Aizle
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
Chef Stuart Ralston’s innovative tasting menu is an exciting leap in the dark, simply a list of seasonal ‘harvest’ ingredients.
Good for age: 18+
Travel bucket list idea:
Edinburgh’s best food & drink
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Last updated: 14 November, 2024
Edinburgh is the epicentre of Scotland’s vibrant food and drink scene. Once the butt of gastronomic jokes, for years now it has been celebrated instead for the bounty of its natural larder.
The capital’s restaurant scene is geared less towards Michelin star counts – although it has a smattering of these – and more towards field-to-plate and communal dining experiences, driven by chefs specialising in culinary acrobatics and pushing the boundaries, such as Aizle’s Stuart Ralston and Fhior’s Scott Smith.
There are more and more speciality food stores and delis springing up (stock up on local venison charcuterie), artisan bakers (tuck into smoked salmon bagels) and cheesemongers on every corner. Once there was one farmers’ market in the shadow of the cathedral – now there are five.
Local ingredients & flavours
It’s all about small plates, grazing menus and ingredients so seasonal, local and fresh you have to brush the soil from your plate.
Carnivores can tuck into wild venison, seaweed-grazed lamb and prime Aberdeen Angus beef. For fish-eaters there are hand-dived scallops from the west coast, Loch Fyne oysters to shuck, plump rope-grown mussels from Shetland’s chilly waters and artisan smoked salmon. It’s the produce and its provenance that shines.
And of course, Scotland is the home of the best whisky in the world, produced in world-class distilleries all around the region.
What to try
Haggis, neeps and tatties (haggis, turnips and mashed potato) is the best-known Scottish dish, and is surprisingly tasty. Many restaurants serve a contemporary gourmet take on the dish. All washed down with an obligatory dram or two.
Also see Lucy’s round-up of traditional Scottish foods you must try in Scotland.
Recommendations
East Coast Cured
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
Near Leith’s revamped docklands, this tiny artisan charcuterie producer sells venison, sloe gin salami and rare breed smoked chorizo.
Good for age: 18+
Edinburgh Farmers’ Market
Edinburgh , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
In the shadow of the castle, the original farmer’s market has jauntily striped stalls stocked with sauerkraut, smoked salmon and Arbroath Smokies. Held every Saturday from 9am-2pm, 3 mins walk from Edinburgh Castle.
Good for age: 18+
I.J. Mellis Cheesemonger
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
This artisan cheesemonger has been a stalwart on the Edinburgh food scene for almost 30 years. They’ve now opened a ‘Cheese Lounge’ at the back of the Morningside store where you can sample the signature cheeseboard and other cheesy dishes.
Good for age: 18+
Edinburgh , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
If you can’t make it to a distillery, this is the next best thing.
Fully guided tours educate and inspire visitors about Scotch whisky, covering all aspects of production, geography and appreciation. You can experience the whisky-making process and pick up some fascinating snippets of history along the way. Tours also include a nosing and tasting, as well as a glimpse of the largest Scotch whisky collection in the world (3,384 bottles of Scotch Whisky).
If you’re not up for the full, tutored tour, the whisky sommelier in the downstairs bar ‘Amber’ will select your perfect dram from over 450 whisky varieties. They can also advise on a Scottish cheese or tapas accompaniment.
Adult price: £17
Min age 18
Good for age: 18+
Stockbridge Market
Edinburgh , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
Every Sunday, a pretty corner of this Edinburgh neighbourhood is home to a weekly artisan producer market of around 50 stalls, selling hot food, local produce and hand-made treats. Stockbridge is worth a visit too, with vintage shops and quirky cafes.
Good for age: 18+
The Chocolatarium
Edinburgh , Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
This micro-chocolate factory in the city centre offers 90-minute introduction tours to all aspects of chocolate-making, and you get you create your own bar to take away. There are also truffle-making masterclasses, and a unique chocolate and Scottish whisky experience that pairs artisan chocolates with single malts.
Adult price: £20
Good for age: 8+
The Gardener’s Cottage
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
This pretty 19th-century gardener’s cottage, with its carefully tended kitchen garden, is chef Dale Mailley’s earthy field-to-fork, rustic communal dining spot.
