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The ‘exciting’ British city that is one of the best foodie city breaks in Europe

According to the i, young chefs are changing up the way fine dining works in this Scottish hub

Annie McNamee
Written by
Annie McNamee
Contributor, Time Out London and UK
 Central Cockburn street in Edinburgh old town, busy touristic place with many souvenir shops and bars
Photograph: Shutterstock
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Is there anything we spend more time thinking about than food? Three times a day you’ve got to pick something to eat, then gobble it down, then start planning the next meal. Since nosh is such a fundamental part of life, you may as well make it something that you look forward to.

Often, the best and easiest way to spice up your diet (literally) is just to head outside and try a new restaurant, but that works better in places with thriving culinary scenes. If you aren’t lucky enough to live somewhere with a diverse range of restaurants, don’t worry; newspaper The i has just revealed a list of what it reckons are the best city breaks for foodies in Europe, and one of them is here in Britain.

Edinburgh was the only UK city to make the i’s list. It described the Scottish capital as ‘one of the UK’s most exciting food destinations’, citing ‘a new generation of passionate chefs’ as the main cause.

The newspaper highlighted the increasing number of new ‘indie’ restaurants, often ‘specialising in ingredient-led menus, innovative concepts and a more laid-back approach to dining’ than the more austere spots that historically dominated Edinburgh’s high-end food scene. Basically you can still get all of the same quality, just without the pretentiousness or concern that you’ll end up using the wrong spoon.

Edinburgh, Scotland
Photograph: Shutterstock

If all of this talk has got you hungry and you now want to plan a foodie break, the i recommends heading to Cardinal, the Palmerston, or Noto; all of which feature in our guide to the best restaurants in the city.

Edinburgh came 6th in Time Out’s ranking of the best cities in the UK for food. Our local writers have eaten their way around the entire city, and they reckon that Lyla, a ‘top-tier fine-dining restaurant where the surroundings are as elegant as the dishes’ is the very best you can get.

If you’re more about laid-back breakfasts than fancy dinners, Edinburgh is still the place for you. We recently named Chorito Cantina, a Mexican diner, as the city’s best brunch spot, but we have a whole list of great places to choose from. We’ve also got guides on where to go for afternoon tea or for cheap eats.

Turin, Marseille, and Bilbao were among the other places to feature on the i’s European foodie rundown.

The best restaurants in Edinburgh, according to Time Out.

Plus: this arty Scottish seaside city that has been named one of the most underrated destinations in Europe.

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