Diners' Choice: Hot spot restaurants in Edinburgh

OpenTable

Updated May 05, 2025

Looking for restaurants that are the best hot spots in Edinburgh? You’re in the right place. Each month, OpenTable analyzes nearly 2 million global diner reviews from the past four months. We sort the results by location and category to help you discover new favorite restaurants. It's a great partnership: you reserve, eat, and review. We listen...and deliver the results for all to benefit. Enjoy!

Edinburgh - Bucks Bar Grindlay Street

4.8

4.8 (562)

£25 and under

American

Old Town

About the restaurant

Welcome to Bucks Bar Edinburgh Grindlay St. We look forward to welcoming you!

The best free range buttermilk fried chicken you've ever tasted! New to Edinburgh, Buck's is a rock’n’roll bar specialising in authentic buttermilk fried chicken, seriously addictive Nashville hot chicken, cocktails, beers and Bourbon.

Live music every Saturday night!

40% Off Selected Cocktails Monday - Wednesday weekly offers
www.bucksbar.co.uk

Top review

Andrew

Dined 2 days ago

Food was superb and our server Rory was outstanding nothing was to much he’s a credit to bucks bar

Edinburgh - Bucks Bar Hanover Street

4.8

4.8 (269)

£25 and under

American

New Town

About the restaurant

Welcome to Bucks Bar Hanover St. We look forward to welcoming you! The best free range buttermilk fried chicken you've ever tasted! Buck's is a rock’n’roll bar specialising in authentic buttermilk fried chicken, seriously addictive Nashville hot chicken, cocktails, beers and Bourbon.

Live music every Saturday night!

40% Off Selected Cocktails Monday - Wednesday weekly offers
www.bucksbar.co.uk

Top review

Rene

Dined on May 17, 2025

Staff amazing portion sizes huge but well worth tue money !!!

Little Capo

4.8

4.8 (111)

£26 to £40

Italian

Edinburgh

About the restaurant

Welcome to Little Capo, we look forward to serving you.

Top review

Lucy

Dined 1 day ago

Delicious food, small plates are good size portions, perfect for lunch. Slightly disappointed that waiting staff were quick to remove a glass of wine which had the last mouthful in!

The Basement

4.7

4.7 (1369)

£26 to £40

Mexican

New Town

About the restaurant

Do you love tacos, fajitas guacamole and all things Mexican? Come join us underground! We’ve got a masivo collection of tequila and mezcal waiting for you to try. And when it comes to cocktails, there’s plenty on offer but you can’t go wrong with a margarita!

🧒 Under 18s welcome until 10pm with food, last sitting for under 18s is 8pm
🐶 Dog-friendly in our bar & outdoor areas
🏃 Walk-ins welcome
🍹 Bookings for food & drink and just drinks welcome
📅 Contact us directly for bookings of 9 or more

Top review

Amy

Dined 3 days ago

Five girls went out for food before going to the theatre. All the servers were brilliant, however our main server had great personality and really made the experience a fun and memorable one at the same time doing a great job of upselling in a friendly way without pressure. We enjoyed tacos and some small plates which came out quickly and were very good. The Moulin Rouge inspired French Martini cocktail was especially good. We really enjoyed our time at The Basement - thank you.

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Guacamole at the table

Hard Rock Cafe - Edinburgh

4.5

4.5 (4755)

£25 and under

American

New Town

About the restaurant

Hard Rock Cafe is a global phenomenon with 185 cafes that are visited by nearly 80 million guests each year. The first Hard Rock Cafe opened on June 14, 1971, in London, England, and from there the brand has expanded to major cities and exotic locations around the world.

Top review

Ann

Dined 1 day ago

Service was great. Had the special a Burger with Haggis and Whisky sauce, I don't normally enjoy a burger but this was amazing soooo tasty.

