Where to Eat The Best Vegetarian Food In Edinburgh

Edinburgh was at the top of our UK ‘to travel’ list for a long time, so Josh and I got round to visiting the Scottish capital for the first time in February 2018. Disclaimer, we are both vegetarian hence this being a Veggie Edinburgh guide, so all of the fab foodie spots I’m about to mention are all either veggie (maybe vegan – but don’t quote me on it) friendly. Finding places to eat as a vegetarian in a new city can sometimes be slightly more difficult, but to be honest we always do our research and TripAdvisor is very much our friend.

People often say to me oh but how do you experience a place properly if you don’t eat meat (let’s not get started on that debate here – that’s a whole series of posts)  – as it is quite often a key ingredient to the majority of local cuisine and delicacies when travelling, well we simply look for a meat free alternative – such as the vegetarian haggis that came with Josh’s brunch one day and if not, it really doesn’t bother us.

Anyway enough rambling, whether you’re heading up for the infamous fringe festival, for a little a city break or just simply because the flights are often a right bargain (you definitely can’t argue with £20pp return with Ryanair Stanstead>Edinburgh) I can promise you, Edinburgh will sweep you off your feet and here’s my fave Veggie Edinburgh recommendations.

Dishoom 3a St Andrew Square, Edinburgh EH2 2BD, we often visit the Covent Garden branch and have recently been to the Shoreditch branch of this excellent Bombay Cafe chain, so when I found out there was also a restaurant in Edinburgh, we definitely had to check it out! As ever, we were not disappointed, the food is excellent for vegetarians and meat eaters alike and I 100000% recommend the Mattar Paneer Curry with a Cheese Naan! Be prepared to get there early or queue, as it is very popular. 

The Pantry, 1 N W Circus Pl, Edinburgh EH3 6ST, breakfast/brunch is probably my favourite meal and I am so glad we did our research and found this place. I had the blueberry pancakes and Josh had the veggie breakfast which came with veggie haggis and halloumi! I mean, is it a stretch too far to say I would return to Edinburgh just to devour brunch here again?! Not only is the food incredible, but the location is gorgeous, nestled in the very pretty Stockbridge just around the corner from the undeniably instagrammable Circus Lane. 

Meltmongers 80 Bruntsfield Pl, Edinburgh EH10 4HG, I saw this place tagged in an instagram post before we went to Edinburgh and we both agreed, that we couldn’t miss out on cheese toasties that looked THAT good. I went for the Big Cheese Melt with Cheddar, American, havarti & sweet tomato & chilli chutney and Josh went for the Mac & Cheese melt with a side of sweet potato fries – SO MUCH FOOD (we always order different so that we can share), yes we left in a food coma but damn was it worth it. From a quick google I can also see that they do takeaway and you can get all the cheesy goodness to your front door with Just Eat. 

Treehouse Cafe, 44 Leven St, Edinburgh EH3 9LJ, we popped in here before we headed to the Camera Obscura. We both went for the same pancake stack with fruit and nutella, although I went for chocolate sauce and Josh went for strawberry. The cafe its pretty small but cosy nonetheless, the place is flooded with light from the huge windows, which FYI are great for people watching. The menu is very good value so you will definitely leave full of pancakes and ready for a day of exploring. 

Bread Meats Bread, 92 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH3 9BE, a great shout for everyone as the menu caters for meat lovers, veggie eaters and vegans – with some great vegan fried chicken options! We both went for the VEGAN FRIED CHICK’N CHEEZE BACON BURGER – a vegan Buttermilk fried seitan burger topped with crispy streaky mheat rashers, gooey vegan cheese; on a bed of pickles, tomatoes, lettuce and vegan Sriracha mayo. We also ordered a side of the vegan maple cured sweet potato fries – these were pretty bloody incredible. To grab yourself a table, again get there early or be prepared to wait, we waited about twenty minutes for a table, which I think is entirely reasonable for a city centre restaurant on a Friday evening. 

& Finally, where to grab a drink or three… 

Bramble: 16A Queen St, Edinburgh EH2 1JEI, got a message, whilst in Edinburgh, saying that we should go here. It’s a cute little place, pretty well hidden from the street as its at basement level, the cocktails are superb, the music is an acceptable level of ‘we can still have a conversation’ and there’s just a great vibe. I don’t have any photos because to be honest the lighting didn’t quite play ball and we were too busy working our way through the drinks menu! 

The Hanging Bat:  133 Lothian Rd, Edinburgh EH3 9AB we met with a friend from school here (that we hadn’t seen in five years) and it was great! I believe it’s primarily a beer cafe with a ‘ever changing selection of beer from the finest breweries worldwide. Saissons, porters, IPAs…the weird, the wonderful and the classics’. I left Josh and Fraser to that, but they also had a great strawberry gin and tonic! The place was heaving – which is usually a good sign of a decent bar – and the drinks were very reasonably priced.

The Devils Advocate: 9 Advocate’s Cl, Edinburgh EH1 1ND Josh was adamant that he wanted to try whisky whilst we were in Scotland, now to cut a long story short whisky is not my drink of choice and it mainly made my face hurt. But, this bar was lovely, centrally located just off the Royal Mile, the guy who served us was super helpful and  recommended a whisky flight and told us all about the origins etc. of the drinks. All in all, a great way to spend a few hours, even if just to laugh at your significant other who will probably never touch the stuff again (that’s me). FYI We went for the Wood Work Flight which included (if this means anything to you then you’re a better person than me): Tullibardine 228 Chassagne-Montrachet Cask (Highland), Balvenie 14yo Caribbean Cask Rum Finish (Speyside), Arran The Port Cask Finish (Islands), Glenmorangie 12yo Lasanta Oloroso & PX Sherry Casks (Highland) which cost £22. 

WHERE TO STAY:

I always bang on about using booking.com and for good reason. There are so many perks, from becoming a Genius member, to discount deals – you can’t really go wrong. Just bear in my mind what you are looking for and filter that search down to the small print. For instance, we always filter for ratings 8+, Wifi and air conditioning.

I’ve popped some recommendations below that hopefully cater to your budget option, whether that be a sod it, it’s pay day let’s splash all the cash or a, I need a comfy bed to fall into asap kinda trip.

A SPLURGE OPTION:

Old Town Chambers – this stunning apartment complex is in a pretty unbeatable location on the iconic Royal Mile. The views are marvellous, the facilities excellent and you will be close to all the best shops, restaurants and bars in Edinburgh city centre.

A SLIGHTLY KINDER TO THE BANK BALANCE OPTION:

Aparthotel Adagio Edinburgh Royal Mile – a 10 minute walk from Waverley station. Whether a cute little studio or an apartment with space for four adults, check out this little gem.

A BUDGET FRIENDLY OPTION: 

CoDE Pod Hostels a short walk from Princes Street this hostel offers dorm rooms with shared bathrooms. Each pod bed comes with a light, privacy curtain and designated locker. There’s also a shared kitchen and communal area.

Flippin’ heck we ate and drank a lottttt whilst in Edinburgh! Thankyou for reading, please comment below and let me know if you have already been to any of these recommendations or I’d love to know if you have any others!

If you need some ideas of what to do whilst visiting this fabulous city then read my recent post: 10 Things You Should do in Edinburgh! xxx