Bell’s Diner

Excellent place for burgers, cole slaw, onion rings, desserts, etc. Take away, delivery or sit in. Good, friendly service. Busy place. Don. t love the nut burger as find it too salty and crumbly. Spicy bean burger is
There is no link to their website on Unilocal,but link is here. The menu is not inclusive. Zomato site has their full menu.

Been here many times over the years when I’ve been a mood for a burger. It never misses, I even went on my first casual date with my husband here over 20 years ago! Not sure if I can give it credit for that but who knows?

This wee restaurant consists of a red-​walled front room with a spattering of random photography and some sticky wooden tables: not exactly what «diner» usually calls to mind. The menu is burger-​heavy, with various butters, cheeses, and sizes making up one’s key decision points.
For the vegetarians, there’s a burger, too. It’s lentil-​y and nutty and tastes pretty good, but doesn’t hold together particularly well. The accompanying chips are average, but greatly accentuated by the fun tray of relishes and spreads that one can apply to them.
There are a good number of wines by the bottle (and a few by the glass), as well as an uninteresting assortment of bottled lagers on the drink menu.
The hot fudge sticky toffee pudding wrapped up the meal nicely.
Service was friendly and helpful.

First off, I’ll start by saying that the burgers definitely live up to the hype. A REALLY good burger is hard to find, so it’s no surprise that this place has stood the test of time. The person I was with also had a sundae which was delicious (I gazed longingly but my stomach could not fit any more).
However, what really made the experience was the staff. We went on a Thursday night and the place was packed, there was one woman serving who was rushed off her feet, but we got the most brilliant service and she dealt with some whingy customers very well. My kind of place.

Best burger in Edinburgh! I challenge anyone to prove me wrong. Phenomenal American burger joint. I had the 6 oz bacon burger with a malt shake. Bacon crispy as requested, very polite and banterful service from a lovely lady. We were a wee bit early for our booking which was made the night before but we were seated immediately. Attracts very polite customers, which is great. I was speechless with how good the burger was, crisp lettuce, juicy tomato. Absolutely YUM! Xx

A much anticipated visit to Bell’s Diner was a bit of a random choice for a Monday night but Christmas was extremely busy and I needed a good meal out.
We had intentions of going elsewhere but when we parked up on St. Stephen St. And saw there were tables free, I suddenly had the urge to see if all the hype of Bell’s was was justified.
Sarah and I were quiet impressed by the wine prices first of all and were pleased we got a great seat (by the window) in the restaurant, which was pleasingly busy for a cold, blustery Monday night.
Our server seemed a little unorthodox at first but really proved very competent; especially given she was the sole server in the restaurant.
I duly ordered a 6oz mustard burger (£9.50) with a side of coleslaw (£3.20) and Sarah a 4oz garlic burger (£7.50 (I think?!)).
The smell of the chargrilled beef instantly made you want to just stuff the burger into your gob.
The mustard butter in mine maybe lacked the stong mustardy kick I expected but was still pleasant and started the debate as to ‘where offers the best burger in Edinburgh?.‘
Sarah seemed to woof her garlic burger a lot quicker than I was scoffing mine down but that was probably because I was enjoying the wonderful array of sauces Bell’s offered on my chips.
OK, they were frozen chips I suspect (I love Noble’s hand-​made chips) but they were fine, and I loved the sauces as I mentioned.
The pickle, lettuce, tomato and red onion were all regular accompaniments for burgers but were fresh and decent and the sesame buns were good and didn’t disintegrate in your hands.
I thought £3.20 for coleslaw was a bit steep and expected a small ramekin that could be consumed in a scoop, so I was pleased when my bowl of ‘slaw was presented to me and even more satisfied when I tasted the wonderfully fresh, crunchy, creaminess of the plate.
The décor was kind of random and minimal but i kind of likes it and loved the music choices of old-​school pop hits.
The superb burgers will stick in the memory and I’ll definitely visit again but i still maybe prefer Noble’s If I was looking for the best burger in the city; they’re chips and buns are far better, although they lack the range of Bell’s.

Perhaps personal taste, but I thought the burgers were just ok.
Service was very good and we appreciated the multiple sauce options. If you are a burger fan, it appears this is a place in edinburgh to try at least one. For us, it was just ok and with such limited selection of menu items, I don’t anticipate we’ll return.

First of all I should probably say I don’t eat meat. However my husband loves burgers and is on a lifelong quest to find the best burger. 6 of us went, all the others had burgers with different toppings, and I have to say they seemed to love the burgers. I think the different sizes also went down well. One comment was that the bun was a bit of a let down. I had the veggie option which was a nutty and very tasty.
If you are a fan of sauces, then this is the place for you, they have a large tray full of different kinds of sauces, it was great to try them all.
I was swithering between giving this place 3 or 4 stars, but the thing that I felt really let this place down was the chips. They seemed to be just like oven chips.
In short if you are a burger fan then give this place a try, and use your chips to try all the sauces!

Thank you Unilocalers. Without you I wouldn’t have found this diner. It’s so cozy and the staff is outstanding friendly. The food? It’s not just good, it’s fantastic, delicious!!! Tastes like cooked by my mom. And the previous Unilocalers said it already, here you get the best burger in town. To me it’s definitely the best burger I’ve ever had. Yummmmmmm!!!

