I asked if anyone had heard of such a thing on one of the threads here, iirc no one had. Still a mystery.
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I watch several British folk on TikTok and they use a lot of grated cheese instead of sliced. Perhaps you were meant to make a sandwich using the toast. So happy I ordered the fry up.
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The Isle of Mull biscuits are linked to an excellent place to visit: The Sgriob-ruadh farm. Go for a tour and a gin/cheese tasting.
I forgot to recommend this for Edinburgh:
Indeed. I meant close to other (more tolerable) neighbourhoods (if you’re interested), That area gets quite busy in August-- perhaps fun when travelling… less fun when you just need to get somewhere for errands or work.
Foundation: I am not a haggis eater (neither are many Scots: 43% of Scots have never tried haggis.
This finding comes from a survey conducted by Sykes Holiday Cottages, with 47% of those surveyed also having never eaten Scotch pie and 41% never having tried Scotch broth.)
I am determined to find the best Cullen Skink, however, and that is reflected in the list below.
I do recommend doing an afternoon tea at least once. They range from (IMO) reasonable to stupidly expensive depending on the place. Often, you are paying more for the setting than the food. Fancy settings are largely wasted on me, so I tend toward the budget end of things. Scott’s on Princes Street offers Afternoon Tea with a view of Edinburgh Castle- overlooking Princes Street Gardens and The Scott Monument. starts at £24 with upgrades available. Cheat code: you can get a cream tea at the The Ivy for about £12.50 per person. An afternoon tea is around £24.
For lunch or dinner I HIGHLY recommend reservations if the place takes them.
Here’s an abbreviated list of places I keep on hand for Edinburgh:
Howie’s Victoria Street-Cullen Skink
Howie’s Waterloo
Makar’s Mash Bar-mash and more, #1 in Scotland, #9 in the world (?)
Teuchters Landing – butteries in the morning
Teuchters Bar and Bunker-Cullen skink
Kilted Lobster-Alba Skink - a mix of seafood in theirs
Bald Baker - Slateford Road-Reportedly good Scottish pies and sausage rolls
Bald Baker - Oxgangs Broadway-Reportedly good Scottish pies and sausage rolls
Thomson’s Bar-Scotch pie
The Piemaker-Scotch pie
Cramond Bistro & Takeaway-Cullen skink
Water of Leith-Cullen skink
Kebab Mahal-Highly rated Indian food
Greyfriars Bobby’s Bar-Cullen Skink
Superoni-Scotch pie
John Bain & Son-Scotch pies
Vietnam House Restaurant-
#Fish-Fish and chips and burgers and bits. Vegan stuff too.
Salvatore’s-Fish and Chips
Roseleaf Bar Cafe-Cullen skink
Oink Victoria Street-Pulled pork
Oink Canongate-Hot pulled pork rolls from a local farm producer.
Lannan Bakery (pastries)-morning pastries often sell out by lunch
Nixos Greek Street Food-
The Doric Tavern-
Yum Yum-
Masons Bakery-Cullen Skink
St Andrews Restaurant & Takeaway-Fish and Chips spot
Saltwater Fish and Chips-fish and chips
Dolphin Fish & Chip Shop-
Dishoom Edinburgh-
Kawaneko Katsu & Coffee-Japanese food
Vittoria on the Bridge-Italian-ish
The Mussel and Steak Bar-Cullen skink
Civerinos Forrest Rd/Meadows-
Civerinos Portobello- pizza
Civerinos Stockbridge-
Saunderson’s Quality Family Butcher - pies-Scotch pies, Forfar Bridies, Tattie Scones, Sausage Rolls, Scotch Eggs, Steak Pies
The Devil’s Advocate-Outdoor seating and 300 whiskies behind the bar.
Mary’s Milk Bar-Ice cream
Joelato-Ice cream
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This is fantastic. I’ll have to bookmark your comment just in case a July 2026 trip to Edinburgh happens 
Thank you so much! The afternoon tea recommendations are very useful - I hadn’t considered that, and of course we’re going to Edinburgh Castle, I think it’s the law.
