Morningside – Coffee, a Show at the King's and Supper at Dulse
A day.
A day out suggested by Emilia, General Manager of Dulse
The route
This is the Edinburgh day Emilia of Dulse, the seafood restaurant in the West End, calls her perfect one.
Coffee and something sweet in Morningside, an afternoon among its independent shops and charity shops and a walk across Bruntsfield Links lead to an evening show at the King's Theatre. Afterwards there's seafood and a glass of wine at Dulse.
Photograph: Dulse Seafood & Wine (Edinburgh West End), via Google
Suggested by
Emilia
General Manager of Dulse
“Start with a coffee and something sweet at one of the neighbourhood’s independent cafés, then spend some time browsing the local shops and charity shops before enjoying a stroll across Bruntsfield Links.”
Her restaurant
Dulse
A seafood restaurant from the chef Dean Banks on Queensferry Street in the West End, with a wine and cocktail bar downstairs and the restaurant upstairs.
- Where
- 17 Queensferry Street, in the West End, EH2 4QW.
- Open
- Monday and Tuesday 5pm to 11pm; Wednesday to Sunday 12pm to 11pm, with the kitchen closed from 3pm to 5pm on Wednesday to Friday and Sunday.
See the listingTheir websiteBook a table
Known for
It is named after a seaweed.
Dulse takes its name from the edible seaweed found along Scotland’s coastline, and the champagne-baked market fish comes with Dulse seaweed potatoes.
Its chef began cooking at 15.
Dean Banks grew up in Arbroath, a town with a proud fishing heritage, and trained at Rick Stein’s Seafood Restaurant. He reached the final four of MasterChef: The Professionals in 2018, opened Haar in St Andrews in 2019 and Dean Banks at The Pompadour in 2021, and Dulse followed in 2022.
Some dishes have become part of the visit.
Regulars come back for the mussel crumpet and the trout pastrami, scallops with peppercorn sauce, Aspen fries and the champagne-baked market fish, alongside a menu that changes with the seasons.
Before you go
Book accommodation nearby
If you are staying over: here are ours nearest where the day starts and ends.
Book seats for an evening show at the King's Theatre with Capital Theatres, online or on 0131 529 6000: evening performances usually start at 7.30pm.
Book a table at Dulse for about 10.15pm, after the show, through its own site, by phone or on WhatsApp on 07429 415739, and ask how late the kitchen takes orders; walk-ins are welcome too.
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The day
Morningside
An afternoon of coffee and browsing along Morningside Road, then a walk north across Bruntsfield Links to the King's Theatre for an evening show. Afterwards it's a short walk to the West End for a glass of wine and Scottish seafood at Dulse.
An afternoon and an evening, from about 1.30pm to 11pm
Blackwood Coffee
Coffee
Start at Blackwood Coffee at 235 Morningside Road, an independent coffee shop with a cosy corner or two, for a coffee and one of its treats. It opens Monday to Saturday from 8am to 6pm, and on Sunday from 9am to 5pm. A minute along the road, the Mellis cheese shop at number 330 has its own cheese and wine lounge, worth a look on the way.
6 min on foot
Morningside Road
Then browse north along Morningside Road, about 6 minutes' walk to the middle of its shops, taking your time. Among the independent shops are charity shops worth a rummage: St Columba's Hospice Care at 195-197, Shelter Scotland at 104 and the British Red Cross at 95, which opens from 9.30am to 5.30pm most days. Give it an hour or so.
17 min on foot
Bruntsfield Links
An attraction
Her pick
Enjoy a stroll across Bruntsfield Links.
It's about a 17-minute walk north up Bruntsfield Place to Bruntsfield Links, open grass beside the Meadows and the last of the old Burgh Muir. Golf has been played here for centuries, and a council plaque calls it one of the earliest places in Scotland where the game was played; a short golf course is still in use on the grass. Paths cross it from Bruntsfield Place towards Melville Drive. Give it about 20 minutes.
5 min on foot
King's Theatre
An attraction
Her pick
In the evening, head towards Tollcross to catch a performance at the historic King’s Theatre.
From the Links it's about a 5-minute walk to the King's Theatre on Leven Street, just to the north. It opened in 1906 and reopened in August 2026 after its rebuilding, with step-free access from street to seat, a new café and refurbished bars. Evening shows usually start at 7.30pm, so the hours before it are your own.
16 min on foot
Dulse
Supper
Her pick
After the show, make your way to Dulse in the West End for a glass of wine and some exceptional Scottish seafood.
After the show it's about a 16-minute walk to Dulse at 17 Queensferry Street, the chef Dean Banks's seafood restaurant, with a wine and cocktail bar downstairs and the restaurant upstairs. It's open until 11pm every night, and walk-ins and dogs are welcome. Have a glass of wine with the mussel crumpet or the trout pastrami, scallops with peppercorn sauce, or market fish baked in champagne with dulse seaweed potatoes. Ring ahead to check how late the kitchen takes orders.
If it rains
Most of the day is indoors: the café, the shops, the theatre and supper. In rain, take the bus up Morningside Road instead of walking across the Links.
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Photographs by Sophie Halpin, Yuliia Herus-Behen and Dulse Seafood & Wine (Edinburgh West End) via Google
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