The Skinny Food and Drink Survey 2012: The Results

You voted, we counted, and here they are – your favourite places to eat and drink in Scotland

Feature by Peter Simpson | 06 Jan 2012

EDINBURGH

BEST PINT

Bow Bar, West Bow: The very definition of a 'real pub'; no annoying music, plenty of dark wood, and a great beer selection.

Blue Blazer, West Port

Holyrood 9a, Holyrood Rd

Queens Arms, Frederick St

Cloisters, Brougham St

KING OF COFFEES

Artisan Roast, Broughton St, Bruntsfield Pl: They travel to meet growers. They run a blog packed with coffee science and bean grading guides. They do it all, and that's what makes their coffee so good.

Kilimanjaro, Nicholson St

Wellington Coffee, George St

Cafe Gaia, Leith Walk

Black Medicine, Marchmont Rd, Barclay St, Clerk St

BEST DATE PLACE

Under the Stairs, Merchant St – A basement restaurant with great food by day, a quirky and cosy bar by night, with comfy sofas and brilliantly moody lighting.

Restaurant Mark Greenaway, Picardy Place

Outsider, George IV Bridge

Bramble, Queen St

Spoon, Nicholson St

FAVOURITE FOOD SHOP

Peckhams, Bruntsfield Place, South Clerk St: A hybrid of the perfect grocer and a top-drawer off-licence, where a man can get a £75 bottle of top-end vodka and a kick-ass sandwich at the same time.

Earthy, Ratcliffe Terrace

Real Foods, Brougham St, Broughton St

Valvona & Crolla, Elm Row

Cornelius Beer, Easter Rd

TITAN OF TAKEAWAYS

Kebab Mehal, Nicholson St: A stand-out among the Southside's myriad Asian restaurants, and when you get your hands on one of their curries or kebabs you'll see why.

Illegal Jacks, Lothian Rd

La Favorita, Leith Walk

Karen's Unicorn, Abercrombie Pl

Thai Pod, London Rd

CHIP SHOP CHAMP

The Tailend, Albert Pl: A fire earlier this year hasn't kept the Tailend from putting out the best fish suppers in the city in their restaurant and takeaway.

Cafe Piccante, Broughton St

L'Alba Doro, Henderson Row

La Campagnola, Drumsheugh Pl

Newington Fish Bar, Clerk St

VITAL VEGGIE SPOT

David Bann, St Mary's St: No anaemic salads here; Bann's menu is packed with inventive vegetarian dishes good enough to tempt even the most bloodthirsty meat-eater.

Hendersons, Hanover St

Kalpna, St Patrick's Sq

Urban Angel, Forth St/Hanover St

Baked Potato Shop, Cockburn St

COLOSSUS OF CAKES

Eteaket, Frederick St: Their choice of cakes is incredible, the taste and quality is exquisite, and the décor is fantastically quirky.

Mimi's Bakehouse, The Shore

Falko Konditormeister, Bruntsfield Pl

Chocolate Tree, Bruntsfield Pl

Hula, West Bow

 

GLASGOW

BEST PINT

Nice n Sleazy, Sauciehall St: We could use the rest of this page to list the names who've graced Sleazies over the years. Instead, we'll encourage you to head down to this institution, and soak up the (recent) history.

Blackfriars, Bell St

The Belle, Great Western Rd

Horseshoe Bar, Drury St

Brewdog Bar, Argyle St

KING OF COFFEES

Artisan Roast, Gibson St: Everything good about the Edinburgh branch, and a chance to see their roaster in action as well.

Tinderbox, Byres Rd, Ingram St

Avenue G, Byres Rd

Coffee Chocolate and Tea, Argyle St

Kember and Jones, Byres Rd 

BEST DATE PLACE

Sisters, Kelvingrove St: A top-end joint in one of the nicest parts of town, and therefore the textbook definition of 'good date location.'

