Leith Restaurant Guide

“Flavours just sing and they are so good with textures and deft seasoning” at Roberta Hall-McCarron’s renowned foodie hotspot – “a small dining room with a laid-back atmosphere”. Numerous best meals of the year are reported here from either a three-course menu for £69 per person, or a five-course version for £89 per person. All of the good number of reports we receive from its dedicated fan club say it’s plain “terrific”.

Tom & Michaela Kitchin’s Leith HQ occupies a converted warehouse and has shown amazing longevity since it opened in 2006 as one of the Scottish capital’s most commented-on destinations in our annual diners’ poll. There are gripes here in the feedback we receive, almost entirely to do with those who feel the experience is “good but overpriced”. On balance, though, positivity is still the order of the day and the vast majority of reports acclaim it as somewhere that “never disappoints, with always something really interesting and fabulous on the menu”. Choose from either a three-course à la carte (for £125 per person); or there is a tasting option (at £155 per person) – “the theatre of the service is extraordinary, with front of house staff who are attentive but not overly so, carefully choreographing the emergence of food from the kitchen. Behind the glass screen, the chefs and kitchen staff beaver away in an organised and calm manner and the ambience is lovely. Yes, it was on the expensive side, but as a theatrical gastronomic experience it was worth every penny… it‘s just a shame that we live nearly 500 miles away”.

This “absolute stalwart”, in a 17th-century watchtower by the Water of Leith, delivers “great fresh fish, beautifully cooked in a kitchen the size of a 50p piece” – “lovely staff, all very hectic, but it just works”. The flagship of a small group established more than 20 years ago, some reporters find it “slightly more relaxed than the city branch”. Top Menu Tip – “the prawn cocktail is to die for”.

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.

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”.

“It’s a bit out of the way down Leith Walk” and “you have to go into the shop to find it”, but it’s “worth a detour” to discover the café behind this “Edinburgh legend” – a deli and wine merchant that’s been going strong since 1934, and where diners profit from a truly miniscule (£6) corkage fee on any of the fine wines available in the store. Also on the menu, “great coffee (as you‘d expect) and a wide variety of Italian dolce and snacks” (“if the pizza is on at lunchtime, have it – you won’t regret it”).

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”.

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.

“You can tell the chef is all about the native ingredients and it’s all about making the flavours shine on the plate”, according to fans of Scott & Laura Smith’s “unbeatable” small modern kitchen in central Edinburgh. “Delicious locally sourced food, cooked in the most imaginative way and delivered by knowledgeable and engaging staff” with the choice of either eating à la carte or from a seven- to ten-course tasting menu. “An exciting dining experience – one for the foodies!”

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”.

“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”.

Dramatic views are guaranteed at this striking cantilevered structure, where you look out over the city from Calton Hill through large floor-to-ceiling windows. Feedback here has always been surprisingly limited however, and it inspired a dearth of reports this year, so we’ve removed any ratings for the time being.

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.