From the Book Festival in Charlotte Square to the Playhouse at the top of Leith Walk, the city centre has lots to offer the culture vulture. Keep hunger at bay by booking a table at these six local stars – all plucked from our Edinburgh Festival Restaurants.
There are thousands of performances taking place in Edinburgh in August. And the best way to ensure that you keep your appetite sharp for the shows is to eat well.
Nothing kills comedy faster than a rumbling tum.
Every day, our Edinburgh Festival Restaurants page will feature special offers to ensure that you can enjoy a mighty fine meal.
The following restaurants are all in the city centre and handy for Edinburgh Playhouse, the Book Festival and all points in between.
The deals shown were available at the time of writing. However, they are limited and they do fill up fast. Book early to bag the best deals. We would advise booking at least 24 hours in advance.
11 Brasserie @ No 11
11 Brasserie at No 11 is a stylish, Scottish restaurant in a Grade ‘A’ listed Georgian townhouse, on Brunswick Street.
Ideally located for Edinburgh Playhouse, 11 Brasserie @ No 11 has a relaxed, welcoming ambience – the perfect venue for a pre-show meal.
The restaurant prides itself on providing simple yet satisfying Scottish dishes using the finest artisan ingredients.
Book in via 5pm Dining and you can enjoy two courses from their Enlightened Menu for £21.95.
This offer is available from noon to 4pm, seven days a week; from 5pm to 8.45pm, Monday to Thursday and from 5pm to 6.30pm, Friday to Sunday.
Typical choices might be the grilled queen scallops with Béarnaise sauce followed by crispy pork belly.
Rabble
Rabble is a cosmopolitan restaurant and bar on Frederick Street, right in the heart of Edinburgh city centre. The National Portrait Gallery and the Book Festival are within easy strolling distance.
A glass roof and lots of vibrant green plants give the dining area an enjoyable outdoors-but-indoors feel.
In the bar, a glowing wall of bottles catches the eye. As do the two gleaming copper tanks which dispense fresh, unpasteurised Staropramen.
The Josper and Robata grills are at the heart of the food offer at Rabble. Carefully selected meat and the finest seafood are cooked low and slow over white oak charcoal to produce Rabble’s signature dishes. Popular options include the 60-hour rubbed beef short rib or the grilled cod. Local produce is celebrated with options such as the Orkney steak burger or the T-bone steak from Limousin cattle reared in the Borders.
Book Rabble with 5pm Dining and you can enjoy two courses plus a welcome drink (glass of house wine, beer or Prosecco) from the dinner menu for £25.
Alternatively, you could have two courses from the lunch menu, plus a welcome drink, for £17.50.
Cadiz
Opened in the summer of 2016, Cadiz is a cosmopolitan seafood restaurant on George Street in Edinburgh city centre.
The menu takes much inspiration from the Mediterranean and the decor wouldn’t look out of place in a smart harbour restaurant in the South of France.
Stripped stone and beach hut wooden walls mix comfortably with seafood-themed art and fashionably recycled storm lights. Both the cocktail and wine list reflect the menu’s emphasis on seafood.
£16.95 will buy you two courses from the 5pm menu at Cadiz. £20.95 will buy you three when you book into Cadiz via 5pm Dining. This offer is available from noon to 4pm, Monday to Friday.
Popular starters include the calamari which are crisp-fried and sprinkled with sea salt and chilli before being served with a smoked paprika alioli.
From the main courses we can’t see past the garlic roast chicken served on a rich cannellini bean and chorizo cassoulet.
Having said that, we do like the sound of the Scottish salmon, North Atlantic cod and Shetland mussels. They are all baked with saffron potatoes and fresh cream before being grilled with a melted Manchego crust.
Tigerlily
When Tigerlily launched in 2006, it arguably kick started the renaissance of George Street as the capital’s most fashionable area for eating and drinking.
A 2015 refurbishment ensured that the boutique hotel, bar and restaurant stays at the head of the pack.
With mirrored walls, chandeliers and clever lighting, the decor of the dining areas makes for a memorable meal. An extensive drinks list with innovative cocktails plus much sought after pavement terrace tables all add to Tigerlily’s appeal.
From breakfast through to dinner, local produce shines through on the seasonal menus at Tigerlily. Isle of Skye langoustines, Scotch lamb and Aberdeenshire beef all make regular appearances on the seasonal menus.
The dishes mix and match cleverly from around the world. Diners might start with tempura asparagus or a smoked ham hock doughnut before moving on to a beef Thai salad or fish and triple cooked chips with haddock landed at Peterhead.
Book Tigerlily with 5pm Dining and you can enjoy two courses plus a welcome drink (glass of house wine, beer or Prosecco) from the dinner menu for £25. Alternatively, you could have two courses from the lunch menu, plus a welcome drink, for £17.50.
Offer available Sunday to Friday.
MP’s Bistro
A blend of two Jacobean and Georgian buildings, MP’s Bistro is part of Parliament House Hotel. It has an EH1 location making it very convenient for The Playhouse, Waverley, Multrees Walk and Calton Hill.
The team of chefs make everything in house from the oatcakes to the desserts. The menus change regularly. Typical dishes on the seasonal menu might include the Highland lamb rack and kidney with an anchovy, pea and mint purée.
The Edinburgh Festival Restaurants offer is for one person to have two courses from the seasonal menu plus a Bellini for £18.50. It is available from 6pm to 9pm, Sunday to Thursday.
Indigo Yard
Part of the award-winning Montpeliers group, Indigo Yard is a welcoming bar and restaurant on Charlotte Lane in Edinburgh’s West End. Just off Queensferry Road , it is very handy for the Book Festival on Charlotte Square.
As well as a covered outside terrace, it has a light and airy bar, cosy mezzanine and a dining area with comfortable booth seating. Up-cycled and reclaimed materials give it all an enjoyably rustic edge.
Free-range chicken, marinated overnight and then spit-roasted until crispy skinned, crops up in different portion sizes. It also makes appearance in dishes like the house soup, a Caesar salad and the Moroccan cous cous.
There is an innovative list of wraps, sandwiches and salads plus fish options such as the roast salmon with asparagus risotto or the crayfish fettuccine.
Indigo Yard flies the flag for Scottish produce in dishes like the Orkney beef burger or the macaroni made with Scottish crab and crayfish. Craft beer, tank beer, cocktails and interesting wines are all a focus.
Book Indigo Yard via 5pm Dining and you can enjoy two courses plus a welcome drink (glass of house wine, beer or Prosecco) from the dinner menu for £20.
Alternatively, you could have two courses from the lunch menu, plus a welcome drink, for £15.
Edinburgh Festival Restaurants
The 5pm Dining blog will have more festival suggestions on Tuesday. Don’t forget to check our Edinburgh Festival Restaurants every day for the latest dining deals in festival city.
If you are looking for Edinburgh Festival Restaurants, we’ve got ’em.