So you want to meet your friend for a casual meal, but breakfast is way too early and you’ll be too hungry if you wait until lunch. That is precisely why brunch is so magical.
Some popular brunch spots require you book well in advance, or prepare for a pretty long wait. It’s annoying, but for a properly good midday meal, it’s worth the fuss. Knowing exactly where is worth your time, however, is tricky.
Pretty much every restaurant or cafe tries their hand at brunch these days, and in a big bustling city like Edinburgh, there’s going to be a spectrum of offerings ranging from ‘this fry-up has literally changed my life’ to ‘in what world is this worth £23?’. That’s where we come in.
To put it simply, Time Out knows food. We’ve got experts across the country constantly trying new dishes at new places, including for brunch. We recently named Edinburgh’s best eatery for brunch, and we’re pretty confident you’ll love it as much as we do.
So where exactly do we recommend you try in Scotland’s capital? Above all else: Chorito Cantina! This Mexican joint on Leith Walk has a dedicated brunch menu which offers breakfast burritos, fried-egg tacos, and, of course, delicious margaritas. Hey, it’s never too early to treat yourself.
Our local expert Dayna McAlpine described Chorrito as ‘laid back counter dining at its absolute best’. She specifically recommends ‘their huevos rancheros, fried egg tacos and chicken mulitas’ which ‘are enough to pull anyone back from the dead.’ If that wasn’t enough, you can try the restaurant’s very own brand of hot-sauce and even take a bottle home if you’re a fan.
Other eateries which come highly recommended include local staple Loudons, superfood supplier Urban Angel, and Bruntsfield’s wine-bar-by-night, brunch-officiandos-by-day, Margot. Each has a unique menu offering slightly different variations on reliable breakfast/lunch classics.
Once you’re done eating, we also recommend you hit up one of the city’s brilliant museums or art galleries, have a drink in one of its many excellent bars, or just have a wander and try out something new in one of the UK’s most beautiful and historic towns.
See Time Out’s full pick of the best brunches in Edinburgh for 2025 here.
Eating in the UK
Want something else to sink your teeth into? We also recently revealed our favourite restaurants in Manchester. We’ve also uncovered some secret foodie locations that you might not have thought of and have lists of the best restaurants in the country, as well as our picks for the most romantic places to eat in Britain.
Pizza Express is celebrating its 60th birthday with 1965 prices – with margheritas for just 33p.
Plus: The 11 best cities in the UK for food in 2025, according to Time Out.
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