5 excellent Edinburgh private dining experiences

2014 Scottish Chef of the Year, Neil Forbes and his kitchen take the very best Scottish produce and ingredients and dish up classic French cuisine that’s local, seasonal, and the embodiment of the slow food philosophy.

The café is tucked away down a picturesque cobbled lane in New Town with a cobalt blue façade contrasting against Craigleith sandstone. The inside evokes a Parisian bistro while the menu plays the bagpipes and gets footloose at a cèilidh.

Café St Honoré is cosy, intimate, and candlelit, and while there is no private dining room, it’s toaty and lends itself well to full private hire for a special occasion. Chef Forbes and his team are no strangers to private events either.

For an Edinburgh private dining experience with an ambience as good as the food, look no further than Café St Honoré.

Headed by Chef Mathew Sherry, Number One is the Balmoral Hotel’s 4 AA Rosette Restaurant serving modern Scottish dishes with the finest ingredients sourced from exceptional suppliers.

The private dining room at Number One is graceful and sophisticated, modern without being minimalist. It seats ten guests in a room of neutral tones with dark wood tones.

This is luxury and Edinburgh private dining at its finest. Expect a bespoke menu, designed completely tailored to your special occasion or select the restaurant’s seven-course tasting menu highlighting Chef Sherry’s culinary expertise accompanied by fine wines selected by Number One’s sommelier.

Bringing a little Argentinian heat and sizzle to the windswept streets of Edinburgh, Gaucho’s location in the capital city is darkly stylish and ultra-modern.

The Wine Room seats 14 in a moodily lit private dining room decorated with eye-catching displays of wine bottles, crowned by unique pendant lights. You and your guests can dine on fine Argentinian-style steak and choose from a collection of over 200 wines to complement. In a beautiful marriage between the two countries, Gaucho Edinburgh also offers an extensive range of Scottish whiskies. Wine or whisky? What’ll it be?

Gaucho Edinburgh is located in St Andrew’s Square in New Town just a five-minute walk from Waverley Station. The entire restaurant with a capacity of 120 seated guests is also available for an exclusive private hire.

Located within the historic Pompadour restaurant at The Caledonian Hotel on Princes Street you will find an Edinburgh private dining experience that evokes the cake-like decadence of 18th-century Rococo.

Dean Banks’ evolving menu reflects the seasons, offering the best of Scottish land and sea. Guests can experience the finest Scottish ingredients and Dean Banks’ passion for local, seasonal food with an exquisite tasting menu featuring cured trout and Orkney scallop, with a vegan tasting menu also available (both priced at £115 per person).

The Edinburgh private dining room offers stunning views of Edinburgh Castle and Princes Street Gardens through panoramic arched windows and can accommodate 10 - 12 guests. The Pompadour’s main restaurant is also available for exclusive private hire.

La Garrigue is a well-known, well-loved Edinburgh restaurant, loved for its charming blue interior, excellent hospitality, and French dishes inspired by the rich flavours of the Languedoc region, situated on the French Mediterranean coast.

While the wee restaurant doesn’t have a private dining room, the hospitality at La Garrigue accommodates semi-private bookings and full restaurant private hire for special occasions. This is an Edinburgh private dining experience that won’t break the bank. The welcoming interior is dominated by blue walls exhibiting idyllic pastoral artwork, signature blue wine glasses, tables topped with bottles of flowers, and wood accents throughout.

Classic, rustic French dishes paired with a curated selection of wines. Expect the finest ingredients, world-class services, and an atmosphere that makes you want to spend hours enjoying good food and good wine.