Hi Sheila

I was going to ask when you're coming down. We are hopefully meeting up with the Muckies for a pint tonight or tomorrow. Are you just coming Sunday, then ? Getting the bus out to Murrayfield & back ?

To ask your Q re eateries near Waverley or Haymarket... (although I'm sure you know as much or more than me !)

Near Waverley - the Dogs as you know is good (need to book), as is Urban Angel (almost opposite, probably advisable to book this weekend). Otherwise, Cafe Royal ? Halfway House (top homecooked pub food) ? Centotre ?

Parking - you should be able to park on Dundas St or one of the streets off it - I'm fairly sure parking north of Heriot Row is free on Sundays. We always manage to get a space on Heriot Row (Dundas St end, gardens side) at any time. Otherwise try the Mound - the junction with Princes St is now closed again but if you go up Market St and turn right onto the Mound, you can drive down & park. It's free on Sundays there anyway, and when the junction was last closed we found the Mound by the galleries a very handy car park which nobody else much was using. Come along Queen St, turn right up the west side of St Andrew's Square, through the square, Waverley Bridge, right on to Market St.

Near Haymarket I'm not so sure as we've never parked round there, that I can remember. Parking on Haymarket Terrace itself or Dalry Rd may be free on Sundays, otherwise try the guddle of West End streets north of Haymarket Terrace. Haven't eaten anywhere round there for ages so I'd better not suggest anywhere.

Does this give you anough ideas ? I'll post again if inspiration strikes.

P.S. Come to think of it I think everywhere is free on Sundays, but as you probably know it's impossible to park on George St & they've taken away most of the parking on Queen St.

Thanks. Very much. I think we're too family bound to do anything else

Hi again, Caroline.

Since you know exactly where we'll be staying (Hart St.) could you recommend a couple of good places to eat nearby? We like good restaurants as well as good pub fare.

And, do they serve food in the sauna on Hart St.??

Hi sssteve. Following this paragraph is my latest general recommendations list. Near your digs... the new Urban Angel is very close. There's also a branch of the Olive Branch bistros on Broughton St and although I've never been, I understand they are good in a modest way. On the roundabout at the bottom of Broughton Street is Bella 'Mbriana which is a good modern Italian - run by the guy who used to have La Partenope (mentioned below) but not as seafood-orientated. Places I recommend below in the centre of town (The Dogs, Centotre) are only about a 15 minute minute walk for you. For Leith walk get the 22 bus from the Leith Street side of John Lewis or on Elm Row.

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My general list

Here are some of my favourites places to eat in Edinburgh, roughly in descending order of price.

If you want gourmet, there are now (as of Jan this year) four restaurants with one Michelin star.

Martin Wishart's in Leith (the old docks area - which we have now moved to !) is the best IMO and is fantastic, especially if you have the six course tasting menu – now also available in a veggie version. The tasting menus are £60pp for food, £50pp for a wine to match each course - £10 less for each at lunchtime. Three courses a la carte £50, bargain set lunch at £22.50 available Tue-Fri. It's very high class but friendly and unstuffy. Book 2-3 months in advance for weekend dinner, less for weekday dinner and lunch. IMO should be 2 stars.

The second starred restaurant was Number One in the Balmoral Hotel : food nothing special IMO, ambience is more formal & traditional.

The Kitchin, also in Leith, opened in July 2006 & got a star in January 2007 – some going ! It's really good but not quite as good as MW. Also does a bargain lunch at £24.50 for 3 courses, Tue-Sat.

The Plumed Horse, also in Leith, moved here from its previous location in Dumfriesshire a couple of years ago. It had a star there and has just regained it here. Oddly, I went when it was in Dumfriessshire but haven't been since it's been round the corner – I need to remedy that ! I've heard a recent good report, though. Lunch something like £24, dinner £39.

If you want 'modern Scottish', Stac Polly on Grindlay Street used to be good, but I've read mixed reviews in the last year or two. Also branch on Dublin Street. Wedgewood on the High Street has been getting very good reviews but I haven't been yet.

La Garrigue on Jeffrey Street is a small French restaurant specialising in cooking of the Languedoc where the chef-proprietor is from, as are all the wines. The food & the chef are both lovely and the ambience is correct but relaxed. If you sit near the window there is a view of Carlton Hill & its monuments. We went recently and it was as good as ever.

For Italian, La Partenope on Dalry Road was wonderful - the best Italian food (especially seafood) I've had outside southern Italy - but it has changed hands and I haven't been since. The former chef-proprietor has a newish place called Bella Mbriana – I've only been once and it was very good but (disappointingly for me) not so heavily seafood-biased.

Centotre on George Street, one of my favourite places, is a busy, buzzy Italian caffe-bar offering everything from a coffee & cannolo to cocktails to a full slap-up 4 course meal. Can be expensive for the full works but v. reasonable for just a pizza or a bowl of pasta, both of which are very good (best pizza in town IMO). The same couple owns the similar Zanzero in Stockbridge.

