Food markets anywhere are synonymous with street food; they are the heartbeat of a town or city and so are food markets in Edinburgh. As good as a restaurant may be, a street-food market is a fully immersive experience. It’s a vibe where different aromatic smells mingle, often offering direct interaction with vendors. Many of these producers are artisanal, so it’s easy to see the journey a product has made.
Food markets in Edinburgh
Food markets in Edinburgh are a true celebration of local, seasonal Scottish foods. They also honour flavours from across the globe and are one of the best free things to do in Edinburgh. Unless you are a local, it may be difficult to know where to start. Listed below are some of the ones that should top your list.
Stockbridge Market
It’s right that we start in the vibrant area of Stockbridge, with its quirky pubs, small cafes and vintage shops, when looking at food markets in Edinburgh. If you head towards the water of Leith, you will come across Stockbridge Market. This is the mothership of all farmers’ markets in the city and is where to head on a Sunday. You will find over 48 stalls heaving under all manner of produce.
Products range from organic vegetables to freshly baked breads to artisan chocolates. And on the first Saturday of every month, along with the usual traders, they feature a Vegan Quarter with everything on offer being vegan. Once you’ve done all the browsing and sampling, there are chairs and tables at which you can sit down and enjoy a meal of your choice. Flavours range from Bombay street food to Japanese to French.
- Open every Sunday from 10 am – 4 pm
- Location: Saunders Street, Edinburgh EH3 6TQ, Scotland
Leith’s Market
Not far from the location of Stockbridge Market is Leith’s Market, which takes place every Saturday. It’s a hub for small independent traders with offerings of smokehouse products, jams, meats and veggies.
There are also a few hot food selections of worldwide cuisine, with tables and chairs where you can perch and savour your purchases. Once the main trading port of the city, it’s now one of the coolest neighbourhoods in the world and is packed with trendy waterside bistros, quirky pubs and cafes. The area even has two Michelin-star restaurants, one by renowned chef Tom Kitchin, and is where the Royal Yacht Britannia made its final stop. It’s open for visits to see how royalty sailed around the world.
- Open Saturdays from 10 am – 4 pm
- Location: Dock Place, Leith, Edinburgh, EH6 6LU
Grassmarket Market
Right in the heart of Old Town Edinburgh is the formerly notorious Grassmarket. Dating back as early as the 14th century; it is one of the best places to visit in Scotland. Back then, it would have been a bustling marketplace with taverns and inns for the drovers who’d bring their horses and cattle to town for selling. Part of its notoriety is its role in the public hangings that took place. The ghost of Half-Hilgit Maggie, who survived a hanging, is thought to still visit the area; look out for the pub named after her.
In modern times, it’s a bustling street with independent stores, restaurants and cafes to enjoy local and international fare. It’s also where you’ll find the oldest pub in Edinburgh, the White Hart Inn, where Robert Burns visited in 1791. Amidst all these, with one of the most stunning views of Edinburgh Castle the city has to offer, is the location of Grassmarket Market, once a week every week.
- Open every Saturday 10 am – 5 pm
- Location: Grassmarket Street, Edinburg EH1 2JR
Edinburgh Food Festival
Every summer around July sees George Square Gardens transformed into one of the best street food markets in Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Food Festival. An event that started in 2014 and has grown from strength to strength now features more than 20 stalls over a 10-day period. Free to enter, you will find an array of products from all parts of Scotland, including food and drink. Some of Edinburgh’s top chefs join in proceedings by giving live demos and workshops to spice things up. It’s a popular spot for Fringe festival goers.
- Location: Assembly George Square Gardens, Edinburgh EH8 9JU, Scotland
Waverley Market @ Platform 2
Catching a train on a Friday from Waverley Train Station can also be a chance for you to stock up on your favourite Scottish baked goodies. Waverley Market is one of the most unique food markets you’ll find in Edinburgh, as it’s set inside the train station. The stalls are located on the northeastern end of the station, near Platform 2, hence the name. Here, you’ll find around 40 independent stalls selling artisanal Scottish breads, desserts and jams. Our Scotland travel guide provides an extensive list of places to visit and see whilst in Scotland.
