Showstopping restaurants at the Edinburgh Festival 2022
Roula Khalaf, Editor of the FT, selects her favourite stories in this weekly newsletter.
This list has been updated for 2022
Cafe St Honoré
Tucked away down a cobbled lane in New Town, this gem of a restaurant offers a daily-changing menu of British fare in a charming Paris-bistro setting, replete with bentwood chairs, chequerboard floors and white linen tablecloths. From award-winning chef Neil Forbes expect everything from Perthshire venison to coq au vin with a “classics menu” of perennial favourites such as ham-hock terrine, native Shetland hogget and lemon tart. 34 North West Thistle Street Lane, 0131-226 2211; cafesthonore.com
The Little Chartroom
This exceptional French-British bistro is now open on larger digs on Bonnington Road, as chef owner Roberta Hall-McCarron and her husband, Shaun McCarron (on front-of-house), have opened their second restaurant, a wine bar and eatery called Eleanore, in its former spot around the corner on Albert Place. Summer highlights at The Little Chartroom include crispy lamb belly with white beans, nasturtium and radish, stuffed hake with nori and courgette, and a plum bakewell with treacle soda bread ice cream. 14 Bonnington Road, 0131-556 6600; thelittlechartroom.com
The Spence at Gleneagles Townhouse
In June Gleneagles hotel opened its first outpost outside Perthshire in 98 years, The Gleneagles Townhouse, with 33 bedrooms, on St Andrew Square. The Lamplighters, a roof terrace bar, offers panoramic views over the city. Downstairs The Spence restaurant, headed up by award-winning chef Jonny Wright, will, naturally, go big on Scottish produce with modern brasserie-style menus covering breakfast, brunch, à la carte and Sunday lunch – think west coast langoustines with crispy seaweed and roasted garlic Dijonnaise and wild mushroom tart with smooth goat’s curd mousse, plus sides of charred hispi and harissa-roasted carrots. Townhouse classic cocktails are named after trades and professions (the Merchant, the Engineer, the Architect etc) and if you want to balance the booze with some wellness there are treatment rooms and cryotherapy down in the vault (the building was previously the Bank of Scotland, and before that home to the British Linen Company). 39 St Andrew Square; gleneagles.com
Timberyard
Set in a former props and costume warehouse dating back to the 19th century, this Noma-like fine dining restaurant from Andrew and Lisa Radford (formerly of Atrium and Blue) was something of an Edinburgh game-changer when it opened in 2012. Sourcing ingredients from Scottish artisanal growers, breeders, producers and foragers, the five-course tasting menu promises dishes such as mussels with Douglas fir and spring greens, sweetbreads with burnt cream, chicory and beetroot, and pigeon with lardo and morels. 10 Lady Lawson Street, 0131-221 1222; timberyard.co
Ondine
This fêted seafood and shellfish restaurant off the Royal Mile (refurbished last year with wraparound views of Edinburgh) is now focusing more on meat and charcoal-grilled dishes such as Perthshire rib of beef, Isle of Mull scallops and native lobster. Among the classic fish dishes still on the menu, though, are crab crumpet, salt-and-pepper squid tempura, and impeccable Carlingford and Loch Fyne oysters. 2 George IV Bridge, 0131-226 1888; ondinerestaurant.co.uk
Ting Thai Caravan
This Thai street-food venue (a restaurant, not a van) near Bristo Square is a firm favourite among festivalgoers and performers alike, offering no-frills communal dining, fast service and incredibly vibrant, authentic Thai food. Try the classic pad Thai noodles, yam moo yang (grilled marinated pork) or gaeng pha talay (jungle curry). A second venue has opened on Lothian Road. Takeaway and delivery are available too. 8-9 Teviot Place, 0131-225 9801; tingthai-caravan.com
Spry
This stylish, understated wine bar and small plate venue, which opened off Leith Walk in 2019, specialises in organic and small batch wines. (The owner, Matt Jackson, used to work behind the bar at Castle Terrace and Timberyard.) The seasonal food options for summer include monkfish, chicken dumplings, and homemade “burrata” style cheese, made every morning using milk and cream from a local dairy farm. 1 Haddington Place, 0131-557 0005; sprywines.co.uk
The Scran and Scallie
Often named one of the top gastropubs in Scotland, the Scran and Scallie in Stockbridge is run by chef Tom Kitchin (of Michelin-starred The Kitchin) and Dominic Jack (formerly of Castle Terrace). The holder of a Michelin Bib Gourmand (for exceptional fare at a reasonable price), the pub’s Scots language menu dishes up comforting classics such as fish and chips, fish pie and Sunday roasts alongside seasonal fare like rabbit terrine and gazpacho. 1 Comely Bank Row, 0131-332 6281; scranandscallie.com
Borough
This family-run affair from chef Darren Murray and his wife, Aleks (on front-of-house), offers a four-course set menu that changes daily and uses only locally sourced ingredients. The includes fish and meat courses such as saddleback pork loin with shiitake and gooseberries and mackerel served with crab curry. 50-54 Henderson Street, 0131-554 7655; boroughrestaurant.com
Fortitude
Where to find the best coffee in Edinburgh? At one of the three branch of this speciality coffee roaster in Stockbridge, New Town (next to the Scottish National Portrait Gallery) or Newington. Go for their single-origin coffees. Stay for their sweet treats (brioche custard and cinnamon buns, brownies) and brunch favourites including the best grilled cheese sandwiches and baked French toast. 66 Hamilton Place, 3c York Place and 72 Newington Road; fortitudecoffee.com
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