Read Reviews About Old Town Restaurants

French Restaurants in Old Town

1. Rhubarb, Prestonfield Hotel Scottish restaurant in Edinburgh Priestfield Rd - EH16

2025 Review: The “extravagant surroundings” of a lavishly decorated country house in 20 acres near Arthur’s Seat help set a spectacular scene at James Thomson’s luxury hotel (he also owns the famous Witchery). Fans say it’s “possibly the nicest upmarket place for dinner in Edinburgh – in particular for special occasions”. The cooking – from a wide range of menus including à la carte – is affordably priced given all the grandeur, and there’s an “exceptional wine list to go with it”.

2. Restaurant Martin Wishart French restaurant in Edinburgh 54 The Shore - EH6

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.

Price*

£184

£££££

Food

Very Good

Service

Very Good

Ambience

Very Good

3. Café Marlayne French restaurant in Edinburgh 1 Thistle Street - EH2

“Good solid restaurants like this deserve our support” – a “small but friendly” New Town bistro, overseen by Marcelline Levicky, that has been around forever and turns out pitch-perfect Gallic cooking (onion soup, rabbit pies, moules) that also comes at a “great price”. While that price has crept up slowly over the years, it remains a steal: the two-course lunch is £20.90, the two-course dinner £34.50.

Price*

£56

££

Food

Good

Service

Good

Ambience

Average

4. Brasserie Prince at The Balmoral French restaurant in Edinburgh 1 Princes Street - EH2

The No 2 restaurant in this “fantastic hotel” – “isn’t ground-breaking but it is useful, as a hotel restaurant should be”. Fans say its classic French cooking is “better than normally found with a captive audience… perhaps because it has to be with so many other options close by”.

Price*

£106

£££££

Food

Average

Service

Good

Ambience

Very Good

5. La Garrigue French restaurant in Edinburgh 31 Jeffrey St - EH1

2024 Review: Jean-Michel Gauffre is the mastermind behind this “pleasing, modest French establishment”, in the Old Town; a firm fixture since its launch in 2001, it turns out hearty Gallic cooking with a particular focus on the Languedoc, alongside an excellent value lunchtime ‘Menu du Jour’.

6. Café St-Honoré French restaurant in Edinburgh 34 NW Thistle Street Ln - EH2

“You could be in Montmartre” rather than a cobbled alleyway in the New Town as you stumble across this evergreen stalwart – “a firm favourite over many years” providing an “interesting Scottish-produce-oriented menu, together with very good service in a traditional French-bistro-style setting”.

Price*

£71

£££

Food

Good

Service

Very Good

Ambience

Very Good

7. La P’tite Folie French restaurant in Edinburgh 61 Frederick St - EH2

2025 Review: Virginie Brouard’s smart outfit in a mock-Tudor building in the West End has established itself as one of Edinburgh’s most reliable Gallic restaurants as it noses into its third decade, with “reasonable prices” part of the draw, whether you opt for the à la carte menu or the two-course set lunch for £29. If you’re in the mood for a pre-dinner drink, her adjoining wine bar ‘Le Di-Vin’ occupies a dramatic former church (and has formerly featured as one of the best of its kind in the land in a Sunday Times national survey).

8. L’Escargot Bleu French restaurant in Edinburgh 56 Broughton St - EH1

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.

9. The Rabbit Hole British, Modern restaurant in Edinburgh 11 Roseneath Street - EH9

2022 Review: “Good all round” – this popular and well-priced Marchmont venue keeps a local crowd happy with the French-accented dishes sent out by its owner-chefs, a Sicilian/Canadian couple who live nearby. A proper two-course lunch costs under £20, which adds to the appeal.

10. New Chapter Scottish restaurant in Edinburgh 18 Eyre Pl. - EH3

2024 Review: “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”.