Adult price: £35
Good for age: 18+
White Horse Oyster & Seafood Bar
Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom (UK)
Experience
At the bottom of the Royal Mile, in what was once the oldest inn in Edinburgh, this cosy seafood restaurant dishes up succulent seafood platters and small dishes – think crab Scotch Eggs with wasabi mayo, charred octopus, monkfish satay along with three types of oyster (Caledonian, Loch Fyne and Carlingford) freshly shucked at the bar.
Good for age: 18+
Logistics
Price: Free
Minimum age: 0
Age suitable: 18+
When: All year around
Duration: Any
Getting there & doing it
The gentrified docklands down in Leith are a real foodie enclave with no fewer than four Michelin-starred restaurants, along with gastropubs, seafood restaurants and bars lining the shore.
The chic neighbourhood ‘villages’ of Stockbridge and Bruntsfield, meanwhile, have plenty of cute eateries and bars away from the crowds.
Who to go with: organised tours
Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity
Edinburgh
Our Whisky and Folklore tour is unlike any other experience in Edinburgh. We take you to our personal, custom designed, whisky venue where you will be served four classic Single Malt Scotch Whiskies and immerse ourselves in the great cultural importance of whisky and storytelling in Scotland.
The ticket price includes the cost of the whiskies. 4 great single malt Scotch whiskies will be served over the tour. Drink alternatives are available upon request for those who do not drink whisky.
Price £16
Min age 18
Rating 4.94 / 5 [852 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Edinburgh
On our Secret Food Tour: Edinburgh, you will not just eat delicious treats but also learn about the history of the food so you can understand Edinburgh's thriving culinary scene. You'll see Edinburgh's Old Town on a personal level and taste the dishes beloved by the locals.
At the end of your tour, you'll have sampled some of Edinburgh's most delicious dishes and gained a better understanding of our culture and history.
Price £95
Min age 0
Rating 4.89 / 5 [771 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Edinburgh
Explore Edinburgh through food and drink.
On this walking tour, your local guide will share the story of the city and you'll enjoy stops along the way our favourite local restaurants to sample Scottish food and drinks.
Price £105
Min age 0
Rating 4.81 / 5 [438 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Edinburgh
Edinburgh's first food tour in 2011 - Eat Walk is locally owned.
We share the story of the city through food and drink and enjoy access to small locally owned restaurants, wine bars, breweries, distilleries and members only venues.
We love what we do and our philosophy is to deliver happiness to you, our guests, the venues we work with and ourselves in the work that we do.
Private tours can be customised to suit your interests. Our standard tour format includes a walking tour, visits to four restaurants with seated reservations to enjoy a full meal with paired drinks.
The food we typically include is a mixture of traditional Scottish cuisine, family favourite comfort foods and the unexpected.
Expect tutored drinks tastings. We specialise in revealing how much you already know. We'll ask you the right questions that unlock your hidden sommelier talents introducing you to small local producer whisky, cider, beer and soft drinks. Customise to include fine wine, whisky or gin.
Price £234
Min age 0
Rating 4.90 / 5 [216 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
Edinburgh
The 2 hour crawl will be packed full of the finest of Edinburgh's brie-liant cheeses, with very mature fun facts, and the chance to heckle your quizmaster with your favourite cheese puns that will have your group crumbling faster than a Wensleydale.
You have not truly explored Edinburgh until you tour Edinburgh as a turophile. Get involved in Edinburgh’s first and grate-est cheese crawl!
The crawl is 2.5 hours of non stop in-curd-edible action. There will be a cheese whizz quiz and of course a little bit of fizz.
The crawl will start at Saint Stephen's Comely Bank Church, and you will be taken on a journey packed full of the finest of Edinburgh's brie-liant cheeses. During the crawl there will be very mature fun facts, and the chance to heckle your quizmaster with your favourite cheese puns that will have your group crumbling faster than a Wensleydale. You will finish the crawl right by Leith walk.
Price £35
Min age 0
Rating 4.64 / 5 [198 ratings]
Tour supplied by:
