Edinburgh has become a leading food destination with so many exciting places to eat, whether you’re in the mood for Swedish cinnamon buns, a Montreal-style pastrami bagel, Levantine baba ganoush or a creative tasting menu.
Edinburgh’s food scene has an international outlook, but with a strong focus on exceptional local produce and Scottish heritage flavours, so you’ll definitely have the change to indulge in haggis, game, seafood and whisky.
Here are some top places to add to your Edinburgh list…
Six by Nico
If you’re in Edinburgh for the Fringe, then it’s only appropriate that dinner should come with a touch of theatre. Six by Nico is a game-changing restaurant that re-invents itself every six weeks with a brand new six-course tasting menu.
Chef Nico Simeone draws on his own personal experiences and memories when creating a menu, which have previously included Circus, Sicily, The Alps and most notably The Chippie – a tribute to his Italian grandparents who owned a chip shop.
Nico opened his first restaurant in Glasgow with the ambition of making fine dining more accessible, casual and fun. The concept proved so popular that Six by Nico restaurants soon followed in Edinburgh, Belfast, Liverpool, Manchester and now London’s Fitzrovia and Canary Wharf.
Happily, our visit coincided with the Cooking Shanghai menu with flavours inspired by the stylish city’s vibrant street food, heritage dishes and haute cuisine.
The first dish was an explosion of umami tastes with a fluffy Char siu pork mantou steamed bun with chilli oil, crispy ginger and pickled mushroom, followed by the intricate and rich Dengzhou chicken with fennel, shimiji and onion crumb. Mushroom Medicine with enoki crackling, king oyster and cep pancake was a revelation – I’ve never experienced a mushroom dish with so much depth and wondrous flavours.
Cod and peanut sauce with buckwheat noodles and puffed rice was succulent and high quality but extremely oversalted and Black beef with and broccoli with choy sum, pickled ginger and ox cheek potsticker played it safe but was definitely tasty.
I personally found the earlier courses the most thrilling, however it all ended beautifully with the appropriately named A Matcha Made in Heaven – a subtle and fragrant matcha and lychee custard with fresh raspberries and white chocolate.
Six by Nico is one to keep an eye on, as the menu is so radically different and intriguing each time. It’s a hot ticket in Edinburgh, so be sure to book ahead with some flexibility for dining times – I had the stalk the website booking page for almost a week to score a table!
BABA
BABA is a stunning, Middle Eastern-inspired restaurant and cocktail bar on the corner of George Street at Edinburgh’s luxurious Kimpton Charlotte Square.
Head Chef David Barnett offers a journey through the Levant with vibrant mezze, charcoal-grilled meats and intricately-spiced vegetables, paired with fragrant cocktails and eastern Mediterranean wines.
The restaurant is simply gorgeous with harmonious interiors contrasting the building’s original Georgian features with distressed teal walls, jewel-like tiles, Persian and Afghan rugs covering the walls and plush aubergine leather banquettes.
It’s also full of atmosphere, whether you’re sitting in the light-filled main dining room or one of the cosier, romantic dining spaces – The Library, The Salon and The Map Room – sprawling across the hotel. Luckily, we were staying there, so we could simply roll up to our room after dinner.
We started with a few mezze dishes to graze on – indulgent, curried Cauliflower fritters with zhug and creme fraiche and smoky, moreish BABA ganoush studded with pomegranate seeds and fresh mint.
From the grill, we loved the tender, rich Corn-fed chicken leg with gem lettuce, merguez and cashew nut butter and the deliciously piquant Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with ptitim (giant cous cous), rose harissa, preserved lemon, mint and pomegranate.
Another must-order side is the sumptous, aromatic Cauliflower shawarma with ras-el-hanout, tahini and rose.
Hawksmoor
Steak connoisseurs may already know what to expect from Hawksmoor, since it’s already in London, Manchester and New York, however the Edinburgh outpost is something to see. Its location is truly spectacular, housed in the Grade A-listed former Royal Bank of Scotland headquarters, overlooking elegant St Andrew Square. It’s also in good company with neighbouring Dishoom, The Ivy, Harvey Nichols and the soon-to-open Gleneagles Townhouse.
The enormous 1930s neoclassical banking hall has a buzzing, clubby feel with cosy leather booths, an open kitchen, private dining room and an intriguing wine room at the centre. Hawksmoor is known for using the best local produce, so here you can expect fresh seafood from around the Scottish coast and beef from native breed cattle on both sides of the border.
The Half grilled chicken was ever so tender and succulent with a tangy Béarnaise sauce and a side of moreish Buttered Jersey Royals.
I also enjoyed the classic Hawksmoor hamburger with Ogleshield cheese, which was smoky and juicy with tiny pieces of bone marrow and punchy mustard. On the day we visited, the fryer broke down, so I was offered a side of Mac and Cheese instead of the usual chips, which didn’t upset me in the slightest! It came bubbling hot in its own cast iron pot and was gooey and rich with flavourful raclette and a hint of nutmeg.
Be sure to leave some room for dessert, as you don’t want to miss out on the heavenly Sticky toffee sundae!
Greenwoods
Brunch, but make it Dutch at Greenwoods! This cosy coffee shop was established in Amsterdam in 1988 and just last year, Scottish general manager Jen Nelson returned home to open a third outpost in Edinburgh New Town.
