Where to eat when visiting the Edinburgh Fringe Published 25 July 2024
One of the world's biggest celebrations of performing arts and culture, the Edinburgh Fringe festival, takes over the city every August. Not only is Edinburgh rich in creativity but also in hospitality, here are some of The Good Food Guide's favourite restaurants in Edinburgh for dining out after soaking up the performances.
Big player in Edinburgh's contemporary restaurant scene
Despite completing more than a decade of service, Aizle feels like a much younger restaurant. Following a cross-town transplant from St Leonard's Terrace in 2020, Stuart Ralston’s creation is now firmly established in the he… Read more
Despite completing more than a decade of service, Aizle feels like a much younger restaurant. Following a cross-town transplant from St Leonard's Terrace in 2020, Stuart Ralston’s creation is now firmly established in the heart of the New Town’s Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, yielding a comprehensive change in ambience. The dining space lies in the Garden Room – a lofty atrium lavished with hanging greenery and scattered with planters, wicker seating and rustic tables, all imbued with the atmosphere of a large, airy summerhouse.
Menus allude to single ingredients rather than whole dishes, so expect an ambitious, highly seasonal journey into the unknown, with precise, technical skill and no small amount of theatre throughout. In the kitchen, a talent brigade turns out plates that are visually delightful and full of flavour.
To start, an impressive crab combo involves sweet white flesh nestling beneath fanned slivers of tart, funky kohlrabi and a light, milky yoghurt foam, while a gorgeously rich, barbecued skewer of tender lamb (the fat rendered to near-molten) is tempered with a deep, verdant pesto and partnered by a cup of wild mushroom consommé. A tiny bouquet garni, laced with thyme, is plunged in at the last second, freshening the broth with a beautiful herbal musk. Among the desserts, a rhubarb and custard dish is playful, pretty and entirely delicious. Formed of a crisp rhubarb thin atop a jammy, tart compôte and more cooked rhubarb, the custard comes as a creamy freeze-dried snow, melting in the mouth and balancing the dish perfectly.
Both non-alcoholic and wine pairings are available, with around a dozen bottles offered by the glass. For those wanting to forge their own path, guidance on the short list is available from a warmly knowledgeable front-of-house team. Given the riddle of the menu itself, their pointers are gratefully received.
Among the network of lanes in Edinburgh's New Town, north of Princes Street, this ‘wonderful oasis of calm’ looks like a piece of heritage Parisian ‘restauration’ airlifted from Montmartre. Bentwood chairs … Read more
Among the network of lanes in Edinburgh's New Town, north of Princes Street, this ‘wonderful oasis of calm’ looks like a piece of heritage Parisian ‘restauration’ airlifted from Montmartre. Bentwood chairs on the robust side of rickety, a black-and-white tiled floor, properly clothed tables, dark wood walls and mirrors all form the backdrop to the kind of classic French bistro cooking that visitors love to stumble upon.
Start the ball rolling with, say, ham 'hough' terrine or St Bride's smoked duck breast with a salad of orange, pickled fennel and raddichio. Main course veer towards the sturdy end of things: roast lamb rump is accompanied by ratatouille, buttery mash and tapenade, while a serving of East Coast cod comes with a rich shellfish bisque, heritage potatoes, samphire and aïoli. It's all gloriously satiating, right up to desserts such as raspberry frangipane tart with crème normande or Perthshire cherry clafoutis with woodruff ice cream.
The fixed-price 'café classics' menu is a bargain for lunch or dinner, with mains such as Borders venison cottage pie or smoked haddock fillet with wilted spinach and green sauce. Glasses in two sizes lead off a serviceable French-based wine list. ‘We arrive to smiles and leave with a warm glow,’ mused one regular.
Scottish all-rounder tailor made for tourists and locals
‘Everything you want for a night out – lovely place, great food and friendly, knowledgeable service,’ noted one visitor eager to sample Edinburgh’s touristy charms at this historic restaurant owned by … Read more
‘Everything you want for a night out – lovely place, great food and friendly, knowledgeable service,’ noted one visitor eager to sample Edinburgh’s touristy charms at this historic restaurant owned by the city’s redoubtable Contini family – there’s even a whisky bar next door for those who fancy a dram or two.
An old cannonball lodged in the outer wall of the premises gives the place its name and you can even sample local haggis ‘cannonballs’ (with pickled turnips and whisky cream) for that extra ‘och aye’. But that’s where the frivolous clichés end. This venue is serious about Scottish produce and knows how to handle it with aplomb, serving battered Peterhead haddock, East Coast lobsters with garlic butter and braised beef featherblade accompanied by confit garlic crumb, red cabbage and parsnip purée.
Many vegetables come from the Contini Kitchen Garden (Jerusalem artichokes with roast cod, for example), and cheeses are true Scottish patriots such as Lanark Blue and Elrick Log. To conclude, desserts offer comfort in the shape of a chocolate cannonball with pumpkin and crème fraîche or spiced crème brûlée with Tarocco blood orange. ‘The style of food is terrific,’ says one fan, and the short, sharp wine list kicks off with organic house selections from Spain.
Thrilling seasonal surprises in an intimate setting
Ambling along a suburban Edinburgh street, it would be easy to pass the local post office and entirely miss the understated former shop unit that is Condita. Despite operating in this location since 2018, it retains the feel of a … Read more
Ambling along a suburban Edinburgh street, it would be easy to pass the local post office and entirely miss the understated former shop unit that is Condita. Despite operating in this location since 2018, it retains the feel of a pop–up. Seasonally changing artworks, carefully curated retro furnishings, idiosyncratic features and a soundtrack reflecting the owner’s personal tastes are overlaid on the building’s functional neutrality.
With just six tables, this is an intimate encounter with food that focuses on seasonality and local production – much of it from Condita's walled garden in the Borders. A pictogram bookmark depicting elements from each dish is the only clue to the fixed-price, multi-course surprise menu.
