Restaurants, Cafés

The St John’s Church ‘terrace community’ has developed into an ethical, modern-day conscience balm of businesses at the west end of Princes Street, from the One World Fairtrade shop to the Peace and Justice Centre. Henderson’s café sits harmoniously…

Based in the Rep theatre, the Het Theatercafe is a highly popular place to snaffle everything from coffee and a sandwich to much more substantial restaurant dishes. A versatile international menu is served up at lunchtimes and evenings and the…

Skillfully combining healthy with tasty, it is unsurprising that this juice bar is frequently packed out. With around 40 people sat in between the main room and a snug at the back, as well as a steady stream waiting for takeaway, service remains…

Jute offers a bit of everything for those interested in checking out Dundee Contemporary Arts, or indeed anyone just passing. A reasonably priced snack menu is available alongside a full dinner menu. Fish and Vegetarian options are a big feature on the…

For the last few years, Kellie Castle has been making a concerted effort to use as much of their organic garden produce in the café as possible. Heritage potatoes, apples and rhubarb all appear seasonally on the light lunch menu, and are sold in the…

The clue’s in the name, as Parisian-style prints and artefacts, cute lamp-lit tables and a counter hung with garlic and saucisson instantly transport you across the Channel. The owners import meats, cheeses, even butter and paper-wrapped sugar cubes…

This popular lunch stop is appreciated by passers by, walkers, beach combers and locals looking for refreshment on a winding coastal route. Housed in a conservatory which extends to outdoor decking, it has sweeping sea views across Little Loch Broom.

A relative newcomer, Martha’s already has plenty of dedicated diners and with good reason. This buzzing city centre outlet provides great value fast food with a twist –- healthy, ethical and made on site from local and seasonal quality produce. The…

The enlightened face of fish and chips, this trendy little fish café doubles up as a fishmonger, with a counter piled high with oysters, mussels, prawns and other fish delivered fresh from the north coast of Scotland. Expect sustainable pollock or coley…

Mint Café and Flowers presents an oasis of colour in the financial glass and sandstone courtyard of Exchange Place, Semple Street. Inside it feels like a contemporary design studio, bright with Scottish artists’ wares, wildlife paintings, ultra-modern…

A smaller sister venue to the New Town Deli on Henderson Row. Also on a corner site, there are a few perching stools for keeping an eye on Broughton Street's ever-absorbing daily flow. The main emphasis is on takeaway, with soups, stovies, sandwiches…

With outlets in Broughton and Canonmills, this café company has the New Town in a pincer. Visit the Henderson Row branch for the full menu. It is a bright room with pine benches against the bay windows to watch the world go by and communal tables that…

Now primarily a café, though still with a deli in the basement, Peckham's layout is slightly random: a few window booths, some window stools, tables tucked at the back and some awkward ones in the middle. But once seated in this imposing dark space…

Blankets are provided at Peter’s Yard so you can persevere with alfresco eating even in the colder Scottish months. As testament to its popularity the outdoor tables are filled with coffee-drinking students and pastry-munching professionals all year…

A crowd-pleasing menu, friendly service and genuine interest in using local Newhaven and Leith-based suppliers create a sense of community around this cheery café-bistro. The simple décor complements the elegant, airy proportions of the former bank…

The emphasis is on simplicity and quality at Printworks Coffee, and as the name suggests they are particularly fond of their coffee: they're the only stockists of the Monmouth brand in Edinburgh, and it's a definite attraction at what is a small but…

Having opened in early March, Riccardo's is one of the latest additions to Finniestion's burgeoning dining scene. Loosely defined as a 'relaxed cafe bar', there's a strong sense that it perhaps undersells itself with a level of cooking that stands on…

This brilliantly named delicatessen stocks lots of interesting products, with the emphasis on superior tasting foods. There's a good range of fine meats and cheeses, and it sells Piper's crisps, the wonder crisps that won no fewer than four Taste awards…

It may be hard, but try not to be waylaid by the sweetie emporium that greets you on first entering S Luca. This is kiddie heaven and it's hard to imagine anyone, even the adults, getting past the selection of chocolates, ice-cream, sorbets and other…

Since 2008 the St Andrews Farmhouse Cheese Company’s varieties of Anster cheese have been developing a wider following, but a pilgrimage to the place they’re made is a treat in its own right. This fresh and strikingly new café on the Stewart family farm…

The Zen Garden is just one of the attractions of Glasgow’s Museum of Religious Life and Art but the whole of Cathedral Square is serene and perfect for a Sunday chill-out. Sitting atop the under-appreciated ancient core of the city – its High Street…