Newhaven Restaurant Guide

It’s “worth a ride on the tram” (to the terminus of the Edinburgh line, which is a short walk away) to get to this dockside outfit in a Victorian building, which was launched in 2018 by fancy seafood haunt Ondine, of the nearby capital, and Welch Fishmongers, who supply it. It’s a “very busy” place with “limited tables” in the tiled dining room and on the outdoor terrace: one diner for whom “the takeaway was the only possibility” reports that “it was worth the long queue” for the “excellent fish and chips” (as against the fancier fare in the dining room) even in the winter chill.

“Always a must-do when visiting Edinburgh” applaud the many fans of Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s converted warehouse in Leith, which – impressively for a twenty-year-old destination – was the most commented-on restaurant in the Scottish Capital in our annual diners’ poll this year. On occasion, “Tom Kitchen is there and comes out to greet new diners” and a visit is “consistently a treat” down to its “attentive service despite the fully booked restaurant” and “excellent-value-for-money, Michelin-starred food”. That said, its ratings have been higher – they were dragged down this year by a minority who found the experience “overpriced”: the three-course à la carte menu is £130 per person, or there is a ‘Surprise Tasting Menu’ for £165 per person. (Cheapskates go at lunch for three courses for £69 per person). Top Tip – “The menu around game season is unbeatable”.

“Can’t tell you how delicious the food is” at chef-patron Roberta Hall-McCarron’s “lovely” small foodie magnet on the road to Leith – the cooking from her open kitchen is “so creative”, be it from the three-course menu for £73 per person or the five-courser for £95 per person (if you go at lunch, the three-course option is just £49 per person). Top Menu Tip – “steak with haggis sausage is a standout”; “kedgeree croquettes or mushroom pâté may sound dull, but they taste and look sublime”, while “the venison is the best ever”.

A Leith institution, set in a 17th-century watchtower (and with an offshoot in the city centre) – this stalwart venue “has been around for years, and it’s superb”, with “great fresh fish simply cooked but served with style and gusto” (for instance, “enjoyable crab burger”) – “a go-to for business lunches (always open, always reliable)”. Top Menu Tip – “try the queenie scallops; they’re stunning”.

Baking for one minute at 470°C to create aerated, blistered crusts is part of the formula of Ivan Georgiev’s Leith hotspot, lauded by local aficionados of Neapolitan pizza since its opening in 2019. In March 2025, he also established a pitch at ESF (‘Edinburgh Street Food’).

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”.

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”.

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.

“Authentic Italian cooking at the back of a glorious deli” and wine merchant is the recipe behind the simple café attached to this “very long-established Edinburgh favourite” – est. 1934, and “perhaps a bit out of the way”, but the “ideal spot for a lunch and browse round the groaning shelves”. The “good value menu” includes some “excellent” items (the “fritto misto, crab linguini and ragu stood out”), and you can’t knock their cheese: as of 2024, they’ve been a royal supplier to His Majesty King Charles III, no less.

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”.

“Small and unassuming” it might be, but Paul Gunning’s “top-end” Stockbridge basement has built up quite a reputation for its “relaxed” fine dining approach; whether you go for the two- or three-course set lunch, or the five- or seven-course evening tasting menu, it’s all “very, very good” and “prices have remained reasonable” to boot. The team also runs Dùtchas, in Leith, which focuses on seasonal tasting menus.

2024 Review: “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”.

Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s upmarket Scottish gastroboozer (est. 2013) is an “excellent” spot that’s “always fun to visit” – and “child-friendly too” (“a saviour” if you are sprogged-up). The hearty grub (“would go back just for that steak pie!”) is “good value”, while there’s a hint of Scandi in the décor, nodding to Michaela’s Swedish heritage. These days, the Kitchin mini-empire also stretches to ‘The Kitchin’, in Leith, and restaurant-with-rooms ‘The Bonnie Badger’, in the coastal village of Gullane, a short drive from Edinburgh.

“Fun but fully priced” would be a fair overview of this funky fusion duo – outposts of a glossy US-based chain that started in NYC. The original is found at the top of one of West Europe’s fastest lifts, whisking you to the glamorous 38th floor of the Heron Tower (adjacent to Duck & Waffle, see also), complete with a stylish cocktail lounge and outside terrace. Its newer sibling opened in 2018: “it’s above the market in Covent Garden which is a great location/space (regardless of what currently occupies it!)”. In both spots, all reports agree its luxurious Latino-meets-Japanese bites are super-moreish and “consistently good”. Prices though are OTT, especially as “you can feel like you are in a machine, and they churn out huge numbers of covers so service feels rushed. And it’s big, it’s loud, feels like a bun fight!!” (“Sushi Samba was my 18-year-old daughter’s choice and was not as bad as I feared, but not particularly stand-out either”.)

2022 Review: MasterChef: The Professionals winner Gary Maclean opened his first restaurant in summer 2021 on the fourth floor of the Bonnie & Wild Marketplace: Edinburgh's first food hall in St James Quarter. The menu champions sustainable Scottish seafood, with the ‘award-winning Arbroath Smokies’ a signature dish.