The fiercely independent food scene makes dining out in Edinburgh a delightful, different-every-time experience. The city’s cobbled streets, winding lanes, and Georgian crescents are brimming with bakeries to rival Paris, family-run eateries which champion seasonal Scottish produce, and cosy bars shaking up creative cocktails and bringing thoughtfully curated wine and whisky lists to the table.
The surrounding coastlines and countryside provide restaurants with a natural bounty of incredible seafood, farm-fresh meat, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, and foraged ingredients from the Scottish Highlands and Islands—which can also be sampled at the weekly Stockbridge market each Sunday.
This is a city which celebrates food provenance, and fosters close ties to its farmers, fishermen, butchers, artisan cheesemongers, and more locally owned businesses. Here is where to eat in Edinburgh, from your morning pastry run to special occasion reservations.
BEST EDINBURGH BAKERIES & CAFÉS
Ante
Tucked below Spry Wines (see ‘best bars’ below) on Haddington Place, this small, minimally-dressed space wouldn’t look out of place in Copenhagen. Come early to secure baked-that-morning goods, and linger a while for a glass teapot of oolong or spiced honey flat white. The daily-changing lunch menu is also delicious, and nutritious.
Argyle Place
Just off Marchmont’s Meadows, this easy-going neighbourhood café is a light-filled space fronted by large windows, perfect for people (and dog) watching. There are freshly baked treats on the counter (the cinnamon buns are huge) if you’d like to take-away, and a selection of window seats and tables spread across two, calmingly styled sections. There are seasonal specials (currently for spring, the brioche French toast is topped with Scottish strawberries, elderflower, and lemon curd crème fraîche), but the porridge bowls are always a go-to.
Dune Bakery
Specialising in vegan bakes, this waterfront bakery in South Queensferry offers a wide variety of plant-based options. The weekend specials and pre-order boxes are worth making the trip slightly
further out of the town centre for, especially when combined with the River Forth views. Lemon custard cruffins, brownie pain suisse, and laminated buns with Italian meringue are just a few of the temptations to try.
Fortitude
With three locations across the city in Stockbridge, Abbey Mount, and Newington, these coffee shops turn house-roasted beans into a full range of barista-crafted brews. Most regulars opt for grab-and-go drinks and pastries, but there are some tables if you’d prefer to sit in.
Hata
A small but mighty café in Canonmills, Hata is all about Scottish oats. The menu changes every Wednesday, and features creamy porridge, homemade overnight oats and granola, alongside sourdough toast and soup. The signature berry and spiced apple compotes are must-add toppings.
Hobz Bakery
Taking its name from the Maltese word for ‘bread’, this small-batch bakery in Leith is known for its naturally leavened bread and pastries. Wherever possible, home-grown grains and flour are sourced from Scottish farms and freshly milled in house, resulting in treats like croissant dough with cinnamon butter worth queuing for. Some of the buttery bakes are drizzled with honey blossom syrup made with bee pollen from Edinburgh Honey Co.
Lannan
From its clotted-cream-coloured exterior and damson-red awning on the corner of Hamilton Place, Lannan is a beautiful sight to behold from the outside as much as its pastry-lined counter within. The social media sensation continues to draw crowds eager to get a taste of Darcie Maher’s creative and aesthetically pleasing bakes, and will soon be offering a pre-order selection to help ease the queues. Maher and her small team make over 20kg of custard a day for their signature custard slices (one of the viennoiserie’s long-time best sellers), and a quick scroll through the Instagram feed reveals rhubarb and pistachio croissants, cardamom buns, and Amalfi lemon tarts.
Mary’s Milk Bar
This tiny retro ice-cream parlour overlooks Edinburgh Castle from its Grassmarket setting, and is run by Carpigiani Gelato University-trained Mary Hillard. Mary makes her ice-cream and chocolate from scratch each morning, and posts the daily-changing, inventive flavours on Instagram. Yes, the classics are available, but it’s worth opting for something out of the ordinary like rosemary choc-chip, goats cheese and fig, or soda bread and butter.
The Bearded Baker
This small-batch bakery (and its sister café, Seventy One Steps—see below) on Rodney Street almost always sells out, so it’s worth coming early doors for the best selection. The Bearded Baker (aka Rowan Walker) freshly bakes his now legendary cinnamon buns, sourdough, and pillowy-soft focaccia each morning.
