5 MORE of the best pre-theatre restaurants in Edinburgh

When looking forward to a big night at the theatre, adding a date with a delicious pre-theatre meal makes that wait all the more special. Scotland’s capital city, Edinburgh, doesn’t lack restaurant choices – theQR has already selected 5 of the best.

However, the city has more to offer, so here are 5 MORE Top Tips for places where you can enjoy some delicious scran before the curtain rises.

The Basement

This Mexican-inspired bar & restaurant is a favourite of ours, and one we visit frequently throughout the year. The margaritas are sensational, frozen or otherwise, whilst the sight and citrusy scent of Guacamole made fresh at the table is food theatre heaven. If you fancy a pre-show before curtain up at the very nearby Edinburgh Playhouse, order a skillet of delicious fajitas, and admire the steaming, sizzling skillet as it draws every eye en route to your table.

The menu is compact, but packed with diverse flavours. Carnivores can dig into juicy steak or battered Baja fish, whilst vegetarians and vegans can dig into grilled Nopales (Cactus leaf), or dive into some gorgeous Drunken Beans, slow-cooked in chilli, beer, tequila & tomato. Omnivores like moi can enjoy every morsel put out by a kitchen with obvious love for Mexican culture and local produce. The staff are an absolute delight – and the bar staff really know their way around the extensive cocktail menu.

Don’t Miss

8oz Picanha Steak Sizzling Fajitas – wonderfully seared meat with a soft centre accompanied by zingy Pico de Gallo salsa, sour cream, guacamole, Monterey Jack cheese, and a pile of soft tacos which the wondrous staff will renew on request!

Guacamole – At the Table – whilst the basement will provide perfectly tasty guac with many of the meals, it’s definitely worth placing a special order. The chances are, you’ve never tasted better – the mini stand-up routine from the server comes free of charge.

Birria Tacos – The Basement offers a variety of amazing tacos, but Mrs QR’s hands-down favourite comes with slow-cooked beef, crispy corn tortillas, Monterey Jack cheese, onion, fresh salsa verde, and a side of spicy consommé to sup up, or dip in.

Check out: https://basement-bar-edinburgh.co.uk/

Wagamama

You probably don’t need to be told Wagamama exists, but if you’ve never been inside, you’re missing out. With every plate or bowl of tasty food made fresh from an open kitchen, you’ll smell your food long before it hits the table. This high street favourite’s ‘Kaizen’ or ‘Good Change’ philosophy does seem part of the company, rather than a bit of corporate flimflam.

The menu is extensive, catering to most dietary needs or preferences naturally. Wagamama is a haven of wok-kissed vegetables, sumptuous noodles, and irresistibly fluffy rice. The results are equally tasty whether adding some lovely slow-cooked barbecue beef brisket or beautifully spiced shichimi-coated silken tofu.

With two Wagamamas in the city centre, you can enjoy their Japanese-inspired menu whether visiting the Usher Hall, Royal Lyceum or Traverse theatres 2 minutes’ walk from their Lothian Road premises, or the Edinburgh Playhouse only ten downhill minutes from the St. Andrew Square outlet.

Don’t Miss

Yasai Vegetable Gyoza – superbly steamed parcels of savoury vegetable deliciousness with a gorgeous dipping sauce. If this doesn’t get your chopsticks going, nothing will.

Chilli Squid – an iconic part of the Wagamama menu for years, and some of the most reliably delectable crispy fried squid you’ll find anywhere in town. Eat it fast though, that perfect texture doesn’t last forever. The shichimi togarashi spicing on the batter is just irresistible.

Steak Teriyaki Soba – Wagamama’s teriyaki stir fry sauce is so good they literally bottle and sell it. If it’s sweet, sticky, umami goodness you love, then order this bowl of succulent steak and juicy soba noodles cooked in it! Accompanied by wok-blessed mangetout, beansprouts, onion, chilli, onion and coriander, what’s not to love?

The Katsu Sauce – just marvellous with everything! Curried, sweet, savoury goodness is guaranteed every time!

