Eating & Drinking in Edinburgh, Scotland
warning: this post contains a lot of food & drink recommendations
*POST UPDATED JANUARY 2025.
Warning: this post contains a lot of recommendations about, funnily enough, drinking & eating. It will likely make you hungry, thirsty for a beer, and perhaps intrigue you into looking up flight prices. Read on at your own peril.
At the end of July of this year, Boyfriend & I celebrated our two year anniversary. Our ideal way to celebrate anything is to eat ridiculously good food, & lots of it. My ideal way to celebrate any new day ever is to get out & go travelling. So, we planned a weekend to Edinburgh & filled our days with copious amounts of food, alcohol, & doughnuts. It was glorious. Can I tell you about it?
where to stay
Buccleuch Street // we ended up staying in an apartment we found on AirBnB. Neither of us would recommend the apartment itself — but it had a good location! A great base for wandering around to every corner of the city, which is handy if you’re willing to walk as far as we are for a good meal!
where to get coffee
Wellington Coffee // good coffee is one of the first things I investigate in a city & this place was near the top of a few lists. We actually stumbled across it by accident; it’s this tiny blink & you’ll miss it half-underground cafe where everything is squished together in the coziest way. The vibe inside was pleasantly hipster-y, and the coffee was fantastic! Would recommend. Address: 33A George St, Edinburgh EH2 2HN
Press Coffee // literally less than a one minute walk from our apartment, we stopped here daily for our morning coffee fix. It was strong, punchy, and exactly what we were looking for! We also ventured in for breakfast one morning, I had a delicious scone the size of my face, while Boyfriend had a wonderful plate of scrambled eggs & toast! Bonus: the walls are so yellow it’s impossible not to feel happy inside. Would recommend. Address: 30 Buccleuch St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9LP
Brew Lab // a real deal kind of coffee place that makes the hipsters in Wellington Coffee look like fakers. There’s a slightly intimidating coffee menu, but you can do this, it is so worth it. I had a kick-ass flat white that knocked my socks off. We got ours to-go & sat on the cute bench outside. Address: 6-8 S College St, Edinburgh EH8 9AA
*2024 UPDATE: sadly, now closed.
where to eat
brunch
Dishoom // having previously been to Dishoom in London’s Covent Garden and falling head-over-heels for it, when we heard there was one in Edinburgh, we couldn’t not go. Their bacon naan roll is an absolute must-order, and we also tried the Bombay omelette, which was a solid alternative! Pro tip: be sure to order some cocktails to go with your meal! I went for the dhoble and Boyfriend went for their twist on a bloody mary; mine was better 😉 Added bonus: the top floor of the restaurant has this gorgeous view looking over St. Andrew Square, and the whole restaurant is decorating in the style of the ‘20s - it’s so pretty! A must-visit. Address: 3a St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD
Urban Angel // bacon bacon bacon, so much bacon! None of the reviews online said anything about the sheer volume of bacon that comes with food, but if they had we might’ve visited sooner! The service was a bit slow and, at times, lacklustre — but there is literally nothing that bacon can’t make up for. I had the eggs benedict with a side of bacon, which was honestly delicious. Address: 121 Hanover St, Edinburgh EH2 1DJ
lunch
Smith & Gertrude // my favourite discovery of the trip! This unpretentious wine bar totally blew us away: open plan, communal tables, exposed brick, candles, vinyls playing from a turntable in the corner, etc. To drink, I sampled glasses of Spanish rosé and Italian sangiovese, both of which were superb. The food menu consisted of three lists: cheeses, meats, and boards comprised of said meats & cheeses. Simplicity at its finest! We weren’t starving when we visited, so we opted for single servings of ubriaco (a hard Italian cheese we’d never heard of) & chorizo iberico bellota to share, both of which were served with crusty bread & crackers. We died and went to wine & cheese heaven! A must-visit. Address: 26 Hamilton Pl, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH3 5AU
dinner
Locanda de Gusti // this was the first dinner we had in Edinburgh, & it set the bar pretty high! Within minutes of entering the restaurant, we actually forgot we were in rainy Edinburgh; the waiters are all Italian, the music is Italian, everyone is singing & speaking in Italian - it truly feels like you’re in Italy! Aside from the sheer Italian joy the restaurant gives off, our entire experience there was was amazing: the food was superb, the service was great, and they even gave us a little bottle of homemade amaretto when we were leaving! A must-visit. Address: 102 Dalry Rd, Edinburgh EH11 2DW
Voujon // Boyfriend was adamant that we go to an Indian restaurant in Edinburgh for dinner & I am so thankful! While the photographs online of this restaurant don’t necessarily paint a great picture - think: white tablecloths - don’t let that put you off, the food here is fantastic! Every single part of our three course meal tasted out-of-this-world, and we both left thinking it was probably some of the best Indian food we’ve ever had? So good! Pro tip: don’t miss the garlic naan! Would recommend. Address: 107 Newington Rd, Newington, Edinburgh EH9 1QW
The Holyrood 9A // all over the internet, this spot comes highly rated for its burgers — but, sadly, we found them to be rather sub-standard. More along the lines of what we would describe as just fine, they were honestly nothing special. That said, the restaurant did have a cool bar, the atmosphere was fun, and they had Camden Hells Lager, so it wasn’t a complete let down. Address: 9a Holyrood Rd, Edinburgh EH8 8AE
snacks
Cairngorm // this really should be under the coffee section, but seeing as we didn’t actually have coffee here, I can’t vouch for it. That said, we did have a caramel square here, & it was damn fine. You can trust us on this one, Boyfriend is a caramel square aficionado. Address: 41A Frederick St, Edinburgh EH2 1EP
*2024 UPDATE: sadly, now closed.
