The 6 things not to miss on Leith Walk

There has been a succession of typical Leith pubs at this address over the years – some alright, some not so alright – but Leith Depot is another beast entirely. It’s a simple room with wooden flooring and tables, assorted chairs and the bar itself as the dominating feature. There is a snack menu (beer-battered pickles or leek fritters with lemon zest crème fraîche for example), while mains might bring straightforward fish and chips, a steak baguette with many trimmings or a vegan platter.

Hidden behind spray-painted shutters (decorated with a slightly baffling mural of a flapping dove and a smoking man in a hat) during the day, from 5pm (and 12.30 pm on Saturdays and Sundays) Origano serves up excellent, well-priced antipasto, pasta and pizza. It’s tiny so booking is recommended although takeaway is also an option. Understated, reliably good and the prices are right too.

Part of the rolling gentrification of Leith Walk, The Walnut ls a small, independent venue offering a high standard of bistro cooking in simple surroundings: one room, mix’n’match chairs, wooden floor, light colour scheme. All the good stuff, in short. In terms of accessibility, informality, sheer quality and its BYOB policy, it’s an absolutely lovely place to eat. There's nothing intimidating or distracting here: just you, great cooking, decent wine, your date – and a bill that will seem pretty economical given the talent in the kitchen. 

When there’s a queue of locals out the door, you know you’ve stumbled across a cracking brunch spot, and that’s exactly what Chorrito is. Owners Dan Bentlett and Dawn Freeman rustle up a rotating menu of brunches and dinners of breakfast tacos, quesadillas and chilaquiles, ranging from a very reasonable £4.95 to £9.95 for a bigger dish. The menu does change, but those universally popular, hearty mexican flavours are always at the core of this spot.

In décor terms, The Black Fox is an exercise in design archaeology: original cornices, warehouse tiling on the walls, supporting pillars, robust wooden tables and a couple of booths. The Auld Reekie Burger comes with smoked cheese and smoked bacon for example; the Volcano Dog with jalapeños, chorizo and peri-peri sauce; the Italian pizza has goat cheese, rocket and sun-dried tomatoes; alternatively, just pop in for a drink. Target market well and truly hit.

The Artisan Coffee empire now extends to lovely Leith. You know what you're getting from this place; namely delicious coffee that is the equal of anything found anywhere else in the city, doubled up with delicious cakes and some of the most convivial service going. What more could the coffee fiend want?