Heron
The Good Food Guide calls the canapes flawless: a nori cup of langoustine with tart plum and pressed cucumber, and a croustade of gribiche with Arbroath smokie.1
Why go
Heron opened in 2021 and won its MICHELIN star in 2023, which the guide's own Edinburgh travel article dates and credits to the chefs' impressive handling of fine Scottish produce.
3 The star is current in the 2026 guide, carried on both its Leith and City of Edinburgh directory cards. The restaurant sits on the Water of Leith looking out at the cranes of the old port, and the Good Food Guide describes light flooding an airy, high-ceilinged dining room through vast wraparound windows. Its inspector's account runs from a veal sweetbread coated in a sourdough glaze on creamy celeriac puree with candied walnut, through a single Hasselback Jersey Royal in oyster creme fraiche with cod roe, to a chocolate-dipped boule of salted caramel with chai ice cream.1 It was founded by Sam Yorke and Tomas Gormley, who then split: Harden's records that the duo have parted ways; while Yorke continues to lead Heron, Gormley is in charge of this venue,
meaning their Stockbridge sibling Skua.5
Order this / avoid
- Order: whatever the season puts in the canapes. Both write-ups start there, and the guide calls them flawless.1
- Order: the seafood. Time Out names hand-dived Orkney scallops with blood orange and mackerel with fig leaf and hazelnut from the menus it ate.2
- Avoid: treating anything written about Skua or Cardinal as a description of this kitchen. They are a former partner's rooms.
What locals & experts say
- The Good Food Guide, on the balance in a veal sweetbread that pairs
sugary bursts of candied walnut
againstintense, malty umami,
and on service thatbreaks with the stifling formality of traditional fine dining, pleasingly opting for a warm, cheerful and knowledgeable approach.
1 - Time Out Edinburgh (February 2026), five out of five:
Heron has made some serious moves since opening in 2021. It won a Michelin star in 2023 and spotlights farm to table dining.
2 - Stuart Ralston, asked by the Michelin Guide where to eat in Edinburgh (August 2025), names it alongside The Palmerston as
both brilliant examples of what Edinburgh does so well: local ingredients, proper cooking and a strong sense of place.
7 - MICHELIN Guide (2026): one star, first awarded 2023.9
Good to know
- Booking: essential.
- Format: a la carte plus two tasting menus, changing with the season, per Time Out's February 2026 update.2
- Hours: Time Out had it Wednesday to Friday from 5.30pm and weekends for lunch and dinner, closed Monday and Tuesday, as at February 2026. Check before you build a day around it.2
- Price: nobody publishes a figure.
- Hygiene: Food Hygiene Information Scheme Pass, inspected 14 May 2025.8
- Not the siblings: Skua in Stockbridge and Cardinal are Tomas Gormley's, and nothing written about them describes this kitchen.
Verdict
must-visit — A one-star kitchen on the Water of Leith, awarded in 2023 and held into the 2026 guide, led by Sam Yorke since the founding partnership split. The Good Food Guide's inspector calls the canapes flawless and describes a veal sweetbread in a savoury sourdough glaze on celeriac puree that balances sweetness against malty umami; Time Out gives it five out of five. The room is high-ceilinged with wraparound windows onto the old docks, and both write-ups single out service that is warm rather than formal. Book it.