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I never envisioned Edinburgh as a city that I would look forward to eating my way around. I had this preconception in my mind that it would be too similar to home. Good, hearty food but nothing overly special. It was only when I started my research for where to eat in Edinburgh that I began to realise the impending deliciousness that would be my time there. Certain places really jumped out at me and I couldn’t wait to try them. I wanted a mix between local favourites and international cuisine, both of which I found in abundance. The food scene in Edinburgh is seriously good and if you are trying to decide where to eat in Edinburgh, look no further.

Oink

Oink and their incredible hog roast rolls were right at the top of my list of where to eat in Edinburgh. I wasn’t in the city much longer than an hour when I made my way to one of their three shops. In the window was the mountain of pork just waiting for me. Their menu was simple, first, you choose your size, then your bread. You can add one of their sauces, sage and onion stuffing or haggis, and best of all, crispy crackling. I loved Oink so much that I had to try it a second time before leaving Edinburgh. The best meal of my time there.

Opening Hours – 11:00 – 17:00

Price – Small = £3.40, Medium = £4.60, Large = £5.80

Address – 82 Canongate, 34 Victoria St and 38 Hanover St

Tani Modi

Tani Modi, a small cafe that serves amazing stacks of pancakes as well as some heavily filled, tasty bagels, You can also get the more traditional choice for breakfast in Edinburgh, a fry-up. A good quality breakfast with a more than decent cup of coffee, makes Tani Modi a solid choice to start your day in Edinburgh.

Opening Hours – 08:00 – 16:00 Sunday – Thursday and 08:00 – 23:00 Friday and Saturday.

Price – All Breakfast Items >£7.50

Address – 103 Hanover St

Tupinquim Brasil Crepes

If ever you see a group of people surrounding a tiny food stand, braving the Scottish cold, then you must be in for a treat. This was exactly what I found when I stumbled upon Tupinquim one lunchtime. The line was long and even more people were awaiting their order but what customers were walking away with looked too good to pass up. And it was!! The most amazing sweet and savoury crepes, packed full of fresh ingredients are a budget-friendly, lunch treat that is a little out of the ordinary. Choosing your filling is the toughest decision. Personally, I went with Piri-Piri Chicken. Chicken thighs, avocado, onion, peppers, cheese and spinach doused in a spicy Piri-Piri sauce. This seemed to be the popular choice among the locals, for good reason too. I never wanted it to end, every bite was pure heaven.

Opening Hours – 12:00 – 18:00, Closed on Sunday

Price – All items, Savoury and Sweet cost >£6.80

Address – Green Police Box, Lauriston Place

@Pizza

I was so intrigued by @Pizza and their ordering process that I had to visit. On entering you receive a menu and are seated before returning to the counter to order. First, you choose your base, then the sauce and cheese of your choice. You are then walked along the toppings counter, first the meat then the vegetables with your server building your pizza as you go. It reminded me of Subway in a way. At the end of the building station, your pizza is placed in an oven for just sixty seconds, you pay and your pizza is brought to your table. Quick, easy and a huge selection to choose from. Of course, the most vital thing of all was that the pizza was really tasty. Ingredients were not skimped on, the tomato sauce, although quite sweet was delicious and the base, fresh and light. Overall, a very good and casual pizza place.

Opening Hours – 12:00 – 22:00

Price – £9.95

Address – 4 Charlotte Ln

Union of Genius

Travelling through parts of Eastern Europe last year during the winter months made me realise just how amazing a warm bowl of soup can be. It was for this reason that I expected to find a good soup restaurant in Edinburgh, and I did. Union of Genius offer an ever-changing menu of six soups, some contain meat, others are vegetarian and there is always a vegan option. After selecting your soup, you choose your accompanying bread, one of onion, olive, wholewheat or poppyseed. My soup of choice was Chorizo, Kale, Potato and Onion. It was rich in flavour and very filling with a huge amount of meaty pieces of chorizo throughout. I also tasted a tomato, harissa and roasted red pepper soup, this was just as delicious. Union of Genius is a small place with just a few seats that can get quite busy at peak times, but once you get a whiff of the soups bubbling away, you won’t be able to stop yourself.

