The best restaurants serving British food in Edinburgh and Lothian

Delicious lentil soup. I also had a hummus sandwich on granary bread with Chilli jam that I would recommend. All tasted home made and fresh. Coffee excellent top as were the cakes. Service excellent and very friendly Definitely five out of five stats

We were walking the Royale Mile, down one side and up the other. The restaurant we had chosen to eat in was already closed, so we decided to eat in the next open one we came to which was Cafe Vivo. It was a great choice. The service was excellent and the food was good. It is a storefront restaurant without a lot of ambience, but the friendliness of the staff and the good food made it work. We would definitely eat there again.

Nice little cafe just opposite the cathedral on the royal mile. A tad pricey but a nice little find for a quick coffee and bite to eat whilst exploring.

Pretty disappointing dinner here. Came and ordered two steak baguettes, each costing almost £20. They came covered in a caremelised onion chutney and so much melted cheese and yet, were still so bland. Bad bread, bad steak, bad cheese. It came with a watery chimichurri sauce for dipping, which didn't really feel thought through with the rest of the dish. Won't be back.

Our first family visit to a Thai restaurant, the food was fantastic, very authentic. We shared a starter platter and then had main meals. All delicious. Service was friendly but as it was getting busy with walk ins and take aways they were often a little distracted. The garden area was beautiful and would definitely recommend booking a table out there for the evening. Remember in Thai time food is not a fast experience, one to relax and enjoy!

There have been many changes since we last visited Whitmuir pre-pandemic. The farm food shop has gone and has been replaced by Junkshop Antiques (which used to operate from smaller premises on the site); The Dancing Light gallery apparently moved online some time ago and the vacant unit they previously occupied was due to be re-launched as a (Christmas) shop when we were there in November 2022. The café looks the same as before (minus the gallery’s paintings) but opened again under new ownership in September 2022 and now trades simply as Whitmuir Cafe. I’m glad to see the log burner remains in place as it is needed to try to keep this cavernous place warm at this time of year. Quercus Garden Plants still operate on the site however when we visited garden plants were not something we were looking to explore. At the time of our lunch visit there was a slow, steady flow of customers but these are large premises to fill so it lacked atmosphere. The menu choice is modest and we ordered up their Toastie of the Day, which was ham and cheese, served with house salad and dressing £6.95). My wife’s request to replace the sourdough bread with brown bread was met. I ordered a Bagel with chicken & lemon mayonnaise, also served with house salad and dressing (£6.25). We both enjoyed our lunch - the chicken was plentiful and tasty with the mayo, the toastie filling good quality and we both rated the house salad and dressing very highly. The only criticism was that the cutlery knives seemed blunt. The coffee we had along with the food was very good - Flat white (£2.95) and Americano (£2.60) - so we ordered another to go along with the home bakes both of which happened to be gluten free. My wife requested the smaller of the large looking slices of Treacle and Lemon tart on display, which turned out to be wise since she was unable to finish it; and I had an Almond slice which I too was unable to finish. Verdict on the cakes was “okay” however we have only rarely found a gluten free cake which we could say we really enjoyed so that is probably just our taste. Overall cost of lunch was just over £29 which we thought was good value. Staff were friendly and efficient. It’s early days for the revised format and not as attractive an overall destination for us however we wish them well. Check opening hours if travelling - seems to be Wednesday to Sunday, 10.00am until 4.00pm at present.

Hadn't been here since it changed its name. Strange sort of entrance with a lot of steps. Very very dark back room. Still, staff were friendly and drinks were reasonable!

We had a lovely meal and all the food was delicious. Ricardo made the occasion extra special as he was both attentive and friendly. Thank you for a memorable meal! Excellent!

Took friend to lunch - it was the first time I had been to Carberry Tower. The menu sounded good. My friend went for the fish and chips which looked good. I went for the langoustine tails on a strawberry and pineapple salad. When it was brought to the table I was shocked by “the salad” - it looked like a timbale of couscous or quinoa with what could be described as a tiny slither of a strawberry chopped into minuscule pieces (6 in total) you could hardly taste it and no pineapple whatsoever. No dressing - very dry. The dessert I chose was the coconut and peach pan a cotta topped with fresh mango and mint salsa with strawberry coulis. There was no taste of peach in the panna cotta - there was a nectarine and mint salsa but no sign of strawberry coulis. My friend had the ice cream and she was happy with it. If they had ran out of strawberries they could have taken the dish off the menu or come back with alternative dishes. However, two mains, two desserts and 1 ginger ale and 1 small glass wine and tap water £65. Won’t be back. Overpriced and over-rated - not impressed!!

Maybe I'm jaded after having lived in New York for 4 years, but this business says New York style bagels and they most certainly are not. Very mediocre and overpriced bagel. Their veg cream cheese is very good, but overall I wouldn't return.

Stopped by here on the way home. The place was empty but the kids corner was a bonus for us and kept our 3 yr old son happy! Menu doesn't have much choice but the food was delicious! We had chicken burger and an old Smokey burger. No complaints! Staff and punters were friendly an we will definitely be back again. I dont know why there wasn't more publicity about this place as it defo needs it. Come here if u like no no fuss good pub grub and a place for the kids to play.

Called in for lunch but was quickly told hot drinks and cake only. Was told they close at 2.45 even though the sign on the door says 3. At 2.43 the door was snibbed, to ensure no one else came in. Coffee was meh.....cakes were delicious. Service was dire and delivered by unwelcoming staff, albeit locals seemed to garner a smile from the head honcho. If you don't mind an extremely poor welcome and service, head here. Reading the previous reviews, it would appear this business doesn't care about negative reviews.

Friendly, warm atmosphere and very well cooked breakfast. Very quick service. Comfortable seating. Altogether pleasant experience.

The roast scotish lamb rump is the best and the fish and chips we really enjoyed the! Lemon mousse is fabulous! Thanks a lot

Family lunch for 12 people reserved weeks before and were told we could eat upstairs in The Avenue at the time we made the booking. On arrival we were informed that the upstairs was being redecorated and that we'd have to eat in the bar. Had we been warned we would have changed our reservation. Food was a mixed bag: my calamares were not properly cooked - some were practically raw. My brother had patatas bravas which were also hard and undercooked. My sister in law's salad was apparently thrown together with the most basic and cheapest ingredients. The general consensus amongst the rest of the family was just OK and average, rather than anything more positive. Such a pity as we have eaten here 7 or 8 times and the quality has always been good. I hope things improve soon.