The shops, restaurants and bars on this thoroughfare are very popular with Edinburgh residents who want a bit of style to go with their substance.
From palatial dining rooms to lively bars, the eateries on George Street are sure to live up to the highest of expectations.
(135 George Street, EH2 4JH, 0131 225 2555)
Picture: Trip Advisor Traveller
This Italian restaurant is the epitome of sleek, contemporary style: monochrome tiles, a wall of neatly framed photographs, and chandeliers dripping with crystals.
Mediterranean classics share the menu with more modern inventions, as well as generous deli boards and premium steaks.
The pasta and seafood dishes capitalise on Italy's exquisite flavours, while the pizzas include a few less traditional ingredients.
The BBQ Chicken pizza has an American influence, whereas the Peking pizza's hoi sin base takes its cues from China.
As you would expect, the wine list is extensive and dominated by French and Italian wines. For dessert, make sure you sample the home-made nutella and marscapone calzone – a truly indulgent treat.
(125 George Street, EH2 4JN, 0131 225 5005)
Picture: Tigerlilly
Tigerlily is much more than a plain old restaurant – it is an eatery, a trendy bar, and a buzzing nightclub all in one.
The chefs are very keen to use the finest Scottish produce in their dishes, and make sure that the food they use is traceable “from field to fork”.
Their steak burger with “Tigerlily relish” is made from the best Aberdeen Angus beef, and their pan seared scallops are sourced from the waters of Orkney.
If you are in the mood for a cocktail with your meal, Tigerlily's carefully concocted selection will not disappoint.
Their original recipies include the fabulous Isaly Julep, made with Botanist gin, pear liqueur, sugar, mint, and Octomore spritz.
(103 George Street, EH2 3ES, 0131 225 1550)
Picture: TSPL
Victor and Carina Contini’s Italian ristorante has an illustrious history attached to it.
The Contini family has been in the restaurant business for three generations. Furthermore, the restaurant is on the site of Edinburgh’s first Corn Exchange, which later became Florentine-style banking hall.
Despite the vast scale and imposing architecture of the building, Contini manages to be welcoming and and intimate, especially since its recent £250,000 refurbishment. The interior is now furnished with banquette seating in soft grey leather, and luxurious hangings depicting Italian frescos adorn the walls.
New dishes which are sure to tingle any customer's tastebuds include the sublime Salame Calabrese with roasted aubergine, mint, crème fraiche and pistachio.
(21–25 George Street, EH2 2PB, 0131 240 7177)
Another restaurant with a rich history, the Printing Press is housed in a stunning Georgian town house. This house was once the home of Susan Ferrier, an 18th century novelist lauded by Sir Walter Scott as an equal to Jane Austen.
The interior is suitably magnificent, with a sizeable chandelier, stuccoed ceiling, and large, black-and-white floor tiles. There are also lovely vintage typewriters which reference the building's literary beginnings.
The menu focuses on British cuisine, including North Sea cod with bacon, and braised beef pie – but there are also nods to Italy in the vegetarian options, such as the wild mushroom lasagne.
(14 George Street, EH2 2PF, 0131 624 8624)
The Dome, Edinburgh. Picture: TSPL
For the grandest dining rooms of them all, look no further than the Dome.
This brilliantly ostentatious, neoclassical venue contains two restaurants, a tea room and a bar, but the Grill Room is the reigning champion of the four.
The stunning floral displays, Corinthian columns and detailed plasterwork will make you feel as though you are starring in a lavish period drama.
The kitchen has been cooking up wonderful dishes for nearly twenty years, with Head Chef Sue Snider at the helm. Once again, local produce is the main attraction, with grass-fed Buccleuch beef and Hornig's haggis from the Lothians.
Starters include the divine Belhaven smoked salmon, and steamed Shetland mussels, while the stars of the main course are the rump of lamb and the grilled sea bass.
