Today I’m taking a moment away from shop talk to share some personal favourite places in Edinburgh.
I grew up in Scotland’s capital but moved to London over 15 years ago. Now that my parents have also moved down south, and with life so busy, I don’t get many opportunities to head back up north.
But back in April, a friend and I bagged ourselves three extremely rare child-free nights, and travelled up on the east coast line for a trip centred around good food and wine.
It was a chance to check out some of the restaurants and bakeries whose food (and interiors) I’d been admiring from afar on Instagram. In between meals, we worked off the food and wine on long, green walks around the city and up Arthur’s Seat.
If this sounds like your kind of trip, here are a few ideas for a perfect Edinburgh weekend:
EAT PERFECT PASTRIES: For exquisite viennoiserie head to Lannan, which recently won La Liste’s Pastry Opening of the Year Award 2024. Be prepared to join a long queue to bag yourself a meticulously constructed croissant or a pastry with flavours such as merguez, braised fennel and monte enebro, or rhubarb and pistachio. Worth the wait.
BE IMMERSED IN GREENERY: Escape the street-level bustle by heading down to the Water of Leith, a verdant 13 mile walkway through the city which takes in the picturesque Dean Village and Stockbridge. Follow it to Edinburgh's Royal Botanic Garden, a vast urban oasis with world-class plant collections. It's also home to Inverleith House, which hosts a programme of exhibitions.
DINE OUT: For good food and wine in an elegant yet relaxed setting try Spry Wines, a wine bar and bottle shop housed on the ground floor of a Georgian townhouse, with pared-back interiors from design studio Izat Arundell. Head to Pomelo (pictured below) for hand-ripped noodles, Lucky Yu for ridiculously tasty asian fusion food, Noto for modern British small plates with a New York influence, and Montrose for locally sourced flavours served in a wine bar with an intimate upstairs dining space.
CLIMB A VOLCANO: The morning after any slight over-indulgence, clear the cobwebs with a walk up Arthur’s Seat, Edinburgh’s biggest extinct volcano. At the top of its rocky summit you’re rewarded with 360° views across the city and out to sea. And speaking of the sea...
HEAD TO THE BEACH: Walk along the promenade of Edinburgh’s seaside Portobello, stop for something to eat at The Beach House Cafe or head to popular neighbourhood restaurant Smith and Gertrude. Relax on the soft sands and if you’re feeling brave, take a dip in the sea. Or take a short train further out along the coast to the seaside town of North Berwick for fish and chips, golden sands and a blast of fresh North Sea air.
