Top 10... Restaurants

Café Royal
19 West Register Street 
0131 556 1884 

One of the longest-established restaurants in Edinburgh, Café Royal is hidden away in a labyrinth of backstreets at the end of Princes Street – right behind the city's Burger King, as it happens. Unassuming from the outside, the early Victorian decor—with Royal Doulton murals and the original 1817 bar in the centre—has been preserved in its entirety, making it one of the most beautiful places to eat and drink for miles around. With delicious oysters, mussels and home-smoked fish, the Café Royal offers some of the best quality seafood in Edinburgh.

David Bann 
56-8 St Marys Street 
0131 556 5888

Vegetarians and vegans who often find themselves paying a premium for stodgy, uninspiring food will be glad to stumble across David Bann on St Mary's Street. It's just three minutes' walk from Pleasance Courtyard, with prices starting from £25-£30 for three courses. Judged the best vegetarian restaurant in Britain by the BBC's Olive magazine, Bann serves up food that proves that vegetarian cookery can go beyond being abandoned at the bottom of a menu or confined to student cafés. The wittily named Shepherdless Pie—roasted vegetables in an onion gravy, topped with a rich potato and parmesan mash—is a popular choice on an original, adventurous menu.

Ecco Vino
19 Cockburn Street
0131 225 1441

Just off the Royal Mile on Cockburn Street, Ecco Vino stands out among Edinburgh's overcrowded and mostly mediocre Italian restaurant scene. A bustling, warmly decorated and elegant wine bar—with a wide range of wines covering one wall, floor to ceiling—Ecco Vino is perfect for a quick lunch before heading back across the Royal Mile to the shows. An erratically priced menu means judicious selection is essential, although the the mixed antipasti—a large platter heaving with cured meats and cheeses and large enough for three people—represents good value.

The Kitchin
78 Commercial Street
0131 555 1755

Following its redevelopment over the past decade, Leith Docks has become home to a vibrant, bustling restaurant scene, with Tom and Michaela Kitchin's eponymous restaurant at its centre. Voted the second-best place to eat in the UK by Eat Out magazine, The Kitchin offers world-class food a short drive or bus-trip from the city centre, and won a Michelin star just 6 months after it opened in 2006. The proudly Scottish menu focuses on fish and meat personally sourced from across the country, and although mostly pricey (the cheapest main course is £26), the £25 set menu is excellent value.

Maison Bleue
36-8 Victoria Street
0131 226 1900

Tucked away on Victoria Street, just down from the Castle, Maison Bleue is one of the best places for French food in the city, although an exciting menu squeezes in Scottish and North African cuisine, with the haggis balls being an ideal way to start a meal in the cosy, comfortable snugs. Putting more thought than most into its starters and desserts, melted Camembert tart and Baileys crème brulee are reliable favourites. Reasonably priced for satisfying, plentiful food right in the city centre, it also offers an £8 lunch and pre-dinner menus.

Mussel Inn 
61-65 Rose Street 
0131 225 5979

If you want some true Edinburgh seafood but don't fancy humping it down to the Shore, the best option is this inexpensive eatery on Rose Street. The decor is gaudy, the staff cheerful, and there's a delicious range of shellfish. Sauces to grace your mussels (which come by the bucket) include blue cheese, salsa or your standard garlic and butter combo. This is an ideal spot for lunch for people coming from a show on nearby George Street, especially if it's sunny enough to sit outside: half a kilo of mussels, chips and a beer is top value for £7.

Rhubarb at The Prestonfield Hotel
Priestfield Road 
0131 225 1333

Another of James Thomson's trio of Edinburgh restaurants, Rhubarb offers some of the finest food in Scotland, served in beautiful surroundings. Based in the spectacular 17th-century Prestonfield Hotel on the outskirts of Edinburgh, Rhubarb allows you to escape from the city for an afternoon but still be only just 15 minutes' drive from most Fringe venues. The three-course pre-theatre supper is good value, although the à la carte menu is perhaps only for those with heavy wallets. Keen on mixing sweet and savoury, Rhubarb's stand-out dish is duck breast with cabbage stuffing, gingerbread and candied peel.

The Tower
Chambers Street 
0131 225 3003

Since the opening of the National Museum of Scotland in 1998, The Tower, based on the roof of the museum, has become one of the leading lights of 21st century Scottish food. The beneficiary of effusive praise from notoriously bitchy food critic AA Gill, The Tower is a favourite with celebrities, but with prices starting at around £15 for the pre-theatre and light lunch menus, is accessible to most. James Thomson, one of Edinburgh's star restaurateurs, serves up some of the best seafood in Edinburgh, including locally sourced Argyll oysters and Fife crab. Just round the corner from Potterrow Dome and Bedlam Theatre, it has spectacular views right across Edinburgh and beyond.

Urban Angel
121 Hanover Street/1 Forth Street.
0131 225 6215/0131 556 6323

Fast becoming an Edinburgh institution, Urban Angel is great for inventive dishes made from high-quality local ingredients, which goes some way to explaining the iffy slogan, "The main ingredient in everything we do is conscience", as well as the sometimes surprising price tag. Expect a mix of Scottish classics and modern staples; you can have cullen skink to go with your tapas or a burger with Strathdon Blue cheese. There are two branches: the restaurant on Forth Street and the café (also open late) on Hanover Street. The Forth Street venue slightly pips its newer sibling, not for better food or service but for its relaxing spaciousness.

The Witchery by the Castle 
352 Castlehill 
0131 225 5613

Since opening 25 years ago, The Witchery is James Thomson's first and best-loved Edinburgh restaurant. Right at the top of the Royal Mile, almost adjoining the Castle, it offers one of the most unique dining experiences in the UK, in dark, brooding Gothic rooms overlooking the Old Town. Along with lovingly crafted seafood dishes, The Witchery boasts an impressive and award-winning wine cellar, with over 1000 bottles from around the world. With the beef Wellington at £78, the Witchery isn't is unlikely to become your local, but it might just be worth going hungry for a while.