Loanhead Restaurant Guide

“Truly exceptional food and always-lovely service” have won renown for this six-table operation on the south side of the city, which provides a no-choice tasting menu experience for which you are advised to leave two-and-a-half hours. In March 2024, chef Conor Toomey moved on and Tyler King is now at the stoves. Given this change so close to our annual diners’ poll, we’ve left it unrated for the time being.

A “cosy neighbourhood steak restaurant” in a “great location” under the arches close to Waverley station. The beef is dry-aged in-house with Himalayan salt and then “well cooked” over coals, and they really “take the time to make sure it’s great”. (Its Bruntsfield and Leith siblings are no more, both having closed in the first half of 2024).

This “pretty little fish restaurant tucked away overlooking the expanse of the Meadows in south Edinburgh” has won widespread praise for its “deft and delicious cooking”. Chef-patron Phil White and his FOH partner Rachel Chisholm followed up by opening all-day spot Margot a few doors away in March 2024 – hailed by critic Chitra Ramaswamy of The Times as ‘the hippest café in the city’. Top Menu Tip – “the stand-out octopus”.

“Delicious, perfectly cooked Indian small plates always hit the spot” at this spin-off from the well-known Glasgow original, which – with a convenient and very atmospheric location – nowadays achieves greater feedback than the original. Although billed as ‘tapas’, “helpings are more than generous”.

This pioneering venue, just off Holyrood Road, was founded back in 2002, and even with far more competition locally these days has kept its crown as the city’s best-known veggie; the “very enjoyable” food (“even for non-vegetarians”) combines Scottish traditions with influences ranging from the Med to Japan (think veggie haggis alongside tofu stir fries).

“Well deserving of its Michelin Star!” – the Radford family’s converted Victorian warehouse (originally built as a props and costume store) has built a strong culinary reputation since it opened 11 years ago and was finally recognised by the Tyre Men in their 2023 awards. A five-course menu for £115 per person is the entry-level option (although there is a more extensive tasting menu available for £145 per head).

Marcelline Levicky’s “friendly” New Town staple is a “small but buzzing French-style bistro” that has been of note for its “good value” cooking for aeons and remains distinctly amicale to the wallet (the set lunch is £18.90 and dinner a far from extortionate £32.50).

“A stalwart in Edinburgh and one we always gravitate to” – Paul & Lisa Wedgwood’s basement on the Royal Mile is “is a conveniently located gem right in the middle of Edinburgh”. All reports attest to its “brilliant attention to detail”. “Paul is a passionate forager and you can always find something really interesting that you want to know more about on your plate” – and his seasonally changing menus are “beautifully sourced” and “excellent”. There’s a “great selection of wine by the glass as well as the bottle” too.

Dine amid the ghosts of Auld Reekie at Scotland’s most romantic hotel and restaurant, set in a collection of dramatic buildings dating back to 1595, and right at the gates of the castle. Lit by candlelight, the wood-panelled dining room is a swoonsome location to enjoy fittingly traditional dishes ranging from the Omelette Arnold Bennett to local haggis. Yes, it’s been some time now that the venue has been “resting on its (ancient) laurels”, with a growing army of critics that “just don’t get the hype” (especially since it’s “as expensive as ever!”), but for a special occasion for which expense be damned it takes some beating – as does the 600-bin-strong cellar, winner of many an accolade.

“A real treat. A top experience” – “it’s afternoon tea in a posh hotel... but they know what they’re doing and do it very, very well” in the elegant glass-domed lounge of this Edinburgh landmark: “savoury food and patisserie both excel, in a space that is so beautiful they‘d be full even if the food was dross!” all served by “brilliant staff who provide great theatre: the tea pouring is something else!”. This year’s biggest complaint? “A huge array of delicious food… but way too much for me!”

“Consistently fresh, bold, interesting food – forthright but beautifully balanced and absolutely delicious, and a decent wine list too” inspire nothing but high enthusiasm for this emerging star of Edinburgh’s dining scene – a ‘Restaurant & Bakery’ from Lloyd Morse and James Snowdon with traditional looks but a forward-looking menu of “simple seasonal food” delivering “outstanding” flavours. Top Menu Tip – “crispy lamb belly and sausage on mustard lentils”.

It’s one of the Scottish capital’s more famous dining rooms within one of its landmark hotels and run by star chef Dean Banks, yet feedback is perennially thin regarding this 1920s chamber, which has been through a number of incarnations in living memory. Named for King Louis XV of France‘s favourite mistress, its hand-painted walls and opulent decor are Grade A listed, although this somewhat grates with its current format, with bare tables and vividly coloured bucket chairs. The menu is that of a luxurious brasserie rather than something more haute and the tasting menu likewise at a relatively affordable £75 per person. Feedback is ‘all good’, but doesn’t give enough detail for a solid rating.

“For a large chain, they still do pretty much unbeatable Mexican fusion fare”, say fans of these “busy and atmospheric” street-food cafés, now with 11 London branches and three others around the UK. That said, there are also some niggles in feedback; and the sentiment is widespread that – though “still enjoyable” – the food can seem “a little mass-produced”. Even so, practically all diners still consider them “dependable for a quick, cheap ’n’ cheerful bite”. Top Tip – the new, 150-cover Paddington branch is their first opening in six years and puts a focus on sustainability and a menu including some larger sharing plates (e.g. grilled Achiote Seabass, Lamb Barbacoa and Chimichurri Cauliflower).

What does it say about the culinary tastes of the British middle classes that this spin-off chain, with about 40 locations based on the original Theatreland icon, has been such a rip-roaring success? True, there’s some “great people-watching” at the “always buzzing” Chelsea Garden venue (which has one of SW3’s best gardens). And, without doubt, those branches in Kensington, Tower Bridge and Kingston also particularly stand out amongst the rest for their “super atmosphere”. In general though, the knock-off look of their locations “isn’t a patch on the original on West Street, yet pretends to be exactly the same”. And when it comes to their brasserie dishes: although its many followers tout them as “acceptable, albeit nothing special”, their rating-average identifies them as “underwhelming tick-box fare”; all offered by service that’s very “indifferent”. And yet they are “always busy”! In June 2024, it was announced that billionaire Richard Caring had successfully sold his entire Ivy restaurants stake. Now that he is laughing all the way to the bank, it will be interesting to see if ratings reverse, continue or deepen their southward trend.

“The same quality of steaks that you always get with Hawksmoor, in a fabulous space in a great building” – feedback that suggests no dip in quality for this outpost of the well-known steakhouse chain (which most recently opened in Chicago). As with its London siblings, though, its middling ratings are a result of high prices and a slight sense of “hype”. Also “it’s a very big and striking room, but can easily feel a bit empty”.