Newhaven Restaurant Guide

“Great fish ’n’ chips” are one of the joys of this Victorian-style harbourside venture, a classy collab between Welch Fishmongers and top seafood restaurant Ondine, that also offers fancier and always “fresh” catch (oysters, grilled langoustines, smoked salmon). Just a “shame it’s not bigger – wish they’d move into one of the vacant units around and expand!”

“One of the stalwarts of the Edinburgh scene” – Tom & Michaela’s flagship venue opened in this converted warehouse in Leith in 2006 and was yet again the city’s most commented-on destination in our annual diners’ poll. “A real treat”, it’s “simply superb at every level” with “wonderful” cooking that “changes with the seasons”, “a beautiful setting” and “professional service”. “Even though it’s a 250-mile trip for us with a stop over it’s well worth it: our favourite eating experience in the UK by far!”

“The food is good… really good” at Roberta Hall-McCarron’s popular operation, where “the queue to get in has dropped from a five-month wait to a couple of weeks” following a move to larger premises a couple of years back (the original is now open as Eleanore, see also). It offers “very friendly service and a great location” – and “happily it’s a place you can go for a three-course meal, not a ten-course tasting menu” (although there is also a five-course option available).

This “lovely restaurant by the Water of Leith” is “just the perfect place for a business lunch”, with “lovely staff, simple fish dishes and rock-solid wines”. Set in a seventeenth-century watchtower, it has been running for more than 20 years and is the flagship of a small group with a branch in the city as well as The Shore next door.

2022 Review: “Still knocking out great burgers with a retro feel – the relish selection harks back to the 1970s”. This “great local burger joint” in Stockbridge which celebrates its half-centenary this year is “always reliable and never changes”. “The staff are rushed off their feet, but they’re always really professional and smiley”.

2021 Review: This “real gem” on the road to Leith – “family-run with flair and passion” – “uses unusual cuts of locally sourced meats and seasonal produce to keep the cost of lunch to £10”. It’s “intimate and cosy, but on a hot summer’s day, sitting outside sipping wine and eating the amazing fresh food the kitchen sends out is a real treat”.

“The food is of the highest standard” at chef Maciej Szymik’s modern European spot, tucked away in the New Town – “we were lucky to stumble on it”. There’s “only a handful of tables in each room, which gives the feel of quasi-private dining”. “My only real criticism is the portion sizes are too large – it just wasn’t possible to leave room for dessert”.

2023 Review: “Like a Gallic hug”, chef-patron Fred Berkmiller’s “properly sourced old-school French cuisine” comes packaged with “Gallic good humour, impeccable service and quirky decoration in this wonderfully authentic restaurant”, “now with new wine bar underneath”. Sadly, its nearby sibling L’Escargot Blanc closed down last year after 18 years.

Scott Smith’s “intricate and exquisite cooking” and “amazing use of ingredients” produces “some pitch-perfect seafood, fish and vegetarian courses” from, in the evening, a seven-course menu for £85 per person (or a nine-course option for £105 per person) – delivered via his wife Laura’s “absolutely brilliant, knowledgeable, professional, relaxed and fun service” at their ultra-seasonal venue: a follow-up to their equally vaunted Norn in Leith. Scott grew up in rural Aberdeenshire, and grows much of the produce in his own kitchen garden.

“The best choice of wine anywhere” is the main reason to visit the Caffè Bar at the rear of this famous deli and wine merchants (est. 1934) where any of the “extensive range of bottles from the shop” is available to accompany a meal for super-modest (£6) corkage. By comparison, the food is very straightforward, but provides dependable sustenance from breakfast onwards.

2022 Review: In 2021, Gordon Craig and wife Lucy moved their well-rated operation of five years’ standing from Raeburn Place to this new address in the New Town, on the site of Le Roi Fou (RIP). Our feedback remains enthusiastic for its innovative use of British ingredients. “There’s a market menu, which is a steal, and full tasting options if you’re feeling hungrier. Highly recommended”.

Paul Gunning’s casual Stockbridge fine-diner, set in a “small” but classy basement, combines “friendly staff” and “wonderful food”: either a five- or seven-course tasting menu by night, or the “excellent value” two- or three-course set lunch. (We’ve continued its ratings this year, albeit on relatively limited feedback).

“If you’ve ever been in Thailand, you’ll know how authentic the food is” at this “very popular Stockbridge restaurant” (which also has an offshoot near the castle). It’s “small, intimate and always busy, but the efficient staff try their best to provide you with a good dining experience”. Top Tip – “the chili crab signature dish”.

2023 Review: Paul Kitching’s “wonderfully exciting food” has been a highlight of Edinburgh’s dining scene for almost 15 years, served in the signature ‘formation’ of his restaurant’s name: a choice of 2 starters followed by 1 soup, a choice of 2 mains, 1 cheese and 2 desserts, the line-up changing every week. There’s a “beautifully decorated and elegant drawing room for pre- and post-dinner drinks”.

Now in its 11th year, Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s “friendly” and “sometimes hectic” Scottish gastropub wins consistently high ratings for its “clever (if rich)” and “yummy” food. “Of course we had the famous steak pie, but the rest was pretty good as well”.