Updated: Aug 5
Welcome to the Auld Grey Toon!
We want to make sure you have the most wonderful time in Cherith’s home city.
Here are some tips to guide you round like a local!
Rest yer heid (hotels!)
Recommendations to follow, but we recommend staying in the New Town or in proximity to St. Andrews Square. Transportation to and from the wedding will be collecting and dropping off there.
Scran and Swally (food & drink!)
NB: Restaurants in Edinburgh are generally small (sometimes very) and so reservations are critical for most places.
Lunch / Brunch
The Pantry: One of Cherith’s favourite spots for brunch in Edinburgh. On the way into Stockbridge, Cherith's favourite neighbourhood in Edinburgh. Great breakfasts; delicious lunch options.
Edinburgh Larder: in Bruntsfield, another lovely neighbourhood to walk through in central Edinburgh. Delicious brunch and all sorts of delicious treats.
The Kitchin: Travelling a little further down into Leith to the waterfront? Then you have to do the lunch menu at Michelin starred Kitchin. Fresh caught fish, phenomenally yummy.
Tipo: in the New Town, delicious Italian restaurant with an amazing prix fixe for lunch. Portions not ginormous, but food is lovely.
Singapore Coffee House: Absolutely delicious food in an absolutely tiny restaurant (they seat 8!). Be prepared to queue and note they don’t serve food after 2.30pm. Best for small parties.
Margot: In Bruntsfield, sweet but busy little café with delicious brunch options (go elsewhere for cake!)
Dinner
Timberyard: An Edinburgh classic - wild game, seafood, foraged ingredients - everything local and sustainable, totally delicious. Beautiful interior, good for larger party sizes (if booked in advance!)
Skua: This spot is tiny, but very special. Menu changes daily, everything local, totally fab.
Eleanore: Intimate restaurant run by one of Edinburgh’s most beloved female chefs. Delicious Modern British food.
Scran & Scallie: Stockbridge gastropub, great for a big group. Food is totally delicious, more casual - fish, chips; burger; steak pie, great drinks. Child friendly.
Dulse: Can’t be in Edinburgh and not do seafood - Dulse is a ritzy way to enjoy the very best seafood the coast has to offer.
Kitchin: one of Edinburgh’s best delights, down in Leith. Completely seasonal, very seafood driven. They do a great set lunch too.
Little Capo: Stanley Tucci’s recent rave review called out their delicious cocktails and wonderful pasta alla norma - we can confirm he’s right. Yummy food, good for small to mid size groups.
Sweet Treats
Mary’s Milk Bar: one of Cherith’s favourite spots. Absolutely incredible Scottish ice cream, lots of creative flavours. Do not miss!
Alanda’s: just round the corner from Mary’s, Alanda’s draws on Edinburgh’s rich Italian heritage for some phenomenal gelato.
Lannan: Edinburgh’s best bakery, in Stockbridge. Very likely to need to queue but worth the wait! Sells out every day. You can order ahead and we would strongly recommend you do!
Coffee
Wellington Coffee: one of Cherith’s favourite spots. Coffee is delicious, they also serve scones (cheese, plain, fruit) and cake. Some seating indoors, some seating outdoors in the undercroft (not rain friendly)
Cairngorm Coffee Roasters: Naomi, Cherith’s sister’s, favourite spot for coffee. Speciality coffee & matcha, roasted near Edinburgh. Cheese toasties and other bites too.
Cobbled Roastery: Delicious coffee down one of the sweeter little streets in Edinburgh, lovely sweet treats. The shop is petite, only one or two seats!
Onto Coffee: A new discovery, and one of the rare Edinburgh coffee shops to serve cold brew (not just iced Americano & latte). They get cakes from 101 Bakery across the street, and they are outrageously great.
Drinks
Bramble: One of Edinburgh's best loved cocktail bars, great and interesting drinks.
Hey Palu: The best negroni selection outside of Italy! Expect Italian cocktails + aperitivo.
