Where Scotland’s Top Chef Eats in Edinburgh

A phenomenal edition filled with recommendations you won’t find anywhere else.

This week, we’re in Edinburgh with Tom Kitchin, chef-proprietor of The Kitchin, Scotland’s most celebrated restaurant.

Tom trained in Europe’s leading three-Michelin-star kitchens before opening The Kitchin in 2006. It earned a Michelin star just six months later, making him Scotland’s youngest Michelin-starred chef-proprietor at only 29. Nearly two decades on, the restaurant still holds that star, alongside five AA Rosettes, the highest rating awarded in the UK’s respected restaurant guide.

In addition to The Kitchin, Tom is the chef and owner of the gastropub The Scran & Scallie, which holds a Michelin Bib Gourmand for excellent food at great value. He was also selected by Belmond to create the menu for its celebrated Royal Scotsman train as it journeys through the Scottish Highlands.

This one is brilliant — fascinating and incredibly useful. If I were headed to Edinburgh, I wouldn’t use anything else. Below Tom shares:

• The restaurants he sends every visiting chef to, including an elevated take on the fish-and-chip shop, with every kind of fish you can imagine and champagne

• The Scottish dishes you cannot leave Edinburgh without eating, and the best restaurants to try each one

• The must-visit, centuries-old whisky bars

• The Scottish products to bring home, including a whisky vinegar (that almost no one knows about), and where to buy it

• And so much more

A Google Map with all of the locations mentioned is provided at the end of the interview.