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Food tours in Edinburgh: what to eat and which tour to book
Edinburgh's food is built on Scottish larder produce rather than a long list of city dishes: haggis, smoked salmon and Arbroath smokies, Shetland mussels and Scrabster fish, beef and lamb, oats, raspberries and a lot of whisky. The everyday classics are cheap and filling: a full Scottish breakfast, a fish supper from a chip shop, a haggis roll, a bowl of Cullen skink in a pub. The Old Town around the Royal Mile is where most visitors eat and also where prices are highest and quality most uneven; Leith, Stockbridge, Bruntsfield and the streets south of the university are where locals go.
Use this page to decide what to order and where. The dishes and areas below say what each part of the city does well and when the weekend markets run. The tours are real listings on GetYourGuide and Viator with approximate prices as we saw them (several were shown in US dollars, so the pound figures are converted and rounded). Prices, menus and group sizes change, so confirm on the booking page before you pay.
What to eat in Edinburgh
| Dish | What it is | Where to eat it | Typical price* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Haggis, neeps and tatties haggis, neeps an' tatties | Sheep's offal, oatmeal, onion and spices cooked in a casing, served with mashed swede (neeps) and potato (tatties), often with a whisky sauce. Vegetarian haggis made with lentils and oats is widely available. | Pubs and Scottish restaurants across the Old Town and Grassmarket; also as a 'haggis roll' or haggis bon-bons in cafés and bars. | roughly £12–18 as a pub main; £4–6 for a haggis roll |
| Cullen skink | Thick soup of smoked haddock, potato, onion and milk from the north-east coast, usually served with bread. | Pubs and Scottish restaurants; seafood places in Leith often do a good version. | roughly £7–10 a bowl as a starter |
| Fish supper | Battered haddock (more common than cod in Scotland) with chips. Edinburgh chip shops traditionally offer 'salt 'n' sauce', a thin brown-sauce-and-vinegar mix, instead of plain vinegar. | Takeaway chip shops in Leith, Portobello and residential streets; pubs in the Grassmarket for a sit-down version. | roughly £10–14 takeaway; £15–20 in a pub |
| Full Scottish breakfast full Scottish | Eggs, bacon, Lorne (square) sausage, black pudding, haggis, tattie scone, beans, tomato and mushrooms. | Cafés all over the city; most pubs on and off the Royal Mile serve it until late morning. | roughly £9–14 |
| Mussels Shetland or Scottish rope-grown mussels | Steamed mussels, usually in white wine, garlic and cream or a cider sauce, served with bread or chips. | Seafood restaurants and bistros along The Shore in Leith; some Old Town seafood places. | roughly £14–20 for a main pot |
| Scotch pie Scotch pie / mince pie | Small double-crust pie filled with spiced minced mutton or beef, eaten hot from bakeries and at football grounds. | High-street bakeries, including the Scottish chain Greggs and independent bakers; on match days at Tynecastle and Easter Road. | roughly £2–3.50 |
| Cranachan | Dessert of whipped cream, honey, whisky, toasted oats and Scottish raspberries. | Scottish restaurants and some pubs, most often in summer and early autumn when raspberries are in season. | roughly £7–9 |
| Whisky uisge-beatha / a dram | Single malts from Speyside, Islay, the Highlands and Lowlands; most bars carry dozens. | Whisky bars and traditional pubs around the Old Town, Rose Street and Leith. | roughly £5–9 for a standard measure of a common malt; much more for rare bottles |
Where to eat: markets and neighbourhoods
Edinburgh Farmers' Market (Castle Terrace)
Producers' market under the castle rock with Scottish meat, game, fish, cheese, bread and vegetables, plus hot food stalls (rolls, burgers, coffee). Long-running and well regarded; named Slow Food Scotland market of the year several times.
Stockbridge Market
Weekly outdoor market in the old village of Stockbridge with street food, bakers, cheese and coffee; the surrounding streets have independent delis, cheesemongers and cafés.
Leith (The Shore and Leith Walk)
The old port, now home to many of the city's seafood restaurants and several well-known fine-dining kitchens along The Shore, plus cheaper international cafés and bakeries up Leith Walk. A Saturday market runs near the Shore.
Grassmarket and Victoria Street
Old Town square below the castle lined with pubs serving haggis, fish and chips and pies; Victoria Street has cheese and sweet shops. Busy and touristy, but convenient. A weekend market is held in the Grassmarket.
Bruntsfield and Morningside
Residential southside streets with independent cafés, bakeries, a cheesemonger and old pubs, at local prices and away from the tour crowds.
Southside (Nicolson Street, Clerk Street)
Student quarter near the university with cheap Asian, Middle Eastern and Indian restaurants and late-opening takeaways; the most practical area for a low-cost dinner.
