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Edinburgh Live
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David McLean

The vanished Edinburgh restaurants and cafés we miss the most

Edinburgh's food and drink scene is changing all the time, but it's always sad when the time comes to wave farewell to our favourite establishments.

Over the decades there have been dozens of cafés and restaurants that have captured the hearts, minds and bellies of capital locals - far too many to count, in fact.

We recently asked Edinburgh Live readers to tell us about the places they most loved and now sorely miss, and they didn't disappoint.

READ MORE: Edinburgh locals share memories of city's 'best kebab shop' since 1980s as business looks to reopen

With literally hundreds of readers leaving comments, we'd be here all day listing them all, but here are a few of the cafes and restaurants that were among the most popular.

The Great Wall

As the name heavily suggests, The Great Wall was a Chinese restaurant, and from the 1970s until its closure in the late 2000s it was one of the most popular in the city.

Multiple readers listed the Lothian Road eatery as the restaurant they missed the most, with some elaborating on what made it so special.

Grace C. Coulter said: "The Great Wall in Lothian Road, we used to go there for all our celebrations, birthdays, anniversaries, etc. It had the best menu ever and delicious cocktails."

Mitchell's café

Situated just off Great Junction Street, this was a proper Leith institution and was on the go for many years. Older locals recall when the café was an ice cream parlour called Lanny's and still referred to it as this even after the name change to Mitchell's.

The café was put up for sale in 2018 following the retirement of owners Rab and Grace Mitchell and the premises have since been converted for residential use. Leithers still miss popping in for a cup of tea and a breakfast roll.

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Brattisani's

It seems every second or third person had a soft spot for this place, so it must get a mention.

Brattisani's was a family-run fish and chip empire that had multiple restaurants in the city, two of the best-known being in Morrison Street near Haymarket, and Newington Road, just round the corner from the Royal Commonwealth Pool.

The beloved eateries sadly vanished from the capital in 2004.

Khushi's

Lots of people wrote in to tell us that Khushi's Lothian Restaurant on Drummond Street was their favourite curry house back in the day.

Established in 1947, the original restaurant, which was located at Potterrow, was likely serving up what would've been the first taste of Indian cuisine for many locals at the time.

Marty's Grill

Located at 29 West Maitland Street, Marty's Grill was among just a handful of eateries that opened after midnight back in the day and as such is recalled by many as the place to go after a night out on the tiles.

The popular eatery is said to have been the first in the city to have a colour television when it opened in the late 1960s.

Karen G. Davidson wrote: "Oh yes, can smell it now, yummy chips with loads of vinegar... I can't remember what went with the chips, haha, but it was cheap and cheerful!"

Leisureland

It might not sound like an obvious place to go for a bit of grub, but the café within the Leisureland amusements arcade at South Bridge was a very popular affordable option for many once upon a time.

Locals recall grabbing a coffee, roll or toastie before heading back for another extended session on the 'puggies'.

The amusements and café both vanished in a puff of smoke during the Cowgate fire of 2002, with the building subsequently demolished.

Sarah Jane McLaren said: "My wee nana used to take me for a hot chocolate and a plate of chips - as long as I didn’t tell my papa, haha."

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