Bistros, trattorias and the everyday rooms where Edinburgh actually eats.
Bistros, trattorias, taverns and neighbourhood rooms: the mid-tier places where Edinburgh actually eats.
Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack's Stockbridge gastropub in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, the casual sibling to The Kitchin running British classics in a Comely.
Order: Fish and chips with mushy peas, or the Sunday roast that books out a week ahead.
Tip: Children's menu is taken seriously here; meatballs and mash is a proper plate.
The Edinburgh outpost of the London Bombay-Irani cafe on St Andrew Square in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, a 200-cover all-day room in the former Bank.
Order: Bacon naan roll at breakfast, house black daal at any other time.
Tip: No dinner bookings under six; walk in from 17:30 and wait 30 to 60 minutes. Basement bar pours while you queue.
Howies on Victoria Street in Edinburgh's Old Town, the flagship of David Howie Scott's Scottish-bistro mini-chain opened 1990, an everyday Scottish-classics.
Order: Haggis bonbons with whisky cream and the Aberdeen Angus steak with peppercorn sauce.
Tip: Pre-theatre two-course menu 17:30-19:00 is £22, the best value in the Old Town.
Michele Civiera's Hunter Square pizza counter in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, the Old Town slice-counter serving Roman al taglio square-tray pizza.
Order: The salsiccia e friarielli slice and a square of margherita; eat at the counter or on the cobbles outside.
Tip: Open till 02:00 on weekends; the only proper food on the Royal Mile after midnight that is not a kebab shop.
The Dundas Street pizzeria in Canonmills Edinburgh, opened 2019, a 60-second wood-fired Neapolitan kitchen with 00-flour dough and Italian San Marzano.
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.
Baba on George Street in Edinburgh's New Town, opened in 2018 by the Kyloe steakhouse group, a Levantine small-plates kitchen serving mezze.
Order: Baba ghanoush, the lamb shawarma flatbread and the house pita with za'atar.
Tip: The mezze deal at lunch (four plates plus a drink for £22) is one of George Street's best value menus.
Kaori Simpson's Bruntsfield Japanese kitchen on Gillespie Place in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, a family-run kaiseki and izakaya room cooking authentic Tokyo.
Order: Bento set at lunch and the gyoza dumplings; ask whether the homemade kimchi is on the day's menu.
Tip: The Bruntsfield branch is the original; the Stockbridge offshoot is brighter but the south-side room takes more walk-ins.
Rosario Sartore's Dalry Road kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, a family-run Neapolitan dining room running pasta, seafood and wood-fired pizza.
Order: Pesce all'acqua pazza (whole fish in tomato broth) and the homemade pappardelle with wild boar.
Tip: The lunchtime three-course express menu at £18 is one of the city's best Italian-value deals.
Victor and Carina Contini's George Street dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 2004 in the former Lloyds Bank, an Italian-Scottish bistro serving.
Order: The Contini meatballs, the Sicilian sea bass and a glass of the Continis' own-import Etna Rosso.
Tip: The high tea at 15:00-17:00 is a quieter alternative; Sunday family lunch is a long-running tradition.
Chef David Bann's vegetarian dining room on St Mary's Street in Edinburgh, opened in 2002, the city's reference vegetarian fine-dining kitchen.
Order: The Sri Lankan coconut curry and the spinach and feta filo parcel.
Tip: Pre-theatre two-course at £22 runs to 19:00; the wine list is genuinely thought through.
Edinburgh Larder bistro on Blackfriars Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh, opened in 2009, an all-day cafe-restaurant serving Scottish-provenance breakfast.
Order: The Larder breakfast with Stornoway black pudding and the daily soup with sourdough at lunch.
Tip: Closes by 16:00 most days; the original cafe on Blackfriars Street is the calmer of the two rooms.
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.
Peter Adshead's restaurant in the 1836 William Playfair stone cottage at Royal Terrace Gardens in Edinburgh, opened May 2026 on the former Gardener's Cottage.
Order: The £25 two-course lunch by the kitchen garden door; available Friday to Sunday from 12:30.
Tip: Lunch sittings 12:30-14:30 Friday to Sunday are the casual entry point; evening flips to a fixed five or seven-course set.
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.
Lloyd Morse, James Snowdon and Ruairidh Buchanan's Palmerston Place dining room in Edinburgh's West End, opened in 2021 in a former bank, a Michelin Bib.
Order: The whole roast chicken for two and the sourdough with cultured butter.
Tip: The bakery counter sells off the day's bread at 16:00. Sourdough and cinnamon buns go first.
Stuart Ralston's Thistle Street basement in New Town Edinburgh, opened 2019, a Japanese-inflected small-plates kitchen with sashimi, rice and fermented sides.
Order: Wagyu tataki with truffle, miso-glazed octopus and a glass of Aged Junmai sake.
Tip: Counter seats look directly onto the sushi pass. Lunchtime bento sets are £25 and the best New Town lunch deal.
Roberta Hall-McCarron's Bonnington Road dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 2017, a Michelin Bib-listed neighbourhood kitchen running British-leaning.
Order: Beef tartare with smoked oyster, and the set lunch on Friday for three courses at half price.
Tip: Roberta also runs Eleanore around the corner on Albert Place for walk-in small plates.
Hawksmoor's Edinburgh branch on West Register Street in New Town Edinburgh, opened in 2019 inside the former National Bank of Scotland Hall, the steakhouse.
Order: The 800g porterhouse for two from native Scottish beef and the beef-dripping.
Tip: Express menu before 18:30 and after 22:00 runs three courses at £28; the express menu version of the same kitchen.