Eat in Leith, Edinburgh

The Kitchin ★ 4.9

Tom Kitchin's Commercial Quay dining room in Leith, Edinburgh, opened in 2006 and held a Michelin star within seven months, the kitchen that brought Scottish.

Signature: Rock pool (langoustine, shellfish, sea vegetables), Razor clams, chorizo and lemon

Order: The seasonal Rock Pool starter and whatever lands fresh from the Anstruther day-boats that morning.

Tip: Lunch is half the dinner price and runs the same kitchen. The Tom's Sunday lunch (the chef's table) gets cancelled less than the evening tasting if you book it.

Restaurant Martin Wishart ★ 4.8

Martin Wishart's Shoreside Leith dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 1999 and Michelin-starred since 2001, the city's longest-running modern French tasting.

Signature: Roast quail with foie gras and morel, Ravioli of langoustine

Order: The eight-course Tasting Menu or the half-priced lunch tasting served Tuesday to Friday.

Tip: Lunchtime four-course menu at £50 is the value play; same kitchen, same sommelier, half the dinner price.

Heron ★ 4.7

Sam Yorke and Tom Hagger's Henderson Street kitchen in Leith Edinburgh, opened 2021 and Michelin-starred 2024, an open-pass small-plates room.

Signature: Aged Scrabster turbot, North Sea brown crab

Order: Whatever has come off the Scrabster fish auction that morning and the cured-egg-yolk opening course.

Tip: The bar counter takes four walk-up seats from 18:00 if your booking falls through. Same menu, better view of the pass.

Lyla ★ 4.8

Stuart Ralston's Shoreside Leith fine-dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 2024 and Michelin-starred within twelve months, a 14-seat tasting counter.

Signature: Hand-dived scallop, Highland venison with juniper

Order: The full chef's tasting menu; this is a counter-only kitchen designed for the set sequence.

Tip: Counter seats numbers 1 and 14 face the open pass directly. Tasting menus only; no a la carte.

The Kitchin 1 ★ ★ 4.9

Tom Kitchin's Leith dining room on Commercial Quay in Edinburgh, Michelin-starred since 2007, the kitchen that brought Scottish provenance back to fine.

Order: The Land and Sea five-course tasting menu, with optional wine pairings from a 400-bottle list.

Tip: Saturday lunch tastings are the most reliable booking; the chef's table in the open pass accepts two with 30 days notice.

Restaurant Martin Wishart 1 ★ ★ 4.8

Martin Wishart's Shore dining room in Leith, Edinburgh, Michelin-starred since 2001, the city's longest-running French-leaning tasting kitchen.

Order: The six-course Seasonal Tasting Menu or the half-priced lunch four-course Tuesday to Friday.

Tip: Lunch is £50 for four courses; same kitchen, same sommelier, less than half the dinner price.

Heron 1 ★ ★ 4.7

Sam Yorke and Tom Hagger's Henderson Street kitchen in Leith Edinburgh, Michelin-starred from 2024, an open-pass small-plates room on the Water of Leith.

Order: Whatever is landed at Scrabster that morning; the menu changes daily.

Tip: Counter seats face the open pass; ask at booking. Bar counter takes four walk-up seats from 18:00.

Lyla 1 ★ ★ 4.8

Stuart Ralston's 14-seat tasting counter on The Shore in Leith, opened 2024 and Michelin-starred within twelve months, a fixed-sequence kitchen.

Order: The tasting menu is the only option; no a la carte, no choice.

Tip: Counter seats numbers 1 and 14 face the open pass directly. Booking opens 60 days ahead at 10:00 GMT.

Leith Walk Police Box ★ 4.4

Leith Walk's converted police-box coffee counter in Edinburgh, opened 2016 inside a 1950s Glasgow-style box, serving filter coffee and seasonal pastries.

Order: A flat white and the cardamom-and-pistachio cake.

Tip: There is no seating; coffee in hand on Leith Walk's central reservation is the local move. Cash only most days.

Williams and Johnson Coffee Co ★ 4.6

Williams and Johnson roastery cafe on Customs Wharf in Leith Edinburgh, opened 2017 by two former Square Mile baristas, an in-house roaster and cafe.

Signature drink: Filter coffee

Tip: Tour the roaster on the public Saturday morning slot; check the website calendar two weeks ahead.

