Edinburgh · Scotland
Online ordering for Edinburgh takeaways, cafés and restaurants
688 takeaways and 1,974 restaurants and cafés in Edinburgh, with FHIS results and delivery zones.
Food Standards Agency figures for Edinburgh (City of)
These counts are from the Food Standards Agency open data, pulled on 19 October 2026. “Takeaway” means the FSA business type “Takeaway/sandwich shop”. Cuisine rows are a name-keyword estimate, not a census, and 63% of takeaway names were not classified.
| Measure | Edinburgh (City of) |
|---|---|
| Takeaway / sandwich shops | 688 |
| Restaurants, cafés and canteens | 1,974 |
| All registered food businesses | 5,163 |
| Takeaways with an FHIS Pass | 85.5% of inspected businesses |
| Takeaways awaiting inspection | 62 |
| Takeaways inspected in the last 12 months | 238 |
| Postcode districts with a takeaway | 20 |
| Median miles from the takeaway centre of this register | 1.5 |
| Takeaways within 3 miles of that centre | 81% |
| Scotland benchmark | 87% Pass · 6,222 takeaways |
| FHIS result | Takeaways |
|---|---|
| Pass | 535 |
| Improvement Required | 91 |
| Awaiting Inspection | 62 |
| Postcode district | Takeaways | Share |
|---|---|---|
| EH1 | 98 | 14.2% |
| EH11 | 68 | 9.9% |
| EH6 | 67 | 9.7% |
| EH3 | 58 | 8.4% |
| EH8 | 54 | 7.8% |
| EH7 | 43 | 6.2% |
| EH12 | 41 | 6% |
| EH4 | 35 | 5.1% |
Cuisine estimate from business names
| Name keyword | Takeaways |
|---|---|
| Unclassified | 433 |
| Café or bakery | 64 |
| Pizza | 45 |
| Chinese | 38 |
| Kebab | 24 |
| Thai or other Asian | 23 |
| Indian or Bangladeshi | 18 |
| Fish and chips | 16 |
| Burger | 15 |
| Chicken | 12 |
Among Scotland authorities with 50+ takeaways, ranked by takeaway pct_pass. Rank 19 of 28.
Source: Food Standards Agency, contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Extract date 19 October 2026. The council food team page is Edinburgh (City of).
# Online ordering for Edinburgh takeaways, cafés and restaurants
Short answer: Edinburgh has nearly three restaurants and cafés for every takeaway: 1,974 against 688 on the FSA register. Its takeaways cluster tightly around the Old Town, Leith and Gorgie. That makes Edinburgh a city of collection, pre-orders and short delivery runs. Chefzi gives you a branded, commission-free ordering site, free for 3 months and then £19 a month for cash or no-card payments, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe.
FHIS: how Scottish hygiene results work
Edinburgh uses Scotland's Food Hygiene Information Scheme. A business gets Pass or Improvement Required rather than a 0 to 5 score, and the best businesses can also hold the voluntary Eat Safe award. You don't have to display your FHIS certificate in Scotland, but the result is public on the FSA site. It's worth linking to it from your ordering page, because visitors used to the English star stickers often go looking.
Delivery zones that fit Edinburgh
Edinburgh's takeaways are compact: the median one is 1.5 miles from the centre point, 81% are within 3 miles and almost all (97%) within 5. The difficulty isn't distance. It's getting through the streets.
- Old Town and New Town (EH1, EH3). Closes, steps, cobbles and pedestrian streets make drop-offs slow. Ask for precise access notes, and consider making EH1 collection-first or charging a higher fee for it.
- Leith and Leith Walk (EH6, EH7). These are dense tenement streets served by the tram line, with a big share of the city's takeaways (110 between them). Tight zones of about 1.5 to 2 miles work well here.
- West (EH11 Gorgie and Dalry, EH12 Corstorphine and Murrayfield). Roads here can be slow when the area is busy. Raise the prep time when you can see the delay. This page does not list fixtures or venues.
- East coast (EH15 Portobello). It's a separate pocket of 34 takeaways. Handle it as its own zone with its own minimum order rather than stretching a central radius out to it.
In Chefzi you can set delivery zones by postcode district (for example EH6 + EH7 at one fee, EH12 at another) and switch delivery off while keeping collection open during busy spells.
Busy weeks
Some weeks the Old Town and the surrounding districts are much busier than a normal Tuesday. This page does not publish a festival calendar. If you know a week will be busy:
- Offer a shorter collection menu.
- Shorten the delivery area on the busiest nights.
- Take orders for a requested time so the kitchen is not hit by everything at once.
Your own ordering link keeps the order value that a marketplace would take a percentage of.
Late hours catering
Selling food to the public between 11pm and 5am in Scotland needs a late hours catering licence under section 42 of the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, whether it's eaten in or taken away. City of Edinburgh Council licenses this, and its conditions can set different hours for eat-in and takeaway, so check yours. Set your Chefzi ordering hours to match your licence, so no one can place a 1am order you're not allowed to serve.
Why owners here use Chefzi
Chefzi is built for independents who want their own channel. You get a fast menu on your own website or ours, collection slots, delivery by postcode district, card payments, a kitchen tablet that rings, and 0% commission. It's free for 3 months, then £19 a month for cash or no-card payments, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe. Moving from GloriaFood before it closes on 30 April 2027? We'll move your menu for you.
Nearby and related
Sources
- Food Standards Agency, food hygiene rating open data API, City of Edinburgh (authority "Edinburgh (City of)"), extract 19 Oct 2026. Open Government Licence v3.0. Cuisine counts are Chefzi's estimate from business names (433 of 688 names unclassified).
- Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982, s.42 late hours catering licences: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1982/45/section/42
- Food Standards Scotland, Food Hygiene Information Scheme: https://www.foodstandards.gov.scot/consumers/food-safety/buying-food-eating-out/food-hygiene-information-scheme
- City of Edinburgh Council, food safety: https://www.edinburgh.gov.uk/food-safety-hygiene
Edinburgh
Questions from Edinburgh kitchens.
Is pre-ordering worth it for a café?
Often, yes. It moves the queue online, lets you prep in batches and works without any delivery drivers. See [café and bakery pre-orders](/industries/cafe-bakery).
Do temporary premises need anything extra?
Temporary premises and late trading may need their own licence or exemption from the council (section 42 allows occasional exemptions). Check with City of Edinburgh Council licensing before you open.
Which districts should I start with?
Start with your own district and the ones next to it that you can reach in 20 minutes. In Edinburgh that's often only two or three, and that's fine.
Can customers see my hygiene result?
Yes. FHIS results are public. Linking to your FSA listing from your ordering page builds trust.
Other city pages
Bring Edinburgh orders onto your own site.
3 months free, then £19 a month for cash or no-card payments, or £29 a month with online card payments through Stripe. Standard Stripe card processing fees apply. No setup fee. We move the menu.