The independent restaurant resurgence driving Edinburgh’s ‘buoyant’ food and beverage sector
“Independents are thriving and taking over premises that previously felt dated or formulaic” – Isla Monteith, Savills
Edinburgh is benefiting from the rise of the independent food operator as many “casual dining” chains exit the city or reduce their presence, new research suggests.
Publishing its latest insight into Edinburgh’s food and beverage (F&B) sector, property consultancy Savills said several new independent openings were set to boost the capital in the second half of the year. It described the first six months of 2026 as “buoyant”.
According to the firm, there has been a “sustained resurgence” of independent food and drink operators taking space, particularly in the west end of the city, with a number of new bars due to open around the west end of George Street, and Ottolenghi also due to open in this area in the autumn.
Around 60 per cent of last year’s take-up came from local independent brands and the market is becoming increasingly more diverse, Savills noted. A number of the mass-market, so-called casual dining brands have exited the city centre, with consumers seeming to prefer the “distinctive concepts that independents can offer”, the firm added.
Demand for space from occupiers is said to have remained consistently strong and further new openings are only being held back by lack of availability of suitable stock and rising fit out costs.
The study notes that the east end of the city has been a particular focus for the larger national and international occupiers who continue to dominate the area around St Andrew Square and the St James Quarter.
Highlighting Edinburgh’s key attributes, Savills said: “There is an affluent local population, strong student cohort and high numbers of visitors coming to the city. Our recent data showed the Scottish capital recorded the highest hotel occupancy of all major European gateway markets in the 12 months to April 2026. Footfall in the city rose too, and is up 2 per cent year-on-year.”
Isla Monteith, director in the Scottish retail team at Savills, said: “Overall, occupier demand for prime F&B sites in Edinburgh city centre will continue to be strong throughout the rest of the year and into 2027.
“Demand is very much focused on existing F&B units, which require less capital investment to fit out. There is currently a lack supply of suitable premises in the city centre, which is constraining further growth but may mean some pockets of rental increases, but otherwise rents are likely to remain stable especially as other costs such as business rates, wages and fit out costs continue to rise,” she added.
“The make-up of the city’s F&B market continues to evolve. Independents are thriving and taking over premises that previously felt dated or formulaic, bringing experience-led concepts and hybrid food/drink formats to the city. Daytime trade is now just as important as evening trade for many operators, as consumer trends and dining patterns shift.”
Pizza Express is one of the casual dining brands to have downsized its presence in Edinburgh in recent years, closing two restaurants in Leith, while Latin American-themed chain Las Iguanas has shut its site on George Street in the west end.
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