It may have taken six years, but I finally made the trip back across the pond to the United Kingdom. This trip was different in that I was no longer a university student in Scotland and I was taking Tommy over for his first time so that we could attend a ceilidh (Scottish celebration) in Glasgow for one of my best friends. The first leg of the trip started innocently enough where we spent a few days in London watching Wimbledon in pubs, catching up with old friends, grabbing a meal at The Dairy and attending Pride in London. Instead of flying we chose to take the train because its a great way to see the countryside as you move from Southern England into Scotland. Our trip to Scotland took us to Edinburgh first, but we ended it in Glasgow so I could show Tommy some of my favourite spots from my uni years including the cone-topped Duke of Wellington statue, Oran Mor, Ashton Lane, WEST Brewery, shopping on Buchanan Street and The Counting House.

I chose to focus this blog on Edinburgh because even though I have visited briefly in the past, I finally got to experience this manicured and lively city’s history, culture and food as a (well-planned) tourist.

Getting Around

Being an American, Tommy automatically wanted to take advantage of UBER and Lyft rideshare apps, but it became clear that the old school method of climbing into a black cab outside the hotel or waving one down cost us around the same price without the wait or need to pre-plan.

Walking around the city is doable and every day we easily managed to get over 10,000 steps. Everything feels close enough to walk to, but far enough away that you will be relieved to finally sit down to drink a pint. Choose your footwear wisely because it’s a hilly city with a lot of cobblestone paths and staircases.

Where To Eat

Dishoom

Dishoom is an Indian restaurant franchise found primarily in London, but has made its way up north to Manchester, Birmingham and Edinburgh. The restaurant itself takes up three storeys, and upon entering you are immediately greeted by an open kitchen that consumes the entire ground floor. The restaurant is always busy because they don’t take reservations, so you may be directed downstairs to the ‘Permit Room’, a cozy bar area where they’ll serve a cup of authentic chai tea while you wait. Once a table is available you’ll head up to the second floor and enter the dining room overlooking St. Andrew Square. The menu is massive, but the servers are great at explaining how many dishes should be ordered per person (about 3-4 from different sections will suffice). I enjoyed the buzzing atmosphere, delicious shareable plates and the chance to experience Indian cuisine in this Bombay café format.

The Kitchin

Farm-to-table restaurants always make it onto our lists, but Chef Tom Kitchin’s Michelin Star award winning restaurant, The Kitchin, takes it to another level. His menus are a romantic tribute to Scotland with ingredients coming from nearby farms all the way to the northern Orkney Islands. We ordered the ‘Surprise Tasting Menu’ and during the summer months this included robust bread, risotto, scallops, lamb, a cheese course and a brown butter soufflé - it was simply incredible! Instead of ordering a wine pairing the sommelier chose a skin-contact (aka orange) wine that carried us throughout our meal perfectly. I expected it to be more expensive because of its celebrity, but the prices were quite reasonable and ranged from £80 for the a la carte up to £140 for a tasting menu with exclusive ingredients. Epicureans looking for high end service and elevated dishes that utilise local ingredients need to add this to their list

Edinburgh Food Studio

We chose the Edinburgh Food Studio because it had great reviews and the limited information from their website stated that it is a “crowdfunded restaurant and food research hub”. It sounded really out there as a concept, and after dining there I’d describe it as a format that allows talented chefs to try new techniques and flavour pairings on diners who are willing to be their guinea pigs. On arrival you are seated at one of two communal tables and it is a adamant that you show up on time because everyone is served promptly at 7:30pm. Edinburgh Food Studio may appear laid back with their seating style and that they write that evening’s menu on a white board, but every course we had was fresh and elegantly prepared. This particular experience is unique and very chef centric so I’d suggest going only if you are willing to try anything.

Timberyard

As soon as you walk into Timberyard you’ll be impressed by how rustic and industrial the décor is - exposed lightbulbs, wooden tables and stone plates. The atmosphere is inviting and diners can choose to sit indoors or outside in their private yard. Timberyard is ingredient-driven, but particularly focuses on the little man where everything they include comes from small farmers, wine producers, artisans and foragers across Scotland and Europe. Their menu options are reasonably priced for both the a la carte and tasting menus for lunch and dinner. This is the perfect place to dine if you want to try fresh, creative and well-thought out dishes that support small businesses.

