Mira! If you think that the Scotland food scene is all about meat pies, porridge, and haggis…. well you’d be about 50% right! Ha! That stuff is everywhere! But here’s the thing, chicos, it’s friggin delish! And it’s quintessentially Scottish! So, hell yea, that’s a large part of the Edinburgh food scene… but ain’t nothing wrong with that!
The familia and I spent a few days in the city of Edinburgh this Spring, and we ate like kings. I’m 100% serious! Some of the best food I’ve ever had was in Scotland. Don’t laugh! I know that the Brits are not exactly known for fabulous cuisine, but listen, what they do, they do right! Now, Edinburgh is this dope, quasi-metropolitan city and that means that it’s bursting with food options. Everything from low key street food like hand-held meat pies (more on that later) to more up-scale international faire at sit-down restaurants. All pretty damn good.
The Marido sold traditional Scottish meat pies at festivals in another life, so when we drove into Edinburgh, that’s the first thing he wanted to taste. Y’all KNOW that I did my research before we got there, and I already had the highest rated meat pie shop on my list. It was called “The Pie Maker” and it was a shop in the heart of town, with about enough space for like 6 people to eat their meal comfortably. Not ideal for a family for 4. Y lo peor, the worst part, was that the guy behind the counter was a grade A jerk. A total asshole, so that put a bad taste in our mouths. Thankfully, the actual pie I had (the steak and mushroom) put a really, really yummy taste in my mouth. We’ll say it all balanced out. I washed down the pie with a Scottish soda called “Irn Bru”. The drink is a huge source of pride for the Scots. They love it. And with good reason, it’s tasty. But as a caribeña, I gotta say, that shit tasted just like a copy-cat version of “Cola Champagne”. Puerto Rico does it better! Sorry Scotland!
That night we tried “Cafe Andaluz” for dinner. We spent the whole day walking around the city and wanted a nice place to sit down and relax. We also wanted a nice drink… to help with all the relaxing. Cafe Andaluz, the loveliest tapas bar, fit the bill. It was decorated so bomb, beautiful Spanish tiles everywhere! The music was all romantic and welcoming and even the lighting gave off “stay a while” vibes. We sipped sweet sangria and ate a table full of scrumptious tapas while the kids had albondigas. I thoroughly enjoyed the “Gambas a la Plancha” and the “Torta Espaniola”. I’d go back in a heartbeat.
“Eating and drinking wants but a beginning”
– Scottish Proverb
Day 2 brought us even better food than the first day, if you can believe that. We went to “The Hula Juice Bar” right by Edinburgh castle for breakfast and I damn near had a foodgasm. Guess what I ate? Friggin porridge! Can you believe? Yo tampoco! It was decked-out porridge though, not that gruel from “Oliver Twist” and “Annie”. My creamy bowl had bananas, hazelnuts, and a nice helping of Nutella. Guys! GUYS! It was so good that I immediately bought a box of porridge to take home with me. True Story. La Chiquita had a rainbow-colored acai bowl that was noteworthy as well. This place was by far my favorite spot in Edinburgh.
Before we left town, we ate lunch at a pub called “Auld Jock’s Pie Shoppe”. It was the perfect send off. The place had Scotland written all over it, and you couldn’t beat the views of Grassmarket Square. We were the only people in there because it was a Monday and I guess everybody was at work. Sucks for them! We sat and enjoyed a fancy schmancy steak pie. Totes different than the one I had the previous day. This one had a fluffy pastry crust and sat atop a lovely mountain of mashed potatoes and gravy. It was…. YO! So good.
Moral of the story: Scots know how to cook. And don’t for one single second knock traditional favorites. Edinburgh takes them to another level!
