The Skinny's Christmas Food and Drink Directory

Big Breakfasts

It’s the most important meal of the day according to the guy who invented corn flakes, and Scotland is packed with places to fuel up for a day of sightseeing, meeting old pals, or frolicking/fighting through the Xmas Markets…

Ardfern
10-12 Bonnington Rd, Edinburgh
The latest spot from The Little Chartroom team is an all-day treat, but get down early for one of the city’s best breakfast menus. We have three words for you: venison lorne sausage.

The Bach
31 Meadowside, Dundee
A slice of Antipodean cafe culture in the heart of Dundee; excellent brunch options, top-notch coffee, plus imported Australian and New Zealand treats.

Cafe Strange Brew
1082 Pollokshaws Rd, Glasgow
A much-loved Shawlands brunch spot with great dishes whether you’re a sweet or savoury morning person, and poached eggs so reliable you could set your watch by them.

Eastfield
91 Perth Rd, Dundee
One of a spate of great new openings in Dundee, Eastfield is a laidback daytime spot for those moments when you’re split between breakfast, brunch and lunch. Whatever you choose, it’ll be great.

Edinburgh Larder
15 Blackfriars St & 54-56 Morningside Rd, Edinburgh
If you need fuel for your festive fun, a bumper full breakfast from the Edinburgh Larder packed with great local ingredients should be near the top of your list.

Ardfen. Image: Sam Christie.

Hula
103 West Bow and 94A Fountainbridge, Edinburgh
Head to Hula to get your day off to a flying start. Exciting porridge, fruit-packed smoothie bowls, freshly squeezed juices and pancakes are all on the menu.

Singapore Coffee House
5 Canonmills, Edinburgh
Bringing kopitiam classics to Canonmills, Singapore Coffee House offers a real change of pace from the rest of Edinburgh’s brunch scene. Look out for their kaya (coconut jam) on toast.

Singl-end
263 Renfrew St and 15 John St, Glasgow
Many eggs, multiple homemade bread options and a whole load of interesting brekkie permutations await at Singl-end’s spots in Garnethill and Merchant City.

Scran
239 London Rd, Glasgow
These guys can do it all. Fancy French toast? Gotcha. Exciting eggs? Mmm-hmm. A very good breakfast roll? Just tell them what you want, and you’re good to go.

Snax Cafe
118 Buccleuch St, Edinburgh
Snax offers great morning rolls, endless breakfast combinations, outside seating for sunny Sunday mornings, and a genuine sense of local history.

Quick Lunches

You need to eat – something substantial, but not too heavy, able to cut through the wind and rain outside and the growing to-do list in your head. Here are some of our favourite lunch spots…

Alby’s
8 Portland Pl and 94 Buccleuch St, Edinburgh
Big. Hot. Sandwiches. These things are enormous, packed with great flavours and served on salty, spongy focaccia.

Edinburgh Street Food
Leith St, Edinburgh
Lots of space, loads of choice, an order-to-table system that actually works – Edinburgh Street Food is a great city centre option.

The Original Mosque Kitchen & Cafe
50 Potterrow, Edinburgh
It’s been a lunchtime go-to for decades; come to the Mosque Kitchen for brilliant, cheap and absurdly large plates of homemade curry.

Paesano
94 Miller St and 471 Great Western Rd, Glasgow
If you’re in a rush – shopping to do, folk to meet, etc – Paesano’s the pick. Massive dining rooms, rapid service, delicious pizza, small bill at the end.

Parveen’s
Civic House, Glasgow
Parveen’s serve up excellent, affordable plant-based lunches inspired by the flavours of Pakistan. Great food, lively atmosphere, good times.

Parveen's. Image courtesy of Parveen's.

Paz Taqueria
64 Thistle St, Edinburgh
You’ll find well-crafted and subtly elevated tacos at Paz, along with cocktails that will send you off in a great mood to finish your Christmas shopping.

Rafa’s
1103 Argyle St, Glasgow
Head down the Hidden Lane just off the Finnieston strip and you’ll probably find a queue for Rafa’s excellent tacos, burritos and quesadillas. Get in the queue. Enjoy.

San Ciro’s
148 Leith Walk, Edinburgh
Top-drawer Neapolitan pizza with some exciting and experimental touches, served at lightning speed.

Sear’s Pizza
8 Chancellor St, Glasgow
The new spot from some of the folk behind much-missed Glasgow pizzeria BAKED, Sear’s is a New York-style joint that’ll do you a slice for £2. Not much more to say really, that’s a good deal.

