Stuart Ralston's Thistle Street dining room in New Town Edinburgh, opened in 2019, a Japanese-inflected small-plates kitchen in a former townhouse basement.
Signature dishes: Wagyu beef tataki, Charred octopus with miso
Must order: The wagyu tataki with truffle and the miso-glazed octopus that anchor the menu.
Tip: Bar seats look directly onto the sushi pass. Stuart's other rooms, Aizle and Tipo, sit within a four-minute walk.
Address: 47a Thistle Street, Edinburgh EH2 1DY
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: Hen of the wood with smoked egg yolk, Aged hogget with sea buckthorn
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.
Lloyd Morse, James Snowdon and Ruairidh Buchanan's Palmerston Place dining room in Edinburgh's West End, opened in 2021 in a former bank, a Michelin Bib-listed.
Signature: Whole roast chicken for two, Sourdough with cultured butter
Order: The whole roast chicken to share, and whatever fish has come off the East Coast that morning.
Tip: The bakery counter sells off the day's bread at 16:00 for the next morning. Sourdough and cinnamon buns go first.
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: Hen of the wood with smoked egg yolk, Aged hogget with sea buckthorn
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.
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.