Food tours in Edinburgh compared
Every tour below is a real listing on GetYourGuide or Viator, checked on 2 Oct 2026. Prices move with season and group size, so treat them as a guide and confirm on the booking page.
| Tour | Length | Price* | Group | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edinburgh Food & Drink Tour with Eat Walk Tours | 3 hours | about £90–100 per adult (seen as from $126) | — | First-timers who want the tour to replace lunch or dinner, beer and drink fans. | Check dates |
| Eating Edinburgh: New & Old Town Food and Drink Walking Tour | 3 hours | about £90–100 per adult (seen as from $128) | max 12 | First-timers who want classic Scottish comfort food and an Old Town walk in one go. | Check dates |
| Edinburgh Food Tour with Scotch, Haggis, a Secret Dish and More | about 3 hours | roughly £75–95 per adult | — | First-timers who want a haggis-and-whisky introduction; whisky drinkers. | Check dates |
| Edinburgh: Cheese Crawl with Local Guide | 2 hours | about £35–40 per adult (seen as from $48) | — | Budget-conscious visitors, vegetarians (check rennet with the guide), anyone who wants to see Stockbridge and Comely Bank rather than the Royal Mile; listed as wheelchair accessible. | Check dates |
| Edinburgh: Scottish Cooking Class with City Views | 4 hours | about £115–125 per adult (seen as from $159) | max 8 | Couples, small groups, people with dietary needs, and a rainy-day option. | Check dates |
Edinburgh Food & Drink Tour with Eat Walk Tours
On GetYourGuide · run by EatWalk & ScotBeer Tours
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- about £90–100 per adult (seen as from $126)
- Included
- 4 venues (restaurants and pubs) adding up to a full meal, with four paired local drinks; whisky is an optional extra.
- Suits
- First-timers who want the tour to replace lunch or dinner, beer and drink fans.
- Starts
- City centre (check listing)
Eating Edinburgh: New & Old Town Food and Drink Walking Tour
On GetYourGuide
- Length
- 3 hours
- Price
- about £90–100 per adult (seen as from $128)
- Group size
- max 12
- Included
- 4 food stops including haggis bon-bons, fish and chips at a Grassmarket pub and a seasonal dessert, with Irn-Bru and local craft beer; walk takes in Market Street, Cockburn Street, the Royal Mile, Victoria Street and the Grassmarket.
- Suits
- First-timers who want classic Scottish comfort food and an Old Town walk in one go.
- Starts
- Old Town / Market Street area (check listing)
Edinburgh Food Tour with Scotch, Haggis, a Secret Dish and More
On Viator · run by Secret Food Tours (inferred from the operator's related private-tour listing)
- Length
- about 3 hours
- Price
- roughly £75–95 per adultapprox.
- Included
- Several Old Town tasting stops including haggis, a Scotch whisky tasting and an undisclosed 'secret dish'.
- Suits
- First-timers who want a haggis-and-whisky introduction; whisky drinkers.
- Starts
- Old Town (check listing)
Edinburgh: Cheese Crawl with Local Guide
On GetYourGuide
- Length
- 2 hours
- Price
- about £35–40 per adult (seen as from $48)
- Included
- Guided walk to local cheese producers and shops with cheese samples and a glass of wine.
- Suits
- Budget-conscious visitors, vegetarians (check rennet with the guide), anyone who wants to see Stockbridge and Comely Bank rather than the Royal Mile; listed as wheelchair accessible.
- Starts
- In front of St Stephen's Comely Bank Church (guide holds a blue flag)
Edinburgh: Scottish Cooking Class with City Views
On GetYourGuide · run by Fiona (private chef, Leiths-trained), at her home
- Length
- 4 hours
- Price
- about £115–125 per adult (seen as from $159)
- Group size
- max 8
- Included
- Tea or coffee with homemade shortbread on arrival, then cooking and eating a seasonal Scottish main course and pudding; listed as catering for all dietary requirements.
- Suits
- Couples, small groups, people with dietary needs, and a rainy-day option.
- Starts
- Host's home in Edinburgh (address given after booking)
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Street food, sit-down or a cooking class?
Street food
Edinburgh has no street-food culture in the market-stall sense outside the weekend markets and the Festival in August. Day-to-day 'street food' is bakery pies, haggis or bacon rolls from cafés and a fish supper eaten on the go. For the stall experience, go to the Saturday Farmers' Market at Castle Terrace or the Sunday market in Stockbridge.
Sit-down meals
Pubs are where most Scottish dishes are eaten: haggis, Cullen skink, pies, fish and chips, with real ale or whisky. Many kitchens stop serving around 21:00–22:00, earlier than in southern Europe. For seafood, head to Leith. In August, during the Festival and Fringe, book any restaurant you care about well ahead.
