Empires

Pretty though it may be, it's hard to deny that walking down Edinburgh's Royal Mile can, at times, feel a little like walking through a kaleidoscope of ram-it-down-yer-throat displays of Scottishness. Safe to say the constant sea of tartan scarves, restaurants serving Balmoral Chicken and distant hum of bagpipes isn't for everyone.

If you fancy diversifying but don't want to stray far from the Old Town, take a sharp right down St Mary's street and find yourself transported to the hip backstreets of Turkey with a trip to Empire's Cafe. This place may be dinky, but it's much adored by its regulars for its relaxed boho atmosphere and traditional folk music offerings. The bistro specialises in mezze platters, as well as offering a healthy range of main courses and aromatic coffees.

The upper mezzanine is perfect for accommodating larger parties, while the lower level is made up of wee nooks and crannies; ideal for snuggling up over a bowl of houmous. This is the kind of food you're going to want to share too and with a 'keep 'em coming' type attitude towards their party platters, you can rest assured that you'll be able to get your money's worth.

Expect to find all manner of Turkish delights (see what we did there?), with dolma (stuffed vine leaves), falafel, kofte (meatballs) and sucuk (air-dried Turkish garlic sausage) all coming pretty high up on our list of things to try, as well as a sticky sweet baklava that'll round off the evening with a sweet touch.