An opening succession of ‘snacks’ might include their signature wine-marinated mussel served on an edible potato starch and squid-ink 'shell' or a delicate tartlet of sea trout adorned with fennel tops, brown shrimps and trout roe. A relatively predictable sequence of vegetable, fish and meat dishes follows, before a cheese course and two desserts. In terms of flavour, technique and sheer prettiness on the plate, one item stood out for us: seared/caramelised kohlrabi with a spiced soy glaze, studded with bergamot, pickled kohlrabi, micro leaves and flowers. Elsewhere, succulent loin of hogget accompanied by courgettes, roasted girolles, goat's curd accents and an anchoïade dressing is an equally accomplished creation.
There's a willingness to go beyond Scottish seasonality by incorporating striking, but less common, ingredients (often with an Asian twist), while a focus on foraging is evident in a bold dessert combining pineapple weed (aerated mousse and gel), chunks of sponge, meringue shards, punchy nasturtium ‘jam’ and a salty crumble involving umeboshi plums. Note that vegetarian and pescatarian options are available on booking but no changes can be made to the menu at time of eating.
The wine list values depth rather than breadth, with a deep dive into a small number of individual producers offering some real gems; a handful are available by the glass if you don’t opt for the matched flight. Engaging staff and chatty chefs in the front-of-house prep kitchen help to pace the three-hour experience.
All-day Italian café in a stunning Victorian banking hall
Quite the ace to have up your sleeve when you’re looking for somewhere casual, this dramatic double-height space, a former banking hall, houses a true urban eatery, an all-day Italian caffè. While busy and buzzy, the … Read more
Quite the ace to have up your sleeve when you’re looking for somewhere casual, this dramatic double-height space, a former banking hall, houses a true urban eatery, an all-day Italian caffè. While busy and buzzy, the room feels classy: soaring pillars, ornate ceiling, grey walls, striking bright-pink dangling lampshades, massive central chandelier, and a lively baroque fresco covering part of one wall.
It ‘feels special’ and feeds the mainly Edinburgh crowd from breakfast to dinner, whether snacking, just having a drink, enjoying one dish or more. Any time and any dish will do, whether it’s a plate of trofiette pasta with sausage, cremini mushrooms, dried porcini, fresh cream, rocket and Parmesan, or rump of Highland lamb with cannellini purée, pan-fried puntarella and salsa verde.
If you’re into the sweet side of things, Contini’s tiramisu is the ultimate soothing treat, although other equally indulgent temptations beckon – from panettone al forno to gelati and sorbetti. Liquid refreshment covers all bases too, with the good-value all-Italian wine list opening at £25.
The Dishoom group has the knack of picking atmospheric locations for its various restaurants, and this Edinburgh outpost is no exception – although one local thought it felt ‘a bit like a pub’. Occupying three fl… Read more
The Dishoom group has the knack of picking atmospheric locations for its various restaurants, and this Edinburgh outpost is no exception – although one local thought it felt ‘a bit like a pub’. Occupying three floors of a handsome Art Deco building overlooking St Andrew Square, it is dedicated to hirsute Scottish botanist and all-round man of the people Sir Patrick Geddes, who helped improve living conditions in Edinburgh's Old Town during Victorian times and had strong links with Bombay. Appropriate, since Dishoom aims to recreate the essence and ambience of that city's classless Irani cafés, with a lively all-day menu of Anglo-Indian tiffin and tucker.
Roll up early for buttery maska buns with hot chai or a chicken kathi roll, lunch on a couple small plates (perhaps a hot potato vada pau or chickpeas, halwa and pickles in a puffy puri); otherwise, get sociable by sharing a feast of different dishes. Grills such as Dishoom’s invigoratingly spiced lamb chops share the billing with slow-cooked biryanis, various ‘Ruby Murrays’ and the house special – salli boti (braised lamb in rich gravy served with crunchy ‘crisp chips’ and buttered roomali roti).
To finish, a creamy, cooling kulfi fits the bill admirably. Drinkers are also handsomely served with a bewildering array of ‘sharbats’, coolers, esoteric beers, wines and cocktails on offer: don’t miss the special Horniman’s Old Fashioned, named after Benjamin Horniman - a friend of Patrick Geddes and editor of The Bombay Chronicle.
* The restaurant now offers fixed-price tasting menus rather than a selection of small plates.*
This site previously played host to sibling eatery the Little Chartroom and a few design tweaks set the two apart, with high tables a… Read more
* The restaurant now offers fixed-price tasting menus rather than a selection of small plates.*
This site previously played host to sibling eatery the Little Chartroom and a few design tweaks set the two apart, with high tables and slightly ill-judged backless stools wringing a few more covers from the bright, compact room. Truly, the food is what sets Eleanore on its own path. Expect a frequently changing menu that refines and develops dishes from the chefs’ earlier outings, with Asian-inspired ingredients and techniques combining with local, seasonal additions. Its structure rewards sharing, and between three, 'one of each, please' is a likely request. In addition to obligatory Loch Fyne oysters, smaller plates may include a bowl of cured sea trout that takes a stellar core ingredient and treats it with delicacy, embellishing the faintly briny, meltingly tender flesh with a fresh, fruity shiso dressing. Those flatbreads, long a staple on the Prom, also make a return. In this instance, the deliciously charred, doughy breads contrast magnificently with one of two spreadables: a luxurious, smooth mackerel pâté, punctuated with a sweet celery pickle, or a romesco and 'nduja spread, brimming with spice and rich, roasted pepper. Mains veer between classical and creative – a cod option tends toward the latter. Wrapped in daikon, the fillet nestles alongside an intense prawn mousse that would sit happily in a siu mai dumpling, with a fish broth of staggering, savoury depth and umami richness rounding out the dish. It is a hugely ambitious, complex and delicious piece of cooking. Service is friendly, swift and knowledgeable throughout, with drinks guidance hitting the mark. Wines come from a concise list of around 50 bottles starting at £29, taking in predominantly Old World producers and offering around a dozen options by the glass.
