Edinburgh Restaurant Guide

“The finest selection of oysters and mussels”, “exquisite seafood platters”, “Scottish game”, “champagne and whisky”, “a cracking wine selection with some big hitters” – all of it served in the “beautiful setting” of an ornate Victorian bar. No wonder that “it’s a busy place”, so you “need to book ahead”.

“Mouth-watering steaks” from both sides of the border and seafood from the Scottish coasts are the draws to the northern capital’s outpost of this powerhouse carnivorous chain, and the grand hall of the former Bank of Scotland HQ makes a “magnificent setting for top-notch food”. While the feedback is positive, there is less of it than we might have anticipated this year.

“Top-quality food a country mile from your average curry house”, inspired by the Parsi cafes of Mumbai, keeps the sole Scottish link in this nine-branch chain extremely busy. “I usually go for independent restaurants but Dishoom has been consistently excellent and maintained lovely service over various dinners this year”. The only real problem is a veto on evening bookings, which makes it “difficult to get into – in four attempted visits I have only been able to get in once! The queues are half-way down the street. Worth it, though!”

“A fun, cheerful Mexican atmosphere” and “enjoyable, fresh tasting” street food dishes can still make “an excellent standby” of this stalwart chain, which has 10 sites in London nowadays. “Even if nothing on the menu is going to wow, its consistent quality and value are reassuring”, with ratings and popularity starting to regain their historic high standing since a majority stake was sold to Nando’s owner, Dick Enthoven, a couple of years ago.

With its attractive and convenient setting overlooking St Andrew’s Square, this iteration of the Ivy generates a reasonable number of reports but somewhat limited enthusiasm – “fairly average food which tends to be expensive for what is now a chain restaurant”.

As of October 2022, the UK’s third branch of this luxurious and expensive wagyu-to-sushi brand is still ‘Coming Soon’ on the website of the vast St James Quarter development, whose rooftop it is to inhabit… as it has been for ages now.

With 33 bedrooms, the first-ever spin-off from the world famous sporting estate finally opened in June 2022 (it was originally scheduled for 2021) in the former HQ of the Bank of Scotland, complete with an all-day restaurant under the cupola of the former banking hall that’s relatively casual for this grand address. In July 2022, Gaby Soutar of the Scotsman paid it a visit, declaring the food offering as “casual, but with luxurious tweaks. Birthday food”. All seemed generally very satisfactory, although the review stops short of being an out-and-out rave.

Since 2001, Jean-Michel Gauffre’s bistro has been a “friendly and welcoming” feature of the Old Town, serving a “delightful southern French/Mediterranean menu, and in particular the authentic cuisine of Languedoc” with “regional wines” to match.

“Is this the most amazing restaurant space in Edinburgh, if not Scotland?” – “perched high up on Calton Hill and looking down on the city” from a striking cantilevered structure – “who could resist the irresistible view of the Rose of the North?”. The bistro-style food is “thoroughly excellent” in some accounts – in others it’s “great... but not as good as you want it to be, when you really want it to match the amazing setting”.

“A lovely little place” – “the sort of bistro you would like to have in your neighbourhood”, with “a very nice menu of French dishes and excellent service”. It’s also “very cheap at lunchtime and reasonable in the evening, especially for central Edinburgh”.

“Top-notch oysters, shellfish and fish” make Roy Brett’s “superb restaurant” a “must-visit when in Edinburgh” – and a more frequent “treat” for those lucky enough to live nearby. In a new departure last year, selected cuts of British meat were added to the menu, ‘simply grilled to perfection’.

This “fun, stylish and super-friendly restaurant” from chef Scott Smith and his wife Laura has a very serious mission – to showcase ultra-seasonal Scottish ingredients, many of them grown in their own kitchen garden. The cooking is of “superb quality”, and “the tasting menu beautifully thought through, so each course feels as though it belongs after the previous one”. Fhior, meaning ‘true’ in Gaelic, is the Smiths’ follow-up to their highly regarded debut Norn, in Leith.

“Such amazing value for a six-course, themed, tasting menu” that changes every six weeks – that’s the USP of Nico Simeone’s national chain, which, over five years, has grown from its Glasgow base to number nine in total (with London having two: in Fitzrovia and Canary Wharf). Of course it’s “slightly gimmicky”, but on the whole it’s “a good effort at a budget experience”: “you get what you pay for, and while not all dishes hit the mark, and service can be a bit hit ’n’ miss (particularly at busy times), it is innovative, has a great buzz and is a lot of fun”.

David Bann’s “top-notch” and “creative” meat-free cooking produces “beautifully presented dishes, often of complex structure and ingredients”. Now in its 21st year, his Canongate venue is, fans insist, “not to be missed when in Edinburgh!”.