Opening Hours – 09:00 – 16:00 Monday to Friday, 11:00 – 16:00 on Saturday and closed on Sunday

Price – Small = £4.10, Large = £4.70, this includes bread

Address – 8 Forrest Rd

The Halfway House

Picture the scene, you find yourself in Edinburgh’s smallest pub. It has just four tables and a bar. You sit yourself down in the corner of the room before being served some incredible, very homey, traditional Scottish food. The heating is on and the hearty fare is all you need to warm you up on a cold winters day. That is exactly what you get when you visit The Halfway House. A menu that can slightly vary day to day of local classics loved by the regulars and visiting tourists alike. My personal choice was the Stovies and Oatcakes with Corned Beef, Potato and Onion hash. Believe me, it tasted a lot better than it looked. Had I not had Haggis the previous night, I would have chosen that. I got a chance to try the steak and gravy pie which was also really good. Old school food in an old school setting, cheap prices and you are guaranteed to walk away with feeling satisfied.

Opening Hours – 11:00 – 23:00

Price – All items cost > £7.50

Address – 24 Fleshmarket Close

Arcade Haggis and Whiskey House

Having tried haggis once before, I was keen to try it again in Scotland. Arcade recently celebrated ten years of the best haggis in Edinburgh, for that reason alone, it was here that I wanted to try it. For those that don’t know, Haggis is made with the liver, heart and lungs of a sheep. It is minced and then mixed commonly with onion, oatmeal, suet and spices. Most picky eaters would tend to turn their nose up at it but believe me, it’s delicious. The haggis at Arcade was creamier in texture than I expected but packed full of flavour. It was served with potatoes and turnips, something which seemed to be common throughout the city. Additionally, I chose to add some Whisky Sauce to the dish. It was all so flavoursome even if a bit luscious. If you want haggis in Edinburgh this is where you need to go. Apart from the haggis, the rest of the menu didn’t seem to be anything special, so if you are not going for their speciality, there is not much point in eating there.

Opening Hours – 12:00 – 01:00 Monday to Friday, 09:30 – 01:00 Saturday and Sunday

Price – £13.50

Address – 48 Cockburn St

Mother India’s Café

Edinburgh and in fact, pretty much all of the UK is known for having excellent Indian food. It is for that reason that I am always very open to eating this particular cuisine when there. During my research, I found Mother India’s Café and was instantly intrigued. Instead of the usual, I order my dish, you order yours and that’s it, it seemed like the dishes were smaller and designed to be shared among the group. Most of the dishes hailed from the Punjab region of India, an area known for producing food very rich in flavour. As it was just my girlfriend and me, we split three dishes between us. We chose Chaana Dhal, a mixed vegetable curry, and the spiced haddock. Of course, this was accompanied by two portions of rice, naan and a couple of Kingfishers (A beer I had not seen since my time in India). Each dish was as good as the next. Slightly spicy, packed with flavour, and delicious on its own or all mixed together. My meal here was possibly the best Indian food I have had outside of its homeland.

Opening Hours – 12:00 – 22:00

Price – Most dishes costs between £5.50 -£6.50

Address – 3-5 Infirmary St

I am not going to say that Edinburgh is the best food city that I have visited because that is in no way true. What I did find was a city that does the classics to a really good standard as well as some really great international restaurants. Some of my favourite places to eat in Edinburgh will live long in the memory. There will be many days in the foreseeable future that I find myself craving a hog roast roll or a Brazilian crepe. When you are deciding where to eat in Edinburgh, make sure you opt for the traditional food first, this can give you an understanding of the city and the country like nothing else. Then indulge yourself in the fantastic international cuisine available to you.

To read more about Edinburgh, click here.

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The Roaming Irishman

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