Officers went to deal with a minor assault in Montgomery Street, between Easter Road and Elm Row, shortly after 2pm.
It is believed the man who was assaulted is not badly hurt, and police are continuing their inquiries to trace the other person involved.
Pictures sent to the Evening News show a police van and a car outside a property in the street and officers speaking to a number of people.
A police spokesman said: "Police Scotland was made aware of a disturbance in the Montgomery Street area of Edinburgh around 2.05pm on Friday, 24 April.
"Nobody has been seriously injured and enquiries to establish the full circumstances are at an early stage.”