Sidenote: If anyone has the opportunity to perform in the Fringe or go to it, DO. It was amazing.
At any rate, I was on high alert for gluten-free food while there.
The UK is generally good about gluten free eating. Pret A Manger, a sort of high quality fast food place (it's honestly not that, but I'm having a mind blank on how to describe it at the moment), has been known to occasionally carry packaged gluten free sandwiches. On top of that, they always have the allergens listed clearly on the front of their label.
Other places in the UK are tolerant to a celiac diet as well, having random little sidenotes on the bottom of the menu saying things like: "Ask your server for a gluten-free menu!" or "Any of the above dishes can be made gluten-free."
Even if the menu isn't that helpful, often the server, or someone the server can call over, knows a lot about the diet and can help.
But back to Edinburgh.
Edinburgh is a beautiful city. It's metropolitan, with modern restaurants, tourist shops everywhere with kilts, and slick bars and pubs which often have base music pounding from within. But the thing that distinguishes it from most cities is that while it is modern, they have procured little slices of the older days. From tons of vantage points around the city, one can see the magnificent Edinburgh Castle. It's very odd seeing a huge, vibrant city, and then looking up and seeing a castle keeping watch over everything. Also, there are cathedrals, dungeons, and other historical monuments all over the city.
The food in Edinburgh was pricy. It's just how the city is. But while there, I managed to find cheap (relatively), edible food. Here are some of the gluten-free gems I found in Scotland.
I'm going to try to do these chronologically, by the times that I went first to each.
Vittoria (19 George IV Brdige, Edinburgh |0131 225 1740| www.vittoriarestaurant.com/onthebridge/)
Vittoria is a fairly simple Italian place that looks relatively small on the outside but has a quite large downstairs (and ground floor, for that matter). Great for either casual eating or fancy dinners. Most notable for having gluten-free penne pasta.
I got the Penne Funghi Crema, £8.50. It was very creamy, and delicious. Enough to fill a teenage boy's stomach. ★★★★✩
Pros:
-Fairly cheap, for the type and quality that it is (pastas ranged from about £8-£10)
-The pasta I had (Penne Funghi Crema, £8.50) was really good and fairly big
-The atmosphere was not loud, but loud enough to have fun
-Many of the waiters are actually Italian
-Convenient location (fairly close to the Royal Mile)
-Great ice cream :)
Cons:
-Waiters can be slightly stubborn, regarding substitutions, etc
-Meats and most non-pasta things, including appetizers, are expensive.
Auld Jock's Pie Shoppe (24 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh)
Auld Jock's Pie Shoppe is a chain, I believe, with various sized restaurants in Scotland. Some are only meat pies and drinks, while others have a moderately sized menu. The one I like was about 3 doors down from where I was staying. While they didn't have any special GF menu, or items, it was easy to find a meal.
I had the Scottish breakfast, without the haggis and black pudding (call me crazy, but that's not exactly what I like to wake up to). It was only £4.50, and was definitely filling, with beans, mushrooms, an egg, two sausages, bacon, and hash browns. I'm not sure how amazing the quality was, but it was really what I was looking for at the time. ★★★✩✩
Pros:
-Great service (I was friends with the waitress)
-Comfortable coffeeshop atmosphere
-Interesting drink selection, with ginger beers and partially fermented lemonade (non-alcoholic, of course)
-The best hash browns I've ever had (I'm pretty sure the waitress checked, and they were GF)
-Fast and cheap
Cons:
-Probably so-so quality meat and eggs
-Slightly grungy
Mamma's American Pizza (3O Grassmarket, Edinburgh | 0131 225 6464 | www.grassmarket.net/mammas.asp)
Mamma's was a pleasant surprise. We did a bus tour of Edinburgh, and as we drove through the Grass Market (where people used to be killed, now square with stores and restaurants), someone shouted, "Johnny! It says gluten-free pizza!" Later, I wandered back there, and 10 minutes later, I was eating a gluten-free pizza.
I got a 9" pizza with 4 toppings- you can choose out of about 15 toppings for your pizza. It was warm, tasty, and so easily customizable. There isn't a menu online as far as I know, but I think it was about £8-£9. ★★★★✩
Pros:
-Pizza was great. The crust tasted normal, and the toppings were good.
-Very friendly service
-Pizza was ready quickly
-Lots of available toppings
Cons:
-I got take out, so I don't know how the restaurant itself was.
Rocco (192a High Street, Edinburgh |0131 226 1241)
Rocco is an Italian restaurant right on the Royal Mile. We went there for our last meal in Edinburgh, and it was quite nice. We had a table for 22, which they easily accommodated. I definitely would recommend this for large parties. They also had gluten-free penne pasta.
I got the gluten-free Penne Bolognese. It was fine. I don't remember how many pounds it was, as I didn't pay, but I remember it wasn't too expensive, relative to Edinburgh. I'd give it 2 stars because while it was good, it wasn't anything special. ★★✩✩✩
Pros:
-Pasta was good, very basic
-Restaurant was spacious and nice
-Service was moderately fast, considering we were a party of 22
Cons:
-Not very many interesting, yummy sounding pasta options
-Service seemed slightly annoyed through the whole dinner
-Slightly on the expensive side
Hula (103-105 West Bow, Old Town, Edinburgh | 0131 220 1121)
Hula is a little restaurant on the way to the Grass Market from Chambers St. I went in a rush, to get a quick bite of breakfast before we went to the airport. It was good for a quick bite. I'm not sure how great it is of a sit-down place. I was very excited to see they had a few packaged gluten-free baked goods.
I got a chocolate-y fudgy type thing with some crunchy parts. It was good, considering that it was packaged and free of a lot of allergens. I also got a smoothie. It was fine, nothing special. ★★✩✩✩
Pros:
-Had something that was clearly labeled as gluten-free
-Variety of fruit smoothies
-Fast service
-Very nice people
-Open really early
Cons:
-Not many options for gluten-free beyond the smoothies and the little pastries
-Not wildly cheap
Anyhow, that was my trip to Edinburgh and the gluten-free-ness there. Thanks for reading!
-J