Panda & Sons: Another Edinburgh institution - delicious and inventive cocktails .
St. Bernards Bar: Very tiny pub + bar, expect to share tables. Totally charming, the bartender stepped straight out of Charles Dickens.
Spry Wine: Gorgeous chic winebar in the New Town, with delicious food options available.
Oot & Aboot
History
Holyrood Palace: Jab + Cherith both strongly recommend instead of Edinburgh Castle (an active military barracks, and very military focussed generally). Holyrood Palace is beautiful and so interesting - you can literally see the blood stained floor where Mary Queen of Scots lover was murdered. We recommend the audio tour and, if its a nice day, walking out to see Holyrood Abbey (founded in 1128). Make sure to book your timeslot (especially if you decide to go to the Castle) as these can sell out.
Mary Kings Close: Want spooky and scary? Then visit Mary Kings Close - a street which was bricked up (with its living inhabitants in situ) during the Black Plague. A surreal experience.
Dean Village: This is a total tourist trap, but aren’t they good sometimes? World Heritage site, dating back to the 12th century. Beautiful little spot to wander through, grab some photos, and then head into Stockbridge.
Parliament House: If you talk nicely to Cherith’s dad he might be able to hook you up with a guided tour, but otherwise step into Parliament House to see the world’s first purpose built parliament building. A beautiful historical space, right next door to St. Giles Cathedral (worth a peek!)
Greyfriars Bobby / Cemetery: an iconic Edinburgh landmark + story, Greyfriars kirk is right next to the Grassmarket and all its shops, cafes, and bars. We’d recommend walking through this part of town no matter what. Step into the kirkyard if you’d like to see the graves that inspired the names of many Harry Potter characters.
Art
Jupiter Artland: about a 25-30 minute drive out of Edinburgh (you’ll want a car or to pre-book taxis), but this sculpture garden is amazing. Best on a dry day, if its rainy bring your waterproofs and walk through the 2km long trail, where you’ll encounter works by Tracy Emin, Anthony Gormley, Anish Kapoor, a Joana Vasconcelos pool, and much more. It’s a beautiful space where art has been integrated into and commissioned especially for the landscape. Follow up with a delicious bite to eat in the cafe, fully decorated by Nicholas Party.
The Scottish National Portrait Gallery: Cherith would not normally recommend a portrait gallery, but the SNPG is great - a beautiful baronial building in the old town, and one of the best ways to learn Scottish history through their incredible displays of portraiture. Underrated.
Ingleby Gallery: Edinburgh’s best commercial gallery, in a beautiful ex-Church building. The space is beautiful and their exhibiting programme is normally excellent. Richard and Florence who own the space are wonderful.
The National Gallery - there are two spaces in the National. The front building (onto Princes Street) hosts their temporary exhibition (info tbd!). The back has the permanent collection. If you start at the bottom you’ll get a great history of Scottish art, if you start at the top you’ll see some phenomenal gems from Scotland’s history as a collecting nation (expect superlative Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Matisse and more).
Modern One & Modern Two - Cherith loves to recommend visiting either one or both galleries to see the Robert Jenck landworks and whatever exhibitions they have on, before walking along the trail through Dean Village and into Stockbridge. If you do this, make sure to look over the bridge and spot the Anthony Gormley in the river.
Views
Arthurs Seat is a must-do hike in Edinburgh! An extinct volcano, it's genuinely very manageable, you don’t need special footwear (no heels though…), and the view from the top is unbeatable. It’s easy to accidentally take the route up Salisbury Crags if you’re not careful. If you do, prepare yourself for a slightly harder climb!
Calton Hill: We’ll have you up here for the Welcome Event, but if you miss it - then make sure to come back. A short but steep climb, the view from Calton Hill is the best in Edinburgh TM. Populated with a great gallery, great cafe, and lots of Monuments to Enlightenment Age Edinburgh, Cherith’s number one tourist tip (if you have good knees!)