We came here on a recent trip to Edinburgh while exploring the city outside the Royal Mile…read more Everything was good, but the place was smaller than I expected and felt a bit packed. Despite that we got bread, paella, cheese, raspberries, pears, apples, lettuce, cucumbers, and jam for the rest of our trip in Scotland and it was all fantastic. The paella we ate there. I got the chicken paella because I didn't think picking apart seafood with my hands was the best idea while wrangling two small kids without a reasonable place to sit down. It was really good, if a tiny bit saltier than I'd like. The spices were top notch and the experience of seeing it made in the huge 6' in diameter wok-like pans was worth it. The bread (we got spelt) was _really_ good and I wish we'd gotten two loaves. Instead, we got only one and just relished the breakfast sandwiches we made with it the next few days. The cheese, jam and produce formed the basis of a lot of what we ate for the next few days and it was much better than what we'd been getting at Tesco.

A cute farmer's market held every Sunday year-round in the most pretty neighborhood. It's a nice…read morestroll around the streets or to Dean's Village while grabbing some local goods. I have to admit that the space was smaller than I expected, but they do have a bit of everything from jams, fresh produce, meats, baked goods, chocolate, alcohol, coffee, and more! I definitely recommend coming here hungry, so you can try one of the food stands. I ended up trying the Chicken Paella (£5), which you can't miss. I was immediately attracted to the plate as I saw people walking around with them. For £5, the plate is huge and will easily fill you up. Unfortunately, the flavor and taste was only okay. It may be best to share, so it's not so overwhelming. It's not bad, but definitely not one of the better paellas I have had. My friend did get the dumplings, which are pretty popular as well though. Either way, cool little spot to grab a bite and walk around. It does get pretty crowded though.

Tattie Shaws has fruit spilling out of it into its wee stalls outside the store. Their peppers and…read moretomatoes look so delicious you can't help but wander in! I'm a big fan of independent greengrocers. Sadly, there aren't many of them about these days, but that is what makes places like Tattie Shaws so special. With a great range of fruit and veg from all across the world, Tattie's supplies look full of flavour and ripe like they've just been picked off a plant. It's very reasonably priced and they also stock a variety of herbs and other such cooking ingredients. The staff are pretty alert and keen to help if you need anything. But most of all, I was so impressed with the quality of the produce. With the vibrant colours and fresh appearances, Tattie Shaw's stocks both homegrown and international fruit and veg. It's great that they represent local farmers and suppliers, but their more exotic offerings look equally as fresh - they've definitely been shipped in recently. As it's still the Scottish strawberry season, I'd recommend trying Tattie's for some of Fife's best berries!

There aren't enough good old fashioned green grocers in the world anymore. Tattie Shaws however is…read morea wonderful example of a lovely, well stocked, locally owned business. The guy who runs this place (whose name i'm always forgetting) is a lovely but no nonsense chap, who knows his produce. He sells pretty much any fresh produce that you could care to buy. He seems to have a lot of everything all year round so he must be getting some of it from abroad but I know he also does seasonal stuff too. Ask him what's good and he'll suggest something! It's also handily on my walk home from work (assuming i get out in time before he closes!)

I really, really wish I lived closer to this little shop! I walked past it today and couldn't…read morebelieve my luck, it looks like a tiny little village shop selling produce from all the local farmers at really good-value prices, until you realise that you're actually only about 2 minutes walk away from George Street. Location aside, that description is true. They stock everything from fairy liquid to fresh fruit and free range eggs, ad not only was it really cheap but it was also really good quality. Let me elaborate... Tesco: 4 "ripen at home" (aka totally unripe) nectarines for £1 and apparently that's them giving you a special offer. Here, I got a punnet of 10 perfectly ripe ones for only £1.79. Moreover, the guy who served me in here didn't look like he hated his job so much he was about to kill himself. I even got a smile and a hello, followed by him telling me to enjoy my day on my way out. We need more little shops like these!

Small one-lane Farmers market but the walk here was amazing and there is nothing like having…read moreEdinburgh Castle as your backdrop early in the morning. There are fresh produce vendors as well as food, snacks, honey, candles, and coffee mixed in. I really wanted to try the pasties guy, the rows and rows of savory baked good looked amazing but we let our kids choose and they went for something else. Most places do accept credit cards and we came mainly to pick up some fresh fruit to balance out all the heavy food we would be eating. The climate in Scotland is cold and rainy this time of year and the oranges and raspberries we got tasted different that the ones we get in the Bay Area. There is also meat and seafood, I loved seeing the fresh caught crab on a bed of seaweed and hard to find meat like venison for sale.

Came here to buy their fresh produce and try what they are selling. They are open every Saturday…read morefrom 9-2pm. They have area sourced produce, meats & cheeses, and baked goods and sweets. Small outdoor markets that seem to have quite a bit foot traffic. Service from each stall was friendly and welcoming. My son was looking for ice cream and found this Churn & Thistle ice cream place. He got raspberry, but they offered different flavors. It was very creamy and good and their waffle cone was excellent. Tasted almost caramelized and nicely crunchy. My favorite was their egg custard. It was very flaky and crunchy with a creamy center. It was very good. I've had some egg custards in Portugal as well, and these tasted authentic.

I quite like this Scotmid, they usually have what I'm looking for (more so than the one around the…read morecorner). The fridge/ frozen section has a good selection, fresh baked goods are available and has pre-made foods available for an easy dinner. Plus plenty of snacks, and who doesn't love snacks?

