New bars and restaurants to try in Edinburgh this winter

You'll be spoiled for choice when dining out in Edinburgh this winter.

Published 19th Dec 2016
Updated 18 th Sep 2023

The city has welcomed several new restaurants and bars in recent weeks - perfect if you're looking to try somewhere different for dinner and drinks.

Taisteal

(1 Raeburn Place, Edinburgh, EH4 1HU)

Taisteal (Gaelic for travel or journey) opens on January 11th and - if head chef Gordon Craig's CV is anything to go by - diners are in for a treat.

Having previously worked at the Waterside Inn, the Peat Inn and the Plumed Horse, as well as helping to establish Field and Field Grill House (which Taisteal will take over from), the new restaurant sees Craig branching out on his own to provide fine dining and global cuisine in a relaxed environment.

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Dishoom

(3 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh, EH2 2BD, 0131 202 6406)

Having announced during the summer they would be opening their first restaurant outside of London, and treating diners to a soft launch in late November, Dishoom is finally open for business in Edinburgh.

Bringing their Bombay Irani style cafe to the Scottish capital, Dishoom offers up an all day menu of spiced dishes which are perfect for sharing with friends. They even do an Indian-inspired breakfast menu - try the bacon naan roll, one of Dishoom's signature and most-loved dishes.

• READ MORE: Friday Interview: Anand Ghotikar, Head chef-walla at Dishoom Edinburgh

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The Empress of Broughton Street

(25 Broughton Street, Edinburgh, EH1 3JU, 0131 556 67540)

Sister bar to nearby Jeremiah's Taproom, The Empress of Broughton Street opened recently to offer craft beer and cocktails in the East End.

Specialising in small-batch Scottish and British beers and stouts on tap, as well as seasonally inspired cocktails made with local gins and hand-picked whiskies, the Empress also boasts a tasty American-inspired casual dining menu.

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Forage and Chatter

(14 Alva Street, Edinburgh, EH2 4PH, 0131 225 4599)

Since closing a few months ago, the Edinburgh Larder Bistro has been sorely missed - but Forage and Chatter (which has taken over their Alva Street premises) is doing a great job of filling the empty place in our hearts.

As the name suggests, the menu includes lots of local and foraged produce, served in a cosy and relaxed setting to encourage plenty of chatter. Expect contemporary dishes like charred mackerel with herb pesto and aioli, or Scottish venison loin with heritage carrots.

• READ MORE: Forage & Chatter, Edinburgh, Restaurant Review

Wildwood

(105-109 Lothian Road, Edinburgh, EH3 9AN)

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Opening soon on Lothian Road - where Indian restaurant Kama Sutra used to be - is Wildwood - a modern yet homely restaurant which will serve up a selection of grills, stone-baked pizzas and freshly prepared pastas.

Wildwood currently operates a number of restaurants throughout England and Wales, but the Edinburgh branch will be the chain's first restaurant north of the border.

The Voyage of Buck

(29-31 William Street, Edinburgh, EH3 7NF, 0131 225 5748)

The team behind popular Edinburgh bars The Blackbird, Hamilton's and Treacle opened their fourth establishment - a stylish art deco themed bar - earlier this season.

The Voyage of Buck invites visitors to step back in time to the early 1900s and join fictional host William 'Buck' Clarence on a journey round the world. The cocktail menu features destinations from his travels, with drinks themed around places like Paris, Havana and Cairo.

Barrelhouse Bar and Grill

(35 Smokey Brae, Edinburgh, EH8 7AA)

Breathing new life into long-abandoned pub Jock's Lodge is the Barrelhouse Bar and Grill, a blues fusion bar with hearty American BBQ food.

Owned by the same team behind 52 Canoes and The Espy, the Barrelhouse offers something different for the area with live music, Cajun food and even an allotment round the back to supply vegetables for the bar's kitchen.

Gillian is a writer and blogger from Edinburgh, with a penchant for drinking cocktails, exploring the city's independent shops and trying out as many new restaurants as possible.
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