Quite possibly Edinburgh's best seafood restaurant
In a small city such as Edinburgh, neighbourhoods have a habit of losing out to the bright lights and buzz of whatever happens in the centre. That said, Bruntsfield hot spot Fin & Grape has all the hallmarks of a fine nei… Read more
In a small city such as Edinburgh, neighbourhoods have a habit of losing out to the bright lights and buzz of whatever happens in the centre. That said, Bruntsfield hot spot Fin & Grape has all the hallmarks of a fine neighbourhood bistro – think crossback chairs and a bright, unfussy dining room with a broody little wine bar tucked in the basement. Despite the postcode, the cooking from chef-patron Stuart Smith is anything but parochial. This may well be the best seafood restaurant in Edinburgh.
Small plates form the bulk of the menu, with around half a dozen options in play and freshly landed fish always on the agenda. On a recent visit, langoustines were served cold, with an emerald-hued wild garlic mayonnaise, all herbal, metallic and fragrant – a deft match for the wonderfully taut, sweet shellfish. A simple idea, but flawlessly executed. Elsewhere, a combo of Isle of Wight tomato, goat's curd and finocchiona salame arrived lightly warmed, bringing delightful intensity to every element, while a bowl of crab and hake wontons flourished in a majestic, spicy bisque, with a lingering, briny funk piercing through the chilli heat. The bowl was emptied to a chorus of scraping spoons and contented muttering.
With market fish a regular sight on the specials board, expect the likes of a show-stopping tranche of monkfish, carved and served like a prime cut of beef, and lavished with an obscenely buttery parsley sauce – immaculately cooked, of course. A lovely little pot of tart rhurarb with mascarpone, Pedro Ximénez and crunchy toasted oats sealed the deal for us. The comprehensive but accessible wine list has a distinctly French accent and at least a dozen options by the glass, while a separate, more indulgent 'cellar list' is available for those seeking to mark an occasion – or to create one.
Bullish homage to best-in-show grass-fed British beef
The beefy Hawksmoor steakhouse group picked a peach of a site when they were looking for an Edinburgh outpost – namely, the old National Bank of Scotland, once the tallest building overlooking St Andrew Square. Its current i… Read more
The beefy Hawksmoor steakhouse group picked a peach of a site when they were looking for an Edinburgh outpost – namely, the old National Bank of Scotland, once the tallest building overlooking St Andrew Square. Its current incarnation pays due reference to the past with limestone surfaces, a lofty coffered ceiling, imperious columns, parquet floors, etched windows and reclaimed materials, although nothing can detract from the venue's gastronomic USP.
Visitors come here in their droves for joyously flavoursome cuts of dry-aged native beef sourced from both sides of the border, priced per 100g, chargrilled to order, and served with the now-familiar Hawksmoor sauces and sides – although the bone-marrow skirlie is unique to this branch. Regional ingredients crop up regularly on the menu, from Eyemouth crab on toast or grilled native lobsters with garlic butter to occasional supplies of heather-nourished Hebridean lamb. The sourdough bread is from Edinburgh, and so is the butter, while the famed Ambassador chocolate bar and a wicked sticky toffee sundae top the list of indulgent desserts.
A daytime ‘express’ menu pulls in punters on tighter budgets, while on Sundays a whole rump of 35-day, dry-aged beef is slow-cooked over charcoal then finished in the oven – ‘the quality of the meat is unrivalled,’ notes one fan. Otherwise, the drinks list is everything you would expect from Hawksmoor: craft beers and nifty cocktails plus big-ticket red wines bold enough to match all that fleshy sanguineous protein.
In the spirit of its namesake, Heron perches intently on the Water of Leith, peering out towards the cranes and dockyards of Edinburgh’s old port. On brighter days, light floods into the airy, high-ceilinged dining room thro… Read more
In the spirit of its namesake, Heron perches intently on the Water of Leith, peering out towards the cranes and dockyards of Edinburgh’s old port. On brighter days, light floods into the airy, high-ceilinged dining room through vast, wraparound windows. Originally the post-lockdown creation of Tomás Gormley and Sam Yorke, the kitchen now sits under the sole authority of the latter, with Gormley installed as chef at Stockbridge’s Skua. Regardless, Heron continues to impress.
Canapés are flawless: a delicately fluted nori cup is filled with fruity, tender langoustine, tart plum and pressed cucumber, while a wafer-thin croustade combines rich, herbal gribiche with musky flakes of Arbroath smokie. Moving deeper into the menu, a veal sweetbread coated with a hugely savoury sourdough glaze sits on creamy celeriac purée with sugary bursts of candied walnut, the dish perfectly balancing sweetness and intense, malty umami. Elsewhere, a solitary Hasselback Jersey Royal is presented in a pool of deliciously rich oyster crème fraîche, with cod roe providing some contrasting salinity.
This balancing act continues into the final course, where a chocolate-dipped boule conceals a light, milky mousse and luscious, velvety salted caramel, alongside a subtly spiced chai ice cream. Like everything else on offer here, it is immaculately and precisely presented. Service breaks with the stifling formality of traditional fine dining, pleasingly opting for a warm, cheerful and knowledgeable approach – especially when selecting drinks to match the varied and complex menu.
Innovative South-east Asian food backed by top-notch service
Slotted into a shopping mall in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter, this ‘absolutely terrific’ younger sibling of Ka Pao in Glasgow is notable for its ‘amazing atmosphere, involved chefs and first-rate, well-dril… Read more
Slotted into a shopping mall in Edinburgh’s St James Quarter, this ‘absolutely terrific’ younger sibling of Ka Pao in Glasgow is notable for its ‘amazing atmosphere, involved chefs and first-rate, well-drilled staff’. Located up a flight of stairs and behind a plate glass frontage, the dining space is filled with rows of tables, brown leather banquettes (fashioned from old bus seats) and comfy booths, while illumination comes from big white spherical lamps.
