{Edinburgh} The Cookbook Shop

It’s Independent Bookshop Week (13-20 June 2026), what better time to share a review of a new indie bookshop in Edinburgh.

The Cookbook Shop is Scotland’s only dedicated culinary bookshop, and opened on Haddington Place (Leith Walk) at the end of March of this year.

If you are even slightly addicted to collecting cookbooks (guilty as charged!) then this bookshop will be a dream for you, with three generously sized rooms to explore. 

The main focus is of course cookbooks, with the books arranged by themes such as beginners, regional, seasonal, entertaining, drinks, special diets, chefs & restaurants, foreign language, and more. 

As well as the cookbooks with recipes for every occasion, the shop also sells books about food, such as ‘A Cheesemonger’s Tour de France’, ‘Black Food Matters’, The History of Pizza’, and a host of other titles. 

If you need to take a moment whole you decide which books to spend your hard earned cash on – believe me, it’s impossible to leave here without a purchase – there are some nooks and seating corners to take a rest. 

Besides the books, there are other food related items on offer, including table ware; a selection of food and drink; prints, cards, bookmarks and other small gifts; and toys. 

And if you’re wondering whether it’s a place to take your kids, the back room has the most adorable little play corner, with a gorgeous play kitchen to keep the kids busy while you browse. There’s a bookcase filled with kids books too, from kids cookbooks to picture books stories about food. Perfect for starting off a lifelong love for cooking early!

How to get there

The Cookbook Shop is located at 19A Haddington Place, on Leith Walk, Edinburgh EH7 4AF (beware it’s at basement level, so there are some steps leading down to it).

The nearest tram stop is McDonald Road, just a few doors down from the shop. 
The nearest bust stop is Elm Row, roughly a block away, for Lothian Buses 7, 10, 11, 14, 16, 25 and 49. 

Website: thecookbookshop.co.uk