Shawarma King
113 King St, Glasgow
Sometimes you just want a kebab – a fatty, unctuous boxing glove of bread, meat, spice and some veg if you’re feeling healthy. In these moments, head for Shawarma King.

Ting Thai
Venues in Glasgow and Edinburgh
One of Scotland’s most reliable lunchtime options, Ting Thai serve up cheap, quick and flavour-packed Thai dishes from soups and noodles to small plates.

Big Dinners

The gang’s all here! For those Christmas reunions, big festive celebrations, or the betwixtmas evenings when you can’t be bothered cooking, check out these places…

Agacan
113 Perth Rd, Dundee
The tiled exterior, the colourful interior, the kebab-tastic menu; the Agacan has been this way for years, and long may it continue.

Big Counter
76 Victoria Rd, Glasgow
The Victoria Road ‘dinner house’ offers a constantly changing menu of sharing plates. Big steaks, whole fish, party time.

Chez Jules
109 Hanover St, Edinburgh
A French institution in Edinburgh’s New Town. Great vibes, genuinely surprising value, and an almost unbeatable location, they don’t make ‘em like Chez Jules any more.

GaGa
566 Dumbarton Rd, Glasgow
This spot from Julie Lin pairs delicious Malaysian-inspired plates with brilliant cocktails.

Gloriosa
1321 Argyle St, Glasgow
Head here for an absolutely brilliant selection of family-style dishes loaded with Mediterranean influences.

The Kinneuchar Inn
9-11 Main St, Kilconquhar, Fife
Locally-sourced and exciting, elevated food, with a 17th century pub attached? Foodies far and wide rave about the Kinneuchar, and they may well be on to something.

Gloriosa. Image courtesy of Gloriosa.

Mother India’s Cafe
3-5 Infirmary St, Edinburgh & 1355 Argyle St, Glasgow
The tapas-style small dishes at Mother India have long been a favourite; grab your pals, order a bunch of stuff, let the sharing begin.

Mowgli Street Food
20 Hanover St, Edinburgh & 78 St Vincent St, Glasgow
If you’re organising a big festive catch-up but can’t bear any more turkey, Mowgli’s Christmas sharing menu is one to watch. Everyone gets a ‘pot luck’ tiffin, so think of it as an extremely tasty Secret Santa.

Muna’s Ethiopian Cuisine
8 Gillespie Pl, Edinburgh
Spicy, funky and ludicrously generous, the Ethiopian home-cooking at Muna's is an absolute standout. Put together a big sharing plate, grab your injera, and get going. For a similar vibe in Glasgow, head to Mosob (56 Dundas St), next door to Queen Street Station.

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

te Seba
393-395 Great Western Rd, Glasgow
Beautiful pasta and incredibly warm hospitality – a trip to te Seba is not unlike going to a pal’s for dinner, if your pal was a great cook with an enormous chandelier.

Tipo
110 Hanover St, Edinburgh
Stuart Ralston’s Italian-inspired spot is a good shout if you’re getting a bunch of folk together for a festive meal. You’ll find a bright, airy dining room, and a menu loaded with fantastic pasta.

West Side Tavern
162 Dumbarton Rd, Glasgow
If your friends like to share, take ‘em to West Side Tavern in Partick. Jumbo pizzas, classic Italian-American big plates, and a host of NYC-inspired cocktails.

Feeling Fancy

'Tis the season to be fancy, fa la la la la', and so on and so forth. Here are a few of our favourite places when we want to step it up a notch: lovely venues, great staff, and chef-led (but never overly cheffy) cooking…

Celentano’s
28-32 Cathedral Sq, Glasgow
Italian-inspired dining in a beautifully restored 19th-century landmark, with herbs grown in the restaurant garden and an amazing Sunday lunch.

Eleanore
30-31 Albert Pl, Edinburgh
The pared-back sibling of The Little Chartroom and Ardfern, head here for big but refined flavours, and cool Nordic vibes.

Five March
140 Elderslie St, Glasgow
Sharing plates loaded with influences from all over the map, a very trendy dining room, and a parkside location ideal for a post-meal walk.

Hawksmoor
23 W Register St, Edinburgh
Red meat fans, you’re in luck. Head to Hawksmoor for top-notch steaks, great cocktails and the beautiful setting of the former National Bank of Scotland.

