Mentioned by Culture Trip
The Best Restaurants in Edinburgh
"For a tasty ‘create your own’ lunch, try Red-Box Noodle Bar and have your pick of whichever meat, vegetables, noodles, sauce and garnishes you like. Regardless of what you go for, the price per noodle box is always £5.80, and it’s more than enough to fuel you up for the rest of the day. If you’re more peckish in the evening, you can order a meal deal for one, adding any starter and any soft drink to your customised noodle box for a total price of £8.80."
"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!"
"If you're a big fan of really authentic dim sum dishes you'll find great quality food on offer here at great value prices. This small and unassuming restaurant is to be found just off Leith Walk and you're unlikely to think much of it looking at the outside, but don't be fooled, an irresistible range of Chinese cuisine awaits you within. There are only eight tables and it could be described as cozy, but the food is fresh and impossible to pass up."
"But it’s the food that matters and Stack serves the best Dim Sum in Edinburgh. Though Dim Sum is traditionally a late morning meal in China, having a multitude of baskets of delicious steamed parcels of joy is an ideal lunch or dinner choice. It can get very busy as they only have a few tables, so make sure to book in advance."
"Why: Don’t be alarmed by the blue and purple neon lighting and heavy black velvet curtains at Karen’s Unicorn – the food is as fun and inviting as its name. The subtle Cantonese cooking is evident in house specialities such as salt and spice squid, and steamed seabass in a black bean sauce. Right in the centre of town, it’s also good for lunch when sightseeing or a hearty meal before painting the town red."
"These guys do both sit-in and takeaway meals, and a quick glance at the reviews reveals that their dim sum is an out-and-out treat. For the restaurant to have had almost 1000 reviews and still sit near the top of the pile with such a fantastic rating tells you how good it is. However some do say it's a touch on the small side, so best to book to make sure you get a table."
"You'll find traditional Cantonese cuisine on offer at the extremely popular Karen's Unicorn Chinese Restaurant in the heart of Edinburgh's New Town. It has been so successful that there are actually two restaurants now within a few streets of each other. They offer a huge menu packed with tempting house specialties and a number of set banquets."
"Why: B&D’s Kitchen has been serving up traditional Cantonese food to the hungry people of Edinburgh since 2012, and has since then climbed to the upper tiers of the best Chinese restaurants in town. Limited seating, phone-booking only and its no-corkage BYOB policy mean this is a popular spot. Turning out all the usual suspects from the Cantonese kitchen, dishes such as the Peking duck and lobster with ginger and spring onion should be on your hit-list."
"This restaurant on Dalry Road is quite simply the best in the business according to TripAdvisor reveiewers. It's had hundreds of positive reviews while it doesn't take long to count up the number who were unimpressed. One reviewer said that the experience of visiting the restaurant was like "sitting in the owner's kitchen as it's so small and intimate"."
"B&D's Kitchen is a real treat for lovers of Cantonese and Chinese food. Hiding behind an unassuming shop front on Dalry Road, the simple decor and unfussy approach is a refreshing change from the ornate and rather kitsch style adopted by many Chinese restaurants. Bare stone walls are adorned by a few well-chosen pictures and decorations."
"There are a number of buffet style Chinese restaurants in Edinburgh, but China Red is arguably the best. With an absolutely massive range of dishes, even the pickiest diner will find something to their taste, and their high tech buffet tables ensure the hot dishes remain hot and the chilled dishes nice and cool. The range includes all of the classics you would expect with numerous seafood and vegetarian offerings as well."
"Why: Often, Chinese food is associated with buffets, and although buffets are – in our not so humble opinion – one of life’s little wonders, they sometime get a negative (and unfair) reputation. Not at China Red’s two Edinburgh sites, though. The buffets are loved by the locals and we can understand why with a regularly changing menu and neatly presented desserts."
"Always fresh, delicious food with a variety so much bigger than any other Chinese buffet I've been to. Polite staff, funky entrance and good availability of seating space." 30 Grindlay Street, EH3 9AP"
"With the Royal Lyceum Theatre and the Usher Hall nearby, not to mention the busy Lothian Road area, Jasmine is a popular Chinese restaurant. Visitors enjoy dining here before or after shows and it caters for groups of all sizes. Menu selections include beautifully presented seafood dishes."
"A post shared by edibledinburgh🍴 (@edibledinburgh) on Feb 23, 2016 at 6:19am PST. Though its name is ‘Bonsai’, this restaurant’s menu is anything but small!. It offers dumplings, soups, rice, sushi, and more – with pickles and other sides galore."
"Bonsai is a great spot for an inexpensive lunch, with cheap bento box and sushi deals on offer everyday. Their hand rolls are particularly tasty, especially the spicy tuna. And their green tea creme brûlée is the perfect post-sushi dessert."
"Despite there being millions of children in the world, there’s only one Museum of Childhood. This is one of the best free things to do in Edinburgh for families thanks to its fun and interactive exhibits. There are lots of games and toys including a few with emotional stories, for example a teddy bear that travelled on a Kindertransport train destined to rescue children from Nazi Germany."
"The Museum of Childhood situated on the iconic Royal Mile showcases a rich and nostalgic collection of toys, clothes and memorabilia from the last century, spread over three floors. The first museum in the world dedicated to the history of childhood, it…"
"With an interactive puppet theatre and dress up area, this is a spot for the whole family as adults can reminisce about old toys and the kids can see what came before the Xbox and iPads."
"Sister to the Museum of Edinburgh and also set on the Royal Mile – this time in the 1591 Tolbooth building – this oral history museum delves into the lives of working people in the city, from the 18th century to the late 20th century. You’ll see recreations of a bookbinder’s workshop, a wartime kitchen complete with vintage packaging and a grisly jail cell."
"A post shared by This is Edinburgh (@thisisedinburgh) on Jul 11, 2017 at 5:52am PDT. The People’s Story Museum, as its name suggests, features the everyday lives of Edinburgh’s citizens — from their jobs to what they do for leisure. Opened in 1989, the museum is housed in a former prison that was operational since 1591."
"A post shared by Edinburgh Food Porn & Reviews (@plateexpectations) on Jul 7, 2017 at 3:45am PDT. Part of a chain of three restaurants dotted across Edinburgh, Maki and Ramen offers soothing bowls of broth with braised bean curd (or try the ‘Hell Ramen’ if you dare!) and then plenty of fresh sushi to have on the side or as an additional course. This is probably the best sushi restaurant on this list for vegetarians, too, thanks to its thoughtful and delectable vegetarian set dishes."
"Source: Photo by user in Bourke Street, used under CC BY-SA 2.0. This shop is a little off the beaten path, but if you’re looking to take someone on a rainy day date (or you’re just too lazy to microwave yourself some soup – which I feel), head over to Maki Ramen and watch cars and people walk by while you guzzle down a bowl of hot ramen. Don’t forget to read the post-it note memories and doodles left on the wall by other customers, and maybe add your own to the mix!"