Edward Murray and Dale Mailley's stone-cottage kitchen in Royal Terrace Gardens in Edinburgh, opened 2012, a shared-table no-choice set-menu room with produce.
Signature: Daily-changing seven-course set menu, Sourdough with cultured butter
Order: There is no choice. The fixed seven-course set menu changes daily; bring an appetite.
Tip: Communal long-table seating; book three days ahead for the popular Friday-night sittings. Bring cash for the wine pairing.
Scott Smith and Laura Smith's Broughton Street kitchen in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a foraging-led set-menu room running 7 or 10 courses on Scottish wild produce.
Signature: Foraged greens and fermented butter, Roast deer with juniper
Order: The full Discover tasting; this is a no-choice kitchen designed for the long version.
Tip: Wine pairings include rare Scottish-distilled liquors; the non-alcoholic pairing is fermented juices made in the kitchen.
Scott Smith and Laura Smith's Broughton Street kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2018, a foraging-led set-menu room running 7 or 10 courses on Scottish wild produce.
Order: The full Discover ten-course tasting menu; the Taste shorter version is half the courses at two-thirds the price.
Tip: Non-alcoholic pairing is house-fermented juices made in the kitchen; one of the best in the city.
The Dundas Street pizzeria in Canonmills Edinburgh, opened 2019, a 60-second wood-fired Neapolitan kitchen with 00-flour dough and Italian San Marzano tomatoes.
Order: The Geek Margherita and the salsiccia-and-friarielli with stracciatella.
Tip: Their second branch on Drum Street takes walk-ins more reliably than the Canonmills original.
Valvona and Crolla's caffe-bar on Elm Row in Edinburgh, opened in 1934 (the bistro since 1996), the back-of-deli dining room for Scotland's longest-running.
Order: The carbonara made with house-cured pancetta and the Pugliese antipasto board.
Tip: The deli at the front sells the same dry pasta and tinned tomatoes the kitchen uses; shop while you wait for your table.
Edward Murray and Dale Mailley's stone-cottage kitchen in Royal Terrace Gardens in Edinburgh, opened in 2012, a shared-table no-choice set-menu room sourcing.
Order: There is no choice; the daily-changing seven-course set menu is the only option.
Tip: Communal long-table seating; book three days ahead. Vegetarian version available with notice.
Artisan Roast on Broughton Street in Edinburgh, opened 2007, the city's third-wave coffee pioneer roasting on-site in Glasgow and pouring filter and espresso.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Tip: Open from 08:00 weekends and busy by 10:00; the back room takes laptop users for longer sessions and stays open till 18:00.
Valvona and Crolla caffe on Elm Row in Edinburgh, opened in the 1990s at the back of the city's longest-running Italian deli, pouring espresso and serving.
Signature drink: Espresso and a Pugliese pastry
Tip: Stand at the bar for the proper Italian experience. The deli at the front is open till 17:30; shop on your way out.
Valvona and Crolla's bakery shelf on Elm Row in Edinburgh, baking within the city's longest-running Italian deli opened 1934, with focaccia and Sicilian pastries.
Tip: Panettone preorder list opens 1 October each year; the boxes sell out by mid-December.
Worth the queue: Panettone
Artisan Roast on Broughton Street in Edinburgh, founded 2007, the city's third-wave coffee pioneer with a Glasgow roastery and cafes in Bruntsfield.
Tip: Whole-bean retail is sold from the Broughton counter; the Glasgow roastery does Saturday public tours by booking.
Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil, Kenya
How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail
Scott Smith's Fhior on Broughton Street in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a tasting-menu room with one of the city's most-thought wine and non-alcoholic-pairing lists.
Signature pour: House non-alcoholic fermented pairing
Wine focus: Scottish-distilled and natural European wines
Food: Set tasting menu only
Tip: The non-alcoholic pairing of house-fermented juices is the best in Edinburgh and worth the cover charge alone.
Pizza Geeks counter on Dundas Street in Canonmills Edinburgh, opened 2019, a 60-second wood-fired Neapolitan kitchen with 00-flour dough and Italian San.
Try: Wood-fired Neapolitan pizza
Tip: Their second branch on Drum Street takes walk-ins more reliably than the Canonmills original. Vegan dough version available.
Valvona and Crolla deli counter on Elm Row in Edinburgh, opened 1934, Scotland's longest-running Italian deli with a sandwich counter making prosciutto rolls.
Try: Italian deli sandwich on house bread
Tip: Sandwich list runs from a chalkboard; the porchetta with rocket and house mayonnaise is the long-running favourite.
Valvona and Crolla deli on Elm Row in Edinburgh, opened in 1934 by Alfonso Valvona and Raffaele Crolla, Scotland's longest-running Italian deli and wine shop.
Tip: Sandwich counter at lunch is a tourist hit; the charcuterie counter at the back is the locals' destination.