Twelve Triangles Cafe ★ 4.7

Twelve Triangles bakery-cafe on Brunswick Street in Edinburgh, opened 2014, a third-wave coffee counter making the city's most popular doughnuts.

Signature drink: Filter coffee and a doughnut

Tip: Open from 08:00; the day's doughnuts sell out by 11:00 on Saturdays. Order on Square Online for collection.

The Company Bakery ★ 4.3

The Company Bakery on Easter Road in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a coffee bar and sourdough bakery serving filter coffee, fresh pastries and a small lunchtime.

Signature drink: Flat white and a sourdough sandwich

Tip: The cinnamon morning bun sells out before 11:00. Order ahead via their website for collection most days.

Leith Walk Police Box ★ 4.1

Leith Walk Police Box on Pilrig Street in Edinburgh, opened 2016 inside a 1950s blue police box, a 3-square-metre coffee counter pouring filter and espresso.

Signature drink: Flat white

Tip: There is no seating; coffee in hand on the Leith Walk central reservation. Cash only on most days.

Twelve Triangles ★ 4.8

Rachel Morgan and Emily Cuddeford's Brunswick Street bakery in Edinburgh, opened 2014, the city's reference sourdough kitchen and the most-loved doughnut.

Tip: Doughnuts sell out by 11:00 on Saturdays. Order via Square Online by Friday lunchtime for next-day collection.

Worth the queue: Brown butter and salted caramel doughnut

The Company Bakery ★ 4.5

The Company Bakery on Easter Road in Edinburgh, opened 2018, a Leith sourdough kitchen and cafe with fresh-from-the-oven pastries and a small lunchtime.

Tip: Cinnamon buns sell out by 11:00. Online preorder for collection is the only reliable way on weekends.

Worth the queue: Cinnamon morning bun

Williams and Johnson Coffee Co ★ 4.7

Williams and Johnson Coffee Co roastery and cafe on Customs Wharf in Leith Edinburgh, founded in 2017 by two former Square Mile baristas, runs one.

Tip: Saturday morning roastery tours run by booking; the cafe sells single-origin whole-bean retail from the roastery rack.

Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Costa Rica, Burundi

How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail, Wholesale

Twelve Triangles ★ 4.4

Twelve Triangles bakery-cafe on Brunswick Street in Edinburgh, founded 2014, a third-wave coffee counter pouring filter and espresso from UK roasters beside.

Tip: Coffee is rotating UK single-origins; the bakery counter is the volume play. Saturday queues from 09:30.

Sources from: Ethiopia, Colombia, Brazil

How they serve: Espresso, Filter, Whole bean retail

Toast ★ 4.5

Toast on The Shore in Leith Edinburgh, opened 2019, a daytime-into-evening wine bar pouring biodynamic European producers beside open-fire-toasted sourdough.

Signature pour: Italian piquette by the glass

Wine focus: Natural and biodynamic wines

Food: Small plates, charcuterie and sourdough

Tip: Wine flights of three pours run a fixed list at £18; lunchtime sandwiches double as a snack-with-wine programme.

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society ★ 4.6

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society in The Vaults on Giles Street in Leith, opened 1983, the world reference for single-cask whisky with a members bar and tasting.

Signature drink: Single-cask whisky by the dram

Food: Scottish small plates

Tip: Non-members can buy a day pass for £15 and bring a guest; ask at the door. The Queen Street branch is the New Town sibling.

Fishers Bar at The Shore ★ 4.4

Fishers Bistro on The Shore in Leith Edinburgh, opened 1991 in a former 1700s signal tower, a seafood bar serving native oysters and Edinburgh Gin.

Signature drink: G and T with Edinburgh Gin

Food: Seafood small plates

Tip: Bar counter takes walk-ins; the upstairs dining room books out at weekends but the bar is the better seat anyway.

Leith Walk Police Box ★ 4.4

Leith Walk Police Box on Pilrig Street in Edinburgh, opened 2016 inside a 1950s blue police box, a 3-square-metre coffee counter pouring filter and espresso.

Try: Filter coffee and cake from a converted police box

Tip: There is no seating; coffee in hand on Leith Walk's central reservation. Cash only on most days.

Pilot Beer ★ 4.8

Pilot Beer brewery on Tennant Street in Leith Edinburgh, founded 2013 by Matt Johnson and Patrick Jones, an industrial-estate craft brewery known for fruited.

Tip: Taproom takes walk-ins Fri-Sat; the rest of the week is wholesale only. Try the Vienna Lager and the Mochaccino Stout.

