From London · Three days · No car
Edinburgh, Friday to Sunday
Four and a half hours up the east coast, so take Friday afternoon: Scotland's best new cooking, the pastry queue the whole city talks about, a farmers' market under the castle, and dinner by the water in Leith.
LNER · London King's Cross to Edinburgh Waverley
About two trains an hour. Lumo also runs from King's Cross, usually for less. Sit on the right going north: after Newcastle the train runs along the cliffs above the North Sea.
Modern Scottish · Leith · Saturday evening
Book on their site three to four weeks ahead for a Saturday. A card holds the table, and late cancellations are charged; if nothing is open, they keep a list.
Friday, Nov 20Day 1 of 3
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Fhior
Get: The tasting menu: Scottish produce, a lot of it fermented and foraged.
Ten minutes' walk from Waverley and one of the most interesting kitchens in the city. A good first night.
Book a week or two ahead for a Friday.
Photo like it: Nillerdk, CC BY 3.0.
Saturday, Nov 21Day 2 of 3
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Lannan Bakery
Get: Whatever laminated pastry is on the board; the best ones sell out within a couple of hours of opening.
The pastry queue Edinburgh talks about, named one of the world's best new bakeries.
Takeaway only. On Saturdays the queue runs out the door: order ahead on their online shop the night before, or go at opening.
Photo like it: Cory Doctorow from Beautiful Downtown Burbank, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0.
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Edinburgh Farmers' Market
Get: Smoked fish, Scottish cheese, and a roll from one of the hot-food stalls.
A producers' market right under the castle rock, every Saturday of the year.
Saturdays, 9am to 2pm.
Photo like it: jammmick, CC BY 2.0.
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Oink
Get: A hog roast roll with haggis and apple sauce.
A whole roast pig in the window on the prettiest street in the Old Town, a few minutes from the market.
Walk in. It's done when the pig is gone.
Photo like it: City Foodsters, CC BY 2.0.
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The Little Chartroom
Get: The tasting menu; Roberta Hall-McCarron cooks a lot of Scottish seafood.
Often named the best restaurant in Edinburgh, in Leith, a 25-minute walk or a short taxi from the centre.
Book on their site three to four weeks ahead for a Saturday. A card holds the table, and late cancellations are charged; if nothing is open, they keep a list.
Photo like it: Geoffreyrabbit, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sunday, Nov 22Day 3 of 3
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Dishoom Edinburgh
Get: The bacon naan roll and a house chai.
Five minutes from the platform, and the best breakfast before a long train.
Book breakfast on their site, or walk in before 10am.
Photo like it: AntanO, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Plan this trip
Chef puts the whole weekend in your Trips, every stop on its day, and fills the gaps from what you love. Then you can send it to whoever's coming. Free, no password.
On the map
The star is Edinburgh Waverley. Pins are numbered like the stops; red is the table to book.
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Good to know
How do you get to Edinburgh from London by train?
LNER from London King's Cross to Edinburgh Waverley, about 4 hr 20 min. About two trains an hour. Lumo also runs from King's Cross, usually for less.
What is the one restaurant to book for a food weekend in Edinburgh?
The Little Chartroom: Often named the best restaurant in Edinburgh, in Leith, a 25-minute walk or a short taxi from the centre. Book on their site three to four weeks ahead for a Saturday. A card holds the table, and late cancellations are charged; if nothing is open, they keep a list.
Which market should you go to in Edinburgh?
Edinburgh Farmers' Market (Castle Terrace): Saturdays, 9am to 2pm.
Do you need a car?
Is Edinburgh a good food weekend from London by train? Yes, if you take Friday afternoon: LNER from King's Cross takes about 4 hours 20 minutes. Book The Little Chartroom three to four weeks ahead, and get to Lannan Bakery early on Saturday.
Every place checked open on November 4, 2026. Train times, fares, hours and booking windows change: check with the railway and the restaurant when you book. Walk times are straight-line estimates from the station. Photos marked "a photo like it" are of the food, not the place, until we have the place's own. Chef Amazing isn't paid by any railway or restaurant here. Something wrong? hello@chefamazing.com.
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