This merry neighborhood watering hole serves elevated pub grub (the Wagyu beef burgers come from the purveyor who supplies Zuma and Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons) and hipster reinterpretations of Scottish staples. Sausages and mash sounds a bit more exciting when the mash comes in varieties like black pudding with apple and caramelized leek with bacon.

It seemed appropriate, and quite Scottish, on a chilly autumn evening, to indulge in a whisky cider while waiting for my pumpkin and sage savory pie to appear. I had just finished congratulating myself on my order when the waiter emerged with a puff pastry as voluminous as the 16th-century Scottish crown I had seen on display earlier that day at Edinburgh Castle. "Well it's a pie, not a daisy!" he quipped gleefully upon seeing my stupefied expression. Needless to say, I wasn't allowed to get up from the table until I had made a passable effort to finish my vegetables (“Seriously, it's Mum's restaurant!”). Mum's vigilance aside, the pub's versatile menu and irreverent vibe make it a fun place for children to experience the local cuisine. Portion sizes are generous, so dessert-lovers should plan to save room for decadent Scottish specialties like cranachan: toasted oats and whisky-marinated raspberries blended with vanilla cream.

Multi-course tasting menus all too often involve a dress code, a steep check and postprandial penance, be it a calorie-induced coma or a three-day juice cleanse. The Gardener's Cottage, so named because it occupies the former residence of the royal palace gardener, offers a mercifully low-impact approach. Situated on a lonely hillside, with candlelit communal tables and an open kitchen, the cottage is a fairytale of warmth and bonhomie. The menu is earnest and uncomplicated, with culinary exhibitionism ceding the spotlight to Scotland's seasonal bounty. My November visit met with hearty hedgehog mushroom tagliatelle and fresh apple juice infused with sea buckthorn (an antioxidant-rich orange berry that grows on Scotland’s coastal shrubs). Everything, from the fennel crackers that accompanied the roasted winter squash, to the traditional oatcakes served with local cheese, was made in-house.

Set in an old Georgian house in the trendy Stockbridge neighborhood (about a ten-minute drive from Old Town), The Raeburn consists of a fashionable boutique hotel, lauded restaurant and cool bar. The handsome cocktail space features tufted leather booths, wood paneling and copper and brass fixtures. Outside there is a garden terrace with oak picnic tables that are perfect for an afternoon aperitif on a sunny day. Don’t miss a meal at the restaurant, where the warm atmosphere is matched by a locavore menu of updated British classics. Game features heavily on the menu, and on Sundays the kitchen cooks up a classic roast that draws a crowd of sophisticates and hipsters.

Either of Urban Angel's friendly cafés (there is another at 1 Forth St.) makes a charming place to refuel while shopping on Princes Street or taking in the New Town sights. Espresso and pastries are conveniently available for take-away throughout the day, but those who can manage a proper time-out will be rewarded with wholesome, satisfying food. Oatmeal porridge with honey is a breakfast worthy of any brisk Edinburgh morning. At lunchtime, vegetable chili with coriander rice and citrus crème fraîche hits the spot.