The only place to consistently find fresh Thai herbs in Edinburgh. As most of the other asain…read moresupermarkets are more Chinese based this is a real asset to Edinburgh now the other Thai place in Bruntsfield closed down. Really helpful if you have any questions about recipes as well. The nice lady will actually print things off for you! Obviously very passionate about their food.

as well as a good range of thai curry pastes and sauces, this store has a nice selection of fresh…read moreoriental vegetables and spices. not the biggest oriental shop in the city but i have always had friendly service and have got advice when I have not been sure about a product. if you are in the area this is well worth a visit.

It is easy to be drawn to go into Zain Halal Food Store with the huge display of fresh fruit and…read moreveg outside the shop. Situated in the Tollcross area of Edinburgh, Zain Halal Food Store is just a short walk from the city centre and so it is a convenient place to reach. Zain is a family run store which makes me more inclined to shop here. They sell a huge range of different food produce, including continental and Eastern European foods. Zain offer a wide selection of different herbs and spices, which would be difficult to find in the conventional supermarkets, so here is a fantastic place to go to buy exotic flavours. Halal meat meat is also available here, as well as fish, which is always incredibly fresh, especially their salmon - yum! The fruit and veg in the display outside the Zain Halal Food shop is always fresh, perfectly ripe, and best of all, very reasonably priced!

This really is a very good shop to buy fresh food from. Not only are the items of the highest…read morequality, but they are also very reasonably priced. The main point that lets this place stand out is the range it offers - many grocers cannot supply all you want at good prices, but whether it's potatoes, fruits or vegetables this place manages to provide them and without emptying your wallet. This is certainly the best in the immediate area and well worth a visit to check out.

This is another branch of Margiotta and I'm still a huge fan of them. Great for fresh bread in the…read moremorning, handy if you're in need of a magazine or the daily newspaper and great if you need a carry out for a party in the evening. This branch is clean, bright and well stocked with pretty much every necessity you would need from toilet rolls to a forgotten vegetable on the weekly shopping list. Whenever I've popped in the staff have always been friendly and they have a fabulous pick and mix range too!

I was once told that this was the place to get your groceries if you're a 'yah'. How else can you…read moreexcuse paying over £4 for a loaf of bread?? If Daddy's paying, that's how. To be honest, this branch does well because it's in the epicenter of 'yah's-ville. This part of the New Town caters for all walks of life....but mostly those walking in Uggs and Jack Wills jumpers with the occasional Barbour jacket/pashmina combo. They can afford to live in the New town as a student, thus they can afford ridiculous prices for their groceries. Spiffing.

This is a well stocked and family run newsagents in Newington which offers plenty of magazines,…read morefood essentials and alcohol. The booze in here is pretty well priced with eight cans of lager or cider costing only £5. They also sell white cider which, if you're homeless or a student, may be quite tempting, coming in at only £1.50 for a litre and half. Be warned, however, this stuff ensues the hangover from hell. My mate bought some last year for a pre-drink and had to literally go for a lie down after just a glass because he felt so ill. Aside from this, Choices Express is a clean shop with a nice environment, which is always a safe bet for cheap essentials and friendly service.

Choices Express leaves a little bit to be desired compared to the numerous other newsagents located…read morearound this area. What brings it down, ironically, is the lack of choice. The shop strikes me as being very empty. The shelves are sparsely populated. A group of us visited here part way through a booze up to get some snacks and most of us came out with the same thing. However, as mentioned before, you can indeed get some cheap booze here and the staff are always pleasant. Ideal as the kind of place where you need to grab some essentials in a hurry, but little to make it stand out from the countless other little shops that do exactly the same in this area.

George Bowman Butchers! A small yet excellent butchers with a fantastic range of steaks, scotch…read morepies and even some prepared meals. The staff are great and ready to help with any questions. It really is a very high quality butchers - Leith's best.

Bought 2 homemade steak pies today, there was 5 pieces of meat between the 2 pies , very…read moredisappointed :(

Suzy has checked into....... yep - Welch's .....AGAIN! Either I've become predictable or this…read moreplace is too good not to go to nearly once a week. When I buy seafood - it makes a big impression that I can actually see the sea and boats from the store. Now add in years of experience, a super clean and shiny shop, great variety, friendly staff and of course fresh FISH. Whole fish, fillets, 'steaks', shellfish - langoustines with the whiskers still twitching, a giant tank of lobster, piles of mussels and loads of extras. They have smokies, smoked haddock, cold smoked salmon and my favourite - their own Hot Smoked Salmon. You can even get slices of these vac packed (well - they can vac pack anything for you) to keep in the fridge for a few days. Soft, flaky, smoky, delicate - great cold or gently warmed up. All this is set at the quaint Newhaven harbour - completely with picturesque lighthouse, dock with seats to sit and watch the boats from and a couple of restaurants. Makes it all worth the trip!

I thought Welch's in the West End was the seafood business, but big brother in Newhaven is THE King…read moreof fishmongers. If it swims in the sea or lives in a shell, it'll be found here. Live crayfish in huge tanks adorn a wall, filleted & whole fish, shellfish, prawns, you name it, they'll most likely have it. The most endearing point to make is the fact that rather than reside behind a counter, the fishmongers mix amongst the patrons and take an active interest in showing their produce in best light. Tesco, Morrisons, ASDA and the like, take note...this is seafood and that is service at it's best! Bravo!

Amazing! We found everything we needed! It was a bit of a hike getting there fromwbere we were,…read morebut they had everything we were looking for and we were able to bypass Big Pharma! A win for the little guys!

I was really apprehensive about going into Good Food. It's a 'health food' store, and I hate…read more'health food'. Fat means flavour and all that. How wrong I was. It's a tiny little room, with a counter running to one side and shelves down the other. I've never seen so many types of honey in my life. They're well aware this - there's a sign next to it telling you to ask for help about honey, which amused me a little bit. They also sell dried pulses, tinned pulses, oats, flour (gluten free), loads of different teas and some really nice drinks. In fact, I was so charmed with the place I ended up leaving with a box of Jasmine tea (oooh errr). The lady who runs Good Food is extremely pleasant and helpful. It's a great little shop. Not sure why they sell moisturiser though, but I'm willing to overlook.

I have noticed quite a few swish looking Scot Mids popping up around town. Black frontage and…read moreinterior displays and beautiful presented fresh baked goods. This is not one of those. But, in an area lacking just about everything, we are lucky to have the basic model. It has good opening hours, small selection of fresh veg and dairy, mini bakery, alcoholic bevvies and a selection of packaged foods, toiletries and cleaning supplies. Good for an emergency (like wanting an egg and bacon roll for breakfast over the Christmas holidays, or popping in for a pack of gum so you have exact change for the bus) but not someplace I go to on a regular basis. Maybe one day we'll make the list for an upgrade. #yelpmission