Check out: https://www.wagamama.com/restaurants/edinburgh/

Edinburgh Street Food (ESF)

Only opened in 2023, Edinburgh Street Food – a street food paradise created in the shadow of the mighty Omni Centre – has transformed the city’s culinary horizons. A finely curated mix of traders and an expansive, welcoming space, both inside and out make for a comfy yet different experience on every visit.

ESF is perfect for those hoping for something a little quicker and able to satisfy nearly any taste before a trip to the next-door Edinburgh Playhouse. There’s even a bar, and a small, but frequently used stage, making this pre-theatre option an option for post-theatre entertainment as well!

Don’t Miss

The simply amazing Smashed Potatoes from vegan Mexican Street Food specialists Antojitos. The blend of soft and crisp potato, spices, chipotle mayo, vibrant chimichurri, queso fresco, and piquant pickled pink onions, is to die for.

Tendies with a side of Waffle Fries from fried chicken specialists, CHIX. Man, do these folks know how to provide wonderfully seasoned crispy batter and tender, moist chicken inside. You’ll also see containers of their perfect-to-dip, crispy waffle fries flying out to tables consistently. CHIX scran was a delightful discovery during this year’s Fringe, and fuelled many a late-night chat in the Assembly Gardens where they popped up!

Korean Fried Cauliflower from Bao-specialists Bundits – yes the Bao are fab, but their fried Cauliflower is a must-eat for Mrs QR on nearly every visit. Ultra-crips, juicy morsels of umami fabulousness – what’s not to love? They are a Bundits best-seller, and it’s easy to see why.

A Sundae from Ice-Cream marvels, SoftCore, will round off any meal in scrummy style. The specials change all the time, but the homemade ice cream (particularly Miso & Caramel when it’s on) is wonderful – plus they specialise in gooey-centred cookies, so if it’s baked goodness you’re after, get stuck in!

Check out: https://edinburgh-street-food.com/

Howies

Howies’ seasonal Scottish food has been an Edinburgh staple since 1990. With two branches, one in the Old Town, and one in the New, there’s a Howies on hand whether you’re heading for some Fringe stand-up at the Liquid Room next to the Victoria Street eatery, or heading downhill to the Playhouse from the Waterloo Place branch.

Mrs QR has been a Howies’ regular for decades, and since we married, that habit has included yours truly. The well-curated wine list is a particular joy, as is the care given to every morsel that leaves the kitchen. Whether it’s the grandeur of the Waterloo restaurant or the cosy intimacy of Victoria Street, you’re sure of a warm welcome, and a delectable meal.

Don’t Miss

The Cullen Skink – I’ve been eating creamy haddock soups since I was knee-high to a grasshopper, and Howie’s famous take on this wonderfully warm concoction of Scottish smoked haddock, leek, potato and cream chowder is almost as good as my Grandma’s.

Casserole of the Day – there are few things in life better than a slow-cooked casserole full of soft meat and herby, sauce-soaked vegetables. Hugs on plates rarely come better than a Howie’s casserole.

Catch of the Day – Howies’ chefs know how to cook fish. Whether Hake, Sole or something else, I’m consistently delighted with the results. Expect yet more gorgeous veggies and piquant sauces to accompany every plate.

Howies famous banoffee pie – the ingredients aren’t a mystery: biscuit base, toffee, banana, whipped cream and toasted almonds, but the execution is something else. Much of Howie’s early and continuing success can be placed at the feet of this gorgeous, perfectly set, amazing pie.

Check out: https://www.howies.uk.com/

Cafe Andaluz

Ok, so Edinburgh’s finest tapas restaurant was founded by Glaswegians Mario Gizzi and his uncle Joe Conetta, but I bet Edinburgh has the best restaurants in the chain. That’s based on absolutely no evidence – so you can sure I’m right.

Thanks to Mrs QR, I’ve been going to Cafe Andaluz regularly since moving to Edinburgh over 8 years ago. I didn’t know I liked Tapas before walking through their George Street doors – only a few minutes from the Assembly Rooms – and I haven’t liked any other tapas restaurant half as much since.