Fans of zippy South-east Asian finger food are in for a treat here: don’t miss the instantly addictive chicken wings slathered in ‘fish sauce caramel’ (so good you’ll want to order them twice). Innovative ideas abound, from corn ribs with salted coconut, shrimp and lime to stir-fried ox tongue, pak choi, oyster sauce and green peppercorns, while Scottish produce gets a good outing (venison carpaccio with chilli jam; grilled Shetland mussels with orange and calamansi nam jim, for example). Curries also receive the full Ka Pao treatment, as in beef short rib with aubergine and banana chilli or skate wing with makrut lime and cashews.
Sides and veggie dishes such as stir-fried choi sum with burnt tomato sambal are equally convincing and emphatically spiced, while desserts could bring salted chocolate mousse with sriracha honeycomb or sticky tamarind and ginger sponge with coconut and lime mascarpone. Asian-themed cocktails, sodas and beer suit the food, and the short wine list is tilted towards aromatic spice-tolerant bottles.
* Tom Kitchin has announced that Kora will be closing permanently at the end of Janaury 2025.*
Kora is an alternative name for Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring and new beginnings, and it seems that the deity has answered t… Read more
* Tom Kitchin has announced that Kora will be closing permanently at the end of Janaury 2025.*
Kora is an alternative name for Persephone, the Greek goddess of spring and new beginnings, and it seems that the deity has answered the prayers not only of Edinburgh diners but also the restaurant’s owners Tom and Michaela Kitchin. Opened in 2018, then forced to close during the pandemic, this re-born bar and dining room is, arguably, even better than ever. It's the sort of neighbourhood bistro that suits once-a-week locals as well as customers coming from further afield. A crack team of Dominic Jack (chef-director of the Kitchin Group’s four restaurants) and head chef James Chapman (formerly at Kitchin’s Stockbridge pub, Scran & Scallie) deliver a genuinely seasonal Scottish menu – a dish on offer one week may be gone the next. We were impressed by everything we ate at our relaxed lunchtime visit – thanks to the friendliness of staff. Snacks included broccoli tempura with an Asian dressing involving four stems of tender veg in a light, salted batter with a ginger-zingy chilli sauce for dipping. A trio of hand-dived Orkney scallops, lightly bronzed from the pan with each sliced in two for ease of eating, rested on a bed of salt-baked celeriac purée with an assortment of intense miniature toppings (tiny golden raisins to amplify the sweetness, caperberries and diced green apple to cut through the richness) – complex flavours, expertly handled and generously portioned. A fleshy pair of bacon ribs to follow, supplied by Shaws Fine Meats of Lauder, came with a fried egg, pineapple salsa, cabbage and Koffmann fries – a namecheck to Tom Kitchin’s famous mentor at La Tante Claire. The fall-off-the-bone meat, stickily glossy, found its foil in the chunky salsa (a classic match of sweet and sour), though less might have been more here: either the excellent egg-topped cabbage or perfectly salted chips would have been enough by themselves. There was no faulting a 'floating island' with custard and crunchy pralines zigzagged with caramel sauce, either. With more than 30 wines available by the glass and advice from a knowledgeable sommelier, individual tastes are easily accommodated; a glass of chilled Beaujolais Villages was a smashing match for the ribs.
From lines out the door at The Palmerston to crowds overwhelming her Stockbridge bakery, Darcie Maher can’t help but attract queues for her pastrywork. Do the goods deliver? Absolutely. The sunny corner spot i… Read more
From lines out the door at The Palmerston to crowds overwhelming her Stockbridge bakery, Darcie Maher can’t help but attract queues for her pastrywork. Do the goods deliver? Absolutely. The sunny corner spot is an apothecary-like arrangement of glistening cardamom buns, puffed-up pain au chocolat, vanilla slices and sugared cinnamon scrolls stuffed with cloud-like vanilla cream, while a hatch onto the working bakery offers a glimpse of masters at work. To get the best selection, it’s wise to turn up before 9.30am – or earlier if you can. Coffee is Obadiah and the hot chocolate is from Glasgow’s micro bean-to-bar factory Bare Bones.
Chef-patron Phil White made his name at seafood stalwart Fishers in Leith, and brings his love of fish cookery to this modest restaurant in the heart of the city – with help from his front-of-house partner Rachel Chisho… Read more
Chef-patron Phil White made his name at seafood stalwart Fishers in Leith, and brings his love of fish cookery to this modest restaurant in the heart of the city – with help from his front-of-house partner Rachel Chisholm. LeftField sets out its stall as a warmly welcoming neighbourhood bistro – the room hummed with relaxed chatter and there was a cool guitar-led soundtrack when we visited. Huge picture windows frame a tree-trimmed view of Edinburgh's ancient volcano (aka Arthur's Seat), the paintwork is bottle green, the long bench lining one wall is cushioned in a Granny Smith hue, and the window boxes outside are plugged with hellebores and heucheras.
While there are concessions to meat eaters (slow-cooked beef brisket, say) and vegetarians (roast cauliflower with ginger-spiced butternut squash purée and cashew dukkah), seafood is the star of the show. To begin, a curl of warm and tender chargrilled octopus on a mound of garlicky baba ganoush sprinkled with sesame seeds and fennel crunch (with just a hint of heat) is plate-scrapingly good, while a delicate dish of sea trout comes topped with braised fennel on a bed of creamy pea-green pearl barley plus a skilfully subtle side of chargrilled broccoli and lemon. Even better is a meatier, more substantial chunk of large-flaked roast cod with white beans, chorizo and crispy capers.