Classic brunch dishes are served all day, along with traditional Dutch apple pie and an afternoon cream tea. There are also plenty of vegetarian and vegan dishes, including the Full Vegan Breakfast, Eggs Greenwoods with charred broccoli and white miso aioli and a Banana Bread Tumble.
We loved the indulgent Eggs Benedict and the creamy Scrambled Eggs with roasted herb tomato, mushrooms and an enormous wedge of home-made soda bread toast. Both dishes were very filling and packed with flavour – a side of moreish, home-made hash browns is also a must.
Tea is often be an after-thought, but at Greenwoods, the loose-leaf tea is strong and full-bodied, served in an elegant silver pot. I’m already plotting my return to try some of that tempting apple pie.
Bross Bagels
If you’re out and about during the Fringe or need a pick-me-up after climbing up to Edinburgh Castle, grab a banging Bross Bagel for lunch. This local favourite was set up by actress and comedian Larah Bross, aka Mama Bross, in 2017 and now boasts four outposts across Edinburgh, Portobello and Leith.
Unlike the New York-style bagels that most of us are familiar with, Bross’s traditional Montreal-style bagels are smaller and slightly sweet, as the organic dough is made wtih egg and boiled in honeywater.
Many of the filling combos are pretty creative like haggis and smoked applewood Cheddar, chicken parm and jalapeno or deep-fried cauliflower with buffalo sauce, however you can also keep it simple with house-cured salt beef and mustard, pastrami and dill pickle or the classic cream cheese and lox. Some of the stores also offer Bross Dogs with all the fixings and loaded Filthy Fries.
The bagels are absolutely delicious and substantial without being heavy – the perfect cheap eat. Oh, and on Mama Bross’s instructions, they literally ‘fill that hole’, so you can expect some messiness.
I.J Mellis
Iain Mellis opened his first cheese shop, I.J Mellis, on Edinburgh’s historic Victoria Street 28 years ago, offering the chance to discover a wide range of farmhouse cheeses made using single herd milk. There are now three Mellis cheesemongers in Edinburgh, as well as Glasgow, St. Andrews and Aberdeen.
The cavernous original shop, halfway up historic Victoria Street, is well-located near the Royal Mile for some tasty shopping or a light lunch while exploring the Old Town. Let the knowledgeable staff recommend some delicious artisanal Scottish and international cheeses and pick up some tempting provisions like home-made jams and pickles, freshly-baked bread, haggis Scotch eggs and sausage rolls.
Some of the stores have a cheese bar tucked away at the back, where you can get stuck into a crispy sourdough toastie oozing with top notch cheese. For the full experience, book a table at the Morningside Cheese Lounge and enjoy a Welsh rarebit, French onion soup and a cheese and charcuterie board paired with a glass of wine.
Mary’s Milk Bar
Some of the best ice cream in Scotland can be found at Mary’s Milk Bar at the foot of Edinburgh Castle on the historic Grassmarket. This dreamy, Instagram-worthy, pastel-hued gelateria and chocolaterie not only looks the part but it has serious credentials.
Owner Mary Hillard studied at the prestigious Carpigiani Gelato University in Bologna and makes all of the ice cream and chocolate fresh every morning until 11am. The flavours change every day and follow the seasons, so there is always something new to try.
On our visit, they included delights such as cherry mascarpone, white chocolate and thyme, walnut and cinnamon and nectarine and rosemary.
We tried the milk and honey ice cream and it was unbelievably velvety and smooth, studded with little flecks of fresh honeycomb. A trip to Edinburgh wouldn’t be the same without a visit to Mary’s!
Archipelago Bakery
This petite bakery and cafe on Dundas Street is a real neighbourhood favourite where locals stop by to pick up freshly-baked bread and meet up over coffee and cake. Everything is made in-house at Archipelago Bakery using organic flour and local produce and there are plenty of vegan and gluten-free options.
We started the morning with tea and toast, flaky croissants with raspberry jam and a slice of scrumptious apricot and cardamom iced loaf cake.
It’s such a cute place with friendly staff and I’d definitely go back again for lunch to try the spanakopita and fresh salads or a warming home-made soup.
Söderberg
You may know this fabulous Swedish coffee shop and bakery from London’s Berwick Street, however Söderberg was born in Edinburgh and now has seven outposts across the capital.
At Söderberg Pavilion, the flagship cafe at the heart of the Quartermile, you can sit on the spacious terrace and graze on sourdough pizza, open sandwiches, baked eggs, Swedish waffles and Mazarin tarts. Unlike its other shops, the Pavilion is open late for dinner and cocktails.
We visited the Stockbridge cafe for an afternoon refuel of a fluffy and aromatic Cardamom bun and a Savoury scone covered in nigella seeds with an excellent flat white coffee and a pot of Earl Grey tea.
La Barantine
While Scotland may be famous for its coconut macaroons (and you should definitely try them), it’s all about colourful French macarons at La Barantine.
Owners Céline and Vincent left their boulangerie in northern France over a decade ago to live out their Scottish dream and open their first cafe in the Bruntsfield area of Edinburgh. They now have four charming bakeries and cafes across the city, including the one that caught my eye walking up pretty Victoria Street.
It’s the ideal spot in the Old Town to enjoy a breakfast formule of coffee, baguette and a croissant or a light lunch of soup, freshly-baked quiche or a filled baguette. The patisserie counter is impossible to resist and I highly recommend a slice of the heavenly Flan Framboise.
Have you visited Edinburgh recently? Where are your favourite places to eat?
All photos by Cherie City
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