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Eating Out
Guide to Drinking and Dining in Edinburgh

You can't go far wrong when it comes to eating in Edinburgh these days - and you can eat well on almost any budget.
As well as dozens of restaurants serving traditional Scottish cuisine, there are excellent Italian, French and Indian restaurants. The best are concentrated in old town (particularly the narrow lanes leading off the Royal Mile), though the New Town (near to Princes St), Southside and Leith have their fair share of spots.

PRICE GUIDE: (average cost of a main course):
= less than GBP8, = GBP8-12, = GBP12+

Traditional Scottish

The Witchery (Lunch) (Other times)
Castlehill, Royal Mile
Tel: +44 (0)131-225-5613

At the very top of the Royal Mile, actually by the gates of the castle itself, this superb restaurant occupies a 16th-century building. The dining room is a model of oak panelled opulence, with period hangings that rival the finery of Holyrood Palace itself, while the "Secret Garden" is an award winning period style conversion of an old courtyard, and a beautiful place for lunch. The food is traditional Scottish, including fresh salmon and trout and locally reared beef. The two course lunch-time special puts this elegance within everyone's reach.

Martin's
70 Rose St, North Lane
Tel: +44 (0)131-225-3106

A luxury restaurant just behind Princes Street with a small, but imaginative menu featuring game and seafood from Scotland's Coast.

Jacksons
209 High St
Tel: +44 (0)131-225-1793

A popular restaurant in an old close just off the Royal Mile. Jacksons specialises in Scottish classics - think Aberdeen Angus beef, salmon and haggis.

Modern

French Corner Bistro
17 Queensferry Street
Tel: +44 (0)131-226-1890

If you can imagine French/Scottish fusion cuisine, then that's probably how the French Corner Bistro would be classed. An innovative menu offers delights such as haggis with raspberry coulis or grilled princess scallops with sesame leaves. The wooden floors and tables create a warm ambience and the two-course lunch menu at GBP6.90 offers great value for money. Vegetarian options also available.

Vegetarian

David Banns
58 St Mary's St
Tel: +44 (0)131-556-5888

Stylish restaurant serving a variety of delicious veggie takes on dishes from all round the world. The menu changes regularly, so there's usually something new on offer.

Seafood

Mussel Inn
61-65 Rose St
Tel: +44 (0)131-225-5979

In the middle of Rose Street's bars, this restaurant serves the best of Scottish fish. As you'd expect by its name the highlight is the huge buckets of steamed mussels. Good, reasonably priced eating, in the heart of the city.

The Vintner's Rooms
87 Giles St, Leith
Tel: +44 (0)131-554-6767

A luxurious eatery but on the pricey side. The high tariff is rewarded with excellent cuisine, with seafood a speciality.

Café Royal Oyster Bar
17a West Register St
Tel: +44 (0)131-556-4124

Busy, atmospheric restaurant featured in the film "Chariots of Fire". Oysters, of course, plus salmon, turbot, cod, scallops - anything that swims. Tends to be a bit on the expensive side.

Creelers
3 Hunter Sq
Tel: +44 (0)131-220-4447

Super contemporary restaurant serving fresh seafood creatively prepared. The front section next to the bar is just as good but cheaper than the main restaurant.

Skippers Bistro
1a Dock Pl, Leith
Tel: +44 (0)131-554-1018

Down in Leith, Skippers has survived the burgeoning trendiness of the area relatively unscathed, and still serves up fantastic fish and fruits de mer to a loyal clientele. It's not cheap but is possibly the best seafood place in the city, from a strong bunch of contenders.

Italian

The Patio
87 Hanover St
Tel: +44 (0)131-226-3653

Popular Italian restaurant. Lots of fresh, homemade pasta, pizza, seafood and poultry. Cheaply priced with lunchtime specials an absolute bargain.

Thai

Ayutthaya Restaurant
14b Nicolson St
Tel: +44 (0)131-556-9351

Directly opposite the Festival Theatre, Ayutthaya attracts the pre and post-show crowd with its tasty and reasonably priced Thai food. A good place for some imaginative vegetarian cuisine, a cut above the standard vege-burger.

Bars

Edinburgh has literally hundreds of bars varying from the welcoming old tavern of stereotype to the dark and dingy drinking den. It is one of the best cities in Britain for going out - and, what's more, bars open later than anywhere else in the UK (Glasgow excepted).
These are just some of our favourites in the city that only sleeps after it's had a skinful...

In old town, check out The Jolly Judge in James Court off the Royal Mile or the Doric Tavern at 15 Market Street. Head down to the Grassmarket for a range of pubs including the self-hyped "oldest pub in Edinburgh", The White Hart, along with The Last Drop, so named because the central square of the Grassmarket was where the city gallows were located in the past.

Venture off the Grassmarket down Cowgate and you'll find the lively student haunts of Edinburgh. Pubs and clubs abound although "dark and dingy" sums up many. A notable exception is Bannerman's a series of subterranean vaults on Niddry Street. The bar offers live entertainment, great food and, most importantly, good beer. Whatever venue you choose around here, the lively atmosphere tends to dominate the scene.

Cross Princes Street into the New Town and you'll find Rose Street, a narrow lane running parallel to the shopping thoroughfare. Rose Street has more than 20 pubs, among them the excellent Abbotsford and the Rose Street Brewery, which produces its own (potent) beer in its on-site micro-brewery.

Meanwhile on West Register Street is Edinburgh's Café Royal, a local institution with an ornate Victorian interior and walls lined with the portraits of famous Scottish inventors. If you've made a night of it and want to experience an Edinburgh cultural phenomenon head for The Penny Black, behind Princes Street across from Waverley Station. It opens at 05h00, to cater to postal workers and more than a few people postponing their hangovers.

 

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