Best restaurants in Edinburgh

Stepping into Aizle is like stepping into a warm rustic countryside kitchen. The focus here is on homemade, seasonal food and the constantly evolving six-course tasting menu guarantees some pleasant surprises.  

Executive chef Jeff Bland is in charge of the formal flagship of the Balmoral hotel. The modern French menu makes good use of seasonal ingredients, plus there are tasting menus and wine pairings for big spenders. 

This Royal Mile restaurant comes courtesy of TV chef Paul Wedgwood. It’s a chic setting for refined modern Scottish cooking that is as creative as the surroundings are elegant. Like the food, the wine list changes with the seasons.

Located in Edinburgh's Leith district, Season Quayside offers an intimate restaurant and events space. A sleek and versatile dining room comes with neutral backdrops and candelabras to act as a dramatic centrepiece as you dine. Menus here are varied, with pop up dining events every Thursday that boast dishes from around the world.

Beautiful, seasonal tasting menus in a pared-back modern dining room give Heron its timeless appeal that make it as equally suited to dates as it is for sophisticated parties when you really want to impress. 

Noto is chef Stuart Ralston's second Edinburgh-based venture, following the success of Aizle. Minimalist New York inspired décor shines the spotlight on the main event; Noto’s small Asian-accented sharing plates.  

Skua’s older sibling Heron nabbed a Michelin star in 2023, and though Skua is a little more casual and budget-friendly, it’s no less popular. Small, seasonal plates make up the majority of the menu, with influence taken from far and wide across the globe - expect anything from koji chicken and pork belly sandos to sticky toffee pudding, washed down by an innovative cocktail list.

One of Edinburgh's long-standing restaurant institutions, Ondine combines views of the city’s most famous landmarks with the finest Scottish seafood. A sparkling crustacean bar reveals the freshness of ingredients that need only the lightest of chef touches to shine.

The fame of this Michelin-starred restaurant extends well beyond Edinburgh, not least due to Tom Kitchin’s regular TV appearances. The chef’s ‘from nature to plate’ food philosophy results in destination dining of the highest order.

Chef Mark Greenaway's restaurant on the ground floor of the Waldorf Astoria if a very effective showcase for his unfussy, skillful cooking style. Despite the name, Grazing majors in hearty dishes of rich meats, while the casual surroundings encourage lingering.

Pared-back plates of just a few gorgeous ingredients sum up The Palmerston’s signture style. With an in-house bakery, bread and sweet treats aren’t to be missed, and thanks to an ever-evolving seasonal menu, there’s always a reason to revisit.

Fhior is the Gaelic word for ‘true’ and chef Scott Smith’s restaurant stays true to its ethos with a seasonal menu based on Scottish ingredients, some of them foraged. Expect small plates at lunch and an evening tasting menu.

With luxurious interiors and a menu to match, The Spence is the flagship restaurant at Gleneagles Townhouse. Expect a menu bursting with top-drawer Scottish ingredients and don’t skip dessert: it is delivered via the trolly of your childhood dreams.

Offering some of the best views of any restaurant in Edinburgh, The Lookout is an impressive spot to have up your sleeve for dates or dinners with out-of-town friends. A very reasonably priced, inventive set menu is the order of the day here.

If it’s your first-time in Edinburgh and you want the full-on Royal Mile experience, you can’t beat The Witchery. With its extravagant baronial style and mood of candlelit romance, it’s the closest you can get to dining in the castle itself.

Set within one of Edinburgh's most famous hotels and boasting stunning views of the Castle, The Pompadour is a landmark in every sense. A more innovative new direction combines French technique with Asian and Scandinavian influences.  

This popular, full-throttle Thai spot is forever busy, despite the no bookings policy. Get stuck into a massive menu of familiar favourites, ranging from pad Thai and noodle stir fries to Thai curries, soups galore and more. The interiors are simple - dark timber panelling, exposed silver vents and communal tables - but it’s all about the raucous fun and no-holds-barred cooking here.