The best burgers in Edinburgh. Check.
Blink and you miss Bells, it’s small intimate and quaint but oh does it deliver a mighty burger!
You’ll find a variety of choices ranging from good ol classics like cheese and bacon to more exotic Roquefort and mushroom. There are also a few different meat sizes so even the biggest of appetite is catered for.
For me a burger is all about the bun and the meat, the bun should be soft, sesame topped and lightly toasted. The meat should be flavourful, slightly spicy and cooked medium to well. Not too much pink, and hold the leather. Perfect!
Now I love a sauce with my burger, the more the merrier, and its a good job you get a tray of 8 varieties of sauces, to douse your burger to your hearts content. I go for a different sauce with almost every bite. Weird I know, but you don’t want to miss out now, do you?
I’m not a fan of milkshakes but there’s a good range offered including beers and the usual soda drinks.
Now I mentioned that it was small, which means you’re almost never going to get a table on a weekend without booking, so do yourself a favour and pick up the phone and book.
Because of it’s size and the constant stream of people looking for a table, for me, it’s not a place where you can hang around to socialise after your meal so for that reason 1 star down.
The best burger in Edinburgh is a controversial subject, I know, but I’m happy to play Bells as the ace up my sleeve.

OMG. Ok, I am just going to come out and say it, best burger in Scotland yet! But I might just be in love with this place cause I am feeling super homesick and the burger reminded me of the burgers back home.
Really yummy and perfectly cooked. The meat was quality and had all the fixings as I would expect it. They also provide a large tray of sauces which is pretty cool. Lots of chutneys which is definitely a british influence, and the regulars (ketchup, mustard) though the mustard was spicy wholegrain mixed with english mustard so not what one would expect but i mixed it with some mayo and it did the trick.
Yes fully recommended. Finally.

I’m going to have to knock a star after my experience last night.
Not that anything about the service or my meal was in any way bad, but … well here’s now it went down:
I called up and booked a table, I was informed that I would have the table for an hour and a half. That seemed totally reasonable for two people having burgers.
When I arrived, I ended up being only 1 and a friend joined me after about 30 minutes. I ate my burger at a speed you would expect of one person having a solo meal, and when my friend arrived I asked if she wanted a beer. We turned to the waitress who checked if we had time and we discovered that the table had actually been booked for 7:30 which gave me exactly 1 hour to eat and go. It took me 50 minutes to order, eat ONE course, and have a bit of a chat. If I’d wanted a starter or a dessert, it definitely would have taken me longer than an hour. In fact, the waitress didn’t even ask if I wanted dessert, she just brought me the bill.
So, while it ended up being fine for us, I wasn’t impressed that they would book people in so closely and not even offer a dessert menu for want of freeing up the table.

Bell’s Diner is a top quality establishment. Serving a simple menu showcasing burgers and steak, I can’t think of too many finer exponents of either in the city. It’s tiny, so you’d be well advised to book, as this is a popular place, for good reason. Go soon and go often.
Overall, we said: «Bell’s Diner is a charming place that I look forward to returning to and giving their steaks a go. But as far as I’m concerned, there is no where else I would travel to, to get a burger in Edinburgh.»

Don’t be fooled by the outside of this restaurant looking a bit small and pokey.
Delicious steak, great selection of condiments and the milkshakes are divine! The burgers around the table looked delicious as well and garnished great reviews from the entire group!
Not many tables tho, so would be best to book!
Full review with photos please visit my blog which can be found on my profile.

YUUUMMIIIIIIIII is all I can say about this amazing place! probably one of the best burgers I’ve had in my life! and the milkshakes are really to die for. Prices are reasonable and the staff is lovely.
You might want to book a table as it is tiny and every time I’ve been there it is packed!
:)

Being host to a very, VERY modest 6 tables its understandable why there’s a long wait to book a table on a Friday or Saturday night. But once you’ve got your foot in the door you know that every burger (as burgers are their speciality) has been made lovingly and not in the industrious way that other high-​street «gourmet» burger joints claim to be.
However, it’s hard to keep in mind that real beef burgers with no additives tend to be a bit of the dry side which does lead to split second disappointment but you know it’s been made well and worth it’s cost.
The dark walls and thick curtains make it somewhere really rather special.

In the early days of our relationship, my boyfriend insisted on taking me here. The best burgers in Edinburgh he told me. Located in Stockbridge which convinced me even more that he was correct.
When we got there, I judged a book by a cover and thought– this place? Really? Boy I was wrong.
Bells Diner is so tiny you could miss it. There is only a few tables inside, and it reminded me of an old pub. I think it was the curtains that did it. Anyway, the specialty is the burger. There is a range of burgers to choose from, ranging from cheese to garlic. Being on a date, we both went for the garlic of course! And there is a choice of three sizes of burger. Now I am not much of a meat eater but the boyfriend convinced me to go for the medium size while he went for the large.
Well the boyfriend was correct, these are the best burgers in Edinburgh! I challenge you to find a fresher, more satisfying burger in Edinburgh. I loved the tray of sauces that is put on your table, it was a nice quirk and a change from the normal tomato sauce.
If you like burgers, make a trip to Bells Diner but make sure you book!

Good burgers but the chips were disappointing last time I went, seemed to have been frozen. However it’s a relaxed little place and the food is generally good. Wine is also fairly priced and drinkable plonk. Really nice neighbourhood diner.

I don’t eat beef so I can’t review the burgers but the pancakes are amazing and worth a visit alone (actually the portions are so huge I couldn’t eat anything else!!).

An interesting place, where burgers are available in a number of sizes, all of which are pretty big! The food is very good quality, and the lady who runs the place knows her stuff.
It’s quite cosy inside, but very small, so you’re probably best to book to make sure you can get a seat.