Edinburgh Street Food sits just off Leith Street, next to the exclusive world of the St James Quarter — what you’ll find here is a bustling, modern food hall with 11 food vendors, multiple bars, and a wonderful sense of energy.
Unlike London-style street food halls, where you collect your food and then battle for a seat, ESF does things differently. Every table has its own QR code — just order from anywhere in the venue, and everything comes to you.
With ESF being about five minutes from our flat, we’ve been big fans since it opened. Here’s the lowdown on the 11 food vendors as of July 2025, ahead of the Edinburgh Fringe.
We also have a strong love affair with the street food on Little King Street — we hope to add an article on those soon. For now, you’ll find them featured in our Fringe guide(s) (see below).
Street food guides
Fred’s Backyard BBQ
We first encountered Fred’s during Fringe 2024, as part of the Underbelly Circus Hub at the Meadows. We didn’t get to try them then, but they stuck in our minds. After all, they were crowned Scottish Street Food Champions in 2023. They’ve now joined the outdoor line-up at Edinburgh Street Food, and it’s an incredible addition.
What’s the verdict?
We dropped by for a proper sample ahead of Alice Cooper’s recent gig at the Playhouse and made our way through three of their menu heavyweights: pork belly burnt ends (£10), BBQ loaded fries (also £10, this is a steal) and the Texas whole hog sandwich (£12).
The pork belly burnt ends are rich—but cooked so well that even those who usually steer clear of fatty cuts (Mrs QR) can enjoy them. They’re moist, succulent, and deeply savoury. The pickled cucumber alongside is really fresh and mild—great balance. Though the slaw tipped too sharp, even for someone who likes vinegar (also Mrs QR). A stickier sauce or punchier glaze on the pork would elevate these even further.
Their BBQ-loaded fries absolutely deliver. Our choice of meat was the brisket, and boy did we choose well.. The brisket has a pepper crust that is bold and fiery, but not overwhelming. It’s accompanied by a creamy, cheesy sauce that softens the spice and ties everything together, while onions and spring onions add a sharp, vinegary contrast that works beautifully. These are full of texture, heat and flavour—shovelable in the best way.
In our Texas whole hog sandwich, the meat was super, super moist and beautifully cooked. Though the overall sandwich felt a bit soft and rich without enough contrast. It needed a little salt and something sharper to cut through (the cabbage slaw didn’t quite bring the balance). That said, the cook is spot-on—it’s just the final assembly that could use a tweak. It’s clear they know their meat—no wonder they win the awards.
A final note on Fred’s Backyard BBQ: service from them was superbly fast—a perk of cooking low and slow.
Fat Patty’s
We haven’t tried them yet, but Fat Patty’s has been a fixture at ESF for a few years now — and from the look of their menu (and their Instagram), it’s all about the good honest burger.
Expect smash patties with cheese, pickles, onions and house sauce — available in single, double or triple form (from £6.50 to £10.50), depending on your mood. They also do loaded fries, hot dogs, and even a vegan option with smoked cheese and heritage tomato (comes in at £9.50).
We’ve been tempted by the Buffalo Blue Loaded Fries more than once — but they’ve never quite matched the rest of our ESF order. We are sad about this, and hope to rectify this oversight before long.
Chix
We first found Chix well after dark, deep in the leafy George Square Gardens during a past Fringe. Now they’ve got a permanent home at ESF — and it’s a perfect fit.
At Chix, you can get a solid meal for under £15, with a trio tendies from £6.25 and mains sitting under £9.
We haven’t worked our way through the rest of the menu yet (there’s mac and cheese, mash, slaw, even a potato salad), but based on everything else, we’d trust them with anything.
What’s the verdict?
We weren’t a fan of fried chicken before Chix… but their chicken tendies changed that. The batter is just right, the chicken is succulent, and the seasoning is spot on. We’ve now tried most of their classics — the tendies, sandwiches, and their legendary waffle fries — and it’s all exactly what you hope for. That said, eat it hot, right away. It doesn’t travel well (we learnt this at their Dalry Road location) — this is not food to take away and eat later.
Street Food Sessions
Street Food Sessions is brought to you by the team behind Junk, featured in last year’s Fringe street food guide. We’d enjoyed their beer-battered fish supper and Burgh buffalo cheese steak when we tried them under that name—so we were curious to see what they’d come up with here. This new venture changes its menu every three months. When we tried Street Food Sessions in July, mains were among the priciest at ESF, running at £12 to £13.
