Places to eat and drink near Filmhouse and Edinburgh's West End
We've rounded up our top spots for a food or drink fix in between festival shows
Bars
1820 Rooftop Bar
145 Princes Street
In a city packed with good-looking views, the Rooftop Bar at The Johnnie Walker Experience still has the ability to drop jaws and flabber gasts. And that’s before you dive into the punchy small plates and excellent drams and cocktails. In an August packed with things to do, their Journey Of Flavour experience more than holds its own too.
The Beverly
81–83 Lothian Road
This new bar couldn’t be closer to the West End’s cultural centres. It promises laid-back vibes, decent cocktails, a reasonable wine list and quality pizza: in short, everything you need to grab a chilled half-hour before a show or indeed to host a post-show sit-down and debrief.
Encore
2–4 Hope Street
This basement bar fully leans into its lack of light with plenty of red velvet, booth seating (with a push-for-service button) and a secret entry. It’s a load of fun, a place for glamming up and kicking back. Straightforward bar snacks keep the wolf from the door, the staff are sweeties and there’s frequent live entertainment.
Filmhouse Bar
88 Lothian Road
There’s absolutely no excuse for arriving after the film’s kicked off at this place. A comfy 100-capacity café and bar, dishing up soups, fish and chips, assorted wraps and nachos, where the beef chilli is the star. It’s big enough to act as a group muster point, yet friendly enough for a pint on your own.
Hey Palu
49 Bread Street
Aperitivo and Negronis are the main focus at Hey Palu, thanks to an Italian owner. That means there’s an Italian twist on nearly all the innovative signatures, plus cute wee nibbles like a mortadella and anchovy toastie. Everything’s done very well and the welcome and service are slick.
Panda & Sons
79 Queen Street
This speakeasy-style bar has secured a place on many ‘best bar’ lists since opening in 2013. Descend the stairs to find a fun, cocktail bar where drinks are created with the precision of a Michelin-starred chef. Their experiments in freezing techniques are lauded by mixology geeks, but even the most casual cocktail drinker will find something delicious.
Cafés and Quick Bites
Cairngorm Coffee
1 Melville Place
Opening at 7am for all your caffeination needs, Cairngorm Coffee boasts sunny pavement seating and is handy for Haymarket Station too. The food is simple and good, but it’s their thoughtfully sourced and carefully poured coffee that keeps commuters and local office workers coming back for more.
Chaakoo Bombay Café
117 Lothian Road
Grilled Irani kebabs and around 20 curries (tomatoey railway chicken, rich garlic lamb bhuna, coconut and ginger-laced kerala monkfish) are the core offering or try their pre-theatre and ‘naanwich’ options.
Konj
15–17 Grindlay Street
Tucked underneath the Royal Lyceum Theatre, Konj has become a byword for the kind of friendly service that makes you feel like you’re visiting someone at home. Mezze plates are delivered swiftly for curtain-up, but if you have a little longer the grills and signature dishes are well worth exploring.
Milk
232 Morrison Street
The Morrison Street corridor between Haymarket and Lothian Road throws up some of Edinburgh’s most interesting dining options. Milk is a case in point: a micro chain (branches are also at Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop and Inverleith Park) that’s an oasis of calm offering surprisingly sophisticated coffee, lunch and breakfast options.
Old Pal Bar & Kitchen
28 West Maitland Street
This relative newcomer has quickly lived up to its name. It’s an easy-going bar/restaurant set-up, with little marble tables, decent cocktails and a warm welcome. Picture windows are perfect for watching the Haymarket bustle while snacking on well-flavoured small plates.
Paesano Pizza
77a George Street
Paesano keep it simple, with no more than ten pizzas on the menu alongside a handful of wines, beers and straightforward aperitivo. Their newest Edinburgh branch is deceptively spacious and more than a little bit swish, with speedy service that’ll get feed you well in time for your show.
Ting Thai
55–57 Lothian Road
Vibrant Thai flavours shine in spicy coconut curries and umami-rich noodles, served in street food-style boxes. Ting Thai have been slinging noods in Edinburgh for almost 20 years now and more than deserve their reputation for making hungry diners happy in a super-speedy fashion.
Restaurants
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Baba
130 George Street
This big, bright George Street spot is that rare beast: somewhere that works for almost every occasion. Feasting dishes means it’s great for groups, but you’ll be equally delighted with a solo lunch (sharing is overrated). Inspired by the Levant, expect dishes like harissa-roasted cauliflower, punchy chicken thighs or well-balanced mezze.
Chizuru Tei
278 Morrison Street
While cheap sushi is to be avoided at all costs, it’s equally too easy to spend a fortune on a quick lunch. Chizuru Tei avoids the frills, has a generous BYOB policy and is cash only: the focus is on the food and it’s all the better for it. The set menus might be the best bargain in town.
Contini George Street
103 George Street
Carina and Victor Contini have had an enormous impact on the Scottish eating and drinking scene: this picture-perfect restaurant exemplifies Italian roots melding with Scotland’s larder to produce food that bursts with flavour (think chicken Milanese with accompaniments of almond purée and capers, or homemade pastas). The terrace is perfect for people-watching and their breakfasts make early mornings bearable.
Dine Edinburgh
1st Floor, 10 Cambridge Street
You’d be hard pushed to find a handier spot for pre or post-theatre/movie dining, plus the team have the knack of feeding you well at a relaxed pace, while being mindful of an imminent curtain-up. Try the fixed-price, three-course menu (lunch or pre-show), with the likes of wild mushroom strozzapreti and, for afters, poached rhubarb tart.
Fava Greek Kitchen
248 Morrison Street
This airy spot around the corner from Haymarket does a roaring trade, particularly with larger groups who appreciate its flexible seating and crowd-pleasing options. There’s an extensive selection of mezze if you want to dip and share, including plenty of veggie options, while the street-food selection majors on wraps and great-value gyros.
Frizzante Proseccheria
95 Lothian Road
Once upon a time, Edinburgh in general and Lothian Road in particular were stuffed with this kind of homely, mom and pop Italian restaurant. Frizzante has updated the formula just enough, while keeping the details like giant pepper grinders and possibly the most comforting lasagne in town. Head here when you want a bit of tlc.
Nishiki
151–155 Morrison Street
Less is more at Nishiki, where a beautifully minimalist interior is complemented by a small menu honed to precision. Kitsune udon is an umami delight, pork tonkotsu is perfectly crisp and sides like refreshingly moreish smacked cucumber don’t feel like an afterthought. Their Japanese-style breakfasts are a more than welcome addition to Edinburgh’s brunch scene too.
The Palmerston
1 Palmerston Place
Proper dining in a beautiful building, from people who know their stuff and can’t wait to share it with you. The Palmerston fully deserves its spot on all those ‘best of’ lists, yet when you’re here, you’ll forget about the razzle dazzle and simply relax into generous hospitality that’s exactly as it should be. Bookings essential.
Patatino
5–21 Grosvenor Street
Hotel restaurants get a bad rap but this modern trattoria inside The Hoxton works hard to bring southern Italian warmth to locals and guests alike. Colourful décor and a short but focused menu of sourdough pizza and house-made pasta make it a good bet for a quick lunch. There’s brunch at weekends too.