Restaurants, BYOB, Outdoor dining, Child friendly

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…

When you head to Tanjore, and it’s heartily recommended you do, there are two reasons to bring an appetite. First, this is where to sample the finest Southern Indian cuisine in Edinburgh. Second, you’ll be tempted to order everything on the enticing…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

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…

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…

Two Thin Laddies is a friendly neighbourhood café on High Riggs, the kind of place that feels sunny even when it's raining, decorated with paintings from the nearby Art College and alpine furniture worn smooth by years of hands and feet. Dishes are…

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…

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…

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…

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…

When Sheila Dawson told her husband that she wanted to expand their import Thai furniture business with a neighbouring café she didn’t expect he would import the building on one of his sourcing trips as well. Fresh sandwiches, wraps and salad provide…

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…

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…

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…

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…