What does a medieval Scottish capital eat for dinner?
On this four-day Edinburgh food tour, the answer ranges from hand-dived scallops in a converted Leith dockyard to sharing plates and an impressive list of vermouths in a buzzy Stockbridge wine bar.
Few cities wear their contradictions as well as Edinburgh, split between a volcanic Old Town of hidden wynds and closes and a Georgian New Town of sweeping crescents. Fewer still pack this much culinary clout into a walkable city centre.
We’ll explore Edinburgh’s finest restaurants, best gastropub, candlelit basement bars, and the iconic Italian deli that’s been shaping local tastes since 1934 – woven together with a fascinating deep dive into the city’s history, art and culture. It’s the perfect beginning to a Scottish ‘Seafood & Spirits’ Tour. Here are just a few of the highlights.
Our first evening sets the tone – a sunset wander through Stockbridge, Edinburgh's most foodie neighbourhood, stopping at local bar 'The Vinnie' for one of their famous hot gin cocktails. Then on to Tom Kitchin's beloved gastropub, where Scotland's finest produce becomes deeply satisfying comfort food, served with warmth, intelligence and a wine list that punches well above its gastropub billing.
Scotland's love affair with Italian food runs deep, and nowhere embodies that more proudly than Valvona & Crolla – Scotland's oldest deli, founded in 1934 and still in the same family. After breakfast here among the Sicilian ceramics and super-Tuscan wines, our guided walk through the Old Town's closes and wynds – led by one of Scotland's most respected historians – will bring Edinburgh's layered history vividly to life.
Tom Kitchin trained under Koffmann and Ducasse before gaining his first Michelin star at just 29. Lunch at The Kitchin in Leith is a masterclass in Scottish seasonal produce, with superb wine pairings adding another dimension. Afterwards you can take a leisurely stroll back along the Water of Leith. We'll round off the day with sharing plates and a great range of wines and vermouths at my favourite Edinburgh wine bar.
Scotland's farmhouse cheese revival is one of food's great comeback stories, and nobody has championed it more passionately than the Mellis family. Rory Mellis will walk us through how he and his father – Iain – source, store and age their cheeses to peak ripeness. We'll finish with a tasting of Scotland's most iconic farmhouse cheeses, before lunch at Ardfern – one of Leith's most exciting neighbourhood wine bars.
Immerse yourself in Edinburgh’s vibrant food scene – dining in the city’s best restaurants, discovering hidden bars and brilliant wine lists, and exploring the food shops and markets that make this one of Britain’s most exciting culinary destinations. All in the company of like-minded food and wine lovers, in a city that’s as beautiful as it is delicious.
The above itinerary covers the tour highlights – the order of activities and locations may vary.
Airport transfers can be arranged at an additional cost.
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Edinburgh’s restaurant scene has undergone a quiet revolution over the past two decades.
Inspired by Scotland’s extraordinary natural larder – world-class seafood, Highland game, grass-fed lamb and beef, and a revived artisanal cheese scene – a generation of Scottish chefs has returned home from the world’s finest kitchens to reimagine what Scottish food can be.
The result is a city that now punches well above its weight at every level, from buzzy neighbourhood wine bars and brilliant gastropubs to some of the most ambitious fine dining in Britain.
In 2026 Edinburgh had seven Michelin-starred restaurants – a remarkable number for a city of its size and a testament to the quality and ambition of its food scene.
Several are clustered in Leith, the city’s former dockyard district on the Firth of Forth, now one of the most exciting dining destinations in Britain.
Among them is The Kitchin, where Tom Kitchin – who trained under Pierre Koffmann and Alain Ducasse – has held his star continuously since opening in 2006.
Once Edinburgh’s working port, Leith has reinvented itself as one of the city’s most exciting food destinations – home to several of Edinburgh’s Michelin-starred restaurants as well as brilliant neighbourhood spots like Ardfern.
A stroll along the Water of Leith Walkway connects this vibrant waterfront neighbourhood back to the Georgian New Town in about an hour.
Founded in 1934 and still in the same family four generations later, Valvona & Crolla is Scotland’s oldest delicatessen and one of the most loved food shops in the country.
It grew out of the wave of Italian immigrants who arrived in the late 19th century, rewiring Scottish tastes with gelato, good coffee and a culture of warmth around the table.
Today its heavy oak shelves are lined with the best of Italy’s food and wine, as well as a curated selection of Scottish delicacies such as Chrystal’s all-butter shortbread and Brodies of Edinburgh tea.
Edinburgh has two distinct food hubs, each with its own character – discover more of both in my Edinburgh food lovers’ guide. The waterfront suburb of Leith is home to Michelin-starred fine diners and excellent neighbourhood restaurants and wine bars.
A short walk from the city centre, Stockbridge is Edinburgh’s most charming food neighbourhood. A village-within-a-city, it has Edinburgh’s best independent food shops (including I.J. Mellis, Scotland’s most celebrated cheesemonger championing British farmhouse cheeses since 1993), great Victorian basement pubs and Edinburgh’s best gastropub, The Scran & Scallie.
Together they offer a compelling portrait of what makes Edinburgh’s food scene so distinctive.
Now more than ever – and well beyond the obvious hotel bars – Edinburgh is a great city for wine bars and cocktail bars. St Vincent Bar in Stockbridge, known to locals affectionately as ‘The Vinnie’, is one of Edinburgh’s favourite neighbourhood pubs, famous for its hot gin cocktails and genuine local atmosphere. Little Capo on Howe Street is perhaps the city’s finest wine bar – buzzy without being loud, with an ever-changing list of open vermouths and sharing plates perfect for a relaxed evening. Stuart Ralston’s basement speakeasy, Vivien, is the place for seriously creative cocktails. Together these three represent Edinburgh’s bar scene at its most authentic.
This 4-day Edinburgh city experience is designed to flow straight into my Scotland Seafood & Spirits tour.
It finishes on the afternoon Seafood & Spirits begins, in the same hotel, so you simply stay put and join the group for pre-dinner drinks.
Being on tour with me is like travelling with a small group of food-loving friends.
Discover all the details – from accommodation and restaurant style to catering for dietary requirements and travelling solo – in the FAQ on my Food & Wine Tours page.