Inver
Strathlachlan, Argyll and Bute
A delightful restaurant in stunning surroundings, Inver is also home to some spectacularly chic bothies. Get a visit on your Christmas wish list.

Margo
68 Miller St, Glasgow
It only opened in October, but the hype around Margo is mammoth. Expect a menu loaded with flavours and influences from across Europe and beyond.

Margo. Image courtesy of Margo.

Montrose
1-7 Montrose Ter, Edinburgh
Downstairs is the comfy, cosy wine bar, and upstairs is the slightly fancier dining room, but in both cases Montrose serve up smoky, hearty and delicate dishes.

Ox and Finch
920 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow
It’s a Finnieston mainstay, and with good reason. Ox and Finch serve up brilliant and varied sharing dishes in trendy surroundings.

The Palmerston
1 Palmerston Pl, Edinburgh
Another great restaurant in a former bank, The Palmerston offers excellent pastries in the morning, and well-considered and homely dishes the rest of the time.

Skua
49 St Stephen St, Edinburgh
It’s dark, it’s cosy, and it feels like a real treat – descend into Skua’s Stockbridge basement and you’ll find great drinks and excellent food. Get the fried chicken, you won’t regret it.

Sylvan
20 Woodlands Rd, Glasgow
Sylvan offers a daily-changing menu of vegetarian and vegan treats, with a frankly enormous list of natural wines to pair with whatever’s coming out of the kitchen.

Timberyard
10 Lady Lawson St, Edinburgh
Michelin-starred so you know it’s good, Timberyard offers a beautiful dining room, refined seasonal cooking and a surprisingly chilled vibe.

Treat Time

You deserve it. As for what ‘it’ is, take your pick from amazing baking, delightful pastries, and some truly excellent ice cream…

Akara
537 Duke St, Glasgow
Perfectly-formed, beautifully-decorated and quite frankly enormous cakes are one of the hallmarks of Akara in Dennistoun – head here for a slice, or to commission your very own festive cake.

Baern
Bowhouse, nr St Monans, Fife
The Baern counter is filled with cakes, pastries and savoury snacks, all laced with amazing ingredients from the Fife countryside. Well worth the trip.

Company Bakery
6 Station Rd, Eskmills Rd, Musselburgh
The top-notch sourdough bakery’s new cafe offers brilliant pastries, great coffee and predictably excellent bread, in a space that’s somehow laidback, chill, and enormous.

Cottonrake
497 Great Western Rd, Glasgow
One of Glasgow’s finest bakeries; you’ll need to be quick to get their pastries, cakes and sandwiches, but the rewards are worth it.

Fisher and Donaldson
Stores in Cupar, St Andrews and Dundee
The telephone and antibiotics are great Scottish inventions, but they’re no Fisher and Donaldson fudge doughnut. Squidgy, sugary, absolutely loaded with custard; highly recommended.

La Gelatessa
38 Nithsdale Rd, Glasgow
I scream, you scream, etc etc. A brilliantly modern ice cream shop with fantastic 60s-inspired design and great flavours aplenty.

Company Bakery. Image courtesy of Company Bakery.

Lannan Bakery
29-35 Hamilton Pl, Edinburgh
Brave the legendary queues on this quiet Stockbridge corner and you just might get your hands on some of Scotland’s best patisserie. Bring gloves. And a book.

Mary’s Milk Bar
19 Grassmarket, Edinburgh
An essential stop for any Edinburgh visitor, Mary’s serves up eclectic, experimental and exceptional gelato in the shadow of the Castle.

Moo Pie Gelato
26 St Mary’s St, Edinburgh
From their spot off the Royal Mile, Moo Pie specialise in super-creamy and supremely creative gelato, plus amazing hot chocolate in the winter months.

Pasteis Lisboa
280 Byres Rd, Glasgow
Warm yourself up mid-shopping spree with an oven-fresh pastel de nata; crispy, buttery pastry filled with gooey custard can turn the biggest festive frown upside down.

The Pastry Section
86 Raeburn Pl and 143 Great Junction St, Edinburgh
A great scratch bakery with branches in Leith and Stockbridge, head here for a sweet treat when you need a Christmas shopping pick-me-up.

Sicilian Pastry Shop
14-16 Albert St, Edinburgh
If you’re in need of a cream cake or a lunchtime treat this Christmas, the Sicilian Pastry Shop has you covered. Great baking from some Leith legends.