Prestonpans Restaurant Guide

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”.

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”.

“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”.

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”.

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.

“Truly exceptional food and always-lovely service” have won renown for this six-table operation on the south side of the city, which provides a no-choice tasting menu experience for which you are advised to leave two-and-a-half hours. In March 2024, chef Conor Toomey moved on and Tyler King is now at the stoves. Given this change so close to our annual diners’ poll, we’ve left it unrated for the time being.

“A stalwart in Edinburgh and one we always gravitate to” – Paul & Lisa Wedgwood’s basement on the Royal Mile is “is a conveniently located gem right in the middle of Edinburgh”. All reports attest to its “brilliant attention to detail”. “Paul is a passionate forager and you can always find something really interesting that you want to know more about on your plate” – and his seasonally changing menus are “beautifully sourced” and “excellent”. There’s a “great selection of wine by the glass as well as the bottle” too.

“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”).

This pioneering venue, just off Holyrood Road, was founded back in 2002, and even with far more competition locally these days has kept its crown as the city’s best-known veggie; the “very enjoyable” food (“even for non-vegetarians”) combines Scottish traditions with influences ranging from the Med to Japan (think veggie haggis alongside tofu stir fries).

2021 Review: The oldest trad boozer on the Royal Mile (est 1742) has now been reincarnated as an oyster and seafood bar – the name switching connotation from the equine to the maritime. It has won immediate high ratings for its “outstanding” crustacea.

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’.

2021 Review: David Howie Scott’s flagship venue at the foot of Calton Hill celebrates its 30th anniversary last year as a purveyor of inexpensive Scottish classics. The odd reporter feels that it’s “nice enough, but not the stand-out it could be”, but that’s within the context of pretty solid ratings overall. There are two spinoffs in Edinburgh and one in Aberdeen.

“Delicious, perfectly cooked Indian small plates always hit the spot” at this spin-off from the well-known Glasgow original, which – with a convenient and very atmospheric location – nowadays achieves greater feedback than the original. Although billed as ‘tapas’, “helpings are more than generous”.