9 places to grab a bite at and around Queen's Hall and Summerhall
From quirky pubs to sizzling Korean dishes and hidden tapas spots, the Southside is packed with casual favourites full of character
The Dog House
18–24 Clerk Street
Quirky bar (they have their own pub ferrets, Flip and Flop) that’s popular with the student brigade. Vegan chippy pop-up The Happy Fish has been keeping appetites sated in recent times and it’s a cool spot for a pre-show pint or a £5 Spicy Marg.
Kampong Ah Lee
28 Clerk Street
Kampong Ah Lee is a busy little place where you can grab flavour-packed Malaysian food. The chicken satay is drowning in sauce and spicy bowls of laksa warm the back of the throat. Order a cooling bottle of Tiger beer or BYOB. Fun, fast and casual.
Kim's Mini Meals
5 Buccleuch Street
No bookings and no takeaway here; just show up, queue and eat some of the best bibimbap in town, served in sizzling stone bowls and topped with a raw egg. A family-style joint that makes you feel like you’re eating in someone’s living room.
Macau Kitchen
93 St Leonard’s Street
At Scotland’s only Macanese restaurant, explore dishes such as crisp coconut duck or sweet-sour-spicy squid. Look out for regular evenings where chef Kei de Freitas is joined by a guest pro in the kitchen.
The Royal Dick
1 Summerhall
In Summerhall’s courtyard, the quirky vet-school curiosities of this pub attract locals, resident workers and show-goers alike. Dick’s Scrannary dish up burgers and pizzas, with drinks from in-house brewer Barney’s Beer and distiller Pickering’s Gin.
tapas3
6–8 Howden Street
Tucked-away tapas bar doing classics like chorizo in red wine or more adventurous dishes like crisp tempura aubergine with sticky sugarcane treacle.
Also try… for daytime hunger pangs: sandwiches as big as your head at Alby’s, Med-inspired dishes at Lady & The Bear, or soups, toasties and great coffee at MF Coffee Shop in the Summerhall building.
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.
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