The best restaurants in Edinburgh, City of Edinburgh and Lothian

We enjoyed dinner twice during our stay in Edinburgh. The roasted chicken was delicious and the feta salad was tasty enough that we ordered it again the next time we were there. We enjoyed the slow roasted lamb shank that time at Sofia’s. We also their sticky toffee pudding for dessert which we were told was made with dates… it was scrumptious!! I highly recommend this restaurant.

Un amigo sugirió visitar Lowdown, así que fuimos a comprobarlo durante un viaje de compras. El personal era muy amable y servicial. Recomienda si te gusta un frijol limpio y cuidadosamente seleccionado. Volveremos la próxima vez que estemos en la ciudad.

We are locals and love coming here to this great, cosy, friendly restaurant. Our evening begins in their downstairs wine bar before heading up the restaurant, and back down for a nightcap. The menu seems to change daily. Last night my partner praised the beef Bourgogne. The pheasant & partridge main was great. I’d recommend the Puilly Fume wine and the French dessert wine to accompany the cheese. This is an amazing, family run establishment and so friendly.

Absolutely disgusted by the attitude of the front counter lady. We arrived without a booking and had mentally prepared for the possibility of being turned away or having to wait for a long time. There were two groups ahead of us - she greeted them and told them they would get a table in 10 minutes. She completely ignored us (first red flag). After I made eye contact with her, she curtly told us she didn’t have a table available in a frustrating manner (second red flag) and then walked away. With no clear information given, we assumed we could queue for our turn. Five minutes later, she noticed we were still in line behind the two groups and shouted at us, asking why we were still there since she had already told us there was no table. We explained that we didn’t mind waiting, but her response was appalling: 'I don’t have a table for you, do you want to wait for 1.5 hours?' We understand it’s a busy café, but she could have politely informed us about the 1.5-hour wait time instead of shouting. After reading past reviews, I realized we weren’t the only ones who had this kind of experience. We were initially drawn to this brunch café by its positive food reviews, but the treatment we received was horrendous. They have absolutely no interest in customer service, and the first impression was terrible. I’m glad we didn’t spend a penny supporting a business like this.

Lovely meal. Music too loud. Lacked atmosphere. Coffee absolutely awful.

My absolutely favorite breakfast spot in Edinburgh! Just writing this review makes me long for their delicious Full Scottish Breakfast (highly recommend!). The friendliness and warmth of the staff makes me feel welcomed and at ease. Even when this charming and cozy restaurant is full and busy, I still feel well tended to and appreciate the calmness and professionalism of the waiters. I also enjoy the Scottish touches -- like receiving a serving of haggis with the a miniature Scottish flag proudly placed in the center of the iconic dish. Will definitely return!

This is some really good oink here, I passed by in the morning when for the walk on the hill and saw the pork being freshly pulled. Lovely! Service was fast

Wow, stop scrolling, and book here. The Three Birds is a must eat restaurant while you are in Scotland. Amazing food, with incredible provenance and fantastic, cheery Scottish hospitality.

We loved our breakfast at Society! So good. And Katie was awesome!

I came here a few days ago. I booked a 12:30pm slot, and asked with 2 hours notice if we could move our slot to 1:30pm. The staff said no, and needed 48 hours notice to do so. I would understand this notice if it was busy or fully booked, but when I arrived there were around 10 other people and only 8 cats (not a lot compared to other cat cafes). Even though I am aware this is the only cat cafe that I am aware of in Scotland, it wasn't busy at all and found no reason not to move our booking for an hour later. In fact, we booked our visit on a Wednesday, purposefuly on the least busy time! After all this, we arrived half an hour late, and were given a talk on how to treat the cats- the four of us who arrived all own cats individually. I am aware the worker didn't know this, but it wasted our time further. The worker in specific was hostile and condescending, and we were a little upset prior to the visit due to the timing conflicts (which we are partially to blame for), so his attitude wasn't appreciated. In addition to this, the menu was overly expensive, although the female server was quite nice. Then, all 8 cats were asleep! Not one was awake the entire visit nor did any have any interest in us. You'd imagine for £12 per person the cats would be walking around, but no. Only go here if you fancy sitting and wasting your time for £12 and overly priced drinks, with hostile workers and cats who don't want to know you at all. Do not visit!

Tasty food, nice wine, cared about getting the orderright.

Delicious food fusing Spanish tapas with South African favourites and Scottish indulgence. Each dish is a decent size (2-3 per person will fill you up) and there are South African and Spanish wine and beers. Friendly servers in a cosy, warm space. Indaba is now our go-to place for taking guests out for dinner.

Food is authentic and high quality. Staff are brilliant and the service is great. Atmosphere is happy and bubbly, music and plenty buzz.

The food here is amazing. The staff are just amazing, always very helpful. And the service is quick. When I visit my daughter travelling from London this place is always my first choice to go to.

Fun little 'hidden' bar tucked behind an old fortune teller theme park attraction. The drinks are great and there's a fun grabber where you can get random flavours and the bar staff will use those to make a cocktail. The champagne foam cocktail was incredible. This is a great place for couples.