City Of Edinburgh, French Restaurant Guide

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.

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).

“Old-fashioned French-style” hospitality is “very well done” at this white-linen Gallic fixture down a cobbled New Town alleyway, which has for decades been the epitome of a side-street bistro. “I arrived on my own without a booking and was made very welcome”, with “lovely food and service and a warm atmosphere”.

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).

“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”.