The Milkman
A coorie coffee shop right in the heart of Edinburgh’s Old Town, which takes its name and inspiration from the owner’s great-grandfather who was the last horse-drawn milkman in Huntly, up in Aberdeenshire, to deliver milk to the town and surrounding areas.
The Pastry Section
Split between its Stockbridge and Leith locations, peering into these prettily arranged shopfronts is like winning a golden ticket to a pastry factory. The sweet treats change with the seasons, from lemon meringue éclairs in the summer to autumnal ricotta cheesecake buns filled with homemade fig jam.
Twelve Triangles
These from-scratch bakeries work entirely with slow fermentation sourdoughs, producing breads and pastries on a three- or four-day cycle. All the jams, custards, pie fillings, and ricotta are made in the bakery each day, using local, seasonal and organic ingredients. You can try your hand at making Emily Cuddeford and Rachel Morgan’s easy-to-follow recipes in their recently launched debut cookbook, Kitchen Table.
Room & Rumours Coffee
Coffee might be in the name, but this East Market Street address is just as beloved for its assortment of doughnuts. Located under The Arches near Edinburgh train station, it’s the perfect place to pick up some treats before a long rail journey.
BEST FOR BRUNCH
Ardfern
The third venue from celebrated chef Roberta Hall-McCarron, Ardfern is an all-day café, bar and bottle shop in Leith which has quickly become a neighbourhood favourite. Brunch is served from 9am to 2.30pm every day, featuring staples like grilled sourdough, golden hash browns, and brioche breakfast buns with seasonal fillings. Taking you into the evening, there are over a hundred wines available to sip in or take away, which the friendly team are happy to talk you through.
Cowan & Sons
You are welcome to order baked goods to go through the stained glass window hatch of this family-run café and print shop in Stockbridge (which serve, in my humble opinion, Edinburgh’s best brownies), but it’s worth sitting in to enjoy the wider brunch menu if you have the time. The banana bread bowls always go down a treat, as do the cheese and chili-jam toasties.
Montpeliers
This sage-green Bruntsfield corner spot has been a local favourite for brunch for over 20 years, and is showing no signs of slowing down. Come with a hearty appetite and order the renowned ‘Full Monty’, which comes with Christie’s butcher pork sausage, Ayrshire bacon, eggs, potato scone, Heatherfield haggis, black pudding, tomato, mushrooms, tattie tots, fried bread and baked beans.
Seventy One Steps
Located 71 steps away from The Bearded Baker, this walk-in-only café has garnered a devoted brunch following for its filled bagels and sourdough waffles.
The Pantry
On a sunny day, the outdoor tables just off Stockbridge’s picturesque Royal Circus are bustling with locals (and their dogs), and the recently added location in Bruntsfield is proving popular too. Brunch is served all day, including a pop tarts take on French toast, Belgian waffles with blueberry compote, and ‘eggs benny’ with honey-roast ham.
The Spence at Gleneagles Townhouse
Reservations for the monthly brunch club at The Spence go live from 10am on the first day of the month, and usually sell out within the hour. Set beneath a beautiful glass domed ceiling and lined with marble columns and flickering fireplaces in Gleneagles Townhouse on St. Andrews Square, The Spence is one of the few areas at the private members’ club that’s open to the public. Expect spectacular seafood platters, a dreamy dessert trolley, and a build-your-own Bloody Mary station.
Urban Angel
One of Edinburgh’s original brunch spots, this family-run bistro balances indulgent plates with health-boosting smoothie bowls and salads. The French toast is a must-order, with various with-a-twist options to choose from (the apple pie French toast is served with toasted malt custard, apple and cinnamon compote, and honey oat biscuit).
BEST CASUAL RESTAURANTS
BABA
The flavours of the Middle East are brought to George Street at this chic eatery, which centres around a charcoal grill. The mezze and feasting plates are perfect for sharing, from hummus and burnt harissa butter to yoghurt-marinated whole grilled fish.
Harajuku Kitchen
Drawing on the flavours of her childhood spent in the Fukuoka region, chef-owner Kaori Simpson runs one of Edinburgh’s few Japanese restaurants from her elegant, tatami-screened kitchen. The sushi and bento boxes are truly authentic, and the signature gyoza dumplings are downright addictive.
Hendersons
Catering especially for vegetarians and vegans, this longstanding family-run restaurant celebrates all things plant-based from its Bruntfield Links setting. The seasonally changing menus start with a nutritious nibbles board, and range from soups and salads to vegan haggis and earl grey-infused tiramisu.