Ondine

Ondine thrives on being known for their incredible selection of seafood and shellfish and it became immediately clear why Scottish seafood is some of the best in the world. They are dedicated to sourcing the very best oysters in the country and their ‘Oyster Hour’ is what originally drew us to this spot. From 12-2pm and 5:30-6:30pm diners grab a seat at the oyster bar and can order up to a dozen per person for just £1 each. Tommy and I ended up ordering a dozen raw, a dozen fried and a side of garlicky mussels before we sat down at our table to enjoy an out-of-this-world dining experience that included their melt-in-your-mouth smoked salmon to the creamy mushroom velouté and the savoury brown crab risotto and delicate roasted turbot. Ondine is worthy of a visit for seafood lovers looking to experience the best produce in the city.

What To Do

Edinburgh Bus Tours

This may seem like a cop out, but I took this idea from my dad who always does the double decker bus tours on day one to scope out the city. What I have always loved about them is the historical commentary and obviously the ‘hop on, hop off’ aspect where you can stop at any site you want and know that another bus is right behind it when you’re finished. We bought ‘The Royal Edinburgh Ticket’ and I cannot recommend it enough! It gave us access to 3 different bus routes and fast track admission into 3 royal attractions - the Royal Yacht Brittania, Edinburgh Castle & the Palace of Holyroodhouse.

I was particularly drawn to the Palace of Holyroodhouse because it’s the Queen’s residence when she visits the city. It includes a self-guided audio tour where you’ll learn the riveting history of Mary Queen of Scots, see priceless artwork, beautifully manicured gardens and the remnants of an on-site abbey. This is one of the most memorable self-guided tours that I have been on in years, so don’t miss it!

This I my third time visiting the 11th century Edinburgh Castle. I didn’t enjoy it as much this time around and only took advantage of showing Tommy the stunning view it has of the city, the ‘Honours of Scotland’ (the oldest Crown Jewels in Britain), the Stone of Destiny and the National War Museum of Scotland where we located some Tennant ancestors. On reflection I wished we had signed up for an audio or guided tour to see the history of this historical site come to life, but I know it would have taken a lot more time than we had on that day.

Walk The Streets

Everywhere is accessible by the bus tour, but as I mentioned earlier the city itself is quite walkable for those wanting to explore on foot. Some of the streets in Edinburgh are quite popular and worthy of a visit. A stroll down Princes Street is a must for shopaholics, but it also gives you an incredible view of the castle on the hill, Princes’ Street Gardens and the Scottish National Museum. Create your own bar crawl along Rose Street as it’s lined with a variety of pubs and cocktail bars. Head over to the ‘Old Town’ and visit the famous Royal Mile, a stream of streets that run from Edinburgh Castle to the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Along the way you’ll find souvenir shops, pubs, whisky shops and restaurants, including the famed The Witchery. We lingered around the courtyard at St. Gile’s Cathedral and when it got too cold we popped into the adjacent Angels with Bagpipes to sip a whisky and people watch instead.

Pop into the Festival Village

Edinburgh Waverley Station sits right in the middle of the city and upon exiting on Princes Street we came across the Festival Village. This covered and inviting space had live acoustic music, a pop-up restaurant, a handful of casual food and drink vendors and lots of communal seating. We enjoyed it so much that we went twice in those few days because it had such a fun and relaxed atmosphere rain or shine. This was my first time seeing this setup in all of my visits and I was happy to hear that it runs throughout the year.

Our 3 days in Edinburgh flew by, but we ate, drank and learned a lot about this incredible city. Glasgow may have been my home for a few years, but I understand why people love Edinburgh now as well. I hope this guide inspires you to head over to Scotland. If you’ve been before let me know some of your favourite things about Edinburgh and Scotland so I can add to my list for next time.

Travel Guide for Edinburgh, Scotland