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 Society Bar & Kitchen.
| Restaurants · ranked | ||
| 1 | Gurkha Bar and Restaurant Edinburgh | ★4.94,007 |
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 | ★4.810,671 |
| 3 | Society Bar & Kitchen | ★4.86,796 |
| 4 | Vittoria on the Bridge | ★4.67,216 |
| 5 | The Dome | ★4.610,368 |
| 6 | The Devil's Advocate | ★4.55,223 |
| 7 | Bucks Bar - Grindlay Street Edinburgh | ★4.8864 |
| 8 | Amarone | ★4.44,448 |
| 9 | The Spence | ★4.6634 |
| 10 | Whiski Bar & Restaurant | ★4.44,183 |
| 11 | Mother India's Cafe Edinburgh | ★4.53,393 |
| 12 | Dine Edinburgh | ★4.61,241 |
| Bars · ranked | ||
| 1 | The Piper's Rest | ★4.63,666 |
| 2 | Hey Palu | ★4.91,076 |
| 3 | Albanach | ★4.43,301 |
| 4 | Royal Mile Tavern | ★4.53,151 |
| 5 | Salt Horse Beer Shop, Bar & Burgers | ★4.71,616 |
| 6 | The Fox and Faun | ★4.61,040 |
| 7 | Cafe Royal | ★4.43,708 |
| 8 | Brewhemia | ★4.35,981 |
20 independent venues, re-ranked monthly from real reviews — no national 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 82,583 live reviews — no national 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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Gurkha Bar and Restaurant Edinburgh on Brougham Pl holds the #1 spot with intense Nepalese flavours, exceptional momos, and spiced curries that outshine standard curries across the centre.
Hey Palu on Bread St serves top-tier Italian aperitivo cocktails and amaro, while The Piper's Rest on Hunter Square pours great pints with live folk tunes.
You can grab Scottish comfort at Makars Mash Bar, Italian classics at Vittoria on the Bridge, spiced tapas at Mother India's Cafe Edinburgh, and fiery American fried chicken at Bucks Bar - Grindlay Street Edinburgh.
The Devil's Advocate on Advocate's Cl offers dim lighting and massive whisky selections in an old pump house, while The Spence on St Andrew Sq brings glamorous high-ceiling dining.
Mother India's Cafe Edinburgh on Infirmary St lets you sample rich Indian dishes on small plates for €6 to €9 each, while Bucks Bar - Grindlay Street Edinburgh on Grindlay St serves giant €15 chicken burgers.
The Dome debuted high at #5, while Whiski Bar & Restaurant and Dine Edinburgh launched new chart runs alongside Royal Mile Tavern climbing into the bar rankings.
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 or drink on a budget, or the best table for a date.
Ask DOW on ChatGPTDOW ranks venues with a 100-point Hot Score, recalculated monthly from live Google data. Three signals, in this order: written review activity — text reviews over 50 characters in the last 90 days, the heaviest by some distance; the standing Google rating from 4.0 up; and Google Business Profile completeness — phone, website, opening hours, description, photos and categories. In Portugal and Spain, reviews written in the city's own language carry more weight than English ones. We don't publish the exact weightings: a formula you can compute backwards is one you can farm. No editorial picks, no paid placements, no national chains.