Restaurants, Bistros & brasseries

For 16 years La P'tite Folie has been part of Edinburgh's dining scene, initially in the city-centre bustle of Frederick Street and joined, ten years ago, by the venue that has come to overshadow the original, set behind a quirky Tuor façade looking out…

Andrew and Fiona MacInnes, the brother and sister duo behind Porto & Fi, have a knack for views: in Newhaven they offer the Firth of Forth, and from this buzzing branch on the Mound all of New Town is laid beneath you. This is partly why booking is…

Summerhall’s Royal Dick bar/bistro is about adventure, and it’s an adventure just finding it: head through the grandiose entrance hall that once welcomed veterinary students, and still feels like you shouldn’t run in the corridor. Out through a…

With neighbours as various as the Mosque Kitchen, Red Box Noodle Bar, the Pear Tree's famous beer garden and up-coming Scottish restaurant Field, West Nicolson Street offers as eclectic a bunch of eating spots as anywhere in town. Quite right for a…

The Buttery is the only ‘destination’ restaurant in Glasgow that actually feels like a quest to get to, hidden in no-man’s land near the M8. Hushed tones, stained glass, ornaments everywhere – it’s full of character, as well as fine food (and not just…

It’s nice to see roast salmon on a Glasgow menu, and even nicer to have thoroughly crispened, blackened skin that gives way to robust flesh with heaps of flavour. It’s typical of the Two Fat Ladies restaurants, where produce is high quality and cooking…

A steady stream of casually dressed business travellers, tourists and locals pack into this tiny city centre restaurant to tuck into some excellent Aberdeen Angus steaks. Char-grilled fillet, sirloin and rib-eye have the depth of savoury flavour that…

Down by the water in Leith sits this northerly branch of the city’s 'A Room In … ' bistros, its shore-side setting shown off by a dining room conservatory and outdoor tables should the sun deign to shine. Enter the restaurant through the cosy Teuchters…

Tapas eating can fit into a shopping expedition like few other culinary styles – it’s restorative, flexible and convivial, and rarely too heavy or time-consuming. So Barça’s location in Princes Square makes a lot of sense, and after eight years it ranks…

Considerably nicer than a restaurant housed in the foyer of a middling chain hotel has any right to be, La Bonne Auberge has experienced a facelift in the last year, with previously fussy décor disposed of for a more contemporary-feeling retro-modern…

They have you from the warm brioche at Brian Maule at Chardon d’Or, as a veritable armoury of silver cutlery gleams on the brilliant white tablecloth, and waiting staff dressed head-to-toe in black scrape stray crumbs from tables. The cost of a…

Having ditched its semi-fine dining menu along with it its AA rosette, the City Café has gone down the 'home favourites' route to suit its regular customers. Steak pie, beef lasagne and burgers probably suit the hungry hotel guest who doesn’t want any…

If you can, grab a window seat at Coltman’s to make the most of its picturesque views over the River Tweed. If not then console yourself with the fact that the food here is also worth admiring. Kenny Coltman opened in Peebles High Street two years ago…

Darcy’s commands a large corner position on the basement courtyard of upmarket Princes Square − decked out faux al fresco French café style − all wicker chairs and flower baskets. It’s a hotspot for coffee and cake junkies, the shopping masses and…

What’s on offer in this upmarket eatery is far removed from the rustic style of cooking you’ll find in any roadside café after which it is named. The chefs have previously cooked for India’s rich and famous bringing with them a majestic, refined…

One of St Andrew's better respected restaurants, centrally situated with some attractive outdoor dining and serving an internationally influenced menu based on Scottish produce.

Competing with hundreds of bars and eateries, it’s a hard-knock life for hotel restaurants in Edinburgh. Elliot’s, part of the Apex chain’s Waterloo Place hotel, does its best to keep guests in and even tempt the locals along with some smart deals…

Sharing the name of a famous London restaurant, The Giffnock Ivy is setting its standards high with such a name. Inside it's modern, intimate and welcoming, with white tablecloths and plush red seating. The menu is deceptively simple with comfort food…

Opened in 2012, this restaurant specialises in seafood and steaks using quality ingredients. The space is well lit, decorated in off-white with comfortable blue chairs, natural wood floors and tables. In the bar area coffee and tea and cakes are served.