The best restaurants in Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh and Lothian

I’ve been visiting Jon Sharp’s coffee shops for nearly 15 years and have always thought the coffee was outstanding. I’ve also really appreciated the stories I’ve heard about Jon’s dedication to quality and consistency—it’s something I genuinely respect. That said, I’ve been increasingly frustrated by the constant prompt for a tip when ordering takeaway. A latte now costs £4.25, which I’m fine with—the quality is there, and I understand prices have gone up. But expecting a tip on top of that for a takeaway coffee feels unreasonable. I even asked one of the staff members once if they’d tip on a £4.25 takeaway coffee, and they laughed and said no. What bothers me more, though, is how the staff’s attitude often shifts when I choose to skip the tip. I’m still a paying customer. Why should my experience change because I didn’t tip for takeaway? It honestly makes me think twice about sitting in, which I also do regularly. By contrast, another favourite of mine is Artisan Roast. The coffee is slightly more affordable, the team is always warm and friendly, and they skip the tip screen automatically for takeaway—no awkwardness, no guilt-tripping. And it certainly doesn’t lack in quality. In fact, when you speak to coffee people around Edinburgh, it’s like the Apple vs. Android debate—everyone’s got a favourite, and both sides are passionate. I truly hope Jon Sharp sees this, because I’ve always admired what he’s built. But in times like these, when many people are struggling, the tipping setup makes a difference. Over the past 10 visits to Bruntsfield, I’ve consistently chosen Artisan Roast—and I’ve had a great experience each time. Today, I decided to return to Project Coffee, and unfortunately, it reminded me why I haven’t been back sooner.

Amazing gelato! We came here twice on our trip in Edinburgh, first time we got blueberry cheesecake gelato, and the second time we got kiwi sorbet. Both delicious and staff are very friendly. Definitely stop here if you find yourself on Cockburn Street.

Tuvimos un desayuno encantador aquí un sábado por la mañana. Personal agradable y amable. La comida era muy agradable definatley una clase por encima de todo era muy buena calidad y el café sabía tan bien! La única razón por la que doy un 4 sobre 5 es porque nuestra mesa era tan pegajosa y no estaba limpia correctamente que era horrible apoyar los brazos en ellos y sentir la pegajosidad : (

Excellent food and a wonderful staff and atmosphere! 😊

Delicious food.Great service. Highly recommend. Shredded Chicken chowmein was the best!

Great food. Staff friendly. Some good entertainment on a Saturday night.

A friendly authentic restaurant with impeccable service and attentive staff. Food worth coming back to every time I'm in Edinburgh

Food was delicious but the wait times were long. To be fair though the fringe was on and the restaurant was near full.

Afternoon Tea was superb! My first time in Scotland and first time and The Spence and I was blown away! Beautiful decor, amazing tea and even better service from Jess and Sasha who made the experience a 10/10 🥰 I loved it so much I’m lost for words which may be unhelpful but honestly you just have to go. Treat your day with a visit and be as happy as I am right now! So glad I had the extras too to take my Afternoon Tea to the next level.

Nourriture bonne en générale mais un peu cher je trouve. En entrée : Les Crispy duck roll et Crispy spring au porc (une sorte de nem avec une feuille a samoussa), 6,20 pour 2 portions (taille d'un rouleau de printemps) celui au canard avait un tranche de comcombre et un peu de poireau dedans... Très bizarre. Le porc ressemble un peu à l'intérieur d'un nem. Et 2 soupes "wonton" bonnes mais 6,80... Nous avons pris ensuite du beef steack cantonese style, du sweet and sour porc et du ma-po tofu accompagné de riz a l'oeuf. Tout été bon et en bonne quantité. Le service été bon mais la dame parlai très vite et je ne sais pas si c'est de coutume, mais elle nous a observé tout le long du repas, elle a fait beaucoup d'aller retour et c'était malaisant honnêtement ! C'est pas la peine de surveiller a ce point là les gens qui mangent. C'était pas mal pour la nourriture mais cher pour ce que c'est et l'ambiance moyenne donc le tout fait que je n'y retournerai pas. Merci quand même

Delicious lunch , great customer service in a beautiful restaurant.

We ordered two main courses and just had that to eat. One piece of salmon and one piece of celeri without any siding but a potato and 2 branches of salad.. And we paid £40!

Lovely wee coffeeshop. The staff were so friendly they actually made me smile and leave so happy with the coffee. This was such a nice experience.

Fantastic wee pub. Decent priced drinks by Edinburgh standards these days. Friendly staff, live music, quizzes and live sports and cracking well priced pizzas. Lovely proper old school pub. Photographs included in this review are mine and therefore subject to personal copyright. Please ask if you wish to use.

Oh wow! We thought it’ll be nice to have dinner in a restaurant instead of going to a pub! High hopes however the battered cod & chips was tasteless and pretty oily¿ How can a simple dish fail In a hotel restaurant! Never again