LeftField
Organic wines and seafood platters overlooking the greenery of Bruntsfield Links? Yes please. This friendly bistro sources its mussels from Shetland, oysters from the isles of Cumbrae, and the freshest catches from along the Scottish coast.
L’Escargot Bleu
Set on pretty Broughton Street, this French bistro is on a mission to become self-sufficient, growing most of its vegetables and herbs in an onsite garden, and sourcing the rest from hyper local producers (and a few from across the Channel). The blackboard menus add to the classic charm.
Little Capo
This buzzy Stockbridge spot serves contemporary Italian fare from breakfast through to dinner, such as homemade pasta, thick-cut focaccia sandwiches, and generous helpings of tiramisu come dessert.
Mara’s Picklery
Everything at this tiny Marchmont eatery is pickled, fermented, and cured using age-old preserving techniques. The result? Palate-tingling meat and cheese boards, pickle plates, and zero-alcohol shrubs which are the dream definition of ‘picky bits’.
Mirin
Serving small Asian plates from its compact Leith Walk kitchen, the steaming ramen bowls are the star of the show here. Fragrant, well-spiced broths balance Scottish ingredients with flavours from the East, from venison tartare dipped in kimchi ketchup to wild boar and Stornoway black pudding ragu with hand-ripped noodles.
Nàdair
Dedicated to Scottish produce and foraged ingredients, Nàdair stays true to its name, which means ‘nature’ in Scots Gaelic. The four-course set menu follows the seasons, from Isle of Mull cheddar beignets drizzled with local honey to gorse-infused cocktails served against a minimalist, almost Nordic-feeling backdrop.
Noto
Inspired by his time in New York and the city’s fusion of cuisines, Scottish chef Stuart Ralston leans into Asian flavours for his small plates offering at Noto. Think fried shiitake mushroom doughnuts and tonkatsu, sesame prawn toast, and miso caramel chocolate mousse.
Pomelo
Owner Jun Au and his small team quickly became known for bringing modern Chinese dishes to Edinburgh’s Marchmont, especially the now legendary hand-ripped noodles served with either a chilli garlic or peanut chilli sauce (once you taste these, you’ll crave them for life). Lunch is walk-ins only, and we’d highly recommend booking ahead for dinner and Sunday brunch. Tables are closely packed so service is on the cosy side.
Skua
If fried chicken in a candlelit basement sounds like a winning combination, Skua is the place for you. The cocktail menu reads like a magician’s potion list, which matches the dark, shadowy aesthetic.
Sotto
At street level, this Stockbridge newcomer is a thoughtfully curated bottle shop with over 200 Italian wines to sip your way through, and below lies a relaxed trattoria with reimagined classics on the menu. The provisions store of artisan pastas and sauces is worth raiding on your way out, too.
Stockbridge Eating House
Retaining the former Bell’s Diner yellow and tiled façade, Stockbridge Eating House promises all the neighbourhood charm of its predecessor, with red-and-white checked tablecloths and hand-written menus scrawled across rustic blackboards within (these are updated daily on Instagram). Food is unfussy and properly delicious, served across communal, candlelit tables.
The Palmerston
Ask Edinburgh locals about their favourite restaurant in the city, and most foodies will say The Palmerston. The flavours are big and bold, the produce is sourced from organic Scottish growers such as The Free Company in the Pentland Hills, and the breakfast pastries keep this place bustling from morning to night.
Tipo
Another small plates sensation from chef Stuart Ralston (of Noto, Aizle, and Lyla), Italian-inspired Tipo delivers on house-made pasta and top notch charcuterie, and puts the same care into its wine list which features artisan labels from small, family-run wineries.
BEST FINE DINING RESTAURANTS IN EDINBURGH
Aizle
The first of Stuart Ralston’s four Edinburgh restaurants to open is also the most elevated, where diners are presented with an ingredients list and expertly guided through five to seven courses which make the most of Scotland’s natural larder. Absolutely everything is made in-house, including the hand-churned butter.
Cardinal
From the team behind Heron and Skua (see below), each one of Cardinal’s 16 courses is packed with Scottish ingredients, cooked over coals, and beautifully presented. There’s also a set three-course option if you’re not feeling up to the full menu.
Eleanore
Arguably the best value tasting menu in the city, the set lunch at Eleanore is priced at under £40 per person and leaves you feeling like you’ve well and truly feasted. Chef Roberta Hall-McCarron and Hamish McNeill cook up a storm from what must be one of Edinburgh’s tiniest kitchens, and you can watch the team at work from the chef’s counter. We’d happily eat Hamish’s signature honey butter and muffins on repeat for the rest of our days.
Eòrna
This is a restaurant you’ll want to reserve well ahead of time. Gather around the 12-seater chef’s table and watch chef Brian Grigor and sommelier Glen Montgomery work the intimate room, serving daintily arranged plates featuring high quality ingredients from Orkney beef to Perthshire strawberries, enriched by accompanying pours (and excellent chat).
Heron
Save this Michelin-starred establishment for a special occasion. The Shore-side setting in Leith is reflected in the inventive 13-course menu, which looks to the water for inspiration and ingredients (hand-dived Orkney scallops, market-sourced fish, and brown crab butter all feature).
Lyla
Another sophisticated option for seafood lovers, Lyla specialises in the freshest line-caught fish and sustainably sourced shellfish from the Scottish Isles. Enjoy snacks in the upstairs lounge overlooking the Firth of Forth, before spending the rest of the evening around the open kitchen downstairs for all 10 sea-focused courses.
Moss
Snuggled into Stockbridge’s St. Stephen Street, Moss makes the most of its close relationship with an organic farm in Angus by serving field-to-fork with creative (and conversation sparking) twists.
The Little Chartroom
Moving from its original Leith Walk address (which is where Eleanore now stands) to become Ardfern’s next-door neighbour, The Little Chartroom is the first of Roberta Hall-McCarron’s trio to win local hearts (and appetites). The nautical theme is inspired by Roberta’s childhood sailing the Scottish coast, while the three- and five-course set menus draw on both land and sea.
Timberyard
Behind a big red door on Lady Lawson Street (just minutes away from Grassmarket), Timberyard is a Michelin-starred restaurant set within a Scandi-styled, old brick warehouse run by the Radford family. Countless candles and a log-burner gently flicker, foraging baskets hang on the walls, and across the tranquil courtyard sits the Shed, an intimate private dining room. It’s clear to see the care that goes into every dish and drink, and the knowledgeable team are happy to share their suppliers’ stories.
BEST BARS & PUBS IN EDINBURGH
Bramble
Tucked beneath a dry cleaners’ shop on Queen Street, this well-hidden speak-easy bar is an in-the-know subterranean spot for creative cocktails. The signature bramble is a zesty concoction of gin, lemon, and blackberry, while sister venues Lucky Liquor and the Last Word are also worth a visit.
Good Brothers
Having moved from its Stockbridge address to the corner of Dundas Street and Northumberland Street, this New Town wine bar runs #finewinethursday from 5pm, selecting a few special bottles from the cellar for you to sample by the glass at cost price.
Montrose
From the Radford family (behind Timberyard), Montrose is a cosy wine bar serving small plates downstairs, with an intimate, candlelit room upstairs which hosts set four-course menus. It’s all housed within a 19th-century building which started life as an inn, and is fronted by a Gothic turret.
Smith & Gertrude
Both locations in Portobello and Stockbridge are walk-in only, adding to the casual, local vibe at these wine bars. Cheese and charcuterie boards (plus cheese toasties) are thoughtfully matched with the wine list—the by-the-glass options are refreshed on a daily basis, and the wine flights change each week.
Spry
The menu at Spry reads like a love letter to small-batch, natural wines from suppliers that have been sought out with care. The interiors have a Nordic feel, and the seasonally changing food menu (whipped up in an open kitchen in the middle of the bar) is also worth making a reservation for.
The Sheep Heid Inn
Welcome to Scotland’s oldest surviving pub, established in 1360 while sheep were reared in nearby Holyrood Park then brought to Edinburgh’s pretty village of Duddingston. Step through the medieval doors and follow in the footsteps of Bonnie Prince Charlie for a few pints. The Sunday roasts are excellent here, too.
Author: Thanks to her nomadic childhood in the Far East, Chloe Frost-Smith’s first travel memories are filled with tuk-tuks, water buffalo, and paddy fields. Happiest when barefoot or on horseback, Chloe is a country girl at heart and often daydreams about ranch life in the American West. She’s currently based in Edinburgh as Swoon’s Editor-in-Chief, while writing about her favourite hotels and interiors for various luxury brands. If you can’t reach Chloe, she’s likely road-tripping around the Scottish Highlands & Islands with her faithful hound Humphrey. Photos by Chloe.