This intimate Michelin-starred eatery offers a surprise, no choice, tasting menu designed by chef Conor Toomey. Modern dishes are beautifully prepared and presented, with delicate flavours carefully chosen to enhance each other. Definitely one for the adventurous, but be prepared to book well ahead - since winning the star, tables have been in short supply.

The fin-de-siècle look of this Edinburgh institution looks more like something you’d find in Le Marais than the New Town. The cooking has a stronger British accent than the Parisian-style surrounds suggest but the wines are très French.

It might look like a cosy local, but with ex-Castle Terrace chef Roberta Hall-McCarron in the kitchen, you can be sure the food here punches well above its easy-going appearance. Short seasonal menus guarantee freshness and thoughtfulness, while staff are friendly. 

A sibling of Mother India in Glasgow, this Edinburgh offshoot serves the same good-value Indian tapas as the original, making it a good bet for a cheap eat in the Socttish capital even if you're not a student at the nearby university.

Emerald tiles and brass fittings reflect the Victorian heritage of this building on Newhaven harbour where the view of fishing boats and the Forth bridges gets the juices flowing for freshly cooked fish & chips to eat in or take away.

Ka Pao deals in big, bold flavours based on southeast Asian flavours. It’s a recipe for success, with the dining room packed on any given day. Don’t skip the fish sauce caramel fried chicken and order at least one of the fragrant curries.

Neighbourhood restaurant Borough matches clean, seasonal, modern cooking with suitably minimal interiors, and it's clearly a recipe for success as Borough is often busy. The focus is firmly on great Scottish produce, and endearing service ensures plenty of locals come back at regular intervals. 

Michelin-starred since 2001, this slick restaurant is the showcase for one of Scotland’s most famous chefs, Martin Wishart. Scottish ingredients combine with French technique on the seasonal menu; vegetarians get their own tasting menu.

Chef Tom Kitchin has almost every eating eventuality in Edinburgh covered and this Stockbridge gastropub ticks the boxes for casual and family-friendly. Expect classy pub grub, bar food, weekend breakfasts, Sunday roasts and Scottish beers.

Not content with running just one phenomenal restaurant in Edinburgh, The Little Chartroom team is also behind the excellent Eleanore too, which offers a refined seasonal menu full of fine British-inspired foods and wine in a casual and intimate setting. 

Copper pans, posters of Edith Piaf: there’s no mistaking you’re eating in a French restaurant here, even if you didn’t know that it was owned by proud Frenchman Fred Berkmiller. Expect Gallic classics washed down with French wines.

Chef David Bann raids the global larder for his innovative vegetarian restaurant that is Edinburgh’s best place to eat for anyone following a meat-free diet. Modern interiors reflect the kitchen’s forward-looking outlook.

Eorna is a two-man-show run by chef Brian Grigor and sommelier Glen Montgomery, who bring a wealth of experience from Scottish restaurant royalty (Restaurant Andrew Fairlie and Number One) to this chef's counter experience in Stockbridge. Ultra-personal service and precision tasting menus have made this a smash hit since it opened in early 2023.

With its shabby-chic style and commitment to foraging, butchery, curing and growing your own, Timberyard is a restaurant for our times. Multi-course menus, much of it adorned with herbs and flowers, are best enjoyed in the alfresco yard.

With vegetable patches out front, there’s no mistaking this Victorian building for the gardener’s cottage it once was. The cooking follows suit with dishes in which the vegetable component is as considered as the prime Scottish protein.

Not content with having conquered London, the unstoppable meat-grillers have opened up a grand site in the heart of the Scottish capital. Expect all your favourites - a wide range of steak cuts, comforting sides, and a good helping of Scottish seafood too. Great food leads to fantastic atmosphere too, as throngs of happy diners create a wonderful buzz in this old banking hall.