<i>What's your favorite restaurant and pub in Edinburgh?</i>

There are probably better restaurants with celebrity chefs hidden in darkest Leith or Outer Morningside, but for visitors I can't think of more pleasant evening than at the Cafe Royal Oyster Bar, adjacent to the glorious public bar at the Caf'. Just down the lane from the Princes St facade of (Robert Adams') Register House.

The food is good, the beer and wines are tops, and the room... ah, the room. Is it not one of the grandest Victorian rooms in all of Britain? I vote aye. Seriously worth a visit. Not cheap but nothing this beautiful should be.

(It was used for a scene or two in <i>Chariots of Fire,</i> of which speaking, a must-see before any thinking person's visit to Edinburgh.)

Just my opinions, of course.

Thanks to all for such great advice ! Your comments are greatly appreciated and feedback is so much better than reading a tour book.

Hope Scotland is half as much fun as this site has been ;)

Carolyn

How is the &quot;Number One&quot;?

Number One (at the Balmoral hotel) is Edinburgh's other Michelin-starred restaurant, but on both occasions I've been (the last time a year ago), I've been disappointed in the food &amp; now can't even remember what we had. Also a very stuffy old-fashioned hotel atmosphere.

If you want a memorable night in Edinburgh, can I suggest the 3 Sisters in the Cowgate ?
Now...it may not be your traditional tourist laden haunt, but if you want to mingle with the locals and have a night that you won't forget for a while, the 3 Sisters is the place. :-)
In fact, any place in the Cowgate will give you a unique first hand experience of Edinburgh life without the tartan and shortbread. :-)

Well....we were asked to recommend our favourite places, weren't we ?

P.S. Another vote for 'don't go to The Witchery'. Snotty, overbearing, overpriced. We went there with French friends, and when my friend ordered from the winelist the waitress ridiculed his accent....as if he should have ordered the burgundy in a Leith dialect.
They enjoy giving crawling service to the Hector, Ogilivie and Morningside crowd....if you don't fall into that category give it a miss.

But if you are over 25 you will feel old at the Three Sisters :-)

Sorry MacSporran, but it is basically just a modern, fairly characterless, young people's drinking barn, isn't it ? :-)

OTOH I don't much like the Witchery either (and until 2 days ago I lived in Norningside !) :-) (The rooms are fabulous, though)

&gt;Sorry MacSporran, but it is basically &gt;just a modern, fairly characterless, &gt;young people's drinking barn, isn't &gt;it ?

Yeap, but it can be a fun night out (so I'm told, I would hate to go into a place like that myself). :-)
Ach, as we know, you can get all types of bars and whatever in Edinburgh...folk music, rock, 80's cheese, bagpipes. Usually all next to each other on the same street.
When I'm not trying to re-live my youth down the Cowgate, I quite enjoy a quiet pint in The Hebrides bar in Market Street. Good beer, and they have live music on at weekends. It's central, but not in such as obvious place that it's filled with tourists, so you get a far more 'authentic' Edinburgh experience than you may find in the Royal Mile or Rose Street (and not as scary as the Cowgate, obviously). :-)

&quot;not as scary as the Cowgate&quot; :-)

It's a good point, though, that visitors should experience an authentic Edinburgh pub &amp; not just posh places, especially posh places mainly filled with tourists.

Looking forward to becoming better acquainted with the pubs in my new neighbourhood of Leith - Morningside is pretty rubbish for pubs !

I've enjoyed this thread (a bit late).

Carlyn:
Would love to hear a full report of where you ate and everything else you saw/did when you get back. Maybe you are already back?

~amelie :)

Favourite restaurant... The Witchery.
Favourite Pub... Deacon Brodies