Ardfern
Roberta Hall-McCarron's second Leith room cooks fourteen hours a day, seven days a week, which almost nothing at Bib Gourmand level does.
Why go
She opened it next door to her own Little Chartroom and named it for a village in Argyll and Bute. The MICHELIN inspector says its wine list will delight enthusiasts
.1 The Good Food Guide put it 33rd in Britain's 100 Best Local Restaurants for 2026, the highest of the four Edinburgh entries, ahead of The Palmerston at 36.5
Order this / avoid
- Order: the hash browns with whipped feta and jalapeno ketchup, which the inspector calls
a particular treat
.1 - Avoid: coming only for brunch. The small plates run in the evening, and the room is fullest in the morning.
What locals & experts say
- MICHELIN Guide (2026 edition):
You'd be a fool to miss the evening's small plates, however, which pack in plenty of flavour and have both a heartiness and a pleasing familiarity to them.
It has held the Bib Gourmand since the 2025 guide, which flagged it New that year, and kept it in 2026.1 - Stuart Ralston, chef-owner of LYLA, tipo and Noto (MICHELIN Guide, 2025):
a top choice when I want something fast but thoughtful. It's the kind of place where you can grab a bite that's comforting but still has personality. Solid cooking, relaxed setting. They get it just right.
2 - Tom Kitchin, chef-patron of The Kitchin (The Relisher, August 2026): Kitchin names this one of the three rooms he sends visiting chefs to.
I come here for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
On the range:The food runs from the simplest smash burger to the most amazing mussels, cooked inside with big croutons made from yesterday's sourdough. And from five o'clock, they serve amazing oysters.
He says it hastaken Edinburgh by storm
.4
Good to know
- Timing: 09:00 to 23:00, seven days.
- Booking: recommended, though a walk-in has a real chance here.
- Getting there: Bonnington Road in Leith, roughly half an hour on foot from the Royal Mile, or a short bus.
- Hygiene: Food Hygiene Information Scheme Pass, inspected 25 June 2025.
Jeff's take (his words)
- Note: "Bob gourmand 2025"
Verdict
should-visit — Roberta Hall-McCarron's second room, next door to The Little Chartroom, and it trades from nine in the morning to eleven at night, which in Fringe month makes it one of the few good kitchens you can actually walk into. It calls itself a cafe, bar and bottle shop; the Michelin inspector writes that the evening small plates are the reason to come, and names the hash browns with whipped feta and jalapeno ketchup. Stuart Ralston uses it as his fast-but-thoughtful default. It holds a Bib Gourmand, awarded in the 2025 guide and held in 2026, which is the guide saying the value is real. Its neighbour is the destination room, and that is what holds this one below must-visit; the cooking is doing its job.