INSIDER The best places to eat and drink in Edinburgh
Celebrate in Scotland’s festive capital this holiday season, with comfort food from reinvented pubs, fusion dishes that blend Asia with Ayrshire and some gloriously grand places for seasonal cocktails and treat-yourself afternoon teas
AIZLE
There’s no menu at this modern bistro in the vibrant Southside neighbourhood, just a blackboard of 20 monthly changing seasonal ingredients. Tell your waiter if there’s anything you can’t eat, then settle in for five courses of sophisticated food. Most of the produce is Scottish, but expect Asian influences too like katsuboshi (dried tuna flakes) that seem to dance around its accompanying sea bream as fish velouté is poured over. Five courses for £45. aizle.co.uk SO
BABA THE VOYAGE OF BUCK THE HONOURS SABOTEUR
The people behind Glasgow restaurant Ox and Finch have brought their globetrotting culinary style to this Levantine-inspired brasserie. Scottish nose-to-tail dining meets the Yemen in a take on a shawarma kebab made with cuts from Scotch lamb cooked on a charcoal robata rotisserie grill and served with pitta, tabbouleh, pickles, harissa and zhug – a sort of Middle Eastern pesto. Mains from £9.75. baba.restaurant CD, CE
This stylishly converted pub (named after royal travel companion William ‘Buck’ Clarence who lived at the address in the 19th century), serves the best cocktails in Edinburgh. The signature yellow pepper sour with tequila, chamomile-infused sherry and yellow pepper syrup is representative of barman Mike Mcginty’s chef-like approach to drink making. The modern British menu is also worth seeking out. Mains from £12.95.thevoyageofbuckedinburgh.co.uk CD
If you want to introduce the kids to the delights of grown-up dining, there is no better place than Martin Wishart’s luxurious city centre Art Deco brasserie. Forget goujons; think steak and chips as part of a £12.50 children’s menu. Parents will bask in the sleek service and cooking that bears comparison to Wishart’s Michelin-starred flagship in Leith. Adult mains from £16.50. thehonours.co.uk CD, SO, CF
This modern Vietnamese restaurant, close to the university, is a sister of the hip Ting Thai Caravan and shares a stripped back aesthetic. A bowl of addictively aromatic kuay tiaw tom yam soup noodles packed with roast and minced pork, prawns and fish balls will fill you up, but don’t miss the terrific pork belly. Mains from £6.50. facebook.com/saboteuredinburgh CD, CE
LE ROI FOU
Swiss-born chef Jérôme Henry made his name in London as head of Mosimann’s Dining Club and Les Trois Garçons before heading north to open this charming neighbourhood bistro in Broughton. Ask for one of the two window booths or dine at the bar and order scallops, fresh from the Isle of Skye, served with scallop dumplings and an aromatic lemongrass broth. The £17.50 for two courses pre-theatre and lunch menus are a good-value way to try Henry’s superlative cooking . Mains from £14.50. leroifou.com SO, CD
PALM COURT, THE BALMORAL HOTEL
If you like a spot of unashamed luxury with your scones, look no further than afternoon tea in the Palm Court, with its Corinthian columns, glass dome ceiling and real palm trees. A range of teas, grown in Scotland, are poured into fine bone china cups to the sound of live harp music. Begin with a white onion soup, followed by a game sausage roll, seasonal finger sandwiches and finish with beautiful cakes and pastries. Afternoon tea, £40. roccofortehotels.com SO
THE IVY ON THE SQUARE
The Ivy might be a rapidly growing nationwide chain of modern brasseries, but you’d never know it from this glitzy new addition. A riot of colour with burnt orange and yellow leather banquettes and walls crammed with modern art, it even draws a glamorous crowd at breakfast who come for healthy options like organic granola. Ask for a table upstairs for views over the green at St Andrew’s Square or take a stool at the marbletopped bar to sample a flight of fine Scotch whiskies. Mains from £12.75. theivyedinburgh.com CD, SO
QUAY COMMONS
If you can’t get a reservation at the lauded and popular Gardener’s Cottage, you can get a taste of what you’re missing at this minimalist Scandi-chic café and wine bar under the same ownership, set in a converted warehouse on the quay in Leith. Buns, made in-house, are filled with Arbroath smokie, preserved lemon, crème fraîche and dill, or roasted lamb belly and pear, plus a list of boutique wines are available to drink at off licence prices. Dishes from £7. quaycommons.co CE
SALT HORSE
Tucked away on a side street off the Royal Mile, this casual bar looks unassuming enough but it’s a place of pilgrimage for lovers of craft beer. There’s an everchanging line up of 12 keg beers and around 400 different canned and bottled beers from around the globe. Food is provided by a roster of kitchen residencies, currently its burgers from the acclaimed Meat: Stack. Mains from £7. salthorse.beer CE
Accommodation for this feature was provided by G&V Royal Mile Hotel, quorvuscollection.com.
Andy Lynes is a freelance food, drink and travel writer specialising in the UK dining scene. He is the editor of Brighton’s Best Cookbook. @andylynes