Modern Scottish££££leithTue-Thu 12:30-14:00, 18:30-22:00; Fri-Sat 12:30-14:00, 18:30-22:30; Sun-Mon closed
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.
Modern French££££leithWed-Fri 12:00-13:30, 18:30-22:00; Sat 12:00-13:30, 18:30-21:30; Sun-Tue closed
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.
Modern Scottish£££tollcross-west-endWed-Thu 17:00-20:30; Fri-Sun 12:00-13:30, 17:00-20:30; Mon-Tue closed
The Radford family's foraged-and-fermented kitchen on Lady Lawson Street in Edinburgh, opened in 2012 and Michelin-starred since 2024, a courtyard dining.
Signature: Cured trout with smoked oil and elderflower, Aged beef with bone marrow
Order: The full tasting menu at dinner; let the kitchen send what is best that day from the garden.
Tip: The summer terrace under the oak in the courtyard is the best dining seat in the city when the weather permits.
Modern British£££leithWed-Fri 17:30-21:00; Sat-Sun 12:00-14:00, 17:30-21:00; Mon-Tue closed
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.
Modern Scottish££££leith
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.
Modern European££££marchmont-meadowsTue-Sat 18:30-21:00; Sun-Mon closed
Conor Toomey's Marchmont neighbourhood kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2018 and Michelin-starred from 2020, a no-choice tasting menu in a 20-seat residential.
Signature: Hand-rolled tortelloni with brown butter, Aged dairy beef
Order: There is no choice. The fixed seven-course tasting menu is the only option; trust the room.
Tip: Bookings open 60 days ahead on the dot at 10:00 GMT. The whole month sells in under an hour. Set a calendar alarm.
Modern British£££bruntsfield-morningsideWed-Fri 12:00-14:15, 17:30-21:15; Sat-Sun 10:00-14:15, 17:30-21:15; Mon-Tue closed
Roberta Hall-McCarron's Bonnington Road dining room in Edinburgh, a Michelin Bib-listed neighbourhood kitchen running modern Scottish tasting menus.
Signature: Beef tartare with smoked oyster, Roast cauliflower with chickpea
Order: The set lunch on Friday; three courses of the kitchen's best new dishes at half the dinner price.
Tip: Roberta also runs Eleanore around the corner on Albert Place for walk-in small plates if the Chartroom is fully booked.
Japanese£££new-townDaily 12:00-14:30, 17:30-21:00
Stuart Ralston's Thistle Street dining room in New Town Edinburgh, opened in 2019, a Japanese-inflected small-plates kitchen in a former townhouse basement.
Signature: Wagyu beef tataki, Charred octopus with miso
Order: The wagyu tataki with truffle and the miso-glazed octopus that anchor the menu.
Tip: Bar seats look directly onto the sushi pass. Stuart's other rooms, Aizle and Tipo, sit within a four-minute walk.
Modern British£££tollcross-west-endTue-Sat 12:00-14:30, 18:00-21:30; Sun 12:00-15:30; Mon closed
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.
Signature: Whole roast chicken for two, Sourdough with cultured butter
Order: The whole roast chicken to share, and whatever fish has come off the East Coast that morning.
Tip: The bakery counter sells off the day's bread at 16:00 for the next morning. Sourdough and cinnamon buns go first.
Modern Scottish£££new-town
Stuart Ralston's Garden Room kitchen inside the Kimpton Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, opened 2014 (relocated 2020), a no-choice market-driven tasting menu.
Signature: Hen of the wood with smoked egg yolk, Aged hogget with sea buckthorn
Order: The six-course set menu changes weekly; whatever appears on the harvest board that month.
Tip: The hotel terrace is open to walk-ups for a glass of fizz before service. Lunch is half the dinner price and runs the same menu.
Seafood£££old-townDaily 12:00-01:00
White Horse Oyster and Seafood Bar at 266 Canongate on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh Old Town, opened in November 2017 inside what is reckoned the oldest inn.
Signature: Freshly shucked native oysters, Lobster linguine
Order: A half-dozen native oysters off the chalk board, then the lobster linguine for the table.
Tip: The narrow room books out for dinner; lunch from noon and the late-night kitchen until midnight take walk-ins at the counter.
Scottish££££old-townDaily 12:00-22:30
James Thomson's medieval-tavern dining room at the top of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened 1979 inside Boswell's Court, the city's heritage-cuisine.
Signature: Scotch beef Wellington, Edinburgh haggis with whisky cream
Order: The Scotch beef Wellington for two and the haggis with whisky-cream sauce as a starter.
Tip: Ask for The Secret Garden, the second dining room down the stairs; the candlelit version of the experience.
Modern Scottish£££canonmills-inverleithThu 17:00-20:30; Fri-Sun 12:30-14:30, 17:00-20:30; Mon-Wed closed
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.
Signature: Seven-course garden tasting menu, Kitchen-garden vegetables with cultured butter
Order: The seven-course tasting in the evening.
