Restaurants, Cafés and Pre-theatre menu
- Spoon
Spoon brilliantly fills the gap between the casualness of a cafe and the formality of a restaurant - Angels With Bagpipes
Angels with Bagpipes articulates the natural union of Scottish and Italian sourcing and gastronomy - Centotre
Centotre serves food made from locally sourced ingredients in a great location - Stereo
A great vegan themed bar in a Mackintosh-designed building
Angels With Bagpipes
343 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1PW
Don’t let the High Street buskers put you off. Through the back in the restaurant you won’t hear them. Instead, the smart sophisticated décor and modern tableware sets off an approach to Scottish ingredients that acknowledges centuries of continental…
Centotre
103 George Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 3ES
Centotre manages to pull off a neat trick. Despite the austere, ex-bank interior, from those lost days when financial edifices were akin to cathedrals, it still manages to maintain a feeling of warmth and intimacy in the evenings or bright and breezy…
Asti
73 Broughton Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3RJ
Owned by the same people who run the neighbouring Rapido, Asti is a refined, relaxed eatery in comparison to its neighbour, specialising in decent Italian dishes rather than fast food. Painted a pleasing shade of mocha, this café-cum-restaurant takes…
Spoon Café Bistro
6a Nicolson Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9DH
Home life getting you down? Move here. Seriously. It’s open from 10am till 10pm, serving everything from morning rolls through to a three-course dinner. There’s free wi-fi. People bring you drinks. The furniture is cool kitsch-retro-chic. If only the…
Stereo
20-28 Renfield Lane,
Glasgow,
G2 5AR
Although it’s hard to catch the full vista from the narrow lane, Stereo is housed in a superb Charles Rennie Mackintosh-designed building, all exterior white tiles and square windows with double doors opening into a leisurely eating and drinking space…
Urban Angel
1 Forth Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3JX
Seasonal, local and organic are the buzz words for these bright, informal, modern bistros. A high proportion of the menu is made up of daily specials making the most of what produce is best that day. A nourishing parsnip soup is enlivened with mustard…
Café Marlayne
13 Antigua Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3NH
Longevity is not something always associated with Edinburgh’s French restaurants. That Café Marlayne has stuck around for a decade is testament to its ability to consistently please an eclectic range of diners. Tucked just north of George Street the…
Circus
8 St Mary's Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1SU
The stone-walled courtyard in the back of this Old Town café/ restaurant is a mini sun-trap in the summer, and a good spot for enjoying some calm while the High Street might be getting unpleasantly hectic with crowds. Circus is run by the same folks who…
Tribeca
102 Dumbarton Road,
Glasgow,
G11 6NX
With a name like Tribeca, after the area of New York, the Americana inside – not to mention the yellow taxi and NYPD cruiser parked outside – should come as little surprise. Pictures of Manhattan street scenes, wooden tables (rather crammed in) and a…
Valvona & Crolla Vincaffè
11 Multrees Walk,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3DQ
Valvona & Crolla’s Vincaffe is only a short distance but several years away from the densely packed cornucopia of the family-run business’s original branch on Elm Row. With a bright, contemporary décor, evenly spaced, white dressed tables and a bank…
Café La Padella
124 Woodlands Road,
Glasgow,
G3 6HB
A bright turquoise exterior is the first clue that Café La Padella is definitely not another corporate café. Idiosyncratic is the word that best describes this Mediterranean/Middle Eastern eatery, exemplifying, as it does, an 'original mix of…
Gizzi's
87 Cambridge Street,
Glasgow,
G3 6RU
Previously known as Bistro du Sud but renovated and renamed Gizzi's in 2007, this bistro has a small, unassuming exterior and, inside, may be mistaken for a café with limited seating. There is more space upstairs, and the place would no doubt be full…
The Bay Tree Café
403 Great Western Road,
Glasgow,
G4 9HY
Around since 1960, the Bay Tree Café has a relaxed air to it, the walls and shelves decorated with various Arabian/Mediterranean knick-knacks. If the décor evokes one region though, then the menu is far broader ranging. The breakfast menu is available…
Bella Napoli
85 Kilmarnock Road,
Glasgow,
G41 3YR
From the street Bella Napoli looks like a run-of-the-mill Italian deli, but discerning food lovers know that through the back, past the racks of wine and tins of olives, is a reliable restaurant of some worth. While the front cafe offers casual…
Café Cassis
Salisbury Hotel, Salisbury Road,
Edinburgh,
EH16 5AA
Tucked under the Salisbury Hotel in the quieter reaches of Edinburgh’s southside, Café Cassis makes good use of its semi-basement situation. Beyond the tight entranceway, the interior is warmly lit, welcoming and relaxed, and backs onto a…
Saramago Café Bar
CCA, 350 Sauchiehall Street,
Glasgow,
G2 3JD
Occupying a light, airy atrium in the heart of the CCA, Saramago draws a bohemian crowd – you’re more likely to find an up-and-coming conceptual artist or filmmaker at the next table than a weary Sauchiehall Street shopper. The menu is a tour of mostly…
Berits & Brown
6 Wilson Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1SS
In the heart of the merchant City, which is particularly good looking at night these days, Berits and 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…
Café Hula
321 Hope Street,
Glasgow,
G2 3PT
It isn't Morocco and it ain't hot outside but somewhere just north of Sauchiehall St, time moves a bit more slowly. For a long, lingering coffee and some people-watching through the huge windows, this is ideal. But Hula does meals, too, and a loyal core…
Café Source
1 St Andrew's Square,
Glasgow,
G1 5PP
This large space beneath the St Andrew’s In The Square church has been sensitively designed to accommodate quiet meals in the leather booths while catering comfortably for families and large parties. Black and white photographs of musicians are a nod to…
eat café
69 Kilmarnock Road,
Glasgow,
G41 3YR
Opened in autumn 2011, this expansion of the highly rated eat deli into 'Southside central' is a relaxing day-time café/evening bistro that hasn’t taken long to find its feet – nor its fan base judging by the eager lunchers who come in for a coffee and…
Jute Café Bar
Dundee Contemporary Arts, 152 Nethergate,
Dundee,
DD1 4DY
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…
Papa Gill's
337 Dumbarton Road,
Glasgow,
G11 6AL
Papa Gill’s is a modest Indian catering to the Dumbarton Road locals and late night drinkers of Partick. Set on two floor the small restaurant is functional rather than traditional and is popular with an older crowd especially during the day when the…
Buongiorno
1012 Pollokshaws Road,
Glasgow,
G41 2HG
A daytime café, takeaway and night time restaurant, Buongiorno has been an established part of the Southside eating-out scene for over a decade. It has the feel of a café you come across in Italy, complete with a picture of the Italian national football…
Coia's Café
473–477 Duke Street,
Glasgow,
G31 1RD
An institution in the heart of the East End since 1928, Coia's Café is run by third generation Scots-Italian Alfredo Coia, easily identifiable by his smart braces. Coia's is one of only three licensed eateries on the Duke Street strip – and rarely…
Tramway Café Bar
25 Albert Drive,
Glasgow,
G41 2PE
Tramway’s been part of Glasgow’s arts landscape for over 20 years now, and is still evolving. At any time it might play host to a challenging art installation, a dance project for mixed abilities or a mother and baby meet-up. The café clientele reflects…
