Cardinal
14 Eyre Place
Tomás Gormley’s Cardinal is a wee warren of rooms, muffled with thick black curtains and glowing with candlelight. Both lunch and dinner are curated, fixed-choice tasting affairs, with a steady flow of dishes arriving over several hours. Laid-back and quiet, it’s on the relaxed end of fine dining but is still a place for big celebrations or the kind of folk who like to bag the Michelin spots before the inspectors. 

Encore
2–4 Hope Street
This West End bar leans into its basement position to put some ooh in your la la. Possibly not terribly authentically Parisian, nevertheless it’s an absolute blast of campery and fun, with gorgeous booths, interesting bar snacks, live performers and signature cocktails. Pretty glassware is having a moment around town and Encore does not let the side down in this respect, so glam up, get those pinkies up, and go with it.

Margot
7–8 Barclay Terrace
Younger sister of the much-loved LeftField, Margot is a relaxed café by day, refined wine bar by night. That means coffee and croque Margot in the morning, then 23 wines by the glass and ten small plates as evening beckons. Sustainable Scottish seafood is a specialty, the wines are accessible yet surprising and the team’s enthusiasm is infectious, leading to a relaxed evening of sipping and nibbling.

Thamel
7 East London Street
The Himalayan hotpot here is deliciously tangy, the lamb naga packed with spice and the garlic naan dripping with butter. What’s not to love? Add in a subterranean craft cocktail bar hidden behind a bookshelf and you’ve got everything for an entire evening’s experience. Packed with plants and painted a riot of orange and yellow, the surroundings are just as delightful as the flavour-packed menu.

Under The Table
3a Dundas Street
A tasting menu at The Table will set you back £110 per person, but this new basement bistro next door offers the same level of finery for a much more accessible prix-fixe affair. Portions are on the small side but each dish, like hay-smoked mackerel and crab with elderflower, is packed with flavour and is a delicious ode to Scottish produce. You can always supplement your meal with some of the tempting sides.

Main picture: Stephen Lister.