17 of Edinburgh's Best Restaurants

Chennai’s Marina
Venues across Edinburgh
When Chennai’s Marina say ‘two chillies’, trust and believe them. The Sri Lankan restaurant bring the heat to their curries, along with mountains of flavour.

Chez Jules
109 Hanover St
This French institution is the place to get a steak or moules frites and come away with a surprising amount left on the Monzo – their lunch deal is legendary.

Eleanore
30-31 Albert Pl
Turn things up a notch at Eleanore, where elegant, delicate presentation comes alongside flavours that will knock you off your feet if you aren’t ready for them.

The Gardener’s Cottage
1 London Rd
A surprisingly idyllic setting given that it’s right by the main road, a kitchen dedicated to local ingredients, and a £20 lunch menu it seems almost unfair to make use of.

Kampong Ah Lee
28 Clerk St
A brilliant no-frills Malaysian restaurant, ideal for dinner before a show at Summerhall or the Queen’s Hall. Big flavours, speedy service and some absolutely brilliant roti.

Kim’s Mini Meals
5 Buccleuch St
Home-style Korean classics delivered with love, with the not-insignificant chance of a seat in a weird corner underneath a staircase.

Montrose
1-7 Montrose Ter
The cute, atmospheric Montrose (from the team behind the Michelin-starred Timberyard) is a delightful and surprisingly laidback option if you want to get fancy, but not too fancy.

The Palmerston
1 Palmerston Pl
Excellent pastries in the morning, inventive and considered cooking in the afternoons and evenings, and a grand but not-too-grand setting whenever you arrive. [Photo above, by James Porteous]

Paz Taqueria
64 Thistle St
Paz is ideal date night territory – moody lighting, great cocktails, lovely staff, and inventive tacos that will give you plenty to talk about.

Pizzeria 1926
85 Dalry Rd
The Dalry institution serves up excellent pizza and a great range of fried starters from a bright, Diego Maradona-inspired dining room.

Pomelo
27 Sciennes Rd
Firmly established in their new place in Sciennes, Pomelo offers up excellent modern Asian cooking. Their hand-pulled noodles are the stuff of legend.

Sabzi
162 Ferry Rd
This award-winning family-run spot on Ferry Road serves up brilliant and highly shareable Indian classics from a menu which changes weekly.

San Ciro’s
148 Leith Walk
Top-notch Neapolitan pizza delivered at high speed and with some real touches of flair, and it always smells incredible. [Photo below, by Ciro Sartore]

Skua
49 St Stephen St
We love it when fine dining chefs get a bit wild with it. Case in point: Skua, where top-drawer cooking leads to incredible fried chicken paired with excellent drinks.

Taco Libre
3 Shandwick Pl & 85 Rose St
Chaos reigns at Taco Libre, with its bright lights and loud decor. The tacos are some of the very best around, with simple, authentic fillings and bags of flavour.

Tipo and Noto
110 Hanover St; 47a Thistle St
Stuart Ralston’s culinary empire has many tendrils, but two great places to start are Tipo and Noto. Tipo is inspired by Italy, so head here for great pasta; Noto has a more varied menu, headlined by some outrageously buttery crab.