Sarah's Edinburgh Guide

If any of you know Sarah, (once Maven store manager extraordinaire and now Coordinator of all sorts of behind the scenes things), you'll know that she has incredible taste. If Sarah likes something, we all sit up and listen. So when she went to Edinburgh for the weekend we demanded she give us her list:

Where to eat :

Baba 

The most incredible mezze inspired by the flavours of the Levant. Beautiful, fresh food and a really friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Can highly recommend the marinated artichokes with falafel, beetroot hummus and guindillas and a rhubarb sour to wash it all down.

Baba can be found just off Charlotte Square which is a stone’s throw from Princes Street.

Where to have a coffee:

William & Johnston at Custom Lane 

Grab a cup of coffee – touted as the “best coffee in Leith”, at William & Johnston at Custom Lane. Custom Lane is comprised of a café, shop, gallery and workshop which is open to the public and is a great space to browse with a flat white in hand, or enjoy on the benches outside, overlooking the Water of Leith.

Where to have a drink:

Brauhaus 

Amazing selection of natural wines, cask ales and the cutest pub puppy I’ve seen (a collie, called Finch and she was a total scamp). You can also buy a bottle to go, which is handy when closing time comes!

Where to shop:

Dick’s 

An exquisite selection of beautifully made clothes designed for longevity. Dick’s stock brands from a range of independent designers and their ethos with all the selections they pick for their store is about buying better, but less and pieces that you will cherish and look after for years to come. I picked up a cheery, yellow beanie hat made in Tuscany and haven’t had it off me since!

Where to visit:

Scottish National Portrait Gallery 

A building that is a stunning as the art it contains.  A shrine for Scotland’s heroes and heroines, open to the public since 1889 as the world’s first purpose-built portrait gallery. Keep your eyes peeled for striking portraits of Tilda Swinton and Scotland’s patron saint, Billy Connolly, by the incredible John Byrne.