Edinburgh Eats & Sights
 

Hi Everyone,

I am going to be able to spend a weekend (Fri/Sat) in Edinburgh the last weekend of March. Would love to hear your good eats recommendations. We would enjoy places the locals go and avoid the tourist traps. Fancy isn't necessary, just good food, casual. We love Indian, italian, seafood...suggestions please!

Also, we will tour the Castle, and in reading posts in the forum, Holyrood House...what else do you recommend? We love to walk the city and find great nooks and cranies.

You've all been so helpful in the past, so I say thank you in advance for your Edinburgh recommendations.

Thanks!

I would find a pub, and look at the menu posting on the board. If it sounds good, go in and eat. I have found that Pub meals, esp. lunch are wonderful and gigantic. Try to go out from the tourist area a bit to get a good deal. You could also ask about at a shop where is a good place to eat. If you are at the castle, ask someone at the gift shop or a guard. They are locals and know where the good places are.

I live in Edinburgh,there are no real tourist rip off places,though some of the bars around the castle area do charge a bit extra but way over the top.george street is where several of the tendy bar are and have prices to match but you will find more locals than tourists in them.
One of my favourite places to eat in the tourist area is the Worlds End bar on the Royal Mile,it is a small place so you may have to wait for a table,but the food is good and reasonably priced.i will be in there tomorrow for lunch hopefully.
There are hundreds of resturants around of every ethnic oragin and loads of carryout places as well,many many chain resturants too.
http://www.edinburgh-royalmile.com/
this link should give you lots of info on what to see and do as well as links to tours and to shops and resturants

We really liked visiting the Underground Vaults with Mercat tours. They were so unusual and the history they contain is fascinating. Hated the Free tour offered by Sandemans. What a waste of time! We really wish we would have spent our time and money on a different one.

Enjoyed the food so much at Mother India that we went back twice. They are fairly booked up all the time, so you might want to make reservations or go early.

Loved Edinburgh and can't wait to go back.

Museum of Scotland is brilliant for social and political history.

National Gallery is not large but very good.

First do the hop on hop off open top bus tour to get a good overview of the Old (mediaeval) & New (Georgian) Towns - if there's time, do a complete circuit first then get on & off at the places you want to see more of - e.g. you could get off at the stop nearest the castle, walk up to it & go in if you want to (I don't think it's that exciting & it is expensive), then walk the length of the Royal Mile downhill to the place & the parliament building, both of which can be toured if you want to.

The best Italian restaurants are Al Dente, La Partenope & La Locanda dei Gusti (all vg for seafood) which are all just outside the centre but on bus routes. Centotre is a big buzzy Italian caffe-bar in the centre on George Street and is usually good - for anything from a cocktail to a coffe & cake to a full meal : full meals can be expensive but just a bowl of pasta isn't too bad.

The Shore & Commercial Quay in Leith, the old docks area, are full of eating & drinking options from 3 x 1 Michelin starred restaurants to several very good food pubs. The King's Wark is old, atmospheric & regularly wins awards for the best pub food - it's very good for dinner or breakfast which is served until c.3 on Sundays (note you can't drink until 1230). Don't confuse this part of Leith with Ocean Terminal which is where the former Royal Yacht Britannia is docked (and can be visited) but is otherwise just a soulless shopping mall complete with chain restaurants.

I also really enjoyed the Underground Vaults tours with Mercat. We did the Mary Kings Close one too but I think I prefer the first. But both are good.
I enjoy eating in pubs, but caroline always has excellent advice!

Climb up Calton Hill for a view of the city and a short history lesson -- unlike Arthur's Seat it is more than just a place to get panoramics of the city.

Go to the Cadenhead's shop on Canongate (lower 1/2 of the Royal Mile). Da*n good whisky.

"Go to the Cadenhead's shop on Canongate (lower 1/2 of the Royal Mile). Da*n good whisky."
I cannot disagree with this statment.
spent my recent back payrise on a nice bottle of Liddesdale from there last week.

Royal Mile Whiskies is good too (but Cadenheads is better)

For Indian, I like the Kalpna, for Italian I like VinCaffe and Vittoria. Seafood, try Seadogs- although its veggie option was hopeless.

Things I like to do- the Botanic Gardens are worth a visit. And just walking round the Old Town.

GREAT replys, so far. THANK YOU so much. What do you think of Mary's Kings Close, Palace of Holyrood and the Georgian House? Will definitely tour the castle and walk Royal Mile. Is there any area that is great for shopping, more like the 'fun/funky' type area (like in NY's Village or Toronto's Queen St)?

Already gave my opinion on Mary King's Close. Do an under the vaults tour with Mercat tours if you can instead, if not then yes I enjoyed both! The Mercat tours seem more authentic and less ho-key. I think with just two days and already going to the castle, the palace would be too much.

Thanks Amelie, will check out the Mercat tours for the vaults. So much to do, so little time! (that's a good problem). :-)

IMO the Palace is a lot more interesting than the Castle. I can't comment on the Georgian House as I've never been, or Mary King's Close as I haven't been since it's been run as a commercial tourist attraction.

I'm not very keen on shopping myself but the West End has some interesting independent shops centred on William St. The Grassmarket has Armstrong's vg vintage clothing shop at the east end (actually they have a few shops but that's the best I believe) and a rather good hat shop; on the West Port off the west end of the Grassmarket are a number of secondhand bookshops if that's of interest. Princes St is mainly chains but there are a few more interesting shops on the streets running off it to the north and on George St. The Royal Mile is mainly tartan tat shops but there are a few more interesting shops like the aforementioned whisky shops, two Xmas decorations shops and the odd slightly classier cashmere shop.

Ah yes, how could I forget the Dogs reataurants ? Sheila mentions Seadogs which is mainly but not exclusively fish (and where you will currently see the quite eccentric owner who is an Edinburgh institution); there's also the (original) Dogs which serves gastropub type British food and Amore Dogs which is Italian - they are all good and surprisingly cheap. My personal order of preference is a) Amore Dogs, 2) The Dogs, 3) Seadogs. There's also a nice relaxed bar - Underdogs - in the basement under Amore.

Thank you so much. What should I expect weather-wise for the last weekend in March? (trying to figure out how/what to pack clothing-wise).

You could get anything except hot. It's currently c.4-8 degrees C in the daytime and a bit colder at night : the maximim temperature you are likely to get would be about 12 degrees C. We've had a real mix of wind, fog, rain and even snow in the last week. March is frequently windy.

Bring layers, a waterproof jacket/coat or brolly (not always any use in the wind) and a hat & gloves (you may not need the latter but best to be prepared).

One thing to mention - the clocks go forward on the morning of Sunday 27th so you'll need to factor that in if you have a train or plane to catch.

Thank you everyone so much. Leaving this coming Wed night and can't wait. AlanRow, thanks for the tip about the clocks as we return home on Sunday.

Ate at Zucca in the back of the Royal Lyceum yesterday. Pretty good- minor failings. Good value.

Looks like you might be really lucky with the weather and might not need that hat & gloves after all, at least at first - it's been very nice the last few days and reached 14 degrees yesterday ! Suggest keeping up to date with the BBC 5 day weather forecast - currently showing temps as Wed 14, Thu 12, Fri 9, Sat 4.