What’s the verdict?
We caught the very end of their current run, Gweilo, which wraps on 27 July—so expect something new by the time you read this.
We tried two dishes: the garlic and chilli crispy prawns (£11), and the duck and “pancakes” stack (£12.50).
The garlic and chilli prawns we got were lightly crispy on the outside, with a decent chunky bite. The prawns themselves were a little on the firm side—not quite as succulent as they could be. (Mrs QR has only recently come around to prawns, thanks to Ting Thai—see our review here—and these didn’t measure up.) The sauce leans sweet, but the fresh veg and spring onions help balance it out. Overall, it seems they haven’t quite nailed the balance between crisp outside and juicy centre.. We did not finish.
The duck and “pancakes” stack is a generous and ambitious dish, though tricky to eat—in truth, it’s not quite street food, being hard to tackle in a cardboard tray with wooden cutlery. The first few bites of duck are rich and satisfying: shredded roast leg with a strong hoisin flavour, salty and warming. However, there’s a lot of oil going on to get the tattie scone base (your “pancake”) crisp enough to hold everything, and while that does soak up flavour, it also leaves things a little heavy and bitter. On the plus side, the accompanying pickled cucumber does help cut through some of that richness.
What doesn’t help is the topping—a mild kewpie mayo and what we assume is the salt and chilli crumble: it looks good but doesn’t really do much to balance the fattiness. The potato (tattie) scone is where this lost us: fried long enough to crisp the outside, but the inside ended up dense, claggy, and oddly elastic. It would make an unfortunate introduction to the tattie scone for those new to it—which is a real pity in a dish which could be the ultimate in indulgence.
Street Food Sessions has obviously retained Junk’s ambition, but our experience of the Gweilo menu didn’t quite come together. Given how much we enjoyed dishes from Junk in the past, we’re very curious to see what’s coming next.
Razzo Pizza Napoletana
One of the newest additions to the ESF line-up, but already well established in Edinburgh — Razzo’s original Leith shop has been turning out proper Neapolitan pizza since 2019. Their signature style? Artisanal dough, quality Italian toppings, and a blistered crust baked at 470°C in under a minute.
We haven’t had a chance to try them yet, but we love the entry point to the menu: rosemary garlic bread at £4. The Margherita clocks in at just £7.50, and their most indulgent pick, the Mortadella E Burrata (featuring a whole burrata), tops out at just £12.50.
The Peruvian
Carlo’s been running The Peruvian since 2017, driven by a need to recreate the dishes he grew up with. The menu is full of bold, comforting flavours — and a few British Street Food Award wins later, it’s safe to say he’s onto something.
Prices start at £4 for sides, with larger dishes from £7. Think bold, generous, and meaty — stir-fried steak, pork belly, and chicken wings.
You can also find The Peruvian at Assembly George Square Gardens throughout July and August 2025 — check out our food guides here.
What’s the verdict?
We always garnish our ESF orders with sides from the Peruvian. Their cassava fries or sweet potato fries are our go-to.. Crispy on the outside, fluffy inside, and perfectly seasoned.
Bundits
A long-standing favourite of ours at ESF — they’ve even been on Come Dine With Me: The Professionals.
Their menu covers five core bao (lamb, duck, chicken, prawn and mushroom), plus rotating specials and a strong line-up of sides — tater tots, tornado potatoes, pickles, cucumbers and more. Bundits is playful, punchy, and always popular.
What’s the verdict?
Though their signature filled bao buns are great, it’s the Korean fried cauliflower that wins out in the QR household. It’s fiery, saucy, and people always ask about it when they see it. There’s loads of it for £7.50, and we’ve lost count of how many times we’ve gone back for more.
Mrs QR is also a big fan of their miso cucumber and house pickles — fresh, rich and seriously satisfying. Our typical order is the cauliflower, miso cucumber, and whatever the special is for us.
That said… Steam Bunny’s handmade bao at this year’s Assembly Food & Folk Festival might have stolen the crown for the best bao in the city (review here).
