This month we talk to Pippa and Hannah from Eatinburgh: a complete Instagram guide to everything food and drink in Edinburgh. Their Instagram feed is super addictive and will have your mouth watering in no time. They talk to Hidden Edinburgh about their favourite spots in the city, and the places they wish they could explore more!
Can you tell us a bit about yourselves?
Hello there! We’re Hannah and Pippa, the duo behind Eatinburgh! It’s an Instagram account showing the best the city has to offer in food and drink — whether it be a street food stall or a new fine dining restaurant, we cover it all! You can also find us blethering about all sorts on our Twitter too.
How did Eatinburgh come about? What inspired you to start your Instagram?
We were going out for breakfast, coffee, lunch and dinner (sometimes all in one day) increasingly often, and over one of these meals we had the idea to share our dining escapades with Instagram! We were both already slight instagram-aholics (as you can see from our own accounts @hcharlottev and @pippaperriam) so thought up a name (there were a few shockers before we settled on Eatinburgh) and set up the account when we got home. Our aim was to give a local’s guide to all types of dining experiences in the city, keep up with the latest openings and connect with our followers and the businesses themselves, unlike other restaurant recommendation sites like TripAdvisor. We also wanted to focus on the photography side of things too — there’s been many instances of us going out for dinner with other friends and halting proceedings for a few minutes after the food arrives so we can get the perfect shot — yes we are those people!
Tell us about your favourite places to eat and drink in the city.
Understandably this is a very hard question for us, almost like choosing a favourite child! Every place we post about on our Instagram is recommended by us, but if we had to pick some favourites…our favourite restaurant is Gardeners Cottage on the London Road. Inside, it has such a lovely atmosphere, with long communal tables, and it’s also great to be able to peek into the kitchen and see what the chefs are busy doing! They use seasonal ingredients, some which are grown in their own wee vegetable patch, so the food is so fresh. There’s also so many great coffee shops in Edinburgh that we’re spoilt for choice but we really love Cairngorm’s Melville Place cafe for the very instagrammable interior and the best cheese toasties ever!
Do you have any hidden gems you would recommend to visitors? Is there anything in the city you haven’t done before but would like to?
Aside from eating, we do love to go on little wanders around the city and usually end up stumbling upon some gems. It’s lovely to walk along the Water of Leith from Stockbridge and go past the magnificent St Bernard’s Well and have a snoop around Well Court in the Dean Village. If you carry on along the water for a little bit you’ll also get to a lovely little set of mews houses called Belford Mews (just as picturesque as the houses on the much loved Circus Lane). The Union Canal is also lovely for a cycle, especially if you start off with a coffee from The Counter on the Canal!
As we’re both Edinburgh born and bred, theres not a lot we haven’t done at some point! We definitely don’t explore Leith enough though. There’s so many great bars and restaurants there like the Roseleaf and Noble’s, but we’d love to try The Kitchin or Restaurant Martin Wishart at some point (any donations to the Hannah & Pippa fancy dinner fund are greatly appreciated).
Finally, describe your perfect day in Edinburgh!
Much to the horror of many locals, it would be a day during the Festival, but at the beginning though, before we all get annoyed by the crowds! Ideally it would be one of those beautiful Edinburgh blue skies days, though chance would be a fine thing! Starting off we’d have breakfast at the Haven (either pancakes or the Full Scottish), before a walk back into town up Leith Walk. We’d then get a doughnut from Baba Budan before soaking up the Fringe atmosphere in the Old Town and heading to the Pleasance for a comedy show. We’d then be feeling a little tired, so would head to Filament for a much needed caffeine fix! A walk up Calton Hill to catch the sunset is next, then have dinner at the excellent El Cartel (the guacamole is a must). We’d like to say we’d then get a drink in the Bon Vivant before heading home and being sensible, but knowing us the night would descend into chaos and we’ll somehow end up dancing in Garibaldi’s at 3am!
