Ardfern
10–12 Bonnington Road
The relaxed cafe and wine bar Leith was waiting for, Ardfern has become part of the fabric of the neighbourhood. Big breakfasts and brioche buns with coffee segue into long lunches, then onto delicious wines by the glass and small snacky plates later in the evening.

Avery 
54 St Stephen Street 
Dining at Avery is quite the experience. Dinner is ten to 14 courses: think raw razor clams with caviar and kuzu dumplings, langoustine with fermented pineapple and pickled cherry blossom, and eel sandwiched in nettle tempura. Experimental, delicious, and a lot of fun.

Montrose
1–7 Montrose Terrace
Built as one of Edinburgh’s first pubs, baronial-style Montrose House is home to wine and revelry once more. The ground-floor wine bar is a brilliant place to pop in for a glass of natural wine and a few oysters, or book a table upstairs for the four-course set-menu.

Sotto 
28–32 Deanhaugh Street 
Italian wines and big plates of pasta; what’s not to love? Sotto has a relaxed wine bar (hosting regular tasting sessions) upstairs, and an elegant trattoria downstairs serving homely Italian favourites. Try the courgette and sage fritti, followed by rigatoni alla norma with a glass of Barbera.

Stockbridge Eating House 
7 St Stephen Street 
Dale Mailley (Gardener’s Cottage/The Lookout) goes casual and hits the bullseye with his new venture. The daily-changing menu (think roasted grouse with girolles or grilled half lobster and chips) is first-rate, the vibe intimate and the bill super-affordable.