Best Scottish restaurants in Edinburgh - our top 5

We take a look at the best Scottish restaurants in Edinburgh for you to check out next time you are in the capital.

Published 23rd Jan 2018
Updated 18 th Sep 2023

Scottish restaurants in Edinburgh

Whether you're visiting Scotland, playing host to friends or family from out of town over the holidays and keen to give them the full Scottish experience, or just fancy switching it up from the usual Indian, Chinese or Italian and reconnecting with your roots through the medium of haggis - here are the best places to eat Scottish cuisine in Edinburgh.

Stac Polly

(29-33 Dublin St, Edinburgh EH3 6NL)

There are three branches of the well-established Stac Polly in the capital, one on St Mary's Street and a restaurant and brasserie on Dublin Street that's been going for 25 years.

With a menu centred around locally sourced meat, fish and game, you might find spicy apple, fennel and sweet potato soup with cheddar shortbread; juniper berry and Edinburgh Gin gravadlax; lamb rump with rosemary sautéed potatoes; haggis filo parcels with plum sauce; pheasant breast stuffed with rhubarb and apple; scallops topped with smoked salmon and, of course, cranachan.

Scottish restaurants Edinburgh

Picture: Stac Polly

Ghillie Dhu

(2 Rutland St, Edinburgh EH1 2AD)

Great fun and good food, complete with ceilidh dancing every Friday night, Ghillie Dhu is the ideal choice for Scottish dining débutants, and affordable to boot.

Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as a children's menu, choices include black pudding and brie parcels; haggis, neeps and tatties with a whisky cream sauce; cullen skink; heather honey and Arran mustard chicken skewers; poached Scottish salmon with lemon and dill cream, and whisky-glazed chicken wings.

Scottish restaurants Edinburgh

Picture: Ghillie Dhu

Angels With Bagpipes

( 343 High St, Edinburgh EH1 1PW)

Angels With Bagpipes on the High Street is fine dining with seasonal, locally-sourced Scottish ingredients in a 17th-century setting.

On the menu are leek and potato soup with a poached hen's egg; smoked salmon with wasabi, pickled onion rings and caviar; scallops with apple, black pudding and pickled walnuts; venison with red cabbage and chocolate; rabbit loin with black pudding, pancetta and pearl barley and ginger, honey and pear cheesecake, plus a six-course tasting menu – book ahead if you fancy dining à deux in the private room overlooking the close.

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Scottish restaurants Edinburgh

Picture: contributed

The Amber Restaurant

(354 Castlehill, Edinburgh EH1 2NE)

Sitting in the shadow of Edinburgh Castle, the Amber restaurant at the Scotch Whisky Experience has a Taste of Scotland set menu and a Scottish tapas selection in addition to its seasonal à la carte menu, all with a focus on fresh Scottish produce.

The Taste of Scotland option comprises a trio of starters, followed by another of mains, and a dessert matched with a whisky chosen from their selection of more than 400 – think Isle of Bute smoked salmon and lobster roulade, wood pigeon breast with bacon and figs; rump of Border lamb with stovies and Scottish sea trout with a Mull cheddar glaze.

Scottish restaurants Edinburgh

Picture: The Amber

Howies

(29 Waterloo Pl, Edinburgh EH1 3BQ and 10-14 Victoria St, Edinburgh EH1 2HG)

The Howies chain (with two branches in Edinburgh, on Waterloo Place and Victoria Street, and one in Aberdeen) is a city fixture, serving up Scottish specialities in simple and stylish settings since 1990.

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With options including hot smoked salmon with crayfish and capers; crowdie filo parcels with walnut and rosemary dressing; fillet of Shetland salmon with spinach and potato salad; seared haunch of venison; chocolate and Highland toffee torte, the mid-priced menu is accessible but still elegant.

Scottish restaurants Edinburgh

Picture: Howies

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