Our very first real meal in Edinburgh, besides the Caledonian Sleeper breakfast and our hotel breakfast (Yes, we had double breakfast.), was at Deacon’s House Cafe. We had just finished exploring Edinburgh Castle and needed a break as we were making our down the Royal Mile. The Scottish Cream Tea, which features a scone, jam, and clotted cream with a pot of tea costs £6.10. Their scones are huge and the clotted cream was spectacular. They also serve sandwiches and a bunch of other baked goods, so if you’re also in need of a break, check out Deacon’s House Cafe!

Our first dinner in Edinburgh was at a pub called Deacon Brodies Tavern. The first floor is a pub and the second floor is a dining room. We stumbled in around 7pm, after taking a midday nap, and were seated right away. This was our first encounter with haggis, as we ordered their Haggis, Tatties, & Neeps appetizer (£5.50). I discovered that I LOVE haggis. It’s spicy, warm, and comforting.

Our favorite lunch in the city was at Oink, who actually does have the “best pulled pork sandwich you’ll ever try”. I opted for their pulled pork sandwich with homemade haggis stuffing and apple sauce. I’m not normally a pulled pork fan, but Oink has converted me. The pork was juicy and succulent. It paired so well with the haggis and apple sauce. Seriously, try this if you’re in Edinburgh! Prices are right too – the Oink sandwich is only £5.40.

One of our favorite meals during this entire trip was at Dishoom. Dishoom is a very popular restaurant that serves Indian street food. We weren’t able to fit it in our schedule in London, so we visited the Edinburgh branch instead. Our waitress was amazing and kept me stocked up with ice the entire meal. We had their Paneer Pineapple Tikka (£8.70), Lamb Boti Kebab (£10.20), House Black Daal (£6.50), an order of Garlic Naan (£3.50), and an order of Roti (£3.20). Everything was amazing. I highly recommend the Black Daal, it is the best daal I’ve ever eaten.

To finish off our meal, we split the Dishoom Chocolate Pudding, a melting-in-the-middle chocolate pudding served with a scoop of Kashmiri chilli ice cream. If you come to Dishoom you HAVE to get this. It is decadent and rich and everything that’s perfect (£6.90).

Our last dinner in Edinburgh was at Makars Gourmet Mash Bar. They serve delicious warm comfort food with a side of, you guessed it, mash! We started with a Scotch egg, served with our garlic & sour cream aioli. Believe it or not, this was my first Scotch egg this trip. It was fantastic.

For my last meal in Scotland, I had to have haggis. I had their Beef Haggis with Heather Honey and Turnip Puree. I opted for the side of Scottish Cheddar and Chive Mash. After a long day in the rain, this was so comforting and delicious.

We finished the meal off with our first Sticky Toffee Pudding this trip. We definitely saved the best for last. It was phenomenal.