I find it a bit strange that I've lived in Stockbridge for over a year and just noticed this…read moreScotmid last week... I obviously have the attention span of a goldfish. A Scotmid is a Scotmid is a Scotmid.... but 9 times out of 10, I would pass on this one. Not because it's particularly bad, but against some of the other grocers in the area, it is particularly forgettable. The shop is pretty standard. It doesn't have a huge selection but it ticks the box on most of the basics (though their icecream selection is pitiful). The staff are more or less indifferent the few times i've been in, but they haven't been outright rude. ... it's a Scotmid.

I heard that George Mews was opening and was looking forward to it. I've been to the Glasgow shop…read moreand they had a great range if cheeses and it was consistent here in Edinburgh. Samples are plentiful and this place is cheese lovers heaven. They also do a great range of charcuterie, smoked fish, bread, oatcakes and chutneys. Many of their products stocked are local and if not, sourced from small independent Scottish producers. I picked up angelic oatcakes and I'll pop down before new year to get a range of cheese for my visitors. Well worth a visit!

Great local cheese shop with an assortment of local cheeses. Staff is very friendly and…read moreknowledgeable. Great place.

Of course only good things to say about a good experience with great selections and service!read more

Quite literally the best thing we did in Scotland. Okay, I may be biased as a cheese-lover, but I…read morewould come here every day if I could. A wonderful and diverse selection is available, and we focused on Scottish and local. They had a cheese available that only five cows could produce - be sure to ask the staff and they'll point you to the most interesting selections! And we couldn't leave without a baguette to sample them all on. My only regret is that I didn't buy more - and we walked out with nine cheeses and some other snacks. Put this on the list especially if you're a visitor - we never get to enjoy unpasteurized cheese over here in the US especially - and if you're lucky enough to live nearby I'd go daily.

A lovely butcher in the heart of Stockbridge! I went for the first time this week in search of a…read moregood steak. The butcher himself was lovely and helpful in assisting me to pick out the right steak. So I got two t-bones, my favourite. If you're going to buy a t-bone prepare to get a mammoth steak- two steaks were 1.5kg. And they're cut per request with a saw, which of never seen before. I'm not sure if £25 is considered orivey since its my first time buying decent steak in Edinburgh, but it was well worth it! I used the reverse sear method to cook the steaks because they were so huge and managed to cook them perfectly. They were divine! I will definitely make this a regular place to buy my meat but might go for a smaller cut next tine- I had enough steak left over for you next two days.

I have been at this butcher a couple of times and have never had a bad experience…read more George Bower has the most fantastic selection of game and poultry. e.g. if you want pheasant or venison, go and get it from here! I have bought pork fillet and a BBQ selection pack of chicken. They also sell all the other traditional products like sausages, meats, steak pies. The staff is friendly and knowledgeable. The shop itself has a lovely sort of old fashioned feel to it with the decoration.

This place scares me…read more I don't often shop at big stores like this. No, it's not a hipster thing (ok... it's kind of a hipster thing) but ever since moving into Stockbridge, my favourite Sunday activity is visiting all the little local spots to grab groceries for the week. There's something charming about swinging into the butchers and then down to the bakery for tonight's dinner. But not everything can be found at a little haunt and sometimes, my bank account gets mad at me and I have to venture into a big spot like this. The thing I will point out (as many before me have) is that the quality of their store brand here is excellent. Much better than the Tesco stuff I found my first few weeks (that's the extent of my big box groceries though, so take this with a grain of salt I suppose). From the produce, to the pre-made salads (the beetroot and quinoa is excellent! Oh gosh, I AM a hipster!), to the interesting pre-made meal finds - it's a nice step up from your normal big box selection. Plus, they stock three different kinds of Yamazaki whisky. Coming from Canada where you can't find this in the MOST exclusive shops - this tickles me. So I would be a huge fan of this place, if it didn't give me complete and utter anxiety every time I set foot in the place. It is SO DAMN BUSY. ALL THE TIME! I don't know if it's because there's a online pick up area right at the front (which is handy), or because i'm too used to my Sunday shop strolls, but this place seems like a bit of a zoo every time i've been in. Which would be ok I suppose if the lines moved a bit quicker at check out and there were more people to lead this lost Canadian to the right aisle, but as it stands - though useful, it's a rather unpleasant shopping experience. I'll keep coming here for big ticket items and when I get my arse in gear to do a big shop, but I doubt it will make it on the regular rotation any time soon.

When I moved from Surrey to Scotland one of the very few things I missed was Waitrose. Living in…read moreFalkirk, we didn't even have a Sainsbury's but my Waitrose withdrawal ended when we moved to Edinburgh - where there is not only one - but TWO Waitroses to meet the foodie needs of North and South. I would never consider Waitrose to be my regular grocery store - I suppose that's where the missing star goes. It's more of a treat - like going to a food hall of a posh department store. The cleaning supplies and toiletries are a bit more than at other shops and the selection isn't as good - but they are there in case of emergency. The true delight comes in the more interesting selection of fresh fruit and veg - far more greens that any other supermarket - and even most independent grocers. Bok Choi, kales (whole not shredded), chard.... perfect for green juices! Great cheeses, meats, fresh baked breads and the amazing dessert aisle!! The salted caramel brownies from Maison Blanc are incredible!! The Strockbridge/Comely Bank location is ideal for when you have other things to do in town and the free parking garage is a great bonus. Another bonus - free tea and coffee if you have a 'My Waitrose' card. Ah, Waitrose - you do spoil us!!