Where to Eat & Drink in Grassmarket, Edinburgh 2026
The top independent spots to eat and drink in Grassmarket right now: Gurkha Bar and Restaurant Edinburgh, Makars Mash Bar and Vittoria on the Bridge.
| Restaurants · ranked | ||
| 1 | Gurkha Bar and Restaurant Edinburgh | ★4.93,665 |
Had an amazing experience at Gurkha Bar and Restaurant in Edinburgh. The food, service, and atmosphere were truly 10/10. Chef Tej Kandel was incredibly helpful he took the time to recommend dishes and explained everything about the flavours and ingredients, which made the experience even better.Google review · P.G. · verbatim | ||
| 2 | Makars Mash Bar | ★4.810,426 |
| 3 | Vittoria on the Bridge | ★4.66,908 |
| 4 | Society Bar & Kitchen | ★4.86,723 |
| 5 | Ka Pao Edinburgh | ★4.6703 |
| 6 | Bucks Bar - Grindlay Street Edinburgh | ★4.8824 |
| 7 | The Devil's Advocate | ★4.55,165 |
| 8 | Cannonball Restaurant & Bar | ★4.4788 |
| 9 | Mother India's Cafe Edinburgh | ★4.53,372 |
| 10 | La Locanda | ★4.61,314 |
| 11 | The Spence | ★4.6599 |
| 12 | Dine Edinburgh | ★4.61,241 |
| Bars · ranked | ||
| 1 | Hey Palu | ★4.91,051 |
| 2 | The Fox and Faun | ★4.61,016 |
| 3 | Cafe Royal | ★4.43,675 |
| 4 | The Piper's Rest | ★4.63,590 |
| 5 | Salt Horse Beer Shop, Bar & Burgers | ★4.71,590 |
| 6 | Brewhemia | ★4.35,935 |
| 7 | Albanach | ★4.43,203 |
| 8 | Tonic | ★4.5809 |
20 independent venues, re-ranked monthly from real reviews — no chains, no paid placements.
Grassmarket Venue Map
What Should I Try in Grassmarket?
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Visiting Edinburgh, United Kingdom? Grassmarket — Tourist-facing but strong independents — is the neighbourhood with 20 ranked independent restaurants and bars our review-velocity ranking is tracking right now. All trending hot this week. Rankings refreshed monthly from 62,597 live reviews — no chains, no ads.
How to Get There
From Edinburgh Waverley station:
- Walking:10 mins south-west via George IV Bridge, or down the Royal Mile and through Victoria Street
- Bus:2 bus from Princes Street to Grassmarket, about 5 minutes
Lothian Buses Ticket Info
Single bus fare. The Grassmarket is easily walkable from Waverley - buses are more useful for the suburban zones.
Local tip: Walk down Victoria Street from the Royal Mile for the best entrance. The curving colourful street opens up dramatically into the Grassmarket square with the Castle above. For a quieter experience, visit on weekday evenings when the day-trip tourists have gone.
Looking for a venue not on the Hot List? Browse every restaurant and bar in Grassmarket →
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Grassmarket FAQs
Gurkha Bar and Restaurant Edinburgh takes top honours for its consistent Nepalese curries and steamed momos. Found on Brougham Pl, it delivers deep spice profiles and prompt service every night.
Head to Hey Palu on Bread St for modern aperitivo cocktails and precise spritzes. For whiskies in a stone closes setting, try The Devil's Advocate on Advocate's Cl.
The area covers everything from Nepalese dishes at Gurkha Bar to traditional mash bowls at Makars Mash Bar on Bank St, plus Italian plates at Vittoria on the Bridge on George IV Bridge.
The Devil's Advocate on Advocate's Cl offers dim lighting and rich whisky lists that work well for couples. Hey Palu on Bread St also provides an intimate setting with Italian aperitivo style.
Makars Mash Bar on Bank St provides hearty Scottish meals under £20 that fill you up fast. Bucks Bar on Grindlay St also serves massive chicken burgers around £16.
The top spots remain anchored, led by Gurkha Bar and Hey Palu at #1 in their respective categories. Venues like Ka Pao Edinburgh and Cannonball Restaurant & Bar hold firm ground after weeks on the chart.
Still have questions? The best answers come from locals at the venue.
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Our GPT knows every venue on the Grassmarket hot list. Ask it what to book tonight, where to eat on a budget, or the best table for a date.
Ask DOW on ChatGPTDOW ranks venues with a transparent 100-point Hot Score, recalculated monthly from live Google data. Four signals: Velocity (30 pts) — text reviews over 50 characters in the last 90 days; Baseline (25 pts) — current Google rating relative to 4.0; Recency (25 pts) — 30-day weighted decay on recent reviews; Profile (20 pts) — phone, website, opening hours, description, photos, and category completeness on the Google Business Profile. Reviews written in the country's native language count 1.5× across Velocity and Recency — this is how DOW surfaces where locals eat year-round, not where tourists cluster in summer. No editorial picks, no paid placements, no chains.