The Edinburgh restaurants that are serving the best and most lavish Christmas menus
It’s not that many sleeps until the big day
There’s no more burying your head in the snow.
It’s Christma-a-a-s! Well, it’s not quite time for the Slade shout, but nearly.
If you’ve been tasked with arranging a festive lunch with pals, or colleagues, then let us suggest a few spangly places to visit.
Book up fast, so the smug organised types who bought their secret Santa gifts in the boxing day sales don’t get in there first.
We’re off to Stockbridge wearing our sparkly partywear, as, from now until Chrimbo, this Italian wine bar and restaurant is offering three courses for £45pp (or £60, if you slide in an additional primi course of a tortellini in brodo). Options include a cauliflower soup with black winter truffle for starters, and a main course of roast pork belly with herbs and garlic, roast potatoes, hispi cabbage and apple mostarda.
28-32 Deanshaugh Street, Edinburgh, www.sottoedinburgh.comr
WEDGWOOD THE RESTAURANT
They’ve always been on the ball (or should that be bauble), when it comes to jolly Christmas menus at this stalwart restaurant. This year’s is available from December 1-24 and costs £37.50 for two courses, £42.50 for three. If we were ordering, we’d start with the Douglas fir cured salmon, beetroot, kombu, orange and sesame, then the braised beef, clapshot, cabbage and jus, with sticky gingerbread pudding and spiced butterscotch sauce to finish.
Royal Mile, 267 Canongate, Edinburgh, www.wedgwoodtherestaurant.co.uk
Alongside their brunch and dinner menu, the team at top chef Roberta Hall-McCarron’s newest restaurant will be serving a festive set menu priced at £45pp. It’s available from December 1 to 24, Monday to Friday from 9am-2.30pm and 5-9pm; Saturday from 9am until 9pm and Sundays 9am until 5.30pm. Starters include oyster and nori hot sauce or hash brown with sprout kimchi, mains such as turkey flatbread, cranberry hot sauce, castelfranco and gravy mayo, and a single crowd-pleasing pud of Basque cheesecake.
10-12 Bonnington Road, Edinburgh Instagram @ardfern_edinburgh
The Christmas decorations are certainly Christmas decoration-ing at this Italian family restaurant. It looks better than The Dome, in our humble opinion. They’re offering a two course festive lunch or dinner at £42.50pp, or three courses for £52.50. Except dishes such as the chianti classico slow-cooked beef cheek, 18th month aged Parmigiano Reggiano DOP mashed potato with cavolo nero and salsa verde, followed by a 70 per cent chocolate mousse made with their own extra virgin olive oil. Buon natale.
103 George Street, www.contini.com
THAMEL
This Nepalese restaurant is really spoiling us, with their festive menu, which is available from now until Christmas. It's a four course list that includes a glass of Taittinger Champagne for £40pp. It’s not a set option, so diners can choose from various meat or vegetarian mains, from a green leaf tarkari, to a Manchurian chilli chicken that will heat you up faster than an electric blanket turned up to max.
7-11 East London Street, Edinburgh, www.thamel.co.uk
We sometimes forget about this lovely restaurant, though it remains a firm favourite. On Saturdays and Sundays throughout December, from noon until 2pm, it’s offering a gorgeous Xmas lunch. It’s pretty non-traditional, bar the excellent addition of a clootie dumpling, and features dishes including duck, quince, hazelnut and potato.
15 Roseneath Street, Edinburgh, www.restaurantnadair.com
HAWKSMOOR
If you’re no Grinch and are lucky enough to know seven or more people, then this place will sort you out. Their Festive Sharing Menu starts from £65 a head for the Moonlighter food list, with options including steak, steak or more steak, and sides including maple glazed cows in blankets or Brussels sprouts, chestnuts and bacon.
23 West Register Street, Edinburgh, www.thehawksmoor.com
BRASSERIE PRINCE
Available from November 14 and throughout December, Monday to Friday only, this smart restaurant on the ground floor of Edinburgh’s finest five-star hotel, The Balmoral, is offering a festive lunch, with three courses for £49pp. They’ve gone reasonably traditional, except with French flair, so you could have a main course of roast turkey, pigs in blanket and ‘traditional garnish’, which must be shorthand for ‘all the trimmings’, or oeufs en cocotte, haddock fume and poireaux. Christmas pudding and brandy butter is on the dessert menu, so we’re happy.
1 Princes Street, Edinburgh, www.roccofortehotels.com
CHEZ JULES
You can depend on this place to come up with an affordable lunch menu. This year’s offering is £26.90 and is available from December 1-24, from noon until 4.30pm. Starters include pork terrine with onion chutney and toast, and, for mains, go for turkey and all the accompanying shenanigans or skirt steak with pepper sauce, among many other options. Stilton, chutney and oatcakes is one of the pudding options for non-sweet-toothed peeps.
109 Hanover Street, Edinburgh, www.chezjulesbistro.com
It’s not in Edinburgh, but we thought we’d give it a mention anyway, since Wilkieston isn’t that far away. This year, the team at this sculpture park have gone Santa-tastic, and there are loads of festive events, from a Santa’s grotto to Christmas film screenings. From December 6-14, they’ll also be serving Festive Afternoon Tea in the XMUSE Snowdome, which overlooks Joana Casconcelos’ colourful Gateway pool. Expect cava, seasonal cakes, patisserie, savoury bites, admission to the sculpture park and a gratis gift from the Festive Shop, all for £60pp.
The Steading, Bonnington House, www.jupiterartland.org
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