Antojitos
All vegan, all flavour. Run by brother-sister duo John and Louise Kelly, Antojitos started as a lockdown project in 2020 and won Best Scottish Street Food less than a year later — deservedly so. They’ve become a staple at ESF, and we even found them selling tacos in the depths of Underbelly Cowgate during last year’s Fringe (check out our guide here).
What’s the verdict?
Mrs QR is an aspiring (and mostly failing) vegan, so we’ve worked our way through most of the menu. That’s easy to do when you can mix and match any three tacos for £12.95.
For us, Antojito’s is bright, fresh, and sometimes needs just an extra squeeze of lime — luckily, they give you that lime.
Our firm favourite is the smashed potatoes (£6.45) — crisp-edged baby potatoes layered with chipotle mayo, vibrant chimichurri, sharp vegan queso fresco, and tangy pickled onions. At our last outing, the chimichurri needed a bit more lime (sense a pattern here?), but it still absolutely delivers. It’s tender, full of flavour, and always a highlight for us.
Ruining the vegan vibe, if you pair their smashed potatoes with meat from Fred’s, you’re in for real magic.
Haldi
One of the newer additions to ESF, Haldi brings Delhi-style street food from the team behind a five-star fine dining Indian restaurant in Mayfield Gardens. Chef Madan has cooked across some of Delhi and Edinburgh’s best kitchens — and here he’s serving a fast, curated menu of Indian favourites with a street food twist.
We haven’t managed to try them yet (hard to mix Indian into our usual ESF mix-and-match options, though we might find a way). But the menu reads like it’s pulled straight from your favourite Indian: five starter-style snacks (from £3.75 for papadam with chutneys), four grill options (from £9.50), and a selection of comforting mains like butter chicken, biryani and keema matar starting at £11.
We’re especially intrigued by the grill — can we expect smoky, blackened, tandoori-style wonderfulness? The descriptions certainly suggest so.
Harajuku Kitchen
You’ll spot Harajuku stalls all over the city during the Fringe (link to previous guide), but they’ve also got a permanent home here at ESF — and we’re very glad they do. Their roots go back to Kaori Simpson’s Japanese family recipes, and they’ve since grown from a humble stall to one of the most-loved names in Edinburgh’s Japanese food scene.
What’s the verdict?
Mrs QR is a longtime fan — especially of their juicy udon noodles (with tofu, always — we prefer to keep our karaage chicken crisp) and those savoury gyoza. Their udon noodles are generous, loaded with veg, and amazing value at £9.50.
KFC, aka Karaage Fried Chicken, is having a moment; in fact, you find it just about everywhere right now, but Harajuku shows how it should be done: well seasoned, crisp and always satisfying.
And if you just want a snack? Their menu says their edamame is the “perfect accompaniment for a beer” — and it’s not wrong!
SoftCore
A completely vegan dessert spot — and you’d never know it. From rich, creamy soft serve to gooey cookies and indulgent sundaes, everything at SoftCore is 100% plant-based. It’s a total revelation.
What’s the verdict?
We’ve been fans since our first frozen encounter. Their miso caramel is a classic for a reason: smooth, sweet ice cream with just the right hit of salty goodness. But they do more than ice cream on its own…
Our most recent discovery was the caramel crunch sundae (£6.75) — miso caramel soft serve, crunchy chocolate beads, homemade honeycomb. Think a deconstructed Cadbury’s Crunchie but better. It was bittersweet in the best way. And there was extra honeycomb hidden at the bottom as an extra treat.
They also do candy floss cones if you want to relive your childhood (we have)- but healthily (sort of?), because it’s all plant-based! That’s how it works, right?
Honorary mentions
Lonkero: Official sponsors of ESF’s weekly speed quiz, and our go-to for a refreshing draught. This Finnish gin-and-grapefruit number is an “eccentric draught of gin, grapefruit and botanicals”. It’s fresh, fizzy, and surprisingly mellow: grapefruit, but not the harsh, bitter kick you remember from childhood and hated. More like a grown-up lemonade that’s meant to be served in a pitcher with friends. Just be warned — if there’s only two of you, a pitcher may go flat before you finish it. That’s no reason not to get one, just don’t dawdle.
Tequila Baby’s paloma: A clear favourite for Mrs QR. It’s like the grown-up cousin to the Lonkero: sharper, with more bite, but still refreshing. The grapefruit comes through strong, but it’s the smooth agave warmth and that earthy tequila base that really makes this sing.
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