Where a Leither Eats

After two decades living on the Walk, Tracy Griffen has learnt that Leith’s best food isn’t always found in the newest openings. In this article, she identifies the long‑standing, weekday‑reliable spots that keep the neighbourhood fed.

Leith is a hotbed of culinary talent. It’s tempting to rush around and try all the new openings,

which means many established eateries get ignored. I’ve been living in Leith for over 20 years

, and here are my favourite places for reliable, affordable scran. All of these places are

open weekdays, when we all need to eat (i.e. not just Thursdays to Sundays):

Golden Ambal: 1 Albert Pl, Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH7 5HN.

This South Indian restaurant has been on the corner of Albert Street and Leith Walk for over a decade. I love the dosa menu. Over 100 to choose from! The Leith Tram Dosa is four feet long and is soooo delicious. Dining in is recommended for the best flavour. It’s like a tardis - looks small but has a cavernous basement seating area. Great prices and friendly staff. BYO.

Word of Mouth Café: 3A Albert St, Edinburgh EH7 5HL

Next to Golden Ambal on Albert Street, a casual breakfast and lunch spot with excellent

cooked dishes - Croque Monsieur, Madame and veggie and Spanikopita all highly

recommended. Dog friendly but a bit squeezy, excellent coffee and cakes too.

Storries Bakery:  279 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 8PD

Open 24 hours. Many a post-pub macaroni pie has been devoured late at night from

Storries. It’s a Leith institution and must be visited for good old-fashioned Scottish baking –

get your blacked buns (burnt rolls) here. Nowadays, they even do vegan sausage rolls (better

than Greggs) and kimchi pie. Popular with taxi drivers and locals.

Pop-up space run by Monty Roy

Leith Walk Polis Box: Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH7 4LT

The Police Box near McDonald Road recently celebrated a decade of pop-ups. This is the

place to go if you want to discover new food. Tuesdays often have the most amazing

Japanese food, cooked in front of you. Rickety seating is on the street, and it’s

fun for people watching.

Best Kebab House:  256 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 5EL

The clue is in the name, as they say. It’s been around as long as I’ve been in Leith and we

think it does the best kebabs, funny that. Their falafel roll is my go-to on lazy evenings. You

can order online https://bestkebabhouse.co.uk/ or wander in and be amazed at the speed

and dexterity of the staff.

Vietnamese Coffee Workshop at The Bami

The Stack: 42 Dalmeny St, Edinburgh EH6 8RG

This dim sum restaurant is a favourite with the local Chinese community. It’s been around for

over 15 years and is staunchly cash only with really terrible décor. You’ll forget your

surroundings when you try the food. So delicious, and very affordable. Quick service means

it’s excellent for an instant carb fix. We love the squid cake, char sui buns and stack-layered

egg sponge. It looks closed at the moment, but it has temporarily shut many times before

over winter, and like a phoenix, has risen again. Fingers crossed it reopens.

The Bami: 281 Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH6 8PD

A relative newbie to the Walk, this indie Vietnamese spot opened when Los Cardos sadly

shut its doors. Since 2024, it’s been serving excellent Vietnamese coffee and cuisine to dine in

and take away. Their bahn mi is a specially baked baguette served with traditional fillings.

Pho is also popular, but my favourite is their tofu summer rolls.

What’s your favourite Leith eatery?