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4.4

4.4 (1875)

£25 and under

Brewery

Edinburgh

About the restaurant

Craft beer brewed on-site, delicious Neapolitan pizzas and one of the best views of Edinburgh Castle from our Rooftop Terrace. Cold Town House is where it’s happening!

Best Beer Bar Winner at the Scottish Beer Awards 2021 & National Pizza Awards Finalist 2021!

*Live Bar & Taproom- Drink the freshest Cold Town Beer straight from our tanks. With live music, amazing food and an electric energy, its the perfect spot to drink, dance and make unforgettable memories.- Dog Friendly!

*Brewery & Pizza Floor-Relax in the comfort of our Brewery & Pizza floor, watch our artisan pizzas come together all while sipping on the freshest beer from our Microbrewery.

*Rooftop Terrace–Cocktails, cold pints, and epic Edinburgh Castle views! Soak up the atmosphere, sip in style, and make the most of our iconic rooftop—whatever the weather!

Last bookings for food are at 8.45pm, later bookings will only be for drinks. Please note that our Terrace closes at 10pm daily.

Walk-ins welcome!

Top review

Grace

Dined 3 days ago

Staff very welcoming, unique drink options and service was quick. Tried some of the food that other people ordered and it was all very nice

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4.4

4.4 (701)

£25 and under

Vietnamese

Edinburgh

About the restaurant

Pho is a healthy Vietnamese restaurant that specialise in pho noodle soup, the national dish of Vietnam. Aside from pho, you can also expect to find amazing sharing starters, healthy salads, hearty rice bowls and decadent curries. They have a range of freshly made juices and also Vietnamese beers and a large wine and cocktail list. Pho’s menu is 40% vegan and nearly entirely gluten-free too. They also have an accessible kids’ menu where children can get a meal and a drink for £5.95

Top review

Sandy

Dined on May 19, 2025

Excellent service and food, really enjoyed and will be back

Boozy Cow

4.3

4.3 (691)

£25 and under

Burgers

Edinburgh

About the restaurant

We’re all about bold burgers, dirty fries, outrageous milkshakes, and cocktails that taste just as good as they look.

At Boozy Cow, we keep it fresh with locally sourced ingredients and a whole lot of love – we know you’ll be as obsessed with our food as we are. Head down the stairs into our punk rock-inspired dive bar, where the 90s vibes are loud and proud, and good times come as standard.

We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we’re seriously good at what we do – and our crew is always on hand to make sure you have a blast.

🔥 Think you can handle it? Take on our Burger Challenge – not for the faint-hearted. Big appetite, big glory. Are you up for it?

👦 No under 5s | 6–17 year olds welcome until 11pm
🐶 Dog-friendly – bring your four-legged mates
🚶 Walk-ins welcome
🍹 Bookings for food & drinks or just drinks are all good
📅 Got a crew of 8 or more? Hit us up directly to book

Top review

Mirren

Dined 3 days ago

Lovely bar and table staff, they made our night even more fun! Amazing drinks & food as always

Cabo Restaurant and Bar

4.1

4.1 (63)

£25 and under

Mexican

Edinburgh

About the restaurant

abo is the premier Mexican Restaurant In Edinburgh; our menu features a range of Mexican food with added Latin American inspiration. Visit our new Restaurant in Edinburgh New Town today.

Top review

Darren

Dined 4 days ago

Great food. Very attentive service, food delivered really quickly so you can graze and order more if needed, portions are great for sharing lots of plates, cocktails fantastic

The Little Bakery

3.8

3.8 (400)

£25 and under

Scottish

Queensferry

About the restaurant

The Little Bakery offers a delicious range of home-baked cakes and goodies, breakfasts, afternoon teas, and quality coffee.
We cater for vegan and gluten free dietary requirements.
Events cakes available including wedding.
Gift vouchers purchase online or instore.

Located in the historic picturesque town of SouthQueensferry close to the spectacular views of The Three Bridges.

Top review

Gail

Dined on May 16, 2025

Excellent. Best ever afternoon tea. Great service.

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