Edinburgh, Scottish Restaurant Guide

“Like the difference between travelling in a Rolls Royce and an ordinary car” – “the highest of standards are maintained year after year” at Martin Wishart’s Leith HQ, which remains “one of the best restaurants in the UK”. “Imaginative, flavoursome dishes, are beautifully (but not ostentatiously) presented”, by “professional” staff who are “friendly and attentive, but never obtrusive”. “New furnishing and decoration is an improvement” in recent times to this contemporary dining room, near the waterfront.

“Edinburgh’s leading gastropub” – Tom Kitchin’s “awesome and very popular” Stockbridge venture provides “astonishing quality without any pretentiousness” – “fine cooking of fine ingredients” comes at “affordable prices” in a “pleasantly relaxed” and “upscale” environment. “I love the fact that the best of the best is available to most people!”

“Enjoyable and consistent…”, “dependable and professional…” – such is the tenor of commentary on this “lovely” New Town brasserie from Martin Wishart, for 20 years one of Scotland’s leading chefs. The least enthusiastic report? “pleasant enough, with some real highlights but some dishes fell a little flat, especially at the price”.

“Stunning and wonderful cuisine” and “superb wine” in a relatively “relaxed atmosphere” has won huge critical acclaim for Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s Leith warehouse conversion, where you can eat from a range of à la carte and tasting options. Its ratings were dragged down this year, however, by quite a significant number of diners who felt that prices are becoming “excessive for what’s served”.

“Located near the approach to Edinburgh Castle”, James Thomson’s longstanding fixture of the Edinburgh restaurant scene offers atmosphere in abundance, with its darkly gothic original dining room, or gorgeous ‘Secret Garden’, although it’s so well-known nowadays it “can be full of American and Japanese tourists”. The food has always played second fiddle here, both to its looks and to its 500-bin wine list and extensive range of malt whiskies, Armagnacs, digestifs and liqueurs.

“Exceptional and interesting food” in the “atmospheric surroundings” of a Victorian warehouse can be a “stunning experience” at this modern, Scandi-influenced operation from the second generation of the Radford family (whose parents Andrew and Lisa ran popular Edinburgh restaurants Atrium and Blue).