Best Chinese restaurants in Edinburgh

While its name may not scream Chinese cuisine, this is in fact the oldest of its kind in the city. Now a modern restaurant, it features oriental touches in the decor. But the Chinese restaurant dates back to 1956, serving diners lunch and dinner from its West End site. You can choose from a set Peking-style banquet, a three-course Peking dinner, or the a la carte menu, which includes a handful of English dishes for those who aren’t so keen on international fare. Vegetarian, gluten-free and halal diets are catered for at Rendezvous as well.

A little further afield, this restaurant is found in a suburb of the city, Corstorphine. As such, its popularity has been assured by Edinburgh residents (and those dining after an event at the nearby Murrayfield stadium), rather than tourists. And it has gained a TripAdvisor Certificate of Excellence every year since 2012. You won’t have an issue with parking here — it’s well away from parking zones, meaning you can grab a space on the street without having to pay. Run by Tracy Chu, Cool Jade has a classic feel, with white linen and flowers on the tables, making it ideal for a sophisticated family gathering, a celebration, or a date. The sizable venue is very family friendly, with smaller portions of menu items provided for children. Cool Jade also offers a large range of gluten-free and vegetarian options.

Think Chinese food is all about rice and noodles? Think again. At Dumplings of China you can nom on small or large portions of artfully prepared handmade dumplings, with fillings including mushroom; carrot, vermicelli, black fungus and egg; prawn; and pork and chives. Or try a griddle pot with cooked sea bass with sweetcorn cakes, cow throat, or pork intestines. Fish stews, roasted king prawns and shredded pork are some of the other delicacies on the varied menu. And for dessert, you can enjoy a deep fried milk (not Mars) bar and pumpkin cake, all washed down with your choice of soft drink, sago or tea. Located on Howe Street, Dumplings of China provides an informal, relaxed street-food style setting in which to eat.

Named after Betty and David, B&D’s provides an alternative to the typical food you might find in a British Chinese restaurant. The couple brought their authentic dining concept from their home of Hong Kong, opening the venue in 2012. Clean and healthy eating is the culinary ethos here, with each dish prepared to order — and some extra special menu items (like lobster and oysters) requiring prior notice. At B&D’s you can sample dishes like Hakka – a slow-cooked stew with aniseed, five-spice and dried tofu sheets – or hot ‘sand’ dishes. B&D’s is a BYOB restaurant, so come prepared with a bottle of your favourite tipple and as there’s no corkage, you’ll save some pennies in the process.

This restaurant opens by asking, Hau peckish are you? It’s a newcomer to Edinburgh, having opened its doors in 2019, and serves dinner from Tuesday through to Sunday from its Haymarket Terrace location. The restaurant’s full title roughly translates as one who’s craving tasty food and is feeling hungry. While inspired by the food of Hong Kong, the Hau Han menu is very much geared toward British palates and includes plenty of house dishes, like Go Lo sweet and sour, Ga Lei curries, Ling Mon Gai lemon chicken and Gong Bo sweet chilli. The desserts are especially delectable, such as Fried Man Tau (Chinese doughnuts rolled in sugar and cinnamon, served with condensed milk) and matcha green tea, raspberry and jasmine cake.

At the west end of the New Town, Karen’s Unicorn provides an elegant and timeless backdrop for your contemporary Cantonese meal. And while its quirky name attracts the curious, its authentic, creative dishes are the biggest draw. The menu calls on locally available ingredients, such as seafood from the nearby coastline; signature dishes include salty and spicy squid, as well as steamed sea bass in black bean sauce. Its location lends Karen’s Unicorn to business lunches, after-work meals and dinner as part of a night on the town.