Krispy Kreme // I’m embarrassed to be including this in my list of places to eat, but clearly not enough to not include it. I just don’t understand why KK is all over the UK and for some reason not in Ireland? They’re so good! We decided to make the most of our short time in the land of delicious doughnuts, and, between us, we ended up devouring ten doughnuts over the course of our 3-days in town. We regret nothing! *2021 UPDATE: Krispy Kreme is now in Ireland!
where to drink
beer
BrewDog // for some reason, if you go to Edinburgh, you have to go to BrewDog - that’s just the way it is. There’s a few different locations across the city, but the one we visited at Cowgate was very cool: friendly staff, micro-brewery vibe, with a good menu of both own-brews and guest beers. Would recommend. Address: 143 Cowgate, Edinburgh EH1 1JS
Kay’s Bar // such a lovely spot for a drink! A true old man pub – as in, I was the only woman there for the duration of our drinks – where everybody knows each other. It took us a little while to locate, hidden within a seemingly quiet residential area, but we’re so glad we found it eventually - it was so nice! Would recommend. Address: 39 Jamaica St, Edinburgh EH3 6HF
Stockbridge Tap // Boyfriend read about this place online & it was one of the main reasons I convinced him to wander out to Stockbridge with me. He read that the beer selection was superb, there were heaps of options, and the barmen really know their stuff. I’m sure this is all true, but after trying one of their beers & not liking it, he was simply given the quintessential Scottish plan b: Tennent’s. Sorry — but we can buy Tennent’s at our local in Dublin. Address: 2-6 Raeburn Pl, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH4 1HN
what to do
museums & galleries
National Museum of Scotland // a good museum, but with a bizarre and, at times, frustrating layout. For example: we wanted to visit the 4th floor to see the miniature coffins found at Arthur’s Seat in the early 1800s. In order to get there, we had to take a lift to the 5th floor, find a specific set of stairs down to the 4th floor, then navigate our way to the exact opposite side of the floor to see the coffins. It was a little annoying, yes, but maybe we were just hangry when we visited? Pro tip: there’s a great viewpoint over the city on the roof of the museum! Address: Chambers St, Edinburgh EH1 1JF
Scottish National Portrait Gallery // admittedly, we only wandered in here while we were waiting for a table at a nearby restaurant, but we really enjoyed our brief exploration! The collection seemed very extensive, and the building itself was very impressive! Address: 1 Queen St, Edinburgh EH2 1JD
Scottish Poetry Library // Boyfriend found this in the NYT’s 36 Hours in Edinburgh article, and it was lovely! Bright and airy, the place had a very calm air about it. There’s also apparently an area where you can listen to poetry being read through headphones, which is the real reason we visited, but somehow managed to leave without trying it. Next time! Address: 5 Crichton’s Cl, Edinburgh EH8 8DT
outdoor attractions
Calton Hill // no trip to Edinburgh would be complete without a visit here! Ideal for those of us who are either too lazy and/or too unprepared to make the trek up Arthur’s Seat, this spot offers great views over the city, and also great views of Arthur’s Seat! The National Monument of Scotland is also at the top of the hill, as is the Dugald Stewart Monument. A must-visit.
Royal Mile & Edinburgh Castle // although jammed with tourists at any given time, you can’t miss out on wandering around the area. It’s laden with little alleyways & streets leading off a million different ways. We didn’t fork out the insane entry fee into the castle, but we wandered up to see the views from the top platform.
Stockbridge // I wish we had spent more time exploring the Stockbridge area. A little bit out of the city centre, it’s just a generally nice area to potter around. We saw food markets, pubs, wine bars, some nice parks, & a couple of interesting shops. Worth taking the time to explore if you have some extra hours, especially on a Sunday!
Circus Lane // okay, it’s a mews. If you’ve read any of my travel guides before, it won’t surprise you that I’m suggesting you visit a mews in Stockbridge. The houses are all perfectly imperfect, there street is cobbled, there are some great plant-problems, and some well-placed benches/bicycles. #doitforthegram
Explore the Old + New Towns // both the old and new towns of Edinburgh are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites! The juxtaposition of how very different the towns are, and yet how well they work together, is what “gives the city it’s unique character”. Fun!
Thanks for reading, friends!
Vicki xo
*Date of trip: 28th - 31st July, 2017*
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