City Of Edinburgh, British, Traditional Restaurant Guide

“Step back in time to an old-school Parisian bistro in the heart of Edinburgh New Town” at this “cosy and unpretentious establishment down a side street off Princes Street” that “serves food as Elizabeth David might have ordered and admired” – “long may it continue”.

2021 Review: Owned by the Crolla family (who started Valvona & Crolla, Scotland’s oldest deli and Italian wine merchant – see also), this sixteenth century fine dining spot is a beacon on the otherwise touristy Royal Mile owing to its “well-cooked and well-seasoned” Scottish fare and “good value Sunday lunch”; for a truly intimate dining experience, try ‘Halo’, upstairs, which seats just four.

As per its siblings, this offshoot of Richard Caring’s brasserie format woos diners with its “lovely surroundings” and location in a “handy spot” overlooking St Andrew’s Square; also as per its siblings, there are critics of the “disappointing food, service and ambience”, for whom this endlessly expanding empire is “a chain taken too far”.