94 Accessible Edinburgh: A Festival Guide Eating 95
Howie’s
0131-556 5766; http://www.howies.uk.com; 29 Waterloo Pl; mains
lunch £8-15, dinner £14-19; noon-2.30pm & 5.30-10pm; buses 15,
26, 44
A bright and airy Georgian corner house provides the elegant
setting for this hugely popular restaurant. The recipe for success
includes fresh Scottish produce simply prepared, good-value,
seasonally changing menus and eminently quaffable house
wines from £17 a bottle. It’s wheelchair-accessible, and there’s
an accessible toilet on the lower floor.
Mussel Inn
0131-229 5979; http://www.mussel-inn.com; 61-65 Rose St; mains
£11-25; noon-3pm & 5.30-10pm Mon-Thu, noon-10pm Fri-Sun;
Princes St
Owned by west-coast shellfish farmers, the Mussel Inn provides
a direct outlet for fresh Scottish seafood. The busy restaurant,
decorated indoors with bright beechwood, spills out onto the
pavement in summer. A 1kg pot of mussels with a choice of sauc-
es – try chilli, garlic, ginger, coriander and cumin – costs £14. It’s
wheelchair-accessible and there’s an accessible toilet.
Number One
0131-557 6727; http://www.restaurantnumberone.com; Balmoral Hotel,
1 Princes St; 3-course dinner £75; 6.30-10pm Mon-Thu, 6-10pm
Fri-Sun; all Princes St buses
This is the stylish and sophisticated chatelaine of Edinburgh’s
city-centre restaurants, all gold-and-velvet elegance with a
Michelin star sparkling on her tiara. The food is top-notch mod-
ern Scottish (a seven-/10-course tasting menu costs £85/110
per person) and the service is just on the right side of fawning.
It’s listed as wheelchair-accessible on Yelp, but we have no first-
hand testimonial.
Scottish Cafe & Restaurant
0131-226 6524; http://www.thescottishcafeandrestaurant.com;
The Mound; mains £13-15; 9am-5.30pm Fri-Wed, to 7pm Thu;
Princes St
This appealing modern restaurant (part of the Scottish National
Gallery complex) has picture windows providing a view along
Princes Street Gardens, and offers the chance to try traditional
Scottish dishes such as Cullen skink (smoked haddock soup)
and leek and potato soup, and seasonal, sustainably sourced
produce including smoked salmon and trout, free range chicken
and pork.
Buses run along nearby Princes St. If coming by car there is
some dedicated accessible parking on the Mound by the galler-
ies. Alternatively you can come on the tram or train, which are
both handy although it is a good five-minute walk away. Enter via
the National Gallery, from where a large lift takes you down to
the garden level. Alternatively a level path skirts the gardens to
lead to Waverley Bridge, from where there is level access. Staff
are helpful and will move furniture as required. The restaurant
has its own large accessible toilet, or use the ones in the National
Gallery.Social Bite
0131-220 8206; http://social-bite.co.uk/; 131 Rose St; mains £4-
8; 7am-3pm Mon-Fri; all Princes St busesDescribing its mission as ‘good food for a good cause’, this cafe
is a social enterprise set up to support the homeless (25% of
employees are from a homeless background). The food – from
freshly prepared sandwiches to hot lunches including Jamaican
chicken, and haggis, neeps and tatties – is delicious, and you can
donate a ‘suspended item’ to be claimed by a homeless person.
It’s wheelchair-accessible.Valvona & Crolla Caffé Bar
0131-556 6066; http://www.valvonacrolla.co.uk; 19 Elm Row, Leith
Walk; mains £10-15; 8.30am-5.30pm Mon-Thu, 8am-6pm Fri &
Sat, 10.30am-4.30pm Sun; all Leith Walk busesTry breakfast (served till 11.30am) with an Italian flavour – full
paesano (meat) or verdure (veggie) fry-ups, or deliciously light
and crisp panettone in carrozza (sweet brioche dipped in egg
and fried) – or choose from almond croissants, muesli, yogurt
and fruit, freshly squeezed orange juice and perfect Italian cof-
fee. There’s also a tasty lunch menu (noon to 3pm) of classic
Italian dishes. For wheelchair access, press a button to alert staff
who will bring a portable ramp.Valvona & Crolla VinCaffè
0131-557 0088; http://www.valvonacrolla.co.uk; 11 Multrees Walk, St
Andrew Sq; mains £9-19; 7.30am-7pm Mon-Wed, to 9pm Thu-
Sat, 10am-7pm Sun; St Andrew Sq