Restaurants within 5 miles of Edinburgh

This split-level space is an exercise in sleek, functional mid-century modernism – a combination of whitewashed walls, wood, glass and metal proving perennially popular with Edinburgh’s trendier denizens. A prime Old Town location draws in a steady…

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…

Owner Gino Stornaiuolo named his establishment in tribute to his two grandmothers, whose faces adorn the walls of a room in which space has been well exploited. However, it is the contribution of his parents that brings the restaurant to life. While…

From the moment you enter Number One there is little doubt that every aspect of this operation is a very classy affair. The surroundings are stylish and the welcome is warm. This is exactly what you would expect from Michelin-starred fine dining, from…

Friendly and speedy service, and a lunch menu deal of two courses for £7 (three for £10) make Kurdish and Middle Eastern Nawroz a popular choice among the student population, who pop in for a hearty kebab or shawarma after lectures. It’s spacious and…

The name 21212 derives from its unusual menu concept, offering two choices for starter, main and dessert interspersed with soup and cheese (you can choose to have three, four or five courses). However, what’s truly original is chef Paul Kitching’s style…

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…

Hyde Out is somewhat less demure than its name suggests. Located by the canal terminus at Edinburgh Quay, it took over from the old Embark with a splash of publicity and a blizzard of blingin’ style in the autumn of 2010, providing a reinvigorating if…

Hernandez & Co is a Spanish café on Queensferry Street serving authentic bocadillos, sopas and ensaladas, mostly for take-away or sitting-in on its three stools. Good signs show lunch and breakfast are in safe hands: Spanish customers and staff, and…

Of course, you can melt the credit card with the tasting or seasonal menus at this ultra-slick Leith restaurant, but Tom Kitchin has also brought his Michelin-starred brand of fine dining to a refreshingly wide audience of food lovers. A set lunch menu…

Debates over its actual ‘Originality’ still rage, with the (unconnected) Mosque Kitchen over the road claiming copyright, but the Original Mosque Kitchen remains a popular spot, still resolutely lo-fi, ladling curries from school dinner drums on to…

The joint venture between two of Edinburgh's Michelin-starred chefs, Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack, in opening a pub – or 'public house with dining' – in Stockbridge has opened a new front in casual eating in the capital. The stripped-back, bare-brick…

Earthy: the name itself reeks of honest-to-goodness wholesomeness and this charmingly decorated Canonmills restaurant certainly delivers on that promise. The place feels rather like a Womble has been brought in to decorate, with found objects and…

Something of a Glasgow stalwart, the Edinburgh branch of Mother India’s Cafe opened in 2008 and has replicated the popularity of its western sibling. Serving up Indian food in tapas-sized portions ensures the restaurant maintains a buzzing social feel…

To begin at the end – and a mighty fine end indeed, distinguished by desserts as delightful on the eye as the spoon. A vibrant gingerbread mousse contrasts with sweet, crunchy ‘rocks’ of honeycomb, a thing of true beauty. Then nougat parfait, delicately…