Outdoor dining, Child friendly

Run by two talented chefs with impressive restaurant experience between them (including The Atrium, The Kitchin, The Outsider, Café St Honore and Falko), Gardener’s Cottage is a relatively new addition to Edinburgh dining. Be transported out of the city…

Chaophraya sits proudly on the corner of Nelson Mandela Place, holding the title of Europe’s largest Thai restaurant. Climbing the small stairway outside, opulence and grandeur awaits in this A-listed building. Enjoy a cocktail on the first floor before…

There’s a laidback, Australian vibe to the Esplanade – the ‘Espy’ – bar and bistro on Portobello’s beachfront, with its cheery service, beer, burgers, live music and comedy, and tables overlooking, okay, not the Indian Ocean, but the Firth of Forth to…

Meaning ‘home’ in Swedish, Hemma is the latest addition to Mike and Anna Christopherson’s string of Scandinavian style bars. And with its soft furnishings and quirky interiors, it does indeed have a laidback, homely atmosphere, despite the modern feel…

In the heart of chic Hyndland's shopping area, once an area devoid of a good restaurant or café, Epicures is fill a gap. It's the kind of place that changes through the day, with different menus for different times; from breakfast, morning coffee…

Over the past few years Urban Angel has established itself as an essential part of the vibrant dining scene around Broughton Street. The uncluttered and inviting main room is well run by simultaneously enthusiastic, relaxed and efficient staff. The…

A good local eatery can be hard to find but not in Partick. Cafezique is attached to a delicatessen. Inside, simple décor and a mezzanine level is enjoyed by elegant young ladies chattering over wine with nibbles (olives and cheese fondue). And…

Bang in the middle of studentville, Kilimanjaro has a laid-back vibe, conducive to whiling away an afternoon reading and nattering or making a start on that essay. The chunky tables, worn wooden chairs and leather sofas are comfy and inviting and the…

Regulars order without glancing at the large menu which covers everything from steak pie to fillet steak, from chicken curry and chips to pastas, and from pizzas and fish. The atmosphere’s buzzy and busy and you should probably book – even mid-week – to…

Hardened patriots might lament this venerable old boozer’s transformation from dingy haven to high-end Swedish ϋber-pub, but only the most misanthropic skinflint can really resent its success. Indeed, JP’s has an uncanny knack of catering to wildly…

Microbrewery appreciation starts early at Mono, where vast silver vats line one wall, piping homemade lemonades directly to the bar for a refreshing alternative to the usual drinks, which are of course also available. Young parents bring their kids to…

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 Treehouse Café, facing Bruntsfield Links, feels bright, summery and welcoming to anybody breezing in from Leven Street for a sit-in breakfast or lunch, or a take-away picnic on the Meadows. The eco-retro décor of cheerful pot plants and vintage…

Although its star has occasionally waned over 40-odd years of serving the West End’s finest, the Chip still holds its own amid the crowded glare and shifting fashions of Ashton Lane, carving a hard-won niche for quality food and metropolitan chic.

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…

Bruntsfield doesn't suffer from a lack of sociable coffee venues, but that hasn't deterred relative newcomer Project Coffee. Like sister businesses Kilimanjaro, Press and Wellington Coffee, they use beans from small artisanal roasters to make their…

Balfour’s diehards might be bamboozled when confronted by the enigmatic grey façade that has appeared on this erstwhile drinking den, but there’s no doubt that Leith Walk’s latest addition will soon attract an equally loyal – if somewhat different…

The Battlefield Rest enjoys a high reputation as a reliable local. It has a large and loyal clientele that it has built over 20 years, so at the weekend it can be very busy The menu is thoroughly old-fashioned Scottish-Italian fare, with dishes ranging…

Eating at the 18th-century estate house in glorious Pollok Country Park is like being invited for lunch at Downton Abbey. Sitting downstairs in the old kitchen, surrounded by artefacts –- including copper pans and an original cast-iron stove – of the…

Kyloe (meaning ‘cattle’) is looking to fill a niche in the Edinburgh restaurant scene, and that niche is meat, meat, meat. Cows are everywhere – the statue outside, the paintings on the wall, the cowhide furniture and the board that displays all the raw…

Brightening up Partick for several years now with its 1950s American diner-style décor and assorted retro touches such as big tubs of sweets behind the bar, Rio Café offers a little something for everyone. Serving food from breakfast through dinner…

Housed in the CCA, this spacious café-bar attracts a predictably bohemian clientele in evenings, with workers and young families hanging out during the day, especially on Saturdays. Despite the cavernous space and clean, modern lines, there’s a sense of…