North Bridge Brasserie
- Food served: Mon–Sat noon–2pm, 5.30–10pm; Sun noon–2pm, 5.30–10pm.
- Pre-theatre times: Mon–Sun 5.30–6.30pm
- Bar open: Sun–Thu 11am–midnight; Fri/Sat 11am–1am.
- Number of wines sold by the glass: 21
- Also offers: Gluten-free options, Children's portions, Children's high chairs, Wheelchair access, Pre-theatre menu
- Music on stereo: Easy listening
- Opening times: Sun–Thu 11am–11pm; Fri/Sat 11–1am
- Capacity: 90
- Largest group: 8 for à la carte. Entire restaurant considered by management (chef's selection menu for large booking)
- Open since: 2001
- Average price:
£17.50 (set lunch)
£25 (evening meal) - Pre-theatre price: £17.50
- House wine: £18.55 per bottle
Send us more details about this place.
The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).
This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.
Once you have flattened-out the rather fussy rolled-up menu, there is plenty of rewarding reading here for lunch or a night out. This brasserie in the former printing hall of The Scotsman newspaper is ideal for large groups, though there's plenty of tables set in more intimate corners on both levels. Service is welcoming and the menu reads like a food map of Scotland: Eyemouth crab, Loch Duart salmon, Skye mussels and Gigha halibut. Mostly, it’s put to good use, too. Pan-fried scallops marry well with slow-cooked Peelham Farm organic pork belly, though creamy Anster cheese sauce somewhat overwhelms the crab in a macaroni ‘thermidor’. Main courses such as Black Isle pork cheeks have the tenderness that comes from slow careful cooking. Pan-fried halibut is paired with an earthy cabbage and bacon mix, topped with potted brown shrimp. Desserts fly the culinary saltire again: Selkirk Bannock forms the 'bread' in the bread and butter pudding. An in-season serving of rhubarb and vanilla brûlée definitely didn’t need a layer of crumble, however.
- High point: Warm welcome to Scotland’s larder
- Low point: Too many dishes served lukewarm.
The LIST Card F7
This restaurant offers the standard 2-for-1 LIST Card promotion for:
Lunch: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu
Dinner: Mon, Tue, Wed, Thu, Sun
Exclusions: Public Holidays, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve
Remember: book by phone (0131 622 2900) and ask for a LIST Card booking.
North Bridge Brasserie
The following information has been provided by the restaurant.
North Bridge Brasserie & Bar is set in The Scotsman Hotel, one of Edinburgh’s leading luxury hotels and a member of The Leading Hotels of the World. The hotel occupies the former offices of The Scotsman newspaper, which inhabited the building for nearly a century. North Bridge Brasserie & Bar is set in the newspaper’s former marble reception hall and access to it is through the building’s original main door.
Tables are set in intimate coves and booths on the ground floor as well as around the walls of the gallery level. A stunningly contemporary steel staircase connects the two floors. In the centre of the room flanked on each side by four imposing marble pillars lies the modern cocktail and wine bar.
The menu consists of modern Scottish dishes with a focus on seafood and fresh local produce.
The LIST Card is a dining scheme that gives you promotional two-for-one offers at a range of restaurants in Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond. Find out more.
Reviews of North Bridge Brasserie (20 North Bridge, Edinburgh)
- 3. Nicola D, Edinburgh – 10 November 2010, 1:54pm
North Bridge BrasserieReport -
I ate here last night with a friend and was hugely impressed.
The service was excellent throughout with a very attentive and friendly waitress called Linda. The food was fantastic. We were given fresh bread to nibble on when we came in. My friend opted for a chicken and gnocci main course while I opted for a roast cod dish. Both were good sized portions and well presented. The cod was clearly fresh and the accompanying marinated plum tomatoes and lentils went very well with it. The desserts (Creme Brulee and a custard) were also lovely.
I would really recommend this place - lovely setting, great food and friendly service.
- 2. Lulu, Edinburgh – 13 March 2009, 2:01pm
North Bridge BrasserieReport -
One thing is for sure, the quality of food in this place cannot be questioned. Our parsnip soup was deliciously sweet and there were plenty rolls to go around. Onto the mains - the fish and veg risotto - were cooked to perfection. The desserts were commendably different from other restaurants. Unlike other fine dining establishments, the portions were of a good size and we couldn't have fitted anything else in. However, the one thing that lets this place down is the prices of the starters (up to £9.50) and the drinks (£5 for a glass of wine). It adds a lot onto the meal and it's the sort of place where ordering a tap water would definitely be seen as a faux pas.
- 1. Gaelle, Scotland – 12 September 2008, 12:37pmNorth Bridge BrasserieReport
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Great building and service, but gosh, anything from the main course is over priced: I ordered a plate of cheese for £6.5 and I received 5 tiny pieces of cheese (all 1 cm by 1 cm) and a small glass of wine was over £5 (don't get me wrong, the wine was very good). I eat very frequently out and most of the time in fine restaurants. The experience at the North Bridge Brasserie was spoiled by the disproportion between prices and offering.
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