The Dome
The Commercial Bank of Scotland used to run its headquarters out of this room, and the banking hall is now the bar.
Why go
Fourteen George Street has been a Physicians Hall and a bank before it was a restaurant, and The List picks the interior out as just as resplendent as the columns that adorn the exterior,
with the central dome as the focal point and the whole thing one of the most lavish spaces in Edinburgh for afternoon tea, cocktails or a bistro-style meal.
That piece was written in partnership with a drinks company, so read it as a description of the room and not as a judgment of it. The building runs four separate rooms, and SLTN named it Restaurant of the Year in its casual dining category in 2024.1
Order this / avoid
- Order: afternoon tea in the Georgian Tea Room, or a cocktail in the Front Bar.
- Avoid: booking blind. The Grill Room, the Club Room, the Georgian Tea Room and the Front Bar are four different rooms with four different formats.3
What locals & experts say
- SLTN Awards (2024): Restaurant of the Year, Casual Dining, listed on the trade paper's own winners roster as
The Dome, Edinburgh.
5 - Scottish Bar & Pub Awards (2025), reported by DRAM Scotland:
Gavin Ruthven (The Dome) named HOSPO Manager of the Year.
That title belongs to Ruthven rather than to the venue.2 - The List:
Formerly headquarters of the Commercial Bank Of Scotland, the interior here is just as resplendent as the columns that adorn the exterior.
The piece carries a William Grant & Sons partnership disclosure.1 - City of Edinburgh Council rated the premises Pass under the Food Hygiene Information Scheme on 23 April 2026.4
Good to know
- Booking: recommended, and worth naming which room you want.
- Groups: the Green Room takes up to 20 for private dining.3
- Getting there: mid George Street, five minutes from Princes Street and St Andrew Square.
- Hygiene: Food Hygiene Information Scheme Pass, inspected 23 April 2026.
Verdict
could-visit — The former headquarters of the Commercial Bank of Scotland on George Street, run now as four separate rooms under a central dome: a Grill Room, a Club Room, a Georgian Tea Room and a Front Bar, plus a Green Room that seats 20 for private dining. SLTN made it Restaurant of the Year in the casual dining category in 2024, and the Scottish Bar & Pub Awards made its manager Gavin Ruthven HOSPO Manager of the Year in 2025, which is his award rather than the kitchen's. No critic has published a line about the food. What it reliably solves is a group, an occasion, or an afternoon out of the rain in the middle of the New Town.