Cooking classes
Cooking classes are few compared with Italian or Spanish cities and are usually small, private or home-based sessions with a Scottish main and pudding, or baking (shortbread, scones). They are relatively expensive, so pick one only if cooking itself is the point; otherwise a food walk covers more dishes for the money.
How much to budget for food
| Style | Per person, per day* |
|---|---|
| Budget (street food, markets) | £30–40, about €35–47 (café breakfast, bakery or pie lunch, takeaway fish supper) |
| Mid-range (one sit-down meal a day) | £60–85, about €70–100 (pub lunch, sit-down dinner with a drink) |
| Splurge (tasting menus, wine) | £150+, about €175+ (tasting menu in Leith or the New Town with wine) |
Vegetarian, halal and gluten-free
Vegetarian & vegan: Easy by UK standards. Vegetarian haggis is on most menus that serve the meat version, and the city has many vegetarian and vegan cafés, especially in the Southside and Leith. Watch for meat stock in soups and gravy, and for black pudding and haggis on breakfast plates; ask for them to be left off.
Halal: Halal restaurants and takeaways are concentrated on the Southside (Nicolson Street, Clerk Street) and Leith Walk, mostly Turkish, Middle Eastern and South Asian. Traditional Scottish dishes (haggis, Scotch pies, pub sausages) are not halal unless stated, and pork is common at breakfast.
Gluten-free: UK allergen labelling is strict and most restaurants have an allergen list on request. Gluten-free fish and chips exist but shared fryers are common, so ask. Haggis and Cullen skink often contain oats or flour; oatcakes are not automatically safe for coeliacs.
Food scams and tourist traps to avoid
- Royal Mile restaurants with tartan-themed menus, set 'Scottish experience' meals and staff outside pulling you in, charging well above city prices for reheated haggis and soup. Walk a few minutes off the Royal Mile (Cockburn Street, Grassmarket side streets, Southside or Stockbridge) and check recent reviews before sitting down.
- Whisky 'tastings' and shops on the Royal Mile selling ordinary or miniature bottles as rare, cask or 'exclusive' malts at inflated prices. Compare the price with a supermarket or a specialist whisky shop elsewhere in the city; if a bottle is only sold in one shop, ask who bottled it and its age.
- Festival-month (August) price rises and surcharges: higher menu prices, fixed 'Festival menus' and automatic service charges for small groups. Read the menu and the bottom of the bill. A discretionary service charge in the UK can be removed if service was poor; ask politely.
- Measures in tourist bars: a whisky ordered as a 'double' at a high price, or prices on a board that differ from the till. Ask for a single measure first and check the price before it is poured; legal measures are 25 ml or 35 ml and must be displayed.
Top tours & activities in Edinburgh
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Staying near the markets saves time and taxi money — most food tours start in the old centre.
Common questions
Do I need to tip in Edinburgh?
In restaurants, about 10–12.5% is normal if service was good; many places add a 'discretionary' service charge, so check the bill before tipping again. In pubs, you do not tip for drinks ordered at the bar. On food tours, guides appreciate roughly £5–10 per person if you enjoyed it, but it is not required.
Which food tour is best for a first visit?
If you want one tour that covers the basics, choose a 3-hour Old Town walk that includes haggis, fish and chips and a whisky or beer; several listings below do this and replace a full meal. If you already know the Royal Mile, a cheese walk in Stockbridge is cheaper and shows a residential side of the city. Book a cooking class only if cooking itself interests you.
Is haggis worth trying, and is there a vegetarian version?
Yes. Good haggis tastes like a peppery, oaty sausage, and most people who try it on a tour like it. Haggis bon-bons (fried balls) are an easy first taste. Vegetarian haggis, made with lentils, beans, oats and spices, is common on menus and in shops, and many tours can swap it in if you tell them when booking.
How much should I budget for food per day?
On a tight budget, about £30–40 covers a café breakfast, a pie or roll at lunch and a takeaway fish supper. A comfortable day with a pub lunch and a sit-down dinner with a drink is about £60–85. Tasting menus at well-known restaurants in Leith or the New Town usually start well above £100 before wine.
Should I book food tours in advance?
In August (Festival and Fringe) and over Hogmanay (New Year), book a week or more ahead; small-group tours and restaurants fill quickly. The rest of the year, a few days ahead is usually enough. Many GetYourGuide and Viator listings allow free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start.
When are Edinburgh's food markets open?
The main markets are weekend-only. The Farmers' Market on Castle Terrace runs on Saturdays, usually about 9:00–14:00. The Grassmarket and Leith markets are on Saturdays and the Stockbridge market on Sundays, usually from around 10:00 into the afternoon. Hours can change in winter and over holidays, so check the market websites before you go.
* Prices are approximate, gathered on 2 Oct 2026 from menus, markets and the booking pages linked above. They change with season and exchange rates.