RESTAURANTS NEARBY
Restaurants in Edinburgh are likely to be fully booked on a Friday and Saturday night and so if you would like to go to, say, the Rabbit Hole or the Left Field, it is good to book beforehand. If you are used to continental opening hours, be advised that kitchens in Scotland very often close between 8 and 9 in the evening.
RECOMMENDED RESTAURANTS
The blue dot is 3 Sciennes Road
The Rabbit Hole and Pomelo are open at lunchtime and in the evening (recommended but you will have to book).
EASY WALKING DISTANCE FROM THE HOUSE
The Rabbit Hole (Restaurant) (1 minute) (4.7 on Tripadviser)
11 Roseneath Street
(Turn right, go past the Argyle Pub, and it is on your right)
Popular quality restaurant that is good …. even excellent …. value for money (count somewhere in the region of £30 to £50 per person depending on what you order). It is my go to place with visits from friends, birthdays and other celebrations. They have a website with a menu. Open at lunchtime and in the evening from 6 pm to 10 pm.
NADAIR (4.9 on Tripadviser)
15 Roseneath Street
I have not been but it gets good reviews (not sure all of them are authentic … they all seem to say the same thing). Very basic décor and cost of £65+ per person for an evening meal. Soi probably has to be a bit of special occassion.
https://www.restaurantnadair.com/menu
ARGILE (5 on trip adviser)
21 Argyle Place
Also one that I have not been too. Clients sit around a kitchen bar that looks onto the kitchen area where the meal is prepared. Seems a bit intense for me but amateurs of fine dining will, most probably, appreciate. The price is also “special occasions”. Seasonal multi-course menu £100 (service included).
https://www.argilerestaurant.co.uk/food
It is best to reserve for all three restaurants.
15 TO 20 MINUTES WALK
LEFT FIELD (15 mins walk) (4.7 on Tripadvisor)
12 Barclay Terrace, Edinburgh EH10 4HP
Have not been to this one myself but have been meaning to. This small restaurant (6 tables) is only open Thursday to Sunday (inclusive) and gets really top class reviews. It is also at a comfortable walking distance from the house across an open park (Bruntsfield Links). If you hope to go in the evening, this is going to be one that you will almost certainly have to reserve weeks (if not months before). It is easier to get a lunch time slot a few days before. Pricing will be roughly the same as for The Rabbit Hole (so count on somewhere between £60 and £120 for two).
DAVID BANN (23 mins walk) (4.4 on Tripadvisor)
56-58 St Mary’s St, Edinburgh EH1 1SX
Quality vegetarian restaurant with a good reputation. Open from 12 to 10 p.m. Has a website that is easily accessed by typing in David Bann restaurant Edinburgh.
RISTORANTE ISOLA (less than 15 mins walk) (4.7 on Tripadvisor)
85-87 Newington Rd, Newington, Edinburgh EH9 1QW
Open every day until 21.30 or 22.30 on Friday and Saturday
Pleasant, family run Sardinian restaurant. It has a bit of a café/ tea room feel to it but the service is great (or always has been whenever I go) and the food varies from pizzas to more exotic Italian food and, at least the last time I ordered it, a wonderful, reasonably priced seafood platter for two. Good value for money, great mid-range Italian food and lovely service.
MACAU KITCHEN (Restaurant) (less than 15 mins walk) (4.8 on Tripadvisor)
93 St Leonard Street.
Pleasant little family run restaurant that does a fusion of Portuguese and Chinese family cooking (hence the name). Not really fine dining – although it does get very good reviews – but, perhaps, worth it for the experience. The British comic Phil Wang rates it very hightly. Staff are very friendly and engaging.
BLONDE (4.7 on Tripadvisor)
71-75 St. Leonard’s St, Edinburgh EH8 9QR (15 mins walk)
Easy to get a last minute reservation at this well-priced restaurant (including at the weekend). Not really Michelin starred dining but does what it says on the tin. Slightly surprised by the Tripadvisor score: 3.7 or something for me.
HAPPY HOT POT (15 mins walk) (3.4 on Tripadvisor)
1 S Clerk St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9NZ
Chinese hot pot restaurant that is popular with a (usually young) Chinese clientele. Interior is in the style of an American diner. It is quite an experience in itself.
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OTHER PLACES TO GO
South Clerk Street/ Nicholson Street (20 mins walk)
TANJORE (Restaurant) (4.2 on Tripadvisor)
6-8 Clerk St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8
Cheap and cheerful, family run Tamil cuisine (from the south of India). Recommended. If you want to drink alcohol, bring your own bottle (or cans).
Otherwise, there is a wide variety of restaurants on Nicholson Street and South Clerk Street closer to us than the Tanjore (see below).
South Clerk Street/ Nicholson Street has a whole range of (mostly cheap and cheerful) restaurants … Korean, Mediterranean, Italian… The Korean restaurants such as On Bap have a café feel but good food. There is also a good, sit in and take away Turkish fast food place – Marmaris – that does kebabs but also a whole range of Turkish food offerings. These restaurants will come up on trip adviser or yelp. If not, on South Clerk Street/ Nicholson Street, you can also just wander down until you find one that appeals to you.
These are just a selection of the restaurants on Nicholson Street
Broughton Street (30 mins walk)
The Café Royal is a beautiful bar in the New Town After that Broughton Street (east end of Princes Street and near top of Leith Walk) is a good place to have a drink and find a pleasant restaurant. Just type in “Restaurants Broughton Street” and the Google Map with the restaurants will come up. Going this far down will also give you a chance to visit the New Town by night (classical architecture, upmarket flats but also, basically, during the day, a lot of office space). It is recommended that you reserve before going to a quality restaurant in the centre: they are likely to be fully booked already if you simply turn up on a Friday or a Saturday night especially.
B901 is Broughton Street
COCO: 66 x 5 star reviews (and nothing less than 5 stars) cannot be bad. Count £45 per head for an evening meal.
High Street and Castle Restaurants
The Mitre Bar (4.0 on Tripadvisor) (20 to 25 min walk .. avoid using a car)
131-133 High Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1SG
Smart looking bar with tables in booths at the back. Food in a British pub style genre. If you have been in Scotland for any time, you will know the routine: fish and chips, steak pie, burgers …
Canonball Restaurant and Bar (4.4 on Tripadvisor)
This is a smart restaurant more for special occassions than for everday purposes. Has great views of the castle and is about 20 mins walk from the house: