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The 5pm Dining blog has recently been pondering why the Glasgow burger boom hasn’t seemed to travel across the M8.

Of course, there are loads of places in the capital selling burgers but there hasn’t been the explosion of burger bars and BBQ joints seen in the West over the last eighteen months or so.

Well, that’s changing. On the South Bridge, Rascals, formerly Aspen, has been slinging badboy burgers, double burgers, veggie burgers, pulled pork burgers and pretty much every other kind of burger since late last year.

It’s a new branch which has developed out from the original in St Andrews.

The Crafters Barn

A ten minute walk away, is The Crafters Barn on North Bank Street.

Back in December, we blogged about this place when it was called The Scottish Burger Bistro.

As The Crafters Barn, the emphasis seems to have moved away from burgers to a globe-trotting menu which takes in steaks cooked on hot lava stones, pizza, mussels and a selection of small plates which range from pan-fried octopus to a beef tongue stir-fry.

Belgian and Scottish craft beers will help it slip down.

Uncle Zeb is cooking tonight

Meanwhile, in the western suburbs of Edinburgh, Uncle Zeb’s American Diner is serving sit-in guests as well as delivering southern-flavoured goodies to American food fans in nearby postcodes.

Operating from the Clermiston Inn on Rannoch Road, Uncle Zeb seems to like cooking up steaks, burgers, pizza, wings and wraps.

Leith Walk goes Spanish

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Finally, last November, we blogged about Serrano Manchego, a new Spanish pinchitos bar which was taking shape in the old Dalmeny Bar on Leith Walk.

According to our chums at STV’s Edinburgh city app, the new venture is pencilled in to open come May.

The STV article is here. It looks as though they are making a fair old stab at creating a genuine Spanish bar rather than an ersatz UK version.