Restaurants, Scottish, Outdoor dining, Wi-Fi within 5 miles of Edinburgh

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…

As a young chef you could beaver away in a crowded kitchen being bossed around by someone else, hoping you’ll make it big one day. Or you could just boldly open your own restaurant and strike out alone in the heart of tourist Edinburgh. Which is what…

Signature, the restaurant at the Ballantrae Albany Hotel, has its official launch planned for June 2011 when they’ll unveil their patio and beer garden in time for the famous Edinburgh summer weather. In the meantime, diners can enjoy the stylish…

Enter the Scottish Café and Restaurant beneath the National Gallery of Scotland and you're not going to be short of choice. For a start, are you just looking for a coffee, a snack or a lighter bite? If so, ask for the café menu (covered by an entry in…

Nestled in the basement of the National Gallery of Scotland, the Scottish Café and Restaurant exudes professionalism from start to finish. Husband and wife team Victor and Carina Contini run a tight ship for a good mix of tourists and locals. Smart…

The Magnum is a cosy pub in the New Town, complete with fairy lights adorning the windows, which makes it feel like Christmas all year round. With regulars mixing with tourists who have headed in to sample Scottish produce, there is an option to mix and…

An up-to-date review of Maxies will appear here shortly …

A steady stream of casually dressed business travellers, tourists and locals pack into this tiny city centre restaurant to tuck into some excellent Aberdeen Angus steaks. Char-grilled fillet, sirloin and rib-eye have the depth of savoury flavour that…

Formerly known as the Bad Ass Bistro, this Rose Street pub has a dusky but snug interior, with walls peopled with iconic photos of the twentieth century’s good and great, making for a slightly clichéd yet classic pub vibe. Although 1780 seems to be in…

Kyloe (meaning ‘cattle’) is looking to fill a niche in the Edinburgh restaurant scene, and that niche is meat, meat, meat. Cows are everywhere – the statue outside, the paintings on the wall, the cowhide furniture and the board that displays all the raw…

If you are a lover of both wine and jazz, then Whighams has pretty much got it covered. Their Sunday-night jams and monthly wine-tasting events are in with the West End bricks, occasions suitably enhanced by the bar’s candlelit cellar atmosphere. The…

If you were ever in any doubt that this is a Scottish bar, a warm greeting from a rugged gent in a rugby-style shirt awaits. Surroundings are of a distinctly rustic and wooden nature while a piano sits desperately wanting to be played, all of which…

Down by the water in Leith sits this northerly branch of the city’s 'A Room In … ' bistros, its shore-side setting shown off by a dining room conservatory and outdoor tables should the sun deign to shine. Enter the restaurant through the cosy Teuchters…

There's a tranquil feel to the Gateway Restaurant located upstairs in the John Hope Gateway Centre, a biodiversity and information centre in Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Gardens. Set in a long, bright room, the lovely interior features leaf-green ceilings…

Karen Higgins is that rare thing among Edinburgh restaurants: a female chef in charge of her own kitchen. It’s her food that attempts to brighten the rather gloomy dining room of this Comely Bank hotel. Take a squint at the short menu and it’s all…

Hidden away in an unprepossessing area of Musselburgh is the impressively restored collection of Victorian buildings at Eskmills. The Birdcage is housed in an Egyptian-style administrative building for what was once a cotton and rope manufacturer. At…