I am also very interested in cullen skink and fish & chips, so those suggestions are much appreciated.
Fabulous list!
The Witchery - just down from the castle esplanade offers afternoon tea, but only from 3-4, and not during July, August, and around Christmas. I think there are better options.
We’re going in August, so that would be off the table anyway.
We did the tasting at the Whiski Rooms. I’ll never be a scotch drinker but it was very informative and the bachelor party of 8 that was part of our group was very entertaining.
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That is on my map! but …
They were actually pretty well behaved, it was the groom that arrived late, a little green around the gills and had to make a dash for the loo before it ended, that provided the entertainment.
Also if you are interested in art The Scottish National Gallery has a lovely cafe with a lot of traditional Scottish food.
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We may make it there, but our dance card is getting pretty full.
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After further thought, I decided to employ tech (AI) to see if that would render a satisfactory answer to your question. I’ve been messing with AI recently to see if it can be a useful tool for trip planning, with mixed results (GIGO-related). Anyway, take the following with a grain (or boulder) of salt as I can only personally vouch for the last one — and it’s already on your list.
Here is a list of 20 top-rated pescatarian-friendly restaurants in Edinburgh, Scotland, as of 2024. The list is based on recent reviews, popularity, and their reputation for seafood and pescatarian options. For each, the NAME and ADDRESS are in CSV format for your convenience.
List:
Ondine, 2 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1AD, UK
The Fishmarket, 23A Pier Place, Newhaven, Edinburgh EH6 4LP, UK
Mussel Inn, 61-65 Rose Street, Edinburgh EH2 2NH, UK
The Gardener’s Cottage, 1 Royal Terrace Gardens, London Road, Edinburgh EH7 5DX, UK
Fishers in the City, 58 Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1EN, UK
Ting Thai Caravan, 8-9 Teviot Place, Edinburgh EH1 2RA, UK
The Outsider, 15-16 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh EH1 1EE, UK
Hendersons, 7-13 Barclay Place, Edinburgh EH10 4HW, UK
The Walnut, 9 Croall Place, Edinburgh EH7 4LT, UK
White Horse Oyster & Seafood Bar, 266 Canongate, Edinburgh EH8 8AA, UK
The Ship on the Shore, 24-26 Shore, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6QN, UK
Dulse, 17 Queensferry Street, Edinburgh EH2 4QW, UK
Seafield Ocean Terminal, Ocean Drive, Edinburgh EH6 6JJ, UK
The Little Chartroom, 14 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh EH6 5JD, UK
Casa Amiga, 294 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5BX, UK
David Bann, 56-58 St Mary’s Street, Edinburgh EH1 1SX, UK
New Chapter, 18 Eyre Place, Edinburgh EH3 5EP, UK
Salt Cafe, 54-56 Morningside Road, Edinburgh EH10 4BZ, UK
Aurora, 187 Great Junction St, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 5LQ, UK
The Scran & Scallie, 1 Comely Bank Road, Stockbridge, Edinburgh EH4 1DT, UK
FWIW
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Thanks! I’m aware of a few of those (The Fishmarket, Fishers in the City). It seems like a good reference. It’s like trying to pick places in Manhattan! 
I was going to recommend Ondine as we ate there in 2016 and it was very good, but when I googled to check their menu it said they were temporarily closed. Apparently they are moving. We also ate at Musssel Inn. Kind of plain Jane, but very good fresh seafood.
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Yeah, there seems to be a lot of turmoil with restaurants in Edinburgh. Just yesterday, the company that runs Buttaburger and Homie’s pizza got shut down, and little cafés seem to perpetually keep closing (with new ones taking their place).
Not related, but Brewdog announced closures of 10 locations across the U.K. yesterday also, but not in Edinburgh.
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You beat me to it. I really liked Mussel Inn.
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