Mentioned by Culture Trip
The Best Restaurants in Edinburgh
"This noodle bar invites you to tailor your order based on a selection of ho fun, ramen, udon, egg or rice noodles, then add duck, vegetables, tofu, pork, chicken or beef. Throw in three bits of colour and roughage, customise things with options of chilli, spring onion or coriander, and finally pick from one of ten sauces. One of these paper Chinese takeaway boxes filled to the brim will set you back an overdraft-friendly £5.60."
"Red Box Noodle Bar is a lively diner and takeaway restaurant located a short walk from Edinburgh's historic Royal Mile. Known for its speedy service, consistent high quality and good value for money Red Box is popular with students, tourists, locals and Festival goers alike. They offer a wide range of snack boxes as starters, everything from spicy chicken wings to crispy won ton and succulent pork dumplings."
"Build-your-own meal is the order of the day at this popular noodle bar. You choose everything from the kind of noodle (egg, rice, ramen etc) to the meat, vegetables and sauce in the mix – which, even if you’re picky, makes it rather hard to go wrong!"
"Dusit provides a modern take on traditional Thai cuisine using local produce combined with exotic spices imported from Thailand. Many dishes have been given whimsical nicknames, such as "run-away fish" for the Thai staple Tod Mun Pla (fishcake) and "lovely lady" for teriyaki prawns, but there is no doubt that the chefs take their jobs very seriously, as they consistently serve food of the highest quality. The decor is minimalist with crisp white linen complimenting black wooden tables and some beautifully understated Thai art, including a wonderfully serene Buddha."
"A Thai restaurant that’s a cut above the rest, Dusit can be found on offbeat Thistle Street. There’s a wealth of great dishes to choose from here, but anything with monkfish, scallops or king prawns comes especially recommended. This slightly hidden gem is a small space with tables to match, so it is often pretty busy."
"This space is a working studio, gallery, non-profit organisation and shop. It's the first open-access printmaking studio in Britain, and has been going strong since 1967. Visitors can watch artists at work, see an exhibition, attend a lecture or buy original prints, books, jewellery and other splendid stuff in the shop."
"Located at the east end of Princes Street, you’ll find the newest edition to Edinburgh’s shopping centres – St James Quarter. From beauty to clothing, electronics to footwear, this 4-storey centre covers 1.7 million square feet and includes restaurants, cafés, bars, shops, public spaces and leisure venues. A Roomzzz aparthotel where guests can stay for one night, one week, or even up to a year, as well as Edinburgh’s first boutique Everyman cinema will open during future phases."
"The lunch menu at Bell’s Diner has barely changed in 40 years, but why change a winning formula?. This cute little diner on the corner of St Stephen Street has been serving up gourmet burgers long before the likes of Byron got in on the act. Its steaks are also excellent and come with a choice of five sauces (go for the garlic butter), while the large hot fudge sundae pancakes are legendary in these parts."
"Run by Scotland’s youngest Michelin-star chef, Tom Kitchin (a man whose name was made for a career in the hospitality industry), this eponymous restaurant is the place to go to push the boat out. Splash out on the £140 “prestige” tasting menu to fully appreciate Kitchin’s sheer brilliance and culinary philosophy, as espoused in his book From Nature to Plate. This entails sourcing the finest local ingredients and cooking using the classical French technique honed under his mentor Pierre Koffman."
"A little out of the city center, in fashionable Leith, is The Kitchin. Opened in 2006 by husband and wife team Tom Kitchin, chef, and Michaela Kitchin, hotelier, The Kitchin is a French/Scottish fusion restaurant, using French techniques on local produce. The pair are passionate about sustainability and sourcing local Scottish produce for their menus, and their passion shines through in their beautifully presented dishes."
"There was only going to be one winner on this list and Tom Kitchin's chic Michelin-starred eatery was the only one of our top restaurants to score higher than 90 per cent. Our premier critic Gaby Soutar reviewed the celebrity chef's eponymous eatery in 2015, waxing lyrical about everything from the decor to the desserts - which she described as "symphonies of tasty bits"."
"Number one on Tripadvisor is the Skyline Restaurant At Tynecastle Park, with reviews boasting of "superb" and "outstanding" food which is "cooked to perfection". Photo: David Mollison"