Leith Walk is one of Edinburgh’s most rewarding streets for eating out. Its tenements and side streets are packed with intimate restaurants, long-standing family favourites and independent cafés, with everything from seasonal Scottish cooking to Japanese, Turkish, Greek and Pakistani food. Several of the smallest restaurants have limited tables, so booking ahead is sensible.

Getting There

From Ben Cruachan Guest House and Ben Cruachan Rooms & Studios, 17 and 21 McDonald Road: Leith Walk is just around the corner. Most of these restaurants and cafés are a 5 to 15-minute walk away, with the farthest reached in about 20 minutes. For places farther down the Walk, take a tram from McDonald Road to Balfour Street.

From Caledonian Apartments, Caledonian Crescent: Walk to Haymarket and take a Newhaven-bound tram. Picardy Place is best for Elm Row and the top of Leith Walk, while McDonald Road and Balfour Street serve venues farther north. Allow roughly 25 to 40 minutes door to door.

Restaurants

Vittoria on the Walk: A long-standing Leith Walk institution refreshed in 2026 as an all-day Italian café bar for coffee, pastries, brunch, pasta, pizza and familiar favourites.

The Walnut: An intimate 22-seat restaurant serving thoughtful seasonal food in a relaxed room at Croall Place.

Eleanore: A small family-run restaurant giving seasonal Scottish ingredients creative, finely judged treatment.

Mirin: An owner-operated neighbourhood restaurant combining Asian flavours, excellent local ingredients and low-intervention wines.

Raku: A cosy independent Japanese restaurant serving noodle dishes, curries and carefully made comfort food.

Mera Lahore: Bold Pakistani and Punjabi cooking, including karahi dishes, biryanis, grilled meats and generous vegetarian choices.

Greet the Greek: A relaxed Crighton Place restaurant for Greek street-food favourites, gyros, souvlaki and generous grilled platters.

Pera: A tiny local Turkish restaurant known for warm hospitality, colourful meze, charcoal-grilled food and a BYOB policy.

Breakfast & Cafés

The Nook: A bright neighbourhood café close to McDonald Road, serving speciality coffee and cakes baked in house.

Not Just Coffee: An independent café with well-made coffee, bagels, toasties, paninis and other light breakfast and lunch options.

KUL Coffee: A design-led speciality coffee shop on Elm Row pairing carefully brewed coffee with pastries and brunch dishes.

Café Elm Row: A small independent café serving all-day Scottish and continental breakfasts, lunches and speciality coffee.

The Brunswick: Part café, part bar and part neighbourhood living room, serving breakfast, brunch, coffee and generous comfort food.

Opening hours and menus can change, so check with each venue and book ahead where advised.

Image credits: Leith Walk at Balfour Street by Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized from the original. Desi Pakwan on Leith Walk by Richard Webb, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized from the original.