From the small dessert menu (a choice of three plus cheese), the must-try option is the chocolate mousse with whipped caramel and shortbread – a sort of wickedly moreish, deconstructed millionaire's shortbread. The carefully curated wine list homes in on France and Spain (with a brief foray to the Lebanon) while shining the spotlight on organic and biodynamic producers.
Service is taken as seriously as the coffee at this pint-sized, basement-level café, and there's a relaxed buzz that makes you want to hang around. If you're not here for a caffeine hit – maybe a £10 coffee flig… Read more
Service is taken as seriously as the coffee at this pint-sized, basement-level café, and there's a relaxed buzz that makes you want to hang around. If you're not here for a caffeine hit – maybe a £10 coffee flight or a single-origin pour from one of the world's best roasteries – you might like to indulge in soup and a sandwich for under £10, or the decidedly less virtuous toasted chocolate banana bread with tahini, honey and mascarpone. Tea drinkers should note the selection of 'brewed to recipe' infusions from London's cult Postcard Teas.
You can't miss the Barbie-pink neon sign beckoning you into this Asian-inspired street-food joint. The frontage may be tongue-in-cheek Tokyo but step inside and the interiors flip from garish to hip, pared-back urban chic – … Read more
You can't miss the Barbie-pink neon sign beckoning you into this Asian-inspired street-food joint. The frontage may be tongue-in-cheek Tokyo but step inside and the interiors flip from garish to hip, pared-back urban chic – the lighting tinged bordello-blush, the walls bare stone and polished concrete. A young metropolitan crowd hogs the banquettes, canteen-style tables and low counter seating at the bar.
The kitchen is fronted by Duncan Adamson, who decamped from rustic farm-to-table hot spot Gardener's Cottage and is now equally at home with Asian fusion. Plates are made for sharing, and fast, friendly service ensures that the table is soon overflowing with dishes. Unable to decide between the tempura cauliflower bao bun with spicy Korean sauce, pickled beansprouts, baby gem and umami mayonnaise or the sticky, five-spice beef brisket bao with kimchi and crispy onions, we order both. Crispy pork belly, soft and succulent, arrives topped with a crunchy chilli and peanut sauce, while a roasted and grilled aubergine with pungent miso, ginger and sesame is simply moreish.
Specials are irresistible too: braised hispi cabbage with fermented black garlic and fragrant furikake seasoning has a complex earthiness, while tender flakes of grilled monkfish with edamame and wakame salad are candyfloss-light and beautifully balanced. If you still have room, there's just one dessert – perhaps a delicate miso and vanilla crème caramel with yuzu caramel and sprinkling of toasted coconut. The drinks list includes a smattering of natural wines, sakes and homemade fruity sodas, as well as carefully curated cocktails.
Frederic ('Fred') Berkmiller’s classic French bistro has spread a blanket of joy across Edinburgh since it opened in 2009. It’s fair to say that the place buzzes and the atmosphere is 'unbeatable'. And it's no wonder t… Read more
Frederic ('Fred') Berkmiller’s classic French bistro has spread a blanket of joy across Edinburgh since it opened in 2009. It’s fair to say that the place buzzes and the atmosphere is 'unbeatable'. And it's no wonder that fans are quickly seduced by the unmistakable Gallic vibe: 'You could easily be sat in a wee French restaurant in Paris,' noted one reporter who felt fully transported to another world.
The conviviality extends to the assured combination of French cooking with Scottish raw materials, including hand-dived Orkney scallops and venison as well as home-grown vegetables and herbs from Berkmiller’s four-acre plot at Monkton Gardens. The menu itself is built around established standards, which brings people back because they know the quality won’t waver from one visit to the next. 'I had the côte de boeuf again – one of my favourite dishes anywhere. Beautifully served medium-rare with dauphinoise, salad, roasted onion, garlic and peppercorn sauce.' Fish soup with rouille, steak tartare, escargots in garlic butter and beef bourguignon are all present and correct, too.
For dessert there could be a not-to-be-missed crème brûlée as well as griottines in kirsch and îles flottantes. Expect ‘great service from knowledgeable staff', a wine bar in the basement for post-prandial relaxation, and a thoroughly commendable list of French wines with an excellent choice by the glass.
Intricate modern cuisine amid olde-worlde opulence
In a city with a vibrant farm-to-fork and supper club scene, Number One oozes olde-worlde opulence. Descending from the entrance on Princes Street, the restaurant (all red lacquered walls, well-spaced tables and elegant banquettes… Read more
In a city with a vibrant farm-to-fork and supper club scene, Number One oozes olde-worlde opulence. Descending from the entrance on Princes Street, the restaurant (all red lacquered walls, well-spaced tables and elegant banquettes) is sumptuous without feeling stuffy. Nowadays, being crammed around rustic communal tables is often the tasting-menu norm; seated binocular-scanning distance from other diners feels like a novelty. Choose between a three- and seven-course taster, which naturally showcases Scotland's larder, with producers name-checked on the back – the salmon and langoustines, for example, are from fourth-generation fishmongers George Campbell & Sons, while honey is harvested from an apiary on the hotel's roof.
This is faultless fine dining from head chef Matthew Sherry, with more than a dash of old-school, grown-up glamour for good measure, opening with exquisite amuse-bouches ranging from tiny potato scones layered with egg, salmon and salty caviar to subtly seasoned beef tartare in a crisp, crumbly pastry case. Warm, just-baked sourdough comes with a shiny globe of Orkney butter, while a sliver of Shetland salmon with minuscule cucumber balls, soy, sesame, peanut and coriander is sweetly aromatic. Tortellini of veal sweetbread swims in earthy foam on a bed of caramelised Roscoff onion and a green peppercorn sauce, while venison (roe deer from the local Hopetoun Estate) with cauliflower, mustard and kale is a hearty, traditional plateful.
