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.
Must order: Haggis bonbons with whisky cream and the Aberdeen Angus steak with peppercorn sauce.
Tip: Pre-theatre two-course menu 17:30 to 19:00 is GBP 22, the best value in the Old Town.
Address: 10-14 Victoria Street, Edinburgh EH1 2HG
Michele Civiera's Hunter Square pizza counter in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, the Old Town slice-counter serving Roman al taglio square-tray pizza into the small.
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.
Michele Civiera's Hunter Square pizza counter in Edinburgh, opened in 2016, the Old Town slice-counter serving Roman al taglio square-tray pizza into the small.
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 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.
Baba on George Street in Edinburgh's New Town, opened in 2018 by the Kyloe steakhouse group, a Levantine small-plates kitchen serving mezze and charcoal-grill.
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 GBP 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 in the West End.
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 GBP 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 Mediterranean.
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 to 17:00 is a quieter alternative; Sunday family lunch is a long-running tradition.