When we have visitors we've always taken them for Sunday breakfast or lunch in Leith, even before we moved there. There are lots of nice waterfront places but several have changed hands recently so I'm no longer up to speed on what's best. I used to think Fisher's in Leith was the best for fish but had a very disappointing experience there last time we went. (I haven't tried Fisher's in the City for some time so won't judge it, but other posters here have praised it recently.) The Shore, where you can eat in the restaurant or in the pub, used to be my favourite & was particularly good for fish; but has now been taken over by Fisher's and has a less fishy menu (so as to differentiate it I suppose); also no longer does a good value lunch on Sundays. The food is now more typical pub grub but is apparently all home cooked and comes recommended by the local Slow Food convivium leader. The Waterfront used to be good, especially for fish and for steak from the Duke of Buccleuch's estates, but has also recently changed hands, is now A Room In Leith and is getting poor reviews. Skipper's was also good for fish but has also now been taken over by the same people as the Waterfront, although apparently its menu is not changing. The King's Wark pub is always busy with people eating and I can recommend it for Sunday breakfast (served 11-3) and for not too expensive dining. (Also does good beer.)

Cheapish to midprice in the city centre is Urban Angel, which is big on local produce, traceability, sustainability and all those good things. Useful for anything from coffee & cake to brunch to a full evening meal. The original one on Hanover Street has now been joined by one on Forth Street.

Both Black Bo's and David Bann's do very interesting & innovative vegetarian cuisine. BB's is very casual, studenty even, & DB's is smart casual & v. modern . Both v. reasonably priced.

My new favourite, very reasonably priced place is The Dogs (as in going to...), on Hanover Street in the centre of town. (For anyone who knows him, this is Dave Ramsden's new place.) It's good down to earth gastropub style food, even does nice puddings and is incredibly good value. The last time I went (in the evening) there were 2 of us and we had 2 starters, a main course designed for 2, 1 pud and a bottle of wine and it was £46 !! And they have a lighter daytime menu with nothing over £5 !!! Lunchtime mains are smaller but enough at that time of day, and the fish, chips & mushy peas are ace.

Relatively cheap fastish food (although obviously a bit more expensive and less fast than McDonalds) is the Gourmet Burger Kitchen on George Street – very tasty and interesting burgers made with good ingredients, c.£6-8.

Incredibly cheap quick food, when you are out & about - a) the Mosque, Chapel Street/West Nicholson St (1-7pm I think, except Fridays), for more curry & rice/naan etc than you can eat for £3 (meat & veggie) - outdoors eating, though, so no fun if cold or wet; b) Palmyra on Nicholson Street - £2.80/£3.80 for vg chicken shwarma with salad in flatbread, or even cheaper veggie ones like feta or baba ganoush. (These are my only 2 recommendations which don't sell alcohol.)

I've never had good fish & chips from an Edinburgh chippie (but it's usually OK in food-oriented pubs, and see The Dogs above). The new-ish Tailend on Leith walk has had good reviews : however I've so far only had takeaways from there and they were disappointing each time.

If you want recommendations for any other specific types of cuisine, please ask.

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And here are extracts of stuff I wrote for Mucky for his trip this weekend...

The nearest nice pubs I can think of are Mather's and the Cask and Barrel, both on Broughton Street. . The Cask & Barrel is just before the junction with East London Street and is a big rugby pub, at least for watching games on TV. Here's some info on Broughton St - http://www.broughtonstreet.co.uk/informat.htm Oh yes, the Barony Bar is a proper pub too. Here's another link which lists all 3 - http://www.geos.ed.ac.uk/geography/p...broughton.html. The Cask & Barrel doesn't really do food (just pies), though, and I'm not totally sure about the other two - I seem to remember at least one of them does, though. But there are plenty of other places to eat on Leith Walk and Broughton Street.

On Leith Walk, Vittoria's isn't far up Leith Walk from Pilrig Street (between Pilrig St and Broughton St) and is a good basic Italian and quite cheap (for Edinburgh !) - just make sure to go in the normal entrance (on the town side) not the party room entrance (on the Leith side)

Leith Walk itself also has lots of pubs but they are generally a bit hard.

In the City Centre, top pubs near the east end of Princes Street are the Guildford Arms and the Cafe Royal (both up West Register Street right at the east end of Princes Street, opposite the Balmoral Hotel). Both do food at lunchtime. Another top pub round there is the Halfway House, the location of which is more difficult to describe but does very good homecooked food (http://halfwayhouse-edinburgh.com/).

Hope that gives you a few ideas, sssteve !

Sorry, 'Olive Branch' should have been 'Olive Tree'.

Bookmarking these great recs!

With you in spirit.

Well, England just beat Italy, but I doubt if anyone else will be quaking in their boots.

Thanks a bunch, Caroline!

And I still hope we can get together for a pint - if you are in town when we are there. Here's my email. Send me a telephone number.

[email protected]

BTW, I'm home now, but the post I made on this thread was made while I was in Korea during the past week!! Isn't the internet and Fodors incredible?

Will do, sssteve !

Update on the Broughton Street pubs I mentioned, after visiting all 3 on Friday night ! Cask & Barrel and Barony Bar as I remembered and still good. The Barony Bar (which had *2* Welsh beers on for the occasion !) does quite nice looking pub food, including the famous Crombie's sausages, and still seemed to be serving it at c.9pm. Mather's was less nice than I remembered (hadn't been for years), seemed rather depressing and had less choice of beers.