Cheese - it truly is the food of dreams and whether you like it melted, baked into mac and cheese , deep fried or loaded on top of your favourite dish, we like to think you just can’t go wrong with a bit of it. Cheese can even protect you from death so we’ve heard.
Luckily for us Edinburgh is a fromage-filled haven with delis, specialist shops and restaurants a plenty serving up the good stuff in various incarnations.
Whether you’re cracking a cheddar kick or some bold blue, we’ve rounded up the best places to get a cheesy hit in the city.
IJ MELLIS CHEESEMONGERS AND CHEESE LOUNGE
Obviously the major player in the cheese game here in the capital is good old IJ Mellis . They’ve been dominating the cheese scene since ’93 and for good reason. Now with three shops across Edinburgh, they stock a cheese-coma inducing amount of artisan and farmhouse cheeses from all over the world. They’ve even just opened a CHEESE LOUNGE in their Morningside Store where you can kick back and enjoy good wine and even better cheese.
MELTMONGERS
The ultimate spot for cheese-and-everything toasties. With two branches, one on Dundas Street and the other in Bruntsfield, there really is no such thing as too much cheese when it comes to Meltmongers . Whether it’s a Philly Cheesesteak toastie, bacon cheese topped tater tots or a grilled cheese packed mac n cheese, you’re sure to your fix.
PICKLES OF BROUGHTON STREET
Pickles , also known as one of Edinburgh’s best date spots, is the perfect place to enjoy a top quality cheese board… with a whole bottle of port. Its cosy, underground setting makes it the perfect place to while away an evening over a platter with a friend (or someone who means a little bit more…).
LE DI-VIN
One word - RACLETTE. Eating raclette is a unique dining experience in itself and Le Di-Vin knows how to do it right. Puddles of oozing golden Swiss cheese, charcuterie and a big bowl of potatoes - you can’t go wrong (you get your own grill at your table as well).
THE PIEMAKER
Let’s not go into how Greggs betrayed us by discontinuing their humble Mac n Cheese pie - The Piemaker have always done it better and luckily for us, they aren’t going anywhere. Their slogan is ‘any time is pie time and quite frankly that’s an ethos we can get onboard with.
WOODLAND CREATURES
This Leith-based restaurant does the best mac n cheese in Edinburgh. Sorry, it’s a fact, their Instagram is just one boomerang’d cheese stretch away from killing us. Their dish doesn’t skimp on cheese content and you can even order a mac n cheese flight to taste all their concoctions.
DOWN THE HATCH
Known for their food-porn Instagram account, Down the Hatch in South Queensferry know how to use cheese to amp up a dish. Their loaded cheese fries are LEGENDARY, with each daily special topping the last. If you go in on the right day you might even be able to get involved with a big steaming bowl of poutine, because cheese curds are EVERYTHING.
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