Bar Gandolfi, Albion St

Two Fat Ladies, Argyle St

Hillhead Bookclub, Vinicomb St

Firebird, Argyle St

FAVOURITE FOOD SHOP

Peckhams, Glassford St, Byres Rd: The same great range as Edinburgh, but in Glasgow as well. Who says the two cities can't play nice?

Delizique, Hyndland St

Lupe Pintos, Great Western Rd

Grassroots, Woodlands Rd

Heart Buchanan, Byres Rd

TITAN OF TAKEAWAYS

Little Italy, Byres Rd: This Italian cafe-takeaway has been on the go for years, and the quality of the food and drinks on offer make it easy to see why.

Taco Mazama, Renfield St

Banana Leaf, Old Dumbarton Rd

Mother India, Westminster Ter

Ichiban, Queen St

CHIP SHOP CHAMP

Philidelphia, Great Western Rd: A West End chippy that does the little things better than most. They also do a good job of the 'big thing' of making a good fish supper.

Kings Cafe, Elmbank St

Jack McPhee, Hope St

The Grove, Argyle St

Blue Lagoon, West Nile St

VITAL VEGGIE SPOT

Mono, Kings Ct: Veggies are catered for all day long at this Trongate institution, and there's a ping-pong table if you need to work off the falafel belly.

13th Note, Kings St

Tchai Ovna, Otago Lane

Stereo, Renfield Lane

The 78, Kelvinhaugh Street 

COLOSSUS OF CAKES

Avenue G, Byres Rd: Locally-sourced ingredients fill the menu, and the delicious cakes are no exception.

The Butterfly and the Pig Tea Rooms, Bath St

Fifi and Ally, Princes Sq

Vanilla Black, Sauchiehall St

Hidden Lane Cafe Gallery, Argyle St

 

THE REST OF SCOTLAND

BEST PINT

Under the Hammer, North Silver St, Aberdeen: An atmospheric pub set beneath an Aberdeen auction room. Pun-tastic.

Art Bar, Perth Rd Dundee

Salmon Inn, Bank Street Galashiels 

KING OF COFFEES

88 Degrees, High St, Kirriemuir: A great cafe menu make this a great place to 'do coffee' as well as just drink the stuff.

Nardini's, Greenock Rd, Largs

Tea Leaves and Coffee, Perth Rd, Dundee

BEST DATE PLACE

Junk Rooms, Friars St, Stirling: Mismatched furniture, live music, and an attached gallery-shop make this ideal for impressing/buying off that special someone in your life.

Monachyle Mhor, Lochearnhead

Jute Cafe Bar, DCA, Perth Rd, Dundee 

FAVOURITE FOOD SHOP

Green Seafood Shack, Harbour, Oban: Possibly the freshest seafood in the whole country served up just yards from the ocean.

House of Bruar, Blair Atholl

Belhaven Smokehouse, Dunbar

TITAN OF TAKEAWAYS

Earl of Sandwich, The Green, Aberdeen: EARL don't let down their famous namesake, offering more sandwich choices than you can shake a Nobleman's stick at.

Beijing Beijing, High St, Galashiels

Gurkha Kitchen, George Street, Aberdeen

CHIP SHOP CHAMP

Anstruther Fish Bar, Shore St, Anstruther: It's in the middle of Fife, and yet every American exchange student and London foodie knows about the Anstruther Fish Bar and its delicious fish suppers.

MHOR Fish, Main Street Callander

Allanwater Cafe, Henderson St, Bridge of Allan

VITAL VEGGIE SPOT

Musa, Exchange St, Aberdeen: Gannet-eating antics aside, Musa gives its herbivorous guests little reason to complain with some great veggie dishes.

Foyer Restaurant & Gallery, Crown St Aberdeen

Pillars of Hercules, Falkland, Fife

COLOSSUS OF CAKES

Fisher and Donaldson, Dundee/Fife (various locations): Worth the win here for their custard-filled fudge doughnuts alone, which taste heavenly but could give you diabetes simply by looking at them.

Kilau, Little Belmont St Aberdeen

Jackie Lunn, The Borders (various locations)