The culinary scene in Edinburgh is expanding quickly - so much so that keeping up with all the newly-opening restaurants can become a full-time job (nearly). Have no fear, however, The Bearded Baker is here to tell you about the newest places to try in our capital city.
Opening its doors in late January, The Riparian Rooms promises to deliver a real taste of what Scotland has to offer - which is lots, apparently. Still relatively unknown, the beautifully refurbished restaurant offers a calming haven at the bottom of the culinarily rich Broughton Street. The food is creative, delicious and visually stunning. If you enjoy drinking as much as I do, eating in the sleek restaurant can be followed by cocktails in their downstairs cavern-like bar (a great place to be on a typical wet Edinburgh day). A great place for a fancy dinner, but also fantastic for a casual breakfast or lunch - especially since the restaurant is open everyday from 8am to late - so you can get your Riparian Room fix any day of the week.
This restaurant/bar is definitely the cool new customer in town. Having opened in late 2014, Spit/Fire offers an exciting new addition to Edinburgh's culinary scene. Boasting their own rotisserie spit, the upstairs half of the new spot offers an interesting number of barbecued meats with mouth-watering accompaniments - very few can resist a whole rotisserie chicken with deep fried gherkins, surely? If you prefer more casual dining or more of a focus on drink head downstairs and try their pub grub and extensive list of beers. You might end up taking a while to pick a brew, but that's alright, the interior of the restaurant is wonderfully unique, with pale blue tiles covering the floor and some of the furniture, with splashes of dark wood and fancy lighting throughout. You feel hip just being there (if you're like me, however, you might not look it).
The closure of one of Leith's great restaurants, The Vintage, left us Edinburgh foodies feeling pretty sad - wondering where we'd pick up our next fix of craft beer and great food. Little did we know that this sadness would soon turn to delight when TV presenter and comedian Hardeep Singh Kohli decided to merge his Indian based culinary talent and Scotland's craft beer offerings and unveil VDeep - craft beer and curry. The beer list is extensive and the food is brilliantly creative - merging Scottish and Indian dishes and flavours and, unsurprisingly, formulating amusing names. How could you not love a place that serves cauliflower cheese curry and 'bangras and mash'? A completely unique and exciting dining experience, VDeep opened in mid-February and is proving hugely popular already. Get on the scene if you haven't already been.
This place is really quite special - unfortunately El Cartel has gone from 'recently opened' to 'opening soon' due to an unfortunate fire that has seen it close for refurbishment. No worries, however, as the self-proclaimed 'best taco in Edinburgh' will soon be served at the Thistle Street location again in later March. Now, Mexican food up and down the UK can easily be mixed up with the usual Tex Mex, however El Cartel, once opened, will be serving traditional Mexican food made with Mexican ingredients. Their tacos are all handmade and the otherwise rarely seen plantain is on the menu frequently. Don't expect burritos and fajitas from here - look forward to dishes you'd expect off a food cart in Mexico City with added flair. Tacos, cochinita pibil and plantain fritters make up a fraction of a very exciting menu. El Cartel was booming before its unfortunate closure, and it's expected to be ultimately unchanged once it reopens this month.
See Time Out's guide to Edinburgh's best restaurants.