delicious. The décor is also gorgeous – red leather booths, checkboard floor and colourful tiles.
Merchants – hidden away just off Candlemaker Row, don’t lit the slightly dingy exterior put you off. The place has been here – and barely changed – for decades. Don’t expect any glitz, but plenty of hearty, traditional Scottish dishes.
SOMEWHERE SPECIAL
The Witchery – Edinburgh’s most famous restaurant and the ultimate treat for an Edinburgh foodie. Located in a 16th century building right by the Castle, it can’t be beat for its candlelit and historic atmosphere. Thankfully the food matches the hype. Expensive, so one for a special and memorable occasion.
Scran and Scallie – gastro pub in Stockbridge serving Scottish dishes – expect lots of game. The setting is Scandi-Scottish – lots of tweed and pictures of stags. Definitely one for the meat eaters!
The Bon Vivant – in the centre of New Town, this is the place to come for Scottish food with a modern twist. Haggis bon bons and oatcakes with salsa verde. Very popular, so definitely one to book ahead.
Café Royal – Scotland’s oldest oyster bar and a must on an Edinburgh foodie itinerary! Chandeliers and red velvet a-plenty have been welcoming customers since 1826. It is hard to know whether to come for a drink, a vast plate of seafood or to admire the art!
DRINKING SPOTS
An Edinburgh foodie tour would be incomplete without a slurp of whisky or a drink or two in one of the city’s fantastic drinking establishments!
The Whiski Rooms – this place is probably the most touristy on the list and yet I still love it! On the Mound just below the Royal Mile, there is a restaurant as well as the bar. Their range of whisky is unsurprisingly comprehensive and they offer tasting sessions for £25.
The Black Cat – I absolutely adore this little, single-roomed Rose Street bar. Great whisky selection and best of all, FANTASTIC live folk music on Monday, Wednesday and Sunday. I defy you not to love this place!
The Devil’s Advocate – this industrial chic bar and restaurant is a whisky drinkers paradise. Staff are very knowledgeable and always happy to help you choose something. Don’t worry if you don’t like whisky – they also do great cocktails.
The Sheep’s Heid – Edinburgh’s oldest pub is in the picturesque village of Duddingston just underneath Arthur’s Seat. Don’t expect anything fancy, it is simply a good, traditional pub. The Queen surprised locals by visiting with friends in 2016. And if it’s good enough for Her Majesty…
Cafe Royal – Scotland’s oldest oyster bar! Opened in 1863, the original Victorian bar and baroque fittings still greet you when you head in for a drink with friends or a plate of seafood.
The Voodoo Rooms – definitely one of the sleekest bars in Edinburgh, the Voodoo Rooms are above the Café Royal at the end of Prince’s Street. The leather bar and gilded ceilings make for a seriously dramatic setting. More upmarket that the others on this list.
Kay’s Bar – this little bar is a firm favourite with locals. There is nothing trendy here, just a really traditional, great ‘wee’ bar! Offers a large range of real ales.
Cold Town House – in a converted church, the Cold Town House has a brewery, prosecco and pizza bar, and great rooftop terrace. Exposed bricks, leather seats and booths – it is determinedly shabby chic. Go for a drink on the terrace overlooking the Castle.
Hopefully this has good you excited for a Edinburgh foodie trip! If you are looking for more inspiration I have lots more local’s advice for visiting Edinburgh – or perhaps have a look at my other guides to the United Kingdom if you are looking to get further afield on your next UK adventure.
Probably the best blod I have found for my trip to Edinburgh!!! AMAZING recommendations and they were affordable! Thankyou for all the ideas
Thank you for such a lovely comment! I am so happy to hear it was useful. I really hope you had a wonderful trip, Edinburgh is such fabulous city!
Thank you this is truly a fabulous foodie guide to Edinburgh – I have so many places to visit! Thank you again! Sam
I hope you enjoy trying them all!
Best Black Pudding by a mile is Stornaway so tasty.
As for pubs that sell a wide range of different Ales go to the Guildford Arms just behind the Apple Store on Princes St. Always packed with fast service and a restaurant upstairs although, I have never eaten there.
The food choices in Edinburgh is fantastic especially Dishoom
Always great to hear new recommendations – thank you!
These are wonderful! Do you have any such list for other cities there?
Sp glad it is useful – if you click on the “eat” tab at the top of the post you will find all the food guides I have published. Lots more coming – just drop me a message if you are after somewhere specific!
thank you so much for this! I really love the content!