Restaurants, Outdoor dining

664 places

Sorted by popularity

Amarone

13 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BH

Amarone is fighting to become a go-to venue for all things Italian on George Street. From the suited post-work crowd to hungry shoppers, the cavernous former bank has more than enough room in its 200-plus covers. The restaurant has an open pizza kitchen…

Amore

30 Ingram Street, Glasgow, G1 1QA

At the quiet end of Ingram Street, Amore sits mezzanine height above pavement level which, along with the smart furnishings, lots of sparkling glass and stone-bake oven, provides a pleasant sense of occasion. It's a warm and welcoming enough space, but…

Artisan Roast

57 Broughton Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3RJ

Originally a bean company, Artisan Roast started brewing in 2007 and has not looked back, now with venues in Edinburgh’s Broughton and Bruntsfield districts. With a shabby chic décor that would not be out of place in San Francisco or Seattle, the…

Ashoka at the Quay

The Quay, Springfield Quay, Glasgow, G5 8NP

See Ashton Lane branch for review

The Bank Café Bar

443 Clarkston Road, Glasgow, G44 3LL

The Maclay Inns group, five of whose premises are featured in this section, tend to choose interesting buildings for their ventures that add a nice bit of character. In the case of The Bank it is, indeed, a former bank, now popular residential café/bar…

back to top

Bisque Bar & Brasserie

Bruntsfield Hotel, 69 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, EH10 4HH

There are few external signs to reveal that tucked away inside the Bruntsfield Hotel is Bisque Bar and Brasserie. Multiple entrances lead into a cosy bar area, where televisions show news and sports coverage. Further through is the main brasserie space…

Bollywood: The Coffee Box

99a Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, EH10 4HG

Edinburgh has grown used to the sight of old police boxes being used to sell coffee – but being used to sell curry? It’s a testament to both the culinary and organisational skills of proprietor Nutan Bala that she’s able to produce such enjoyable fare…

BrewDog Edinburgh

143–145 Cowgate, Edinburgh, EH1 1JS

The industrial metal interior is suitably on trend for the Edinburgh outpost of this headline-grabbing brewery. More radical though is the proud proclamation of ‘no football, shots or Stella’. A bar that sees serving good beer as its primary function is…

Café Andaluz

77B George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3EE

The lavish interior of Cafe Andaluz, tiled within an inch of its life and hung with myriad Moorish lanterns, simply screams ‘Spanish’, so oddities like soy and chilli prawns or confit duck stand out for the wrong reasons. But according to Cafe Andaluz…

Café Camino

Parish Centre, 1 Little King Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3JD

Café Camino, the café and Parish Centre for St Mary's Cathedral, is well established as a regular breakfast and lunch venue for shoppers, mums and buggies and office workers. The menu offers full Scottish breakfasts, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon…

back to top

Café Grande

184 Bruntsfield Place, Edinburgh, EH10 4DF

There’s a resonance upon entering Café Grande, on the main drag of Bruntsfield, that makes it clear you have arrived in a neighbourhood institution. The easy friendliness with which the staff greet customers, the sense that diners at separate tables…

Café La Padella

124 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6HB

Café Marlayne

13 Antigua Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3NH

There are two Café Marlaynes: the bijou Thistle Street restaurant and the contrastingly informal Antigua Street branch, which is split into compact café and large dining room. The café does a standard line in coffee, croissants and chat, laptops and…

Café at the Palace

Palace of Holyroodhouse, Edinburgh, EH8 8DX

Situated next door to Holyrood Palace, this café is the obvious place to grab a sandwich or hearty bowl of soup after visiting the Queen’s Gallery and Palace, or after an invigorating trek round Arthur’s Seat or tour of the Scottish Parliament. With…

Café Voltaire

36–38 Blair Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1QR

Combining Old Town cellar with deliberately worn industrial touches, this is one of the city centre’s better looking bars. Coombed stones walls and low lighting make for an atmospherically louche hangout slightly at odds with the pumping bass on the…

back to top

Castello Coffee Co

7 Castle Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3AH

Sandro Del Greco, the owner of Castello Coffee, does not take lightly the task of satisfying his customers. It required in-depth research and much tasting to uncover the high quality Allpress Espresso beans he uses in his machines. Consequently, this…

Centotre

103 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES

The pillars holding aloft the Georgian ceiling at Centotre and clever use of booths provide nooks and crannies for romantic tete-a-tetes and broader spaces for parties and business lunches. There is a clear focus on the ingredients here: mozzarella…

Chez Jules

109 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1DJ

It's twenty years since the plain but distinctive red-and-yellow colour scheme of Pierre Victoire off-shoot Chez Jules first appeared in Edinburgh. Its comeback over the last couple of years – first on Hanover Street then, towards the end of 2010, a…

Chillies West End

176–182 Woodlands Road, Glasgow, G3 6LL

On vibrant Woodlands Road, Chillies attracts nearby students and West-enders seeking a contemporary and gratifying Indian experience. Many are tempted by the mouthwatering domination of tapas dishes that offer small bowls of appetizing, well-spiced…

Coia's Café

473–477 Duke Street, Glasgow, G31 1RD

Regulars order without glancing at the large menu which covers everything from steak pie to fillet steak, from chicken curry and chips to pastas, and from pizzas and fish. The atmosphere’s buzzy and busy and you should probably book – even mid-week – to…

back to top

Connect Café

153–155 Comely Bank Road, Edinburgh, EH4 1BQ

Co-owned by celebrity foodie Nell Nelson, this cafe-cum-gift shop is tucked away just out of reach of Stockbridge’s main drag. As you’d expect from The Woman Who Ate Scotland, quality and locality are key when it comes to the sourcing. Cheddar from…

The Doublet

74 Park Road, Glasgow, G4 9JF

Pleasingly familiar to regulars and newbies alike, the Doublet is like an old friend you might not have met yet. A truly traditional pub eschewing gastro trends, Sky Sports and endless TV – all of which is part of its charm. Fifty years old and a fondly…

56 North

2–8 West Crosscauseway, Edinburgh, EH8 9JP

With a drinks menu dominated by cocktails, spirits feature heavily in the arsenal of bottles behind the bar of this Newington establishment. From vodkas flavoured with kiwi, marmalade and vanilla, to gins sourced from the UK, Europe and USA, the grape…

The Fountain

131 Dundee Street, Edinburgh, EH11 1AX

It’s possible to see both sides of The Fountain in one visit. Mobbed to the rafters ahead of a rugby match, the punters quickly siphon off as kick-off approaches, giving you the chance to take in your quirky surroundings. The fascination with clog-like…

Glenskirlie House

Kilsyth Road, Banknock, Stirling, FK4 1UF

With 15 individually-designed bedrooms, this sophisticated hotel has built a sturdy reputation for quality over the years. The bar and grill offer well-priced bar meals while the restaurant, located adjacent to the castle, is capable of delivering some…