54 The Shore, Edinburgh, EH6 6RA
Harden's survey result
Summary
Not every fine dining restaurant is a “favourite” of those who nominate it, but Martin Wishart’s low key but supremely accomplished HQ, with its “great location by the water of Leith” is one of them. A London-based reporter notes: “for a special occasion, this has been my go-to for some years, with exceptional service and very interesting, beautifully presented food” from a kitchen that’s “one of the finest in the UK”. It’s the absence of flash and the focus on flavour that seems to appeal and a sense of “feeling valued and welcomed”. In the evening there’s a ‘Market Menu’ at a competitive £95 per person, or the six-course tasting menu is £145 per person.
Summary
There’s nothing fancy, pretentious or self-aggrandising about Martin Wishart’s long- established HQ at the foot of a converted warehouse, which has been a feature of the area around the Leith waterfront for over a quarter of a century now. With rivals opening left, right and centre nowadays – often featuring tedious multicourse epic menus – it perhaps doesn’t feature in the headlines as much as it once did, but there’s no good reason for this other than the fickleness of media fashions. “Service is superb without being stuffy” and is “married with top-quality food” – thoughtful, accomplished cuisine that avoids pyrotechnics yet displays excellent technique and delivers “exceptional” flavours. The ‘Market Menu’ is a three-course à la carte for £125 per person, or there’s a (slightly) longer tasting menu for £145 per person. “A delight”… “sublime”.
Summary
“In the historic port of Leith, overlooking the Water of Leith from its converted warehouse setting” Martin Wishart’s well established HQ has proved one of our annual diners’ poll’s most consistent over-achievers for the last two decades. It’s not a place for ego and gimmicks: just “exceptional food” (“the unusual combinations of flavours, especially of the amuse-bouches, are a delight”) that’s “well deserving of its accolades”. Service is notably “charming” too (“although we don’t visit frequently, as we live in London, we are always recognised and warmly welcomed”).
Summary
“Loved it! Everything is just right” at Martin Wishart’s harbourside flagship: one of the city’s most accoladed culinary destinations, where his menus of “Frenchified Scottish ingredients” offer “decadent luxury” in “the cool, gentrified environs” of the Leith waterfront. “Every bit as good as the first time I came nearly 20 years ago”, it’s held a “Michelin star for 20 years for a reason”. It might be “slightly hushed and reverential for my (London!) tastes, but it totally deserves its accolades!”
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
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Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
 |
 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lunch | £65.00 |  |
|
 |
| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 145.00 | Always available | 5 |
Traditional European menu
| Pudding |
|---|
| £0.00 |
| Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £35.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £6.50 |
| Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £6.50 |
| Service | 9.00% |
Restaurant details
54 The Shore, Edinburgh, EH6 6RA
Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | CLOSED |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑1:30 pm, 6:30 pm‑10 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
