Ranked by TableJourney editorial score.
Leftover roast meat slow-cooked with potatoes, onion and stock until everything collapses together. A Sunday-roast next-day plate from Edinburgh's working kitchens.
Stovies began as a Sunday-roast leftover in nineteenth-century Edinburgh tenement kitchens, where the cold roast meat got reheated in dripping with onion and potato through Monday lunch. The dish carries no fixed recipe; family arguments over corned beef versus lamb and whether to add carrots are the working tradition. Burns Night suppers still serve stovies as the next-morning hangover plate, and Edinburgh pubs run it as the Sunday-evening special when the kitchen needs to clear down Monday's prep.
4 editor picks for Stovies in Edinburgh, ranked by editorial score. All Edinburgh signature dishes · Stovies across every city.
Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack's Stockbridge gastropub in Edinburgh, opened 2013, the casual-counterpart to The Kitchin running British classics in a Comely.
OrderThe fish and chips with mushy peas, plus a starter of Cullen skink to share.
TipThe kids' menu is not patronising; the meatballs and mash is a proper plate. Sunday roast books out a week ahead.
The Dome on George Street in Edinburgh's New Town, opened in 1996 inside the former Commercial Bank building, a glass-domed grand brasserie room running.
OrderSmoked salmon platter at lunch and the roast beef Wellington at dinner under the central dome.
TipThe Georgian Tea Room at the back is a quieter alternative if the main hall feels too touristy at peak hours.
Howies on Victoria Street in Edinburgh, the Old Town flagship of David Howie Scott's Scottish-bistro mini-chain opened in 1990, the city's everyday Scottish.
OrderHaggis bonbons with whisky cream as a starter and the Aberdeen Angus steak with peppercorn sauce.
TipPre-theatre two-course menu from 17:30-19:00 is the value play. The Waterloo Place branch is the second-best room.
The Caley Picture House on Lothian Road in Edinburgh, a JD Wetherspoon pub in the grade-B listed 1923 Caley cinema building, serving budget cask ales.
TipThe listed art-deco interior is worth seeing regardless of the Wetherspoon context; look up at the original plasterwork.
Stovies makes more sense with someone from Edinburgh explaining it. These are the classes and tours we have checked, with booking links.
Guided tour · 3 hours
Explore Edinburgh’s Georgian 200 year-old New Town on a food walking tour. Enjoy a Scottish gin cocktail, smoked salmon canapes, port and chocolate, haggis, ice cream ...
Guided tour · 3 hours
Explore Edinburgh’s rich history through its iconic cuisine! Taste, learn, and feel the soul of Scotland on our unforgettable Secret Food Tour through the heart of the...
Guided tour · 50 - 75 minutes
Enjoy a guided tour and tasting in the vault of world's most famous Scotch whisky collection. Discover the art of blending and the secrets of single malt whisky across...
