Restaurants, Pre-theatre menu

Italian restaurants in Edinburgh can sometimes be a touch uninspiring, but thankfully we have restaurants like Locandi de Gusti who are happy to tread a different, more authentic path. The menu here reflects the Neapolitan origins of the owners, with a…

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…

In the heart of chic Hyndland's shopping area, once an area devoid of a good restaurant or café, Epicures is fill a gap. It's the kind of place that changes through the day, with different menus for different times; from breakfast, morning coffee…

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…

The original Two Fat Ladies balances restaurant details with less formal, bistro-esque qualities. The dark interior with its ornate golden border looks towards the former; an open plan kitchen and chatty ambience nudge things the other way – a classy…

Chaophraya sits proudly on the corner of Nelson Mandela Place, holding the title of Europe’s largest Thai restaurant. Climbing the small stairway outside, opulence and grandeur awaits in this A-listed building. Enjoy a cocktail on the first floor before…

Patrons here live it up while the bar’s inspiration Charles Bukowski looks disdainfully down from a portrait on the wall. Mind you, even the hedonistic Buk would have struggled to work his way through the extensive range of quality rums and bourbons.

Small proves to be beautiful in this cosy bistro at the bottom of Byres Road where a restrained number of covers allows the chef to concentrate on detail, style and flavour. Personal touches like tiny fresh flowers, homemade rolls, and soft lighting…

Over the past few years Urban Angel has established itself as an essential part of the vibrant dining scene around Broughton Street. The uncluttered and inviting main room is well run by simultaneously enthusiastic, relaxed and efficient staff. The…

Charcoals has been lavished with awards in the past year, picking up a Best of Glasgow title in the Scottish Curry Awards and Outstanding Maitre d’ in the Glasgow Restaurant Awards. It is immediately apparent why manager Ali scooped the accolade as he…

This ivy-clad basement townhouse on the Bath St social hub is an interesting and attractive mix of bar/bistro and hotel with a dark and dangerous (especially when you trip on the way to the toliet) interior and a public yet surprisingly intimate…

A marriage of Scottish and Thai cuisine might seem a doomed alliance, and some of the menu options sound more like a drunken scramble around the kitchen than haute cuisine (lasagne chicken curry, anybody?), but don’t be fooled – this contemporary outfit…

Housed in the former Sheriff Court there are few building fronts as impressive anywhere in the city. Gone are any remnants of law court life. Split between a ground floor with a massive glitzy cocktail bar, and an upstairs restaurant that has a more…

Until recently called the Ivy, Distill's new name hasn't changed it from being a haunt for the hip, with a young cool crowd attracted to a fashionable part of the city. The range of rums is the widest in Scotland and the house rum is the excellent…

Floor-shaking stamping, plaintive strains of Spanish guitar and passionate cries of ‘ole!’ might well accompany your meal at La Sal, thanks to regular performances from Alba Flamenca, the dance school next door to the restaurant. Formerly known as El…

This café doesn't wear its USA theme lightly, with a yellow taxi and NYPD cruiser usually sat outside for diners on the al fresco tables to admire plus Americana draped around the tight space inside. It's all about the breakfasts and brunches here…

Although its star has occasionally waned over 40-odd years of serving the West End’s finest, the Chip still holds its own amid the crowded glare and shifting fashions of Ashton Lane, carving a hard-won niche for quality food and metropolitan chic.

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…