Festival-bound this summer? When you're not lapping up the shows, don't miss these top-tier spots to eat, drink and stay in style in the Scottish capital.
With just over half a million residents, Scotland's capital is small but monumentally mighty. Known for its spire-studded cityscape, cobblestone alleys and summer festivals of music, theatre, comedy and more, this is a place where the ancient and cutting edge are in constant conversation. Here's where to eat, drink and stay in the Scottish capital – festival season or not.
WHERE TO EAT
Lyla
@lylaedinburgh
Chef Stuart Ralston's CV reads like a who's who of haute cuisine: following stints with Daniel Humm and Jean-Georges Vongerichten in New York, he returned to Scotland where he has opened four restaurants over the past decade. Housed in an elegant Georgian townhouse, Lyla is his latest, and arguably finest. You'll start upstairs in the drawing room with a glass of champagne and next-level canapés (think Peterhead lobster with pickled kohlrabi and sake) before descending to the intimate dining room below, where dishes celebrate the best of Scottish seafood through unexpected flavour combinations and minimal intervention cooking. The wine list leans toward small-domain producers, but there's also a brilliant non-alcoholic pairing with tonics, ferments and kombuchas prepared in-house.
The Palmerston
@the_palmerston
(Image: James Porteous)
The Palmerston is the kind of neighbourhood spot that'll have you looking up local house prices before you've got through dessert. The food is comforting yet beautifully executed, the service warm and knowledgeable, and the space – with its portrait windows and high ceilings – as impressive as it is cosy. The menu changes daily, but bistro classics are its backbone, with terrines, stews and roasted meats from the in-house butchery. The lunch set menu is great value, and if you're staying nearby, don't miss breakfast – the on-site bakery is a local hit.
Timberyard
@timberyard10
With its high ceilings, exposed brick and timber beams, Timberyard gives 'industrial chic' – an unusual look for Edinburgh's polished West End. The cooking is similarly stripped back, with ingredients taken from the kitchen garden and prepared with a light touch. The menu changes weekly but consistently features the finest of the Scottish larder, such as Isle of Skye scallop and gem lettuce with sea orache, roe and preserved citrus, or Moray firth squid with verbena. In winter, a wood-burning stove warms the centre of the room, with tables spilling into a courtyard when the weather allows.
WHERE TO DRINK
Hey Palu
@heypalu
Alex and Rachel Palumbo, the husband-and-wife duo behind this Edinburgh gem, have some serious pedigree between them, having worked in London (Alex) and Brighton and Hove (Rachel), followed by a stint together in the Cayman Islands. When they decided to open their own bar, the pair took inspiration from Alex's Italian heritage – drawing on aperitivo bars for both the decor and drinks list – to create one of the city's premier cocktail bars. The bar is known for its negroni flights with a twist (including a wild strawberry version), clever reinterpretations of classic cocktails like the Nutella Old Fashioned, and a very grand amaro collection.
Panda & Sons
@pandaandsons
Since opening in 2013, Panda & Sons has become one of Edinburgh's best-loved bars and globally recognised too, ranking No.29 on The World's 50 Best Bars 2024. As the name suggests, the bar is owned and operated by a family of pandas, a playful conceit woven through the bar's vintage-inflected design and warm service. If there's a serious side to Panda & Sons, it lies in owner Iain MacPherson's creative cocktail making, who uses freeze distillation, freeze-drying, switching and sous-pression to riff on classics and devise original serves.
Nauticus
@nauticusbar
This being Scotland, a stroll along Leith's salt-blasted harbourside often calls for a stiff drink and a warm welcome. Nauticus delivers both in abundance. What appears to be a standard, smartly presented pub from the outside in fact has a brilliant cocktail bar that doles out exceptional Scottish liquor and produce. The menu is split into chapters which reflect the history of the area, themed around the various products (tea, sherry, gin) which brought trade to Leith when it was a port. Nauticus also frequently hosts guest bartenders, so keep an eye on its Instagram account for the next series.
WHERE TO SLEEP
Gleneagles Townhouse
@gleneaglestownhouse
Gleneagles, the legendary hotel set on 850 acres of Perthshire countryside and No.41 among The World's 50 Best Hotels 2024, is arguably the biggest name in Scotland's hotel scene, so when this Edinburgh outpost opened in 2022, expectations were high. Set within a former bank on St Andrew's Square in New Town, guests can dine in style at The Spence, the handsome all-day restaurant, take in the views, cocktail in hand, at rooftop bar Lamplighters, before retiring to one of 33 rooms, which run from the cosy Nook category to the grand Masters. The Townhouse also operates as a members' club, but overnight guests without memberships can make use of many of the hotel's facilities, though the Note Burning Room remains members-only.
Fingal
@fingaledinburgh
(Image: Jeremy Rata)
Once Edinburgh's working port, Leith is now better known for its mix of buzzy bars, restaurants and cafés. It is also home to the Royal Yacht Britannia (the British monarchy's official yacht between 1954 and 1957) where, berthed nearby, you'll find Fingal – a boat originally used by the Northern Lighthouse Board to ferry supplies to remote Scottish lighthouses. Now home to the boutique Fingal Hotel, there are 22 sleek and comfortable cabins, perfect for anyone looking for something a bit 'out there'. Sip on cocktail(s) on the Moët Deck, or in the Lighthouse, which doubles as both a restaurant serving Scottish seafood and bar, where the team even smokes its own salmon.
The Hoxton, Edinburgh
@thehoxtonhotel
Behind the Georgian façades of Grosvenor Street in Edinburgh's West End, The Hoxton Edinburgh marks this slick brand's Scottish debut. Inside, interiors are playful yet stylishly balanced against the terrace's classic proportions, with a variety of spots to kick back in, including a lobby bar, a snug, five-seater screening room and Patatino, a vibey Italian restaurant styled in the vein of an Amalfi coast trattoria. Within easy reach of many spots on this list (including Panda & Sons, Hey Palu, Timberyard and The Palmerston), it's a brilliant resting place if you're headed to a concert or match at Murrayfield Stadium, home of the Scottish rugby team.
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