BYOB, Outdoor dining, Child friendly

The picturesque Pittenween location is merely an additional reason to seek out the Cocoa Tree Café and its onsite sister business the Pittenweem Chocolate Company. In any city in Scotland it would be a place worth going out of your way for, a very…

You’ve got to trust the food will speak over and above any impressions a style-free, humble interior may give. And trust you do, as seating and feeding hungry customers is a priority from a diner that began as and still is a takeaway. Having grown in…

It’s beginning to test the meaning of careworn slightly these days, but there’s still no café in Glasgow homelier than Offshore, nor even as homely. Hugging the corner of Gibson Street where it crosses the River Kelvin, with leafy views to the park…

The Hidden Lane Tearoom is hidden only in name. Despite being just a couple of years old, it has clearly established a serious following, which means that at weekends, it can often get pretty busy – despite having two levels. Somehow though, owner…

Expectations need to be reset before visiting Punjab’n de Rasoi as it’s a tad different from your typical Indian restaurant. Established in 2010 as a means to empower Sikh women, this community-run café at the bottom of Leith Walk serves traditional…

As a result of ongoing building work, Athena has temporarily moved from its West End home to the City Centre, which has led to an increased popularity at lunchtime, such is the abundance of offices in their new environ, and the £5 express lunch deal is…

Proud to call itself Edinburgh’s first Lebanese restaurant, Beirut offers some of the best-value lunch deals in town. Its keen pricing and reasonable BYOB charges make it an attractive option for anyone looking for interesting food without breaking open…

In the heart of the merchant City, which is particularly good looking at night these days, Berits & Brown offers a small taste of a New York style neighbourhood diner. It is a big draw for wine buffs – any bottle on sale in the off license can be…

With mismatched chairs, comfy sofas and rotating art exhibitions, this space has the relaxed cool of a café in one of Brooklyn’s more popular neighbourhoods. There’s enough elbow room to read in peace, or bring little ones without feeling…

Bijou came under new ownership in 2011 but both head chef Alastair Berry and the quirky but useful menu formula of offering most items in bijou, medium or large size have remained. The low-key interior features a sprinkling of café-style tables, a small…

This spacious café with its particularly well-trained staff is run with such care and attention to the customer experience that it is easy to while away a couple of hours. Friends relax over coffees, pots of tea and irresistible in-house baking, such as…

A visit to the Brooklyn Café, the 83-year-old godfather of the Shawlands all-day café scene is a real Glasgow treat. There's a steady production of breakfast, brunch, lunch and dinner dishes including creamy risottos or the recently introduced grill…

Right in the heart of student land, Buffalo Grill has been thriving for 27 years serving up staple grill favourites of burgers, steaks and chicken wings. With so much success, this little restaurant with its cosy wood-panelled interior and mish-mash of…

Besides bringing a nice touch of down-to-earth quirkiness to the increasingly upscale strip of shops and cafés on the Crow Road near Jordanhill, the family-run, proudly dog-friendly Café Circa also boasts an impressively full and varied selection of…

Chop Chop in Leith was built on the reputation of the original outlet in Haymarket. Opened in 2010, it shares an identical menu to its sister restaurant, but the aim here seems to be to provide a more laidback and sophisticated atmosphere than the buzz…

Taking afternoon tea at this smart café on bustling Byres Road is a hugely enjoyable experience, even more so if you bring a bottle of fizz which they’ll pop for a fiver. A computerised ordering system is as slick as the staff who enquire about dietary…

The small deli nestling next to Mother India's Cafe might seem an afterthought – but it's certainly not, for the refreshingly different intimate restaurant sharing space with the takeaway counter offers excellent quality authentic Indian food which…

Six years of taking it easy at Go Slow Café (to paraphrase the blurb), but the place is thriving and popular, so it’s no mean feat that during the busiest times owner/factotum Rose manages to keep the happy, calm vibe alive. Like most places run with…

Big brother to its recently opened sister restaurant Pomegranate, Hanam’s is a class act. No-charge BYOB keeps spirits high across a well-appointed dining room and lower-level overspill. Décor and lighting are warm and inviting with just enough…

Edinburghers have gathered in the rather impressive Regency-style ‘convening rooms’ at 29 Waterloo Place since the early 19th century. These days, the high-ceilinged, cupola-lit main room attracts diners looking for the Howies brand of Scottish dining…

Never judge a book by its cover because this seemingly simple whitewashed cottage, which sits precariously on a corner of a busy Fife road, might seem a bit bleak and dated yet its below ground level entrance could well be described as a gateway to…

With its mismatched vintage furniture and air of aspirational bohemianism this is a definitively Stockbridge café. With weekly French classes and monthly supper and baking clubs, the efforts to establish itself within the neighbourhood clearly run more…

This jolly little Italian café opposite Kelvingrove Art Gallery makes a handy stop for a bite and a coffee (or a glass of BYOB), with a small menu of panini, salads, pizzas and snacks, as well as breakfast rolls and bagels, available with a selection of…

Friendly and speedy service, and a lunch menu deal of two courses for £7 (three for £10) make Kurdish and Middle Eastern Nawroz a popular choice among the student population, who pop in for a hearty kebab or shawarma after lectures. It’s spacious and…

Chef Ali Hammudah may be the only Egyptian restaurant owner to lose his kitchen to a Scottish hurricane (Bawbag) but the reopened Nur is well worth the weathering of a storm. You can taste the passion for food when tucking into fava beans in garlic and…