Dishes reveal a feather-light touch and intricate detailing, exemplified by a dessert of 'Tomlinson's rhubarb' – a delicate mousse in a sweet glazed case with a sharp compôte and candied almonds. The wine list is a real page-turner that gallops around the globe, taking diners on a whistle-stop tour of the Lebanon and Bulgaria with longer stopovers in French regions such as Burgundy and the Loire; there are plenty of by-the-glass selections too.
Personally run, bijou restaurant in trendy Stockbridge
Sitting pretty in Edinburgh’s trendy Stockbridge district, this bijou, personally run restaurant plies its trade in a cosy but smart basement furnished in pleasantly informal, metropolitan style, complete with cushions, plan… Read more
Sitting pretty in Edinburgh’s trendy Stockbridge district, this bijou, personally run restaurant plies its trade in a cosy but smart basement furnished in pleasantly informal, metropolitan style, complete with cushions, plants and prints.
Dinner is a tasting menu of five or seven courses, where classic ideas are given savvy modern interpretations: roast pigeon breast might arrive in company with quinoa, beetroot, chicory and Granny Smith apple; salmon gets the elevated ballotine treatment; and there’s a complex assiette of lamb involving roast cannon, a boudin of sweetbreads, braised leg and sautéed lamb’s liver with all manner of accompaniments. After that, a pre-dessert heralds the likes of chocolate and raspberry mousse or rhubarb with apricot purée, vanilla-poached apricots, ginger bread and yoghurt sorbet.
At lunchtime, you can pick from a smaller carte of simpler dishes such as smoked ham hock with white bean cassoulet or roast chicken breast with fondant potato and Vichy carrots. The wine list is a hand-picked selection of (mostly) organic bottles from vineyards and producers across the globe.
Seasonal Scottish produce meets modern French cuisine
A well-respected aristocrat on Leith’s regenerated waterfront since 2001, Martin Wishart’s flagship has weathered the storms of fortune and continues to please locals and visitors alike. It helps that the ‘lovely… Read more
A well-respected aristocrat on Leith’s regenerated waterfront since 2001, Martin Wishart’s flagship has weathered the storms of fortune and continues to please locals and visitors alike. It helps that the ‘lovely’ dining room is a gently civilised, reassuring space with light wood panels, black leather chairs, discreet lighting and immaculately laid tables.
Wishart has refined his vision of modern French cuisine over the years, although his loyalty to Scottish seasonal produce remains as strong as ever. Dornoch lamb is roasted and served with goat’s cheese gnocchi and baby gem, while mallard from the Borders could arrive with creamed cabbage, braised salsify, pomme florentine and Armagnac jus. Seafood from Scottish waters is a perennial winner: a ‘genuinely inspired’ dish of Gigha halibut paired with kohlrabi rémoulade, compressed cucumber and a luxe caviar sauce was the highlight for one diner, but the haul could also include sea bream (rendered as a ceviche), John Dory or cod (steamed and served with pomme parisienne, baby leeks and hollandaise sauce). This is well-rounded, assured contemporary cooking without pyrotechnics or showboating.
The kitchen also shows its class when it comes to dessert – a Valrhona chocolate fondant needs nothing more than a black cherry sorbet and some crème fraîche, while a composition of honey mousse with lavender and apricot curd strikes a more modern note. If there is a bugbear, it has to do with the service which readers report lacks its usual panache and courtesy. Thankfully, all is well in the drinks department: a tip-top wine list takes oenophiles on a world tour, pitching rare treats from lesser-known countries alongside French regional classics; half bottles are in good supply, as are superior selections by the glass.
Carefully curated seasonal small plates in a moody basement
Tomás Gormley (one half of the duo behind Heron in Leith) is now at the helm of Skua – a bijou basement eatery down steep stone steps on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge. Flickering candlelit interiors, black wal… Read more
Tomás Gormley (one half of the duo behind Heron in Leith) is now at the helm of Skua – a bijou basement eatery down steep stone steps on St Stephen Street in Stockbridge. Flickering candlelit interiors, black walls, marble tables, banquette seating and a hip, ambient soundtrack give the place a late-night drinking den vibe, while the pared-back menu is a carefully curated selection of small plates inspired by the seasons.
'Shallot' with fermented spruce, fig, cobnut and béarnaise has an exciting, plate-scraping sharpness, the caramelised onion balanced with the mustard-laced sauce and sweet chunks of fresh fruit. Pretty-as-a-picture Belhaven lobster, meanwhile, arrives as a butter-smeared mound of smoked crustacean meat teetering atop a dark squid-ink crumpet. It's mouth-coatingly rich – if a little claggy. However, the showstopper is a dish that looks almost boringly plain but turns out to be simplicity elevated to another level. Billed simply as ‘halibut', it's an exquisite creation involving chicken butter, sea radish and tender leeks, plus 'bonfire smoky' potatoes and sensationally seasoned greens.
There's just one dessert, but one is all you need when it’s a Willy Wonka-esque chocolate creation with a retro 'Caramac' twang. Cracking the crisp casing on its bed of crushed biscuits releases a white chocolate mousse with spiced apple at its centre, a disc of pickled ginger gel adding another spicy kick.
The drinks list is equally innovative with a handful of signature cocktails putting a bespoke spin on the classics. Alternatively, there’s a decent selection of natural and rare wines curated by Heron’s bar manager, Seoridh Fraser – check out the blackboard scrawled with intriguingly described daily specials. Named after a predatory seabird, Skua might have started life as Heron's little sister, but in terms of culinary prowess and wow-factor it's a thrilling prospect in its own right.
Stylish wine bar, bottle shop and small-plates eatery
On the portico of this elegant Georgian tenement, in handsome serif script, is the single word Spry giving no hint of what’s going on inside, but step through the pillared entrance and you are in what is arguably Edinburgh's… Read more
On the portico of this elegant Georgian tenement, in handsome serif script, is the single word Spry giving no hint of what’s going on inside, but step through the pillared entrance and you are in what is arguably Edinburgh's most stylish wine bar and bottle shop. To the right, a wall of organic and natural wines; in the centre, a row of stools spaced around an oak-topped, island bar that doubles as the kitchen. The furnishings are sparse – a sofa, a few tables and some handsome chairs.
