As Edinburgh’s summer air thickens, so do the crowds gathering on the capital’s streets. Even before August’s Fringe kicks off, the city already heaves with tourists, and a quiet corner can be incredibly hard to come by.
To escape the bagpipes and tourist traps, you might think the only option is to leave the city centre – particularly for venues with a more relaxed vibe. Yet Edinburgh’s coolest new food spot is actually found in the middle of one of its most touristy streets.
Whirlybird, on the curved cobbles of Victoria Street, is the brainchild of experienced restauranteur Ash Bairstow. Despite only opening a few weeks earlier, it was almost full when we visited, though not with the tourists that were doing Instagram photoshoots in front of the colourful facades outside. Instead, it felt like a proper local hangout.
“We wanted to offer something for the people of Edinburgh,” Ash told me, “a hub in this part of the Old Town where people can gather together.”
A pared-back interior helps contribute to Whirlybird’s intimate atmosphere – though elegant details like a spiral staircase and large sash and case windows remind you you’re in a building that’s more than 250 years old.
But what of the food? It’s simple cooking done well: seafood chowder, smoked mackerel, wagyu beef burgers, grilled fish and pork belly. There are no ingredients you haven’t heard of, nothing that’s served in a gimmicky fashion and, best of all, no ‘small plates’ in sight.
The menu is instead divided into starters, mains and desserts, an alien concept, seemingly, to some restaurants in 2026. For our starters we devoured a haggis and ox cheek fritter, served with pickled turnip, as well as homemade sundried tomato houmous that we hungrily mopped up with Freedom Bakery sourdough.
Whirlybird is a wine and cocktail bar, too, so there’s plenty to choose from to wash down your food. My husband and I opted for the Casa Balaguer orange wine, a refreshingly different option that cut through our varied dishes beautifully.
The main dishes arrived quickly – flat iron seared steak slices and a half roasted chicken with garlic and rosemary. It would have been hard to upstage this gorgeously tender chicken, but the crispy new potatoes gave it a good go, blistered with a perfect crunch.
Our desserts were comfort puddings with a touch of flair. The burnt cheesecake dodged overindulgence thanks to a sharp lift of freshly poached rhubarb, while the date and brown butter madeleines, drenched in toffee sauce, felt like a lighter take on sticky toffee pudding.
We were in no hurry to leave and re-join the chaotic streets outside, and it appeared that our fellow diners felt the same. But with the restaurant booked out within just a fortnight of opening, tables were at a premium, and we reluctantly left Whirlybird behind with a vow to make a return visit on our next trip to the capital.
And so, if Edinburgh is only set to grow busier, at least there’s now a refuge worth seeking out.
