Experience rustic, family style cooking at award-winning French restaurant La Garrigue. Sample the tastes of Languedoc at one of the most authentic restaurants in Edinburgh (Hitlisted in The List Eating & Drinking Guide 2012) or visit our fantastic little bistro in Leith.
Restaurants, The LIST Card and "Edinburgh"
- Valvona & Crolla VinCaffé
Classic Italian cooking using the finest ingredients and a tasting list of over 50 wines by the glass - Urban Angel
Urban Angel use local, organic and fairly traded produce in a cool environment - Petit Paris
Authentic French flavours and cheerful décor make this enjoyable place to eat! - Centotre
Centotre serves food made from locally sourced ingredients in a great location
Monteiths
57–61 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1SR
Monteiths’ discreet menu board at the head of one of the Royal Mile’s darker closes is easily missed. But don’t, because this subterranean bar and restaurant’s low-key Scottish style is a welcome antidote to the energetic tartanry to be found nearby.
Iglu
2b Jamaica Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 6HH
For all that it is tucked at the far end of a side-street, Iglu has established an enviable profile, priding itself on serving seasonal, locally-sourced, organic and wild foods in the cosy upstairs restaurant and downstairs bar area. Proving high…
Mamma's American Pizza Company
30 Grassmarket,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2JU
This Grassmarket stalwart seems to exert a gravitational pull on small to medium sized groups of both locals and tourists looking for an impromptu food stop. Starters like sweet potato fries and macho nachos are decent enough, but their function is to…
The Street
2 Picardy Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3JT
With its Coronation Street-aping sign, its dual-aspect floor to ceiling windows and the big iron ramp which stretches almost the length of the bar and back, the Street is a landmark pub in the Broughton/Picardy Place area. Its main business is a more…
Centotre
103 George Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 3ES
Centotre manages to pull off a neat trick. Despite the austere, ex-bank interior, from those lost days when financial edifices were akin to cathedrals, it still manages to maintain a feeling of warmth and intimacy in the evenings or bright and breezy…
The Dining Room
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society, 28 Queen Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 1JX
While a fantastic selection of spirits is the focus in the Scotch Malt Whisky Society Scotland’s famous members’ bar, the food is definitely the star in the Dining Room, its upscale restaurant. A handful of tables in a light Georgian drawing room with…
The Granary
32–34 The Shore, Leith,
Edinburgh,
EH6 6QN
This split-level restaurant and bar is well positioned on the Shore with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and views of the Water of Leith. With its seductive brown leather sofas, dark wood floors, rugs and realistic-looking gas-powered fires, you’ll…
Petit Paris
38–40 Grassmarket,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2JU
Cheek by jowl in the middle of the traffic-eased Grassmarket, Petit Paris uses all available spaces to fit check-clothed tables into its lively, friendly venue. More enthusiastically French than many of its competitors, a genuine welcome greets each…
Urban Angel
1 Forth Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3JX
Seasonal, local and organic are the buzz words for these bright, informal, modern bistros. A high proportion of the menu is made up of daily specials making the most of what produce is best that day. A nourishing parsnip soup is enlivened with mustard…
Iggs
15 Jeffrey Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1DR
Iggs, Edinburgh’s grand old dame of Spanish fine dining, has gone through some changes of late. A recent visit from Channel 5’s Restaurant Inspectors has done away with some of its more individual aspects and given it a bit more mass-market appeal. The…
North Bridge Brasserie
20 North Bridge,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1YT
If you wish a little 19th-century grandeur with your dinner, the North Bridge Brasserie will fit the bill. Now a hotel but originally the home of the Scotsman newspaper, dark wood panelling and marble columns give a period feel, while the adjacent bar…
Creelers
3 Hunter Square,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1QW
Creelers’ proprietor, Tim James, started work as a fisherman a quarter of a century ago and he and his wife Fran are co-founders of the Arran Smokehouse and regularly sell fresh fish and seafood at local farmers' markets. With such a pedigree you’d…