Matt Jackson and partner Marzena Brodziak are the young couple behind this venture, which opened in 2019 with the aim of stocking wines free of additives and preservatives – a comprehensive range spanning the globe, but predominantly from small producers. Wines are offered by the glass; bottles come with a modest corkage charge. At lunch, we are recommended to try a fresh Kamptal Kolleltiv Grüner Veltliner and an equally sprightly Laurent Saillard Sauvignon-Ugni, Sauvignon Blanc.
Labneh with fresh and pickled cucumber is the opener from a selection of hot and cold small plates that changes daily. This might be followed by an intelligent partnership of cured mackerel and ripe cherries finished with buttermilk. From the hot dishes, we enjoyed aubergine with fava beans and gremolata, as well as a pollock paratha with saffron and yoghurt. A cheese course features Ragstone, Cora Linn or Stilton, each individually paired with crackers, preserves, chutney or pain perdu. Dessert is a cardamom panna cotta with cherries poached in red wine.
Quality sourdough bread and cultured butter (with offers of a top-up) plus a dish of Mignonette peppered almonds completes the line-up for a charming lunch. If you fancy something more substantial, they also offer a five-course set menu for £60 – although you will need to add £50 for wine pairings.
Tom Kitchin’s flagship has been solidly rooted in a converted whisky warehouse in Leith’s old docks since 2006 and is considered a mainstay of Edinburgh’s restaurant scene. That said, we were beginning to feel th… Read more
Tom Kitchin’s flagship has been solidly rooted in a converted whisky warehouse in Leith’s old docks since 2006 and is considered a mainstay of Edinburgh’s restaurant scene. That said, we were beginning to feel that it was becoming somewhat predictable (if not complacent), although a recent lunchtime visit showed a renewed sense of energy and vitality, combined with a desire to focus on this ‘jewel in the crown’ within the wider Kitchin portfolio. The dining room is intimate and relaxed, while a glazed wall allows guests a glimpse of the culinary theatre under the confident direction of head chef Lachlan Archibald – with Tom delivering regular cameos out front and at the pass.
The generous set lunch is complemented by a series of tasting menus as well as a carte – all offering exceptional seasonal ingredients given the classical French treatment, but with strong Scottish overtones. Highlights of our meal ranged from a gutsy yet subtle venison carpaccio arranged on intensely flavoured bone-broth jelly and finished with hazelnuts, pickled sprout tops, Parmesan shavings and pickled wild garlic bulbs to intense, glossy braised beef shin with Café de Paris butter and pommes Pont-Neuf, the rich caramelised flavours offset by a blue cheese salad.
Elsewhere, Hebridean lamb pithivier (slow-braised shoulder in a golden casing) displayed pretty pastry work, while morsels of rare rump were complemented by vibrant carrot variations spiked with Espelette pepper. Among the well-judged and grown-up desserts, our lemon soufflé (paired with local crème fraîche) was a towering temptation – almost criminal to deflate with a spoon. Service was spot-on. A comprehensive but never overwhelming wine list successfully balances classical and contemporary options, with a good range available by the glass and carafe.
Stylishly mature reboot of a popular Leith upstart
With its rampant popularity all but necessitating a relocation to larger premises, this Leith upstart has matured into its new, grown-up home with grace, becoming an altogether more polished proposition as a restaurant. Carrying o… Read more
With its rampant popularity all but necessitating a relocation to larger premises, this Leith upstart has matured into its new, grown-up home with grace, becoming an altogether more polished proposition as a restaurant. Carrying over the nautical blues and cool whites of its predecessor, the new room has a bright, Scandinavian quality, with the open kitchen breathing warm light across the restaurant. Getting a table on a Saturday night remains a matter of blind luck, or a wait of two or so months.
The expanded kitchen brigade, operating under co-owner Roberta Hall and head chef Dominic Greechan, delivers a concise, ambitious menu of dishes that are never less than meticulous, and are frequently beautiful. A case in point: a resplendent duck salad starter where a rosy, slightly gamey breast contrasts with the bittersweet crunch of ruddy castelfranco leaves, while a glossy, hearty bundle of accompanying rillettes is tempered by fruity laces of orange.
Mains are similarly praiseworthy. An eclectic two-part lamb dish (fillet and merguez sausage) showcases the delicious potential and variety of their nose-to-tail approach, while a perfectly cooked cod fillet, yielding and succulent with delicately crisp skin and shrimp butter, is very nearly upstaged by a small, flawless bowl of mash, adorned with a crown of brittle, saline seaweed. Desserts might flit between an unusually effervescent rhubarb trifle and the joyous experience of smearing funky, whipped Hebridean Blue cheese across a hot cross bun, while sipping a glass of chewy Portuguese tawny port.
Out front, Shaun McCarron has built on and embellished his experience in fine-dining service. His team is precise and knowledgeable, but as importantly, affable and relaxed, with a sommelier whose confident and well-considered suggestions draw on an exciting, varied and approachable list.
Good-value Med-oriented cooking in atmospheric surroundings
In a retooled bank building in Edinburgh's Haymarket district, the Palmerston makes a virtue of the decorative style of yesteryear. Lots of dark wood, an uncovered floor and bentwood café chairs create an atmosphere of old-… Read more
In a retooled bank building in Edinburgh's Haymarket district, the Palmerston makes a virtue of the decorative style of yesteryear. Lots of dark wood, an uncovered floor and bentwood café chairs create an atmosphere of old-world civility rather than anything too severe, while tall windows provide the daylight.
