20 places to eat and drink around Canonmills and Inverleith
From the Botanic Garden to numerous cosy pubs and neighbourhood cafés, this leafy stretch of north Edinburgh has superb places to eat and drink
These suburbs are home to the gorgeous green lung of the Botanic Gardens and the wildlife corridor of the Water Of Leith. So while you’re getting your nature fix, here’s where to get fed and watered as you wander. Starting from the north Edinburgh thoroughfare of Ferry Road, the Goldenacre corner site of the Herringbone mini-chain is a reliable favourite for all-day dining or just a glass of wine. For something more casual, try Pablo Eggs-Go-Bao: quirky name, quirky food and the bao bun/breakfast fusion you probably didn’t know you needed. Next up, enter the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh for three different options. The Terrace Café offers killer views alongside quiches, sandwiches and frittatas; the elevated Gateway Café has a salad bar and seasonal dishes using ingredients from the kitchen garden; and summer 2026 sees the arrival of the Garden View Deck & Bar: enjoy sunset drinks, small plates and pizza on the John Hope Gateway’s outdoor area after the gardens close.
Back on Inverleith Row, Krem Karamel is part bookshop, part café, serving brunch classics and excellent home baking, while The Orchard has been dishing up elevated gastropub fare for years, with real ales and craft beers on tap. Crossing the river into Canonmills, architecturally striking The Tollhouse gives tantalising peeks of wildlife and shows a deft hand with seasonal produce. Or pass the Canonmills clock to Italian-run Di Giorgio for hefty sandwiches and handmade pasta dishes. A stroll uphill towards Rodney Street finds the minuscule Singapore Coffee House, where you can dunk buttery roti canai into curry sauce. Facing each other diagonally at the busy Broughton Road crossroads, One Canon and O’Connor’s are both decent neighbourhood pubs for a pint or more. Cosy Hata has porridgy goodness and granola for breakfast, with generous sourdough sandwiches at lunch. Or tuck into filled bagels and lush doughnuts at cool and casual Seventy One Steps.
Finally for this patch, loop through Eyre Place to sultry Cardinal, where Michelin-starred wunderkind Tomás Gormley puts the fun back into fine dining, while Celestia next door brings modern Indian eating to the neighbourhood. Last stop is the foot of Dundas Street: sup Italian vino at dinky Bacco Wine, enjoy good brews and great atmosphere at old-school Clark’s Bar, check out fine coffee and charming speciality cakes from south-west France at Project Canelè or, from breakfast to nightcap, relax at One20 Wine Café.
This TipList is taken from Eat & Drink 365, our sister mag recommending the best in restaurants, bars, cafés and more across Edinburgh. Want a copy? It’s available online or across all good stockists in Scotland’s capital; picture: Cardinal / Stephen Lister.