Edinburgh Larder
15 Blackfriars Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1NB
Tucked just off the Royal Mile, Eleanor Cunningham’s café features a menu that's a roll call of Scottish food heroes. From Creelers’ smoked salmon to Great Glen venison, Rannoch smoked chicken and Cunningham's mum’s jam and dad’s chutneys, everything…
Fair Trade Coffee Shop
30–31 Albert Place,
Edinburgh,
EH7 5HN
Inspired by the tiny coffee shops of San Francisco’s Mission District, the Fair Trade Coffee Shop’s owner Joe Jerome has created his own small slice of urban bohemia on Leith Walk. He’s gone one further, in fact –- the top secret brand of single source…
Hamiltons Bar and Kitchen
16–18 Hamilton Place,
Edinburgh,
EH3 5AU
This dusky Stockbridge stronghold never looks the most inviting, yet is always busy – packed with pram-pushing mothers during the hours of daylight, and stuffed with drink-quaffing suits of an evening. And, with separate menus on offer for breakfast…
Mezbaan South Indian Restaurant
14/14a Brougham Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9JH
It’s rare in Edinburgh to find Indian restaurants with regional specificity, so Mezbaan is welcome in introducing flavours from the country’s south, especially since it has one of Britain’s best South Asian chefs at the helm. Coconut is a prominent…
The Orchard
1/2 Howard Place, Canonmills,
Edinburgh,
EH3 5JZ
A bar with a sense of refinement in keeping with the area around it, the Orchard is a wood-panelled old man’s boozer recast as an elegant bar and restaurant in light pastel tones. It’s been around for a few years now but it doesn’t feel tired, and the…
The Terrace Brasserie
Royal Terrace Hotel, 18–22 Royal Terrace,
Edinburgh,
EH7 5AQ
Situated on one of the grandest Georgian streets in Edinburgh is the dining-room of the Royal Terrace Hotel. The concise menu features some interesting ideas that lift it above the usual brasserie fare. For starters the soft sweetness of the scallops is…
Valvona & Crolla Vincaffè
11 Multrees Walk,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3DQ
Valvona & Crolla’s Vincaffe is only a short distance but several years away from the densely packed cornucopia of the family-run business’s original branch on Elm Row. With a bright, contemporary décor, evenly spaced, white dressed tables and a bank…
E:S:I - Englishman, Scotsman and an Irishman
46 Queen Charlotte Street,
Edinburgh,
EH6 7EX
Located just off the Links this modern split-level bistro draws in both Leith professionals and passing visitors. The restaurant’s name is a reference to the nationalities of the guys behind the venture: the Scotsman has since left, the Englishman is…
International Starters
82 Commercial Quay,
Edinburgh,
EH6 6LX
Scottish? American? Asian? Mediterranean? If you can’t decide what to eat, then International Starters could be the solution. The idea is to pick ‘starters’ from anywhere on a sprawling global menu covering many bases, ideal for trying different dishes…
Iris
47a Thistle Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 1DY
It’s hard to leave Thistle Street without eating a great meal somewhere, but Iris easily holds its own in this competitive neighbourhood in which every square foot of restaurant space is put to work. Here, however, soft panelling and carpeting in a…
Urban Angel
121 Hanover Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 1DJ
Seasonal, local and organic are the buzz words for these bright, informal, modern bistros. A high proportion of the menu is made up of daily specials making the most of what produce is best that day. A nourishing parsnip soup is enlivened with mustard…
The Voodoo Rooms
19a West Register Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 2AA
While the food may not claim as much focus as the music, events and super-smashing cocktail list in the sexy, sultry and edgy Voodoo Rooms, it's more than just an afterthought. Tucked beside the main bar, a small, black linen and leather restaurant…
Zucca
15–17 Grindlay Street,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9AX
Adjoining the Royal Lyceum, Zucca is an obvious target for pre or post-theatre diners, with the ground floor café serving sandwiches and deli snacks until late, and the upstairs dining room offering hearty dishes which fuse Italian and Scottish flavours…
Avoca Bar & Grill
4-6 Dean Street,
Edinburgh,
EH4 1LW
Set into a relatively snug pair of rooms on a side street off Stockbridge’s main drag, this modern but lived-in bar feels like a bit of a nook, a welcome discovery when you find it. It’s a proper local for the diverse clientele of Stockbridge and…
