Edinburgh's Best BYOB Restaurants

We round up a selection of our favourite bring-your-own-bottle spots in Edinburgh

Feature by The Skinny | 26 Sep 2016

As the Wu-Tang Clan so rightly put it, cash rules everything around me, and restaurant dining can be an expensive business if you're not careful. That's where Edinburgh's myriad BYOB restaurants come in, heroically keeping the cost down without forcing us to do anything mad like actually making our own dinner. Here are some of our favourites, and some top places to grab a bottle on the way – be sure to let us know which venues we've egregiously snubbed in the comments section.

Newington and the Southside

There are two main strands to the BYOB offering around Edinburgh University, with strong Indian and Asian flavours on offer. The South Indian specialities at Tanjore on Clerk Street are excellent – expect massive dosas, delicious curries and a host of great options for veggies and meat-eaters alike – while the Red Fort on Drummond Street continues to be a student mainstay for piles of curry in a laid-back atmosphere.

Fans of east Asian cuisine are catered for by Cafe Andamiro on Buccleuch Street with its extensive menu of Japanese and Korean favourites, while just up the road Kim's Mini Meals serves up home-style Korean cooking in a small but well-formed space. It fills up fast, so get down early. Oh, and not to forget the Nile Valley Cafe on Chapel St, serving up delicious, inexpensive (and spicy) North African dishes.

Best off-licences nearby: Bottle Baron on Clerk Street and Great Grog on Dalkeith Road both feature an outrageous selection of beers and wines, while Majestic Wines (Causewayside) have ditched their buy-a-case-at-a-time policy so you can grab a tasty bottle for dinner without having to carry another five home with you.

Leith Walk & Broughton St

Not only do Bodega (62 Elm Row) rustle up arguably the best tacos in the city, but they allow you to bring your own bottles to wash down all those spicy Mexican treats. Top stuff. Meanwhile, further down Leith Walk The Walnut (9 Croall Place) features an intriguing range of bistro-style dishes and, handily, a Tesco right across the street if you forget to B your own B. 

Pomegranate on Antigua Street serves up a whole host of mezze from dolma and falafel to Bayengaan (slow roasted baby aubergines), while a few doors down at Khushi's curry is the name of the game – pair their pre-theatre menu with the BYOB and you're onto a winner. Down Broughton Street, Eden's Kitchen serves up top-notch pizza alongside a host of mezze, pasta and organic dishes.

Best off-licences nearby: Vino on Broughton Street has a great wine selection (as the name would suggest) as well as some tasty craft beers, and Oddbins on Elm Row is another good option.

Tollcross and the Old Town

Pho is the order of the day at Vietnam House on Grove Street – a light Vietnamese broth served with rice noodle, beef, and a huge array of herbs and aromatics. Over on Fountainbridge, Kampung Ali Malaysian Delight is home to great noodle dishes, enormous bowls of laksa, and myriad fish, meat and veggie dishes, while the tapas-style Indian cuisine at Tuk Tuk (Leven Street) is ideal for a BYOB night out – lots of small dishes and bottles balanced on long tables, what could possibly go wrong?

There are even BYOB opportunities right in the heart of town – venerable Victoria Street bistro Howies is BYOB on wine every day except Saturday, while esteemed steak joint Chop House (Waverley Arches) allows you to bring your own for a £5 corkage on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, leaving you with more money to spend on delicious dry-aged steak. A 'win-win', we believe that's called. 

Best off-licences nearby: Drinkmonger on Bruntsfield Place is a great shout for the Tollcross end of town, while Vino at Waverley Arches will do you well if you're right in the city centre. There are also outposts of your favourite supermarket chains on near-enough every block from the King's Theatre to Leith – you'll find one, don't worry.


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