Campervan Brewery ★ 4.6

Campervan Brewery on Jane Street in Leith Edinburgh, founded 2015 by Paul Gibson, a homebrew-turned-pro craft brewery with a taproom doubling as a bar.

Tip: Thursdays are pizza-and-pint nights with a fixed deal; the taproom takes walk-ins through to 22:00 most weekends.

Bellfield Brewery ★ 4.0

Bellfield Brewery on Stanley Place in Edinburgh, founded 2014, the UK's first dedicated gluten-free craft brewery with a Stanley Place taproom and a Pilrig.

Tip: All beer is certified gluten-free without taste compromise; their Pilrig Park beer garden takes over the park April to September.

Moonwake Beer Co ★ 4.5

Moonwake Beer Co on Tower Street by the Shore in Leith Edinburgh, a brewery and taproom pouring its own range plus rotating guest beers in a colourful.

Tip: Taproom is open Thursday to Sunday only; the Saturday session runs from midday and the outdoor yard fills first on a sunny afternoon.

Newbarns Brewery ★ 4.3

Newbarns Brewery on Jane Street in Leith Edinburgh, founded 2020 by Chris Lewis and Emma Skoda, a saison and modern lager brewery known. At Unit 7.

Tip: The taproom is two doors down from Campervan; you can crawl between four breweries in 500 metres on Jane Street.

Leith Saturday Market ★ 4.2

Leith Saturday Market on Dock Place in Leith Edinburgh, trading on Saturday afternoons through the year, the smaller and quieter sibling to Stockbridge.

Tip: Combine with a walk along the Water of Leith into the heart of Leith for a long Saturday lunch trail.

The Pitt ★ 4.3

The Pitt street-food market on West Shore Road in Edinburgh, a purpose-built indoor market and community hub open Thursday to Sunday with rotating food.

Tip: Street food trucks open from noon; arrive at opening for outdoor seating with water views before the weekend crowd.

Roseleaf Bar Cafe ★ 4.2

Roseleaf Bar Cafe on Sandport Place in Leith Edinburgh, an eclectic all-day pub and cafe in a converted Victorian bar, serving brunch until 17:00 and dinner.

Order: Poached eggs with wild mushrooms on sourdough and a pot of loose-leaf tea.

Why locals love it: Sandport Place sits one street from The Shore in Leith and gets missed by everyone who stops at the waterfront pubs. Roseleaf is a converted pub with tea in china teapots.

Tip: Tea comes in full china pots here, not a bag in a mug. Ask for the printed tea menu.

The Pitt ★ 4.3

The Pitt street-food market on West Shore Road in Edinburgh, open Thursday to Sunday, an award-winning indoor market with rotating food trucks and craft bars.

Order: The food truck list rotates weekly; check the website the day before and plan your order.

Why locals love it: West Shore Road in Granton is a bus ride from the city centre that most visitors never take. The Pitt is Edinburgh's largest street food market: a purpose-built indoor venue.

Tip: Free entry. The sauna books up separately. Best visit is a Thursday or Friday evening before the weekend crowds.

Ardfern ★ 4.6

Ardfern on Bonnington Road in Edinburgh, opened May 2024 by Roberta Hall-McCarron beside The Little Chartroom, an all-day cafe and natural-wine bottle shop.

Order: Lamb kofta with tahini and flatbread, or the full Scottish with house haggis.

Tip: The bottle shop sells the same wines you drink at the table. Walk in on Sunday for roast beef and a glass of orange wine.

Roseleaf Bar Cafe ★ 4.2

Roseleaf Bar Cafe on Sandport Place in Leith, a converted pub with tea-in-teapots charm and a brunch menu that runs until 17:00 with Bloody Marys in teapots.

Order: Poached eggs with wild mushrooms on sourdough, or the full Scottish with Stornoway black pudding.

Tip: Brunch runs until 17:00 every day. Order a pot of tea to avoid the queue for flat whites.

Haze at Brown's of Leith ★ 4.5

Haze inside the Brown's of Leith hall at 4-6 The Shore in Leith Edinburgh, opened November 2025 by the Radford family of Timberyard and Montrose.

Order: Grapefruit brulee with caramelised sugar and the house filter coffee from the brew bar.

Tip: Open Thursday to Sunday only; arrive for the 8am opening on a weekend morning to claim a corner of the steelworks hall before the lunch rush.