Best festival food

Published on Wednesday 1 August 2007 00:54

1 THE MOSQUE

Islamic Centre, 50 Potterow; The Lunch Box, entry by West Nicolson Street,

Round the back of the Mosque in Potterrow, you'll find a hugely popular open-air caf which serves rice, dhall, chapatis and meat and vegetable dishes. The canteen-style service is informal and cheery and you can eat a hearty meal under the umbrellas for around a fiver. It's called the Lunch Box, but it's open in the evenings as well. All the curries are cooked in olive oil. The folk from the Edinburgh Islamic Centre say the Lunch Box is all about building links with the community and making everyone feel welcome.

2 URBAN ANGEL

Assembly Rooms

Home-made soup, paninis, anti-pasti and dipping plates are on the menu as Urban Angel provides the Assembly Rooms grub this year and everything is organic and fair trade.

3 SUSIE'S DINER

51/53 West Nicolson St, 0131-667 8729

The little vegetarian restaurant opposite the Pear Tree is stowed out in Festival time, but it's worth queuing up at the counter for a wholesome plateful of healthy grub. Home-made houmus, vegetable bakes, stuffed courgettes, fritattas and vegan cakes are among the regular favourites on the menu.

4 MONSTER MASH

4a Forrest Road, 0131-225 7069 and 47 Thistle Street, 0131-225 5782

www.monstermashcafe.co.uk

When you've gone weak at the knees from the onslaught of culture and you just want a good old-fashioned plate of nosh, it's time to head for Monster Mash. The retro caf specialises in monster sausages and creamy mashed potato, but you can also order comfort food classics including steak pie, macaroni cheese and haggis, neeps and tatties. Wash it down with a bottle of brown ale and round off the feast with a handful of flying saucers from a counter selection of retro sweeties.

5 L'ALBA D'ORO

7 Henderson Row, 0131-557 2580

Miles away from the main festival strip but if you fancy a really good bag of fish and chips, it's worth making a pilgrimage down to L'Alba D'Oro, which featured in Recommends 1 as the top fish and chip shop. As well as its staple fish and chips, the famous eaterie serves garlic prawns, squid and scampi - and has a stuffed crocodile in the window.