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August 4, 2017
Edinburgh Festival Restaurants: a booth at Biddy's sets the stage for a hearty meal.
Edinburgh Festival Restaurants: a booth at Biddy’s sets the stage for a hearty meal.

The main Edinburgh festivals launch officially today. Over the next three weeks, the largest arts festival in the world will rock the capital city. Don’t go hungry, check our Edinburgh Festival Restaurants for the best dining deals in the city.

Every day, our Edinburgh Festival Restaurants page will feature a special deal to ensure that you can enjoy a mighty fine meal. The perfect accompaniment to this astonishing banquet of music, dance, comedy and theatre.

Edinburgh Festival Restaurants in the Old Town

To get you started, here are six restaurants which are all within a brisk ten minute walk from major festival venues at The Pleasance, Bristo Square, George Square and Edinburgh Festival Theatre.

All six offer deals for two people booking via 5pm Dining today.

Shamoli

Edinburgh Festival Restaurants
Shamoli offers both Indian and Thai dishes.

Combining northern Indian and Thai dishes, Shamoli Restaurant sits in the heart of Edinburgh’s Royal Mile. The smart, modern interior mirrors the precise, contemporary presentation of the food.

Shamoli Restaurant offers separate Thai and Indian menus. Of course, diners are welcome to dip in to both. As well as a la carte menus, Shamoli Restaurant offers lunchtime buffets, set banquets and an early bird menu.

Book in to Shamoli via 5pm Dining today and two people can enjoy two courses from the early bird menu (5pm-6.45pm) for £12.95.

The Green Mantle

Edinburgh Festival Restaurants
Is your stomach badgering you for a burger? Try the Green Mantle pub.

Popular with local residents, the Green Mantle on West Crosscauseway is a quirky, modern bar in a traditional Edinburgh pub. Live music, sports and a very popular quiz night keep the Mantle buzzing.

‘Good quality, local ingredients, simply prepared’ is the ethos in the kitchens at the Green Mantle. From chip butties to soup and roll combos, it is hearty, honest grub. Popular main courses include the Arbroath smoke fishcakes, the classic mac ‘n’ cheese and the ever changing hotpot of the day.

Pride of place goes to the range of burgers featuring buffalo from Fife’s Puddledub Farm. In particular, the Kilted Buffalo burger, topped with Macsween haggis, has many fans. Good range of craft beers too.

Between noon and 5pm today, you can enjoy 2-4-1 burgers when you buy any two drinks and book in to the Green Mantle via 5pm Dining.

The Whistle Stop Barber Shop

Edinburgh Festival Theatre
The Whistle Stop Barber Shop: avoid a close shave with hunger pangs by booking in here with 5pm Dining.

Don’t look for a haircut at the Whistle Stop Barber Shop. However, cocktails and classic American cuisine are served up in style at this inviting bar and diner. Cinematic American touches distinguish the playful décor, with its scissor motifs, barber’s chairs and comfortable retro-style booths and banquettes.

The menu is packed with East Coast American classics, including a wide selection of burgers, pizzas and sandwiches. Look out for all those intriguing Stateside dishes you’ve heard about from the movies. This is the place to encounter Philly Cheese Steak, a New England lobster roll, clam chowder and chicken fried in buttermilk batter.

Between noon and 4.30pm today, two people can make good use of a 20% discount on the a la carte menu when you book in via 5pm Dining.

Acanthus at Macdonald Holyrood Hotel

Acanthus at Macdonald Holyrood Hotel offers a traditional afternoon tea and much more.
Acanthus at Macdonald Holyrood Hotel offers a traditional afternoon tea and much more.

Acanthus at Macdonald Holyrood Hotel is a smart, contemporary, brasserie-style restaurant which sits in the lee of Arthur’s Seat. Proud holders of an AA Rosette, the restaurant specialises in classic Scottish dishes. The friendly, professional staff have a glowing reputation for looking after their guests.

The Acanthus kitchen brigade are enthusiastic champions of Scottish produce. Book in today via 5pm Dining and, between 5pm and 9.30pm, you can enjoy three courses from the 5pm menu plus a glass of wine.

We would go for the John Ross smoked salmon with crème fraîche followed by the pan-fried chicken breast with crushed turnip, haggis bon bon, potato purée and jus.

Perhaps with the Scottish cheese selection to finish.

You could also have afternoon tea with a glass of fizz for £18.85 when you book in via 5pm Dining.

Biddy’s

Barrel up to the bar at Biddy's and order some Irish stew.
Barrel up to the bar at Biddy’s and order some Irish stew.

Located in Edinburgh’s Old Town, Biddy’s is an Irish pub and restaurant on Grassmarket with a friendly atmosphere. Serving hearty dishes made with locally sourced produce, the restaurant prides itself on authentic home-style cuisine. And their extensive selection of Irish whiskies.

Try the Irish fry – an all-day breakfast of bacon, sausage, a potato farl, mushrooms, tomato, white pudding, beans and fried egg.

Alternatively, diners may opt for Biddy’s Irish stew (Granny Fallon from County Longford’s very own recipe) or the crispy breaded haddock with chips and peas. Just be sure to leave some room for the Baileys cheesecake for pudding.

Between 5pm and 9pm today, there is a 20% discount on the a la carte menu when two people book in to Biddy’s via 5pm Dining.

Ginger Restaurant

Can't decide between an Indian and a Nepalese? Tuck into both at Ginger Restaurant.
Can’t decide between an Indian and a Nepalese? Tuck into both at Ginger Restaurant.

Ginger Restaurant is a Indian and Nepalese restaurant which is slightly tucked away on South College Street. While a little hidden from the beaten track, it is only a ten minute walk from The Pleasance, Gilded Balloon and Assembly and Udderbelly on George Square.

With a kitchen team that has seen action in upmarket hotels in Dubai and India, Ginger Restaurant enjoys using authentic Nepalese and Indian spices and herbs in their dishes. Many options – such as the lamb madras and the range of tandoori dishes – will be familiar to fans of Indian food.

Some of the Nepalese dishes might seem more exotic. For example, the bheda kho khutta features a leg of lamb cooked with traditional Nepalese herbs while the mo mo are Nepalese steamed dumplings. Vegetarians have plenty of choices at Ginger Restaurant. And the seafood section offers pangasius fish in a coconut milk sauce alongside a selection of prawn dishes.

Two diners can enjoy a 20% discount on the a la carte menu when making a booking between 3pm and 7pm today via 5pm Dining.

The 5pm Dining blog will be back next week with more suggestions. Don’t forget to check our Edinburgh Festival Restaurants every day for the latest dining deals in festival city.

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