Tasting the City: 20 of Edinburgh's Food and Drink Highlights

We all have our favourites – albums we play on the bus to work, TV programmes we stick on in the background – but it’s good to branch out. Luckily, when it comes to food and drink, Edinburgh is absolutely packed with great independent cafes and restaurants. Edinburgh was just named Good Food Guide's 'most exciting food destination for 2025', and added two new Michelin star restaurants at last month's Michelin Guide ceremony in Glasgow. Whatever your budget, there are great options to be found from breakfast to dinner (plus any and all meals in between), and they’re spread all over the city.

Let’s start with the most important meal of the day – breakfast (or brunch, if you fancy a lie-in). Singapore Coffee House is a unique, independent take on the kopitiam cafes of Singapore. The Canonmills spot offers a menu that blends influences from across southeast Asia and beyond; expect a big welcome and bigger flavours.

For something more handheld, bagel fans are in for a treat with two Canonmills spots from a local institution. The Bearded Baker serve freshly-made bagels and cinnamon buns at their Rodney Street shop, with a larger sit-down menu and some great decor to be found at their 71 Steps cafe just down the road. For a bistro-style lunch and a fantastic atmosphere, check out the brilliant Stockbridge Eating House. The chalkboard menu is compact and exciting, the cooking is excellent, and the one-room setup is cosy, friendly and incredibly charming.

Up in the Old Town, Hot Toddy’s menu combines seasonal Scottish classics with an impressive cocktail selection, in a fully wheelchair-accessible venue. EH postcode residents get 10% off their bill through the Resident Rewards scheme: get the full details at edinburgh.org/residentrewards

For a post-lunch treat, Room & Rumours Coffee, tucked away in the historic Market Street Arches, offers a unique interior along with brilliant coffee and baking. For more sweet treats, head to the Grassmarket for a pair of great Edinburgh indies – the Kilted Donut serve up delicious (and enormous) donuts, while a few doors down you’ll find incredible ice cream at Mary’s Milk Bar. Their list of flavours changes daily, and everything is made on-site.

Leith is a hotbed of independent food and drink, but a couple of recent openings are worth a mention here. Ground Floor is the new cafe from the team behind Edinburgh community radio station EHFM. The Great Junction Street cafe is bright and breezy with lovely coffee and focaccia from the excellent Alby’s sandwich shop, and cafe sales help support the station’s broadcasts and live events. Just around the corner, visit Ardfern for a spectacular brunch – the latest spot from the Little Chartroom team is a laid-back all-day venue that’s somewhere between cafe, wine bar and restaurant.

Continuing towards the water and heading east presents its own set of options. For a beachside pit stop, pop into Twelve Triangles on Portobello High Street for top-notch pastries and coffee. For something a bit more substantial, head up the High Street to Mamacita’s – their Cuban-inspired sandwiches and salad bowls are loaded with great ingredients. A trip up the coast to Musselburgh will bring you to Company Bakery, the award-winning sourdough bakery with a bright and airy on-site cafe serving freshly baked bread and pastries.

Alternatively, a bus journey west proves that Edinburgh’s food scene has something for everyone. The Khukuri, on West Maitland Street near Haymarket station, is a family restaurant offering delicious Nepalese food – freshly-steamed momos and earthy curries await. The Dunstane Restaurant & Bar at West Coates offers dishes from across Europe made with superb Scottish ingredients – EH residents get 15% off their food bill through the Resident Rewards programme. Turn the heat up a notch at Chennai’s Marina in Dalry, where handmade dosas and spicy Sri Lankan curries are served up in a small but stylish dining room.

Heading into Shandon, you’ll find Gio’s, a new Italian restaurant with a crowd-pleasing menu with fresh pasta made in the window every morning. Keep going west and you’ll find Patina, the delightful bakery at Edinburgh Park. It’s a bright, shiny space with plenty of outdoor seating, brilliant lunch options and a great array of pastries and baked treats.

In terms of impressive pastries, they don’t get much more impressive than the viral giant croissants from Dune in South Queensferry, but their regular-sized baking is just as exciting. For a family lunch, head to the Balerno Inn; the family-friendly bar has a set of outdoor bothys overlooking a private playpark, allowing the kids to run off their dinner while the adults recharge.

Edinburgh is loaded with great independent venues just waiting to be discovered. Forever Edinburgh, the official guide to your city is working with businesses across the city to make it easier and more affordable for you to enjoy new experiences on your door step. With an ever-evolving programme of Resident Rewards for EH postcode holders, why not sign up to their Resident newsletter and keep up to date top things to see and do in your city, as well as details on current and new Resident Rewards.

---

For the latest news on new openings, top picks for exploring your city, and exclusive offers for Edinburgh resident rewards, sign up for the Forever Edinburgh newsletter at edinburgh.org/residentrewards

Forever Edinburgh is funded by the UK Government