Restaurants

Although the seating is tight at this authentic French cafe and boulangerie, it will leave you feeling much more Parisian than claustrophobic. Chef and owner Vincent Alpincourt aims to introduce Scottish palates to simple French flavours, and succeeds…

The Battlefield Rest enjoys a high reputation as a reliable local. It has a large and loyal clientele that it has built over 20 years, so at the weekend it can be very busy The menu is thoroughly old-fashioned Scottish-Italian fare, with dishes ranging…

Generous platefuls, unfussy service and a cheery neighbourhood vibe make this bistro a pleasant choice to while away a weeknight, and the large street-level windows and hurried comings and goings of the area’s students and young professionals provide…

A traditional pub that is as comfortable as an old pair of jeans and also as frayed around the edges. The tables might be scratched, the walls worn and food limited to toasties, but this is all part of the charm and it is to be hoped that nobody tries…

Restaurants on St Stephen Street come and go, but 20 years after Fiona MacRae opened her rustic basement cantina, the eponymous blue bird is still sitting perkily on his perch outside. It’s a simple, dark-painted wee place with a clutter of wooden…

Bonsai on Broughton Street only opened for business in February 2013 but this new branch has retained much of what makes its Southside sister restaurant so popular. The menu of tapas-style sharing plates is identical and there are even some familiar…

Zinc tables, novelty spirits behind the bar, walls papered with banknotes and postcards from around the globe: at first glance Brutti Ma Buoni has all the trappings of a travellers’ bar rather than a traditional bistro. But it would be a shame to miss…

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…

You can now pop in for the same Café Truva Mediterranean menu at three branches across Edinburgh. Leith, Lady Lawson Street and Canongate are all serving Turkish plates, a wide range of cakes and your usual café panini list against a varyingly elaborate…

From the outside there is nothing about this newcomer that shouts ‘hola che’ as you pass by, but here is a tapas bar with proud Valencian roots. Pronouncing the name isn’t required to enjoy the food, but perhaps smart choices are. The morcilla and…

Circus has a relaxed, hangout vibe with original art hanging on whitewashed walls, chunky wooden furniture and colourful Turkish lamps. Food serving hours run from breakfast right the way through to dinner, making this a popular place with folk staying…

This stylish off-shoot of the Byres Road tea room makes great play of its ethical and waste-reduction efforts, aiming to combine elegant snacking and drinking with a clearer conscience. Set in a lovely Victorian building, they've kept the décor…

The Cupcake Cafe Bar has had a somewhat interrupted ownership over the last year, being bought by the Paul Bradford Sugarcraft School in January 2012, only to be re-sold to the current owners in May. The focus is, unsurprisingly, on cupcakes of every…

Dalriada currently operates as a bar and live music venue, with events mostly taking place towards the latter part of the week.

From the name, there’s a certain expectation about what’s going to lie behind the gantry and with over 300 whiskies on offer it doesn’t disappoint. There’s a decent array of ales too, and the warm setting – created with wood and exposed brickwork…

A perennial player in the mix of Edinburgh's top Thai restaurants, Dusit proves that consistency needn’t be dull, dishing up the same brand of polished, Thai fine dining in the heart of city for over a decade. Nestled on Thistle Street away from the…

Johanna Woodhead and her husband Philip gave up high-pressure executive jobs to follow their dream of opening up an artisan deli and café. They work hard to stock interesting cheeses and meats and Johanna has been recognised in the Great Taste Awards…