Edinburgh: Loch Ness, Glencoe & the Scottish Highlands Tour
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Edinburgh’s culinary landscape is characterised by tradition, sophistication, excellent taste and the use of outstanding fresh local produce, including cheeses, meats and consistently superb fish.
You’ll eat exceptionally well in Edinburgh, and the city thoroughly debunks the negative reputation of Anglo-Saxon cuisine. You’ll find venues and cuisines to suit every palate and culture, from traditional Scottish fare to authentic international cooking.
It’s genuinely difficult to eat poorly in Edinburgh – wherever you turn, you’ll discover ethnic restaurants, historic pubs serving outstanding food, contemporary Scottish establishments and numerous cafés where you can enjoy delicious snacks of sandwiches and warming soups.
Whilst the Royal Mile is the epicentre of Scottish cuisine alongside some international options and numerous pubs, New Town specialises in world cuisines and restaurants serving the freshest seafood, as does the Leith waterfront area, which merits a detour for a hearty meal of freshly caught fish and seafood.
Restaurants open from noon to 2.30pm and from 6pm to 10pm, though in some cases the kitchen remains available throughout the afternoon.
Evening hours, however, are strictly observed: kitchens typically close at 9pm and it’s difficult to find food service after this time. Many ethnic restaurants, some pubs and obviously fast-food outlets are exceptions.
During festivals and New Year, pubs and restaurants are literally overwhelmed with custom, and we strongly recommend you book a table even several days in advance.
At the foot of the Royal Mile, close to the castle gates, sits a restaurant housed in a 16th-century building steeped in gothic atmosphere, featuring oak panelling, tapestries and exposed stonework. The Secret Garden is the conversion of an ancient courtyard and a wonderful place to dine. Among the dishes served are fresh salmon, trout and locally reared beef. Choosing the two-course set menu offers good value.
Seafood at Edinburgh is particularly outstanding, and we recommend you dedicate a meal to shellfish and molluscs, which are abundant here.
Among the establishments on Rose Street, this restaurant serves some of Scotland’s finest fish. Unsurprisingly, given its name, the speciality here is enormous baskets of the freshest mussels. It’s a good restaurant, not expensive, and located in the city centre.
This is our preferred address for fish. Housed within the vast spaces of a dock at Newhaven harbour, a stone’s throw from Leith, this restaurant serves oysters and shellfish sourced directly from its internal fishmonger, alongside spectacular dishes of the freshest fish in a relaxed setting with vast windows overlooking the sea. Absolutely not to be missed!
This elegant bistro specialises in fish and serves excellent seafood dishes. It has a sister establishment at Leith waterfront.
An atmospheric restaurant in Victorian style, much frequented by Edinburgh’s good society and featured in the film “Chariots of Fire”. Specialities are, as the name suggests, oysters, salmon, cod and in general seafood dishes.
The food served in pubs is genuinely excellent: the cooking is homestyle, unpretentious, yet rooted in local flavours. We therefore recommend some pubs we’ve tested ourselves.
Just a short walk from Waverley Station, The Doric, with a bar on the ground floor and Bistro upstairs, offers impeccable service and well-prepared dishes. Alongside classic Haggis, the beef fillet stands out for its exceptional quality. Notable is the whisky menu, which features excellent spirits from every region of the country.
This welcoming pub sits directly opposite the Greyfriars Bobby statue and serves excellent Scottish cooking. It’s part of a chain of pubs you’ll find throughout the city.
This pub on High Street offers genuinely excellent food in a truly wonderful setting, often complemented by quality live music. Prices aren’t cheap but you’ll enjoy outstanding Scottish dishes.
Overlooking Johnston Terrace, this modern, welcoming pub offers good food at reasonable prices despite being just a stone’s throw from the Royal Mile.
If you’re seeking an unpretentious pub frequented by locals, the Tolbooth is for you: the food here is genuinely excellent and you won’t risk queuing with hordes of tourists crowding the upper reaches of the Royal Mile. Furthermore, the pub is housed within a magnificent medieval building.
This quirky pub serves good homestyle food but merits a visit for its eccentric décor alone: there isn’t a square centimetre that isn’t crammed with objects of every type and size, hanging even from the ceiling.
During your stay in Edinburgh, you’ll often fancy a quick bite without committing to a full meal. We therefore highlight a selection of genuinely characterful bistros.
This charming café, filled with glass elephants, is frequented by students and young tourists not only for its quick, homestyle cooking with few but delicious dishes and sandwiches, but especially because Harry Potter was born at one of the tables in the large rear room with views of the castle! This is where celebrated author J.K. Rowling would come to write! Beyond its literary fame, this little spot feels like home and the food is excellent.
This picturesque café housed within a deconsecrated cathedral merits a visit even just for a cappuccino. You can enjoy light meals here both day and evening at economical prices.
This splendid café in New Town will make you feel at home: neutral colours, familiar atmosphere, tasty homestyle dishes using organic and fair-trade products.
In the following map you can see the location of the main places of interest mentioned in this article.
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