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Edinburgh has a wide range of culinary options, everything from Creole to Cantonese. Scottish cuisine is also well represented, from traditional fare to more contemporary eclectic cuisine using various international influences, but always using the very best of Scottish ingredients. More and more restaurants, however, are moving away from national culinary boundaries and offering a wide range of international dishes and flavours, so you’ll often find Latin American, Oriental and Pacific Rim dishes all on the same menu. This is particularly the case in the many continental-style bistros, brasseries and café-bars, which offer a more informal alternative to traditional restaurants. Most of the upmarket restaurants are in the New Town, though there are also some excellent places to be found around the ‘haggis belt’ (the Royal Mile) and in Leith, with its many fish restaurants and bistros located around the refurbished dockside. The area around the University campus, in Southside, is where you'll find the best-value eating in town, especially for vegetarians.
Most of the restaurants serve from 1200-1430 and 1800-2200 and are closed on Sundays. The exceptions are Indian, Chinese and Thai restaurants or the many excellent bistros and brasseries, many of which serve food daily until around 0100. Note that a seat in one of the more upmarket restaurants can be hard to come by during busy periods, such as the Festival, so it's best to book whenever possible. For a cheap meal, your best bet is a bar or café. The best value is often at lunchtime, when many restaurants offer two- and three-course set lunches for less than £10. Also good value are the pre-theatre dinners offered by many restaurants. These are usually available from around 1730-1800 till 1900-1930. BYOB is a commonly used abbreviation meaning bring your own bottle.
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