Edinburgh, Scottish Restaurant Guide

“It’s always a pleasure to dine” at this “beautiful restaurant, slightly off the beaten track in glorious Edinburgh” – the “contemporary décor” is matched by “sublime, beautifully cooked” modern European dishes, which benefit from chef Maciej Szymik’s “very different presentation”. “Staff are welcoming and attentive”. There’s now a sibling brasserie in the West End, Otro.

2018 Review: As per the name, it’s the “amazing selection of craft beers from Innis and Gunn (who run it) and other brewers” that star at this industrial-styled bar/kitchen, handy for Usher Hall; wash it down with “good gastropub food at a reasonable price”.

This two-year-old from ambitious chef Scott Smith and his wife Laura follows the closure of well-regarded Norn in Leith, and presents his take on modern Scottish cuisine in a minimalist city-centre setting – the name derives from the Gaelic for ‘true’. Feedback has been limited so far, and splits between praise for “a really interesting tasting menu” and dismissal of an experience that’s “just unmemorable… apart from the bill!”

“Still the best in Edinburgh” – Martin Wishart delivers “a glorious celebration of Scottish fare” at this “slightly formal” operation. “This is serious no-nonsense cooking from the canapés, to the amuse bouche, and you can opt for the tasting menu, à la carte, vegetarian tasting menu and fish tasting menu; plus a fantastic selection of wine and wine flights”. Stylewise, it’s “a classic modern dining room” in “a nice location by the water in Leith”, and “with a level of service akin to that of a top London hotel”. “The only quibble is the very limited choice at lunchtime” although the set deal is “overall very good value for the price”.

“I would travel a LONG way for these exceptional, innovative flavours” says a London-based reporter about this Fountainbridge fixture, opened in 2012 in the “charismatic” space of a converted Victorian warehouse, and serving a selection of Ben Radford’s Scandi-influenced tasting menus (from four-courses to eight-courses), offset by a “long” wine list of exclusively natural wines from small European producers.

“Lives up to the hype, year after year” – fans of Tom Kitchin’s Stockbridge gastroboozer insist it serves “hands-down the best pub grub in Edinburgh”. “The menu has a Scottish focus and the décor is fairly tartan-heavy, so it’s a perfect place to introduce visitors to Scottish pub food”. “Charming staff” and “a nice choice of kids’ options” add further to the appeal. Even some fans, though, acknowledge that it’s “not cheap”.

2018 Review: Craig & Vikki Wood’s yearling (a follow-up to the decade-old original of the same name), is “a real gem of an addition to the New Town” (and “saves a trip across the Forth to North Queensferry” to their other gaff). Between the “first-class food and service” (the former from ex-El Celler de Can Roca chef Michael Innes) it’s “difficult to fault”.