Stuart Ralston's Garden Room kitchen inside the Kimpton Charlotte Square in Edinburgh, opened 2014 (relocated 2020), a no-choice market-driven tasting menu.
Signature dishes: Hen of the wood with smoked egg yolk, Aged hogget with sea buckthorn
Must order: The six-course set menu changes weekly; whatever appears on the harvest board that month.
Tip: The hotel terrace is open to walk-ups for a glass of fizz before service. Lunch is half the dinner price and runs the same menu.
Address: Garden Room, The Kimpton Charlotte Square Hotel, 38 Charlotte Square, Edinburgh EH2 4HQ
The New Town offshoot of the Leith Fishers seafood mini-chain in Edinburgh, on Thistle Street since 2001, a brasserie-style room running East Coast fish.
Signature: Cullen skink, Whole grilled lemon sole
Order: Cullen skink for starters and the whole grilled lemon sole with brown butter.
Tip: The original Fishers Bistro on the Shore in Leith is the smaller, more atmospheric sibling if you want the Old Port version.
Roy Brett's George IV Bridge oyster bar and dining room in the Old Town of Edinburgh, opened in 2009, a Royal-Mile-adjacent seafood kitchen with day-boat fish.
Signature: Native lobster Newburg, Plateau de fruits de mer
Order: The plateau de fruits de mer for two and a half-dozen native rock oysters from Loch Fyne.
Tip: Pre-theatre lunch from 12:00 to 18:00 is the value play. The horseshoe counter holds 10 walk-up seats at any time.
James Thomson's medieval-tavern dining room at the top of the Royal Mile in Edinburgh, opened 1979 inside Boswell's Court, the city's heritage-cuisine landmark.
Signature: Scotch beef Wellington, Edinburgh haggis with whisky cream
Order: The Scotch beef Wellington for two and the haggis with whisky-cream sauce as a starter.
Tip: Ask for The Secret Garden, the second dining room down the stairs; the candlelit version of the experience.
Edward Murray and Dale Mailley's stone-cottage kitchen in Royal Terrace Gardens in Edinburgh, opened 2012, a shared-table no-choice set-menu room with produce.
Signature: Daily-changing seven-course set menu, Sourdough with cultured butter
Order: There is no choice. The fixed seven-course set menu changes daily; bring an appetite.
Tip: Communal long-table seating; book three days ahead for the popular Friday-night sittings. Bring cash for the wine pairing.
Tom Kitchin and Dominic Jack's Stockbridge gastropub in Edinburgh, opened 2013, the casual-counterpart to The Kitchin running British classics in a Comely Bank.
Signature: Fish and chips with mushy peas, Cullen skink
Order: The fish and chips with mushy peas, plus a starter of Cullen skink to share.
Tip: The kids' menu is not patronising; the meatballs and mash is a proper plate. Sunday roast books out a week ahead.
The Edinburgh outpost of London's Bombay-Irani cafe chain on St Andrew Square, opened in 2016, a 200-cover all-day room in the old Bank of Scotland HQ building.
Signature: Bacon naan roll, House black daal
Order: The bacon naan roll for breakfast and the 24-hour house black daal at any other meal.
Tip: No dinner bookings under six; walk in from 17:30 and the wait is 30 to 60 minutes. Drinks at the basement bar while you wait.
The New Town offshoot of the Leith Fishers seafood mini-chain in Edinburgh, on Thistle Street since 2001, a brasserie-style room running East Coast fish.
Signature: Cullen skink, Whole grilled lemon sole
Order: Cullen skink for starters and the whole grilled lemon sole with brown butter.
Tip: The original Fishers Bistro on the Shore in Leith is the smaller, more atmospheric sibling if you want the Old Port version.