Tip: Thursday to Sunday only; the £25 two-course lunch from 12:30 is the value entry, evening tasting climbs to £85.
Scottish Gastropub££stockbridgeDaily 12:00-21:00
Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack's Stockbridge gastropub in Edinburgh, opened 2013, the casual-counterpart to The Kitchin running British classics in a Comely.
Signature: Fish and chips with mushy peas, Cullen skink
Order: The fish and chips with mushy peas, plus a starter of Cullen skink to share.
Tip: The kids' menu is not patronising; the meatballs and mash is a proper plate. Sunday roast books out a week ahead.
Bombay-irani Cafe££old-townMon-Wed 08:00-23:00; Thu-Sat 08:00-00:00; Sun 08:00-23:00
The Edinburgh outpost of London's Bombay-Irani cafe chain on St Andrew Square, opened in 2016, a 200-cover all-day room in the old Bank of Scotland HQ.
Signature: Bacon naan roll, House black daal
Order: The bacon naan roll for breakfast and the 24-hour house black daal at any other meal.
Tip: No dinner bookings under six; walk in from 17:30 and the wait is 30 to 60 minutes. Drinks at the basement bar while you wait.
Seafood££new-townDaily 12:00-22:00
The New Town offshoot of the Leith Fishers seafood mini-chain in Edinburgh, on Thistle Street since 2001, a brasserie-style room running East Coast fish.
Signature: Cullen skink, Whole grilled lemon sole
Order: Cullen skink for starters and the whole grilled lemon sole with brown butter.
Tip: The original Fishers Bistro on the Shore in Leith is the smaller, more ambient sibling if you want the Old Port version.
Modern Scottish££old-townThu 11:30-14:30, Sun 17:00-21:15, Sun 11:30-15:00
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.
Signature: Haggis bonbons with whisky cream, Aberdeen Angus steak
Order: Haggis bonbons with whisky cream as a starter and the Aberdeen Angus steak with peppercorn sauce.
Tip: Pre-theatre two-course menu from 17:30-19:00 is the value play. The Waterloo Place branch is the second-best room.
Scottish£££new-townDaily 12:00-00:00
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.
Signature: Scottish smoked salmon platter, Roast beef Wellington
Order: Smoked salmon platter at lunch and the roast beef Wellington at dinner under the central dome.
Tip: The Georgian Tea Room at the back is a quieter alternative if the main hall feels too touristy at peak hours.
Scottish££££new-townThu-Mon 18:00-21:30; Tue-Wed closed
Mark Donald's basement dining room inside The Balmoral hotel on Princes Street in Edinburgh, Michelin-starred from 2003 to 2024 and still running fine-dining.
Signature: Loch Duart salmon with caviar, Aged Scotch beef with red wine jus
Order: The seasonal tasting menu; lunch sittings include a four-course at half dinner price.
Tip: The Bollinger Bar upstairs (also at the Balmoral) takes walk-ins for a glass of fizz before service. Smart-casual dress code enforced.
French Bistro£££canonmills-inverleithMon-Thu 17:30-21:00, Fri 12:00-14:30, Fri 17:30-21:00, Sat 12:00-14:30, Sat 17:30-21:00, Sun 12:00-14:30, Sun 17:30-21:00
Stuart Ralston's Parisian bar a vin on Broughton Street in Edinburgh New Town, opened October 2025 on the former Fhior site, a wine-led bistro serving.
Signature: Braised duck hearts on toast with pickled green peppercorns, Grilled Iberico pork chop with cider-braised onions
Order: The pigs head croquettes with smoked paprika and whatever the kitchen is pouring by the glass.
Tip: Cocktail bar Vivien sits one flight below, run by the same team; an aperitif there then a table upstairs is the move.
Modern European£££stockbridge
Paul Gunning's Stockbridge basement dining room on St Stephen Street in Edinburgh, opened 2014, a 20-cover neighbourhood kitchen running set tasting menus.
Signature: Hand-dived scallop with cauliflower, Aged duck with cherry
Order: The six-course evening tasting menu; lunch runs a slimmer four-course at £40.
Tip: BYO Tuesday with a £7 corkage is a cheap way to bring a bottle from the Wine Pantry next door.
Modern Scottish£££old-townMon 12:00-15:00, Mon 18:00-21:00, Tue 12:00-15:00, Tue 18:00-21:00, Wed 12:00-15:00, Wed 18:00-21:00, Thu 12:00-15:00, Thu 18:00-21:00, Fri 12:00-15:00, Fri 18:00-21:00, Sat 12:00-15:00, Sat 18:00-21:00, Sun 12:30-15:00, Sun 18:00-21:00
Paul and Lisa Wedgwood's Canongate dining room on the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened in 2007, a family-run fine-dining kitchen with a focus on Scottish.
Signature: Pigeon with foraged greens, Scallop with chorizo
Order: The pigeon with foraged greens, the kitchen's long-running signature plate.
Tip: The chef's table in the kitchen takes four guests; book a fortnight ahead for the demo-led version of the tasting menu.