The place opens at 9am for coffee and pastries, to encourage a little constructive dawdling on the way to work, but full services introduce a neat, seasonal menu of up-to-the-minute, Med-oriented bistro dishes with a strong backbone of pedigree regional supplies. Dishes often pack several punches in one concentrated package: brandade and puntarelle are dressed in chilli, capers and dill, while duck rillettes are sharpened to a fine point with pickled clementine.
A reporter's spring dinner that took in a rabbit sausage, as well as ox heart and chips, spoke for many in its admiration for the kitchen's respectful approach to meats, but there was praise too for pollack with clams in creamy cider sauce. Fans have also enthused about the pasta dishes. Lamb comes from Shetland, and could be served 'en crépinette' with mashed swede, while a canonical rendition of coq au vin for two (rich with ceps and bacon) is accompanied by mustard greens.
To conclude, the kitchen's bakery skills are spotlit for the likes of chocolate, almond and pear cake, and the heavenly rhubarb sorbet is also mentioned in dispatches. Free bread is the kind of touch that gets everybody onside. The enterprising cosmopolitan wine list is a closely printed miscellany of thoroughbred bottles, opening with a Soave Classico and Dão red at £27, and there is a clutch of quality fortified libations.
Tom Kitchin's take on a Scottish neighbourhood pub
Set up by Edinburgh big-hitters Tom and Michaela Kitchin, this Georgian pub in Stockbridge is a neighbourhood resource that manages to feel both dynamically of its city, but also slightly rustic too, as though a country inn had fo… Read more
Set up by Edinburgh big-hitters Tom and Michaela Kitchin, this Georgian pub in Stockbridge is a neighbourhood resource that manages to feel both dynamically of its city, but also slightly rustic too, as though a country inn had found its way to the bright lights. Mismatched chairs and bare tables are the decorative order, and the menus speak a lightly accented dialect – 'Sit ye doon, yer welcome' – that should orient locals and carpetbaggers alike.
There are pub classics on offer, as you would expect, from neeped and tattied haggis to fish and chips with chunky tartare and a stonker of a house steak pie. Even the less obvious crowd-pleasers don't stray too far off-grid: smoked Orkney scallops with cauliflower and raisins is virtually a pub favourite in its own right now.
Vegetarians and kids are well looked after, and the dessert menu majors in toffee, chocolate and caramel in the colder months, rather than fruit – unless you count rhubarb as a fruit, giving panna cotta an oxalic kick up the buttermilk. An extensive list of wines by the glass in all sizes is exactly what we want to see, while Champagne comes courtesy of the underrated Philipponnat.
Meticulous multi-layered dishes matched by superlative wines
Built as a props warehouse in the 1800s before becoming a lumber store, the Radford family's aptly named Timberyard feels perfectly attuned to the space it occupies – monumental in scale but retaining intimacy and humility. … Read more
Built as a props warehouse in the 1800s before becoming a lumber store, the Radford family's aptly named Timberyard feels perfectly attuned to the space it occupies – monumental in scale but retaining intimacy and humility. Rough white walls, monastic timber tables, ecclesiastical candles and hemp linen may infer a certain cool asceticism – accentuated by the contemporary classical soundtrack – but there are certainly no metaphorical hair shirts where the food is concerned. Rusticity and refinement sit in perfect balance with the joyous celebration of flavours and a messianic elevation of honest ingredients, both foraged and from artisan producers. Slightly distant staff glide between the tables with almost ritualistic purpose.
Set menus include an extendable three-courses at lunchtime to fuller five-or seven-course options. An opening scene-setter of beach rose and tomato broth blends the Turkish delight aromas of foraged petals into a redolent consommé, while a raw beef toast masterfully offsets earthy funk with floral freshness. Follow on with tiny girolles in a Comté and hazelnut cream, draped in creamy slivers of guanciale and finished with shaved white truffle.
Each dish carefully builds the layers of taste, so a perfectly pan-roasted quail gets just enough sweetness and bite from its smoked onion and wilted monk’s beard accompaniments before harmonising the whole in the savoury creaminess of pan juices cut with black pepper yoghurt. Like so many of the dishes, the apparent simplicity of a raspberry and lavender dessert belies meticulous foundations: perfect fruits, seasoned juice, infused cream and a zingy gel.
If you don’t opt for one of the matched drinks flights, then 30-odd pages of all-natural and often unusual wines offer a compendious delight for those with a Mastermind 'specialist subject' interest. There are superlative choices in all categories, but markups are on the ferocious side. The sommelier offers ready advice and the unlisted, daily-changing wines by the glass are well-chosen – even if a measure of trust is expected when it comes to price and style.
Edinburgh’s Italian gastro-scene owes a great deal to members of the Contini dynasty, in fact their original deli and wine store remains ‘numero uno’ in the city with its treasure-trove of artisan provisions. Thr… Read more
Edinburgh’s Italian gastro-scene owes a great deal to members of the Contini dynasty, in fact their original deli and wine store remains ‘numero uno’ in the city with its treasure-trove of artisan provisions. Thread your way past the shelves of comestibles and regional wines to reach the jam-packed caffè bar at the back of the premises. Informal, all-day eating is the name of the game, and everything hinges on top-notch ingredients – including plenty of seasonal Scottish produce.
Drop by for breakfast (perhaps a signature ‘panetella’ sandwich with proper kick-start coffee) or call in later for some handmade pasta – spaghettini with palourde clams or orecchiette with cime di rape, anchovies and extra-virgin olive oil. Otherwise, share an antipasti platter or graze on a salad of fennel, orange and goat’s cheese. After that, move on to a ‘primi’ plate of, say, fritto misto or pistachio-crumbed lamb rump, before rounding off with V&C’s bombolone doughnuts, a delectable cake or some gelati.
The owners are wine merchants par excellence, and you can access their authoritative cellar by choosing a bottle from the shop; just add £8 to the retail price, and you're good to go. Alternatively, browse the short caffè list from your table; bottles start at £17, and everything is available by the glass.
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