Contini George Street is an italian restaurant in New Town, Edinburgh.
Victor and Carina Contini's George Street dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 2004 in the former Lloyds Bank, an Italian-Scottish bistro serving.
Editorially verified May 19, 2026 by Lewis Vaughan, TableJourney editor. Source.
Must 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.
Address: 103 George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3ES
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.