- Open every Friday from 11 am – 7 pm
- Location: Edinburgh Waverley train station, Northbridge, EH1 1BB, Edinburgh, Scotland
Edinburgh Farmers’ Market
Set within the cobble-stoned, narrow alleyways of Old Town and with a backdrop of the Castle is Edinburgh Farmers’ Market. There is no better way to start your morning stroll in this medieval city than with a coffee and a baked pastry from one of the many stalls available. Under blue and white striped awnings with over 50 stall holders, you may be lost for what to pick, but you won’t be disappointed whichever you go for. Just like at the food markets in Paris, this is the perfect place to learn about Scottish food first hand, as you sample your way around one of the best food markets in the city.
- Open every Saturday from 9 am – 2 pm
- Location: Castle Terrace, EH1 2EN Edinburgh
Pitt Market
Pitt Market was the pioneer of the street-food revolution in Edinburgh. Set in an industrial yard by the water in Leith, it features various street-food trucks and craft beer brewed locally; it’s also where you’d find all things vintage.
Open every Saturday, it’s a popular location, and like the food markets in Madrid, is where the city’s hipsters congregate around food trucks releasing exotic aromas that mingle with more familiar flavours. It’s where you will get Edinburgh’s most craved buttermilk chicken or where local Scottish foods are served with a twist; crispy pheasant burger anyone?
Expect conversation flowing freely from tongues loosened by the many alcoholic beverages on offer. This is one of those places you could spend a whole day without either getting bored or hungry. It’s open every Saturday, whilst the traders change weekly and music is there to keep you entertained.
The market has outgrown its current venue in Leith and aims to reopen with a bigger venue on West Shore Road in the spring/summer of 2023.
- Opening dates TBC
- Location: 20 West Shore Road
Portobello Market
A food market in Edinburgh that has been slowly growing in reputation over the past 10 years is Portobello Market. Featuring mainly organic produce from local farmers, the market takes place at Brighton Park and is where to get your cheeses, fresh fruit and veg and yummy baked goods with fresh coffee.
The market is within a 5 minute walk from the buzzy Portobello High Street packed with trendy and vintage shops. Grab your coffee and walk a little further down, which will get you to a light sandy beach that faces the Firth of Forth: a beautiful place to stroll away from the hustle and bustle of the main city area.
- Open every first Saturday of the month from 9:30 am to 1:30 pm
- Location: Brighton Park
Bonnie and Wild’s Scottish Marketplace
For an upmarket take on all things food market, head to Bonnie and Wild’s Scottish Marketplace, an upmarket food hall presenting some of Scotland’s best artisanal food and drink producers in one of the capital’s newly redeveloped areas. This is where to go for a choice of eating venues with award-winning chefs all under one roof, and one of the best places to sample national food in the UK in comfort.
Expect to find an array of street foods, such as Hong Kong-style street food and the popular hoppers, a staple of any decent Sri Lankan street food vendor. There is a luxury gelato place with dairy-free and vegan options available and four top-of-the-range bars to choose from when in need of something alcoholic. With occasional entertainment such as Scottish Highland dancing, it’s one of the best places to hang out with friends for a fun-filled weekend in Edinburgh.
- Open every day from 9 am to midnight
- Location: 415 – 417 St James Crescent, Edinburgh EH1 3AE
Edinburgh Christmas Market
One of the biggest Christmas Markets in Edinburgh, it is also one of the best food markets in the UK to visit in the winter. It spreads across the city’s most famous gardens. Scotland’s answer to the Winter Wonderland in London lights up East Princes Street Gardens in New Town and has spread through to George Street in more recent years.
The air at the East Princes Street Gardens is filled with aromas of mulled wine, bratwurst and pretzels, as this is mainly associated with German Christmas markets. Meanwhile, over on George Street, there’s a huge ice rink, and the drink to warm up with is mulled Irn-Bru, a homage to Scotland’s ‘other national drink’. Ride on the Big Wheel to get a better view of the landmarks surrounding this prestigious address. Edinburgh Castle, which forms a backdrop to the market, acquires a near-haunting look as the night draws in.
- Open 20th November – 4th January 2023
- Location: Various including George Street, Edinburgh EH2 3BV
From the medieval streets where you’ll find Grassmarket to the modern-day version that is Bonnie and Wild’s, the food markets in Edinburgh heave with both traditional and international foods, making it an ideal foodie’s destination.