The Bank Bar
Bank Hotel, 1 South Bridge,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1LL
This pub/hotel offers nine rooms named after legendary Scottish figures, including Robert Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, Alexander Graham Bell and John Logie Baird. Inside the bar the décor seems formal, with a high, frescoed ceiling and lustrous…
Filmhouse Café Bar
88 Lothian Road,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9BZ
Any self-respecting cinema-goer knows that no trip to the Filmhouse would be complete without a pre-movie bowl of nachos from their bustling café-bar. A haven for lovers of independent and arthouse film, the Filmhouse is awash with cinéastes nursing one…
Librizzi
69 North Castle Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 3LJ
On the corner of Queen Street and North Castle Street, a mere stone’s throw from the shrill excesses of George Street’s style bars, Librizzi’s offers something that’s rare to find in the area: an old school Italian. Bow-tied waiters move between the…
Biddy Mulligans
94–96 Grassmarket,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2JR
After a couple of pints, a pie at Biddy Mulligans will see your hunger away. This traditional-style drinking spot is the antithesis of the modern minimalist bar, though much of the décor is also possibly not that authentically ancient. Overall the…
Café Royal Oyster Bar
19a West Register Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 2AA
Restaurants come and go in the capital, but few have thrived under the same banner for 150 years. Dining in the Café Royal Oyster Bar you do feel as though you’re travelling back in time, being surrounded by immaculate murals, low-hanging lamps and…
9 Cellars Thali
1–3 York Place,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3EB
Don’t judge this restaurant by the glowing photographs of food in the window display. To get an idea, just speak to chef and owner Phool Thakur, who’ll tell you of his history cooking in some fine establishments in India, and now serves much more than…
Sygn
15 Charlotte Lane,
Edinburgh,
EH2 4QZ
Sygn’s geometric print wallpaper, grey fabrics and beech tables create a retro-chic vibe that’s simple yet elegant, proving to George Street’s style bars that you don’t need to be ostentatious to be cool. And if you can resist the temptation to go home…
La Bagatelle
22a Brougham Place,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9JU
When La Bagatelle first flung open its doors with a distinctly Gallic shrug of its Francophile shoulders 15 years ago it was a welcome addition to a limited selection of French restaurants in Edinburgh. Times have moved on with a plethora of French…
Itchycoo Bar & Kitchen
80 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1TH
Sleek and glossy, the tables in the Radisson Blu’s Itchycoo are wisely clustered round a small central bar area, helping a buzzy atmosphere to form even with relatively few diners. The lounge menu is available all day, and is exactly what you’d expect…
Shamoli
105 High Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 1SG
Just up from John Knox's house on the Royal Mile and hidden up a stone staircase, this spacious first floor restaurant widens the choice by offering both Thai and Northern Indian food. Its convenient location – a short walk from the train station and…
Suruchi
14a Nicolson Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9DH
Sitting directly opposite the Festival Theatre, Suruchi will always attract late-night diners and pre-theatre bargain hunters. The real challenge is to inspire regulars in this highly competitive neck of the woods. The owners seem alive to criticism of…
Suruchi Too
121 Constitution Street,
Edinburgh,
EH6 7AE
Sitting directly opposite the Festival Theatre, Suruchi will always attract late-night diners and pre-theatre bargain hunters. The real challenge is to inspire regulars in this highly competitive neck of the woods. The owners seem alive to criticism of…
The Living Room
113–115 George Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 4JN
The large dining room, filled with business people and tourists easing into the cream leather booths, oozes laid-back sophistication. It is all surface shine, with smart, attentive staff and vases of orchids, but the substance, the food, doesn’t quite…
Olive Branch Bistro
91 Broughton Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 3RX
Broughton Street has long been a hot spot for eating and drinking in the city, and this corner dining room is a tremendously popular example. Open for breakfast through to dinner, the usual suspects are served throughout the day before the real event…
