10 of the best festive feasts in Edinburgh

Festive feasts – the words just roll off the tongue. It's not just because alliteration is cool – it's meant to be. As such, we've rounded up 10 of Edinburgh's best seasonal gastronomic endeavours... yeah, festive feasts sounds better.

Chop House

Things are getting festive at Edinburgh’s favourite steak restaurant, with seasonal menus to suit everyone from December 2nd to 24th. For the office Christmas lunch (for parties of four or more), there’s three courses for just £28 with tons of tempting options, including a delicious whisky-cured salmon, the signature 35-day dry aged beef with bone marrow potato gratin and a decadent toffee apple crumble. Or, for the ultimate Christmas blow out (for parties of six or more), there’s the £50 festive feast menu – see, everyone’s down with the saying – that showcases Chop House’s sharing cuts of beef cooked over the coals and served with a selection of sauces and sides. The festive menus are available at all three Chop House restaurants in Bruntsfield, Leith and Market Street and must be pre-booked. Email christmas@chophousesteak.co.uk if you want to reserve a spot.

Chop House Market St, Arch 15, East Market St, EH8 8FS

Chop House Leith, 102 Constitution St, Leith, EH6 6AW

Chop House Bruntsfield, 88 Bruntsfield Place, EH10 4HG

Grazing by Mark Greenaway

Found in The Caledonian hotel – which is suitably suited and booted for Christmas with the kind of grandiosity you would expect – we’ve opted for the Festive Party menu at Grazing by Mark Greenaway (available from December 2nd to 24th). For £39.50 per person, you can enjoy a three-course menu that features (among many others), tantalising prospects such as prunes tempura soft shell crab, carved Scottish free range turkey with all the trimmings or Christmas pudding parfait with rum-soaked raisins and hazelnut tuille.
Grazing by Mark Greenaway, Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh – The Caledonian, Rutland St, EH1 2AB, Tel: 0131 222 8857 or email christmas.reservations@waldorfastoria.com

The Scotch Malt Whisky Society

Imbibe the festive spirit at The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Queen Street Dining
Room. Contrary to popular belief, the modern and elegant Dining Room is open to all,
no membership required, meaning anyone can enjoy the breath-taking views and a critically-lauded menu. The Festive Menu (available for groups of six or more, £50 per person), includes delicious dishes such as salmon cured in whisky with fennel, orange and crowdie and ravioli with pumpkin, chestnut and a pecorino cheese sauce.
The Scotch Malt Whisky Society’s Queen Street Dining Room, 28 Queen St, EH2 1JX, Tel: 0131 220 2044 or visit www.smws.com/about/venues/28-queen-street

Hotel du Vin

A classic case of festive feast if ever there was one with the bistro’s three-course menu (available for lunch and dinner, starting at £29.95) featuring – among others we should add – elevated crowd-pleasers such as duck liver parfait with plum and fig chutney; roast free range turkey ballotine with traditional trimmings and desserts like classic Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. Hotel du Vin,
11 Bristo Pl, Edinburgh EH1 1EZ, Tel: 0131 285 1479 or email  events.edinburgh@hotelduvin.com

One Square

Dine with a view of Edinburgh Castle in the relaxed setting of One Square. The modern restaurant is offering a a two and three-course menu (£25 and and £29.50 respectively), available for lunch and dinner featuring top-shelf delights such as croquette of tender chicken leg and red cabbage with baby sweetcorn and juicy tomato relish to start. Then you can tuck tuck into a delicious pan fried fillet of sea bass with warm Carroll’s Heritage Pippa Potato salad and marinated sweet pear. Finish off with dark chocolate mousse with white chocolate sorbet. If you fancy a more intimate setting, private dining is available for groups of 10 for £35 per person or more and includes a glass of prosecco.
One Square, Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa, Edinburgh EH3 9SR, Tel: 0131 229 9131 or email festive.sheratongrand@sheraton.co.uk

Brasserie Prince

Bringing a sense of French nuance to the unstoppable juggernaut that is festive feasting is Alain Roux's Brasserie Prince at the Balmoral. Available for lunch and dinner, the three-course menu features a pleasing juxtaposition of the rustic and the delicate across it's many incredible dishes with starters such as Grandpa Roux's country pate with sourdough brioch, Armoricaine monkfish with Carmargue wild rice. All this can be rounded off with a delicious Prince Christmas pudding with brandy sauce. 
Brasserie Prince, 1 Princes St, EH2 2EQ, Tel: 0131 557 5000 or email brasserieprince@roccofortehotels.com

Nor Loft

If you're looking for a bit of a change from the usual this year. Nor Loft are offering three for two on their delicious small plates – need some help choosing? They're all good, but we have a special place in our hearts for the brie and Champagne fondue, queenie scallops and Ayrshire pork, rounded off with apple tart tartin. If you fancy going a bit more rustic on your festive feasting, you can also indulge in a charcuterie board and a bottle of wine to share from £35 all through December.
Nor Loft, Market Street Hotel,  58A N Castle St, Edinburgh EH2 3LU, book at table here

The Honours

In what must be the richest and most sumptuous festive feast in Edinburgh, The Honours Festive menu isn't messing about. Available for lunch and dinner from December 3rd to the 21st (two courses for £32.50 and three for 38.50, you can enjoy an incredible feast that includes (among others) – Ballotine of foie gras with truffle and walnut vinaigrette and toasted brioce to kick off, followed by slow-roasted free range turkey with creamed brussels sprouts, garlic and rosemary roasted Marabel potatoes, served with armanac jus and bread sauce. 
The Honours, 8A N Castle St, EH2 3LU, Tel: 0131 220 2513, book a table here

Tigerlily

Available throughout Decemeber for lunch and dinner (although they're closed on Christmas day), the George Street mainstay is offering a unique menu that mixes the classics we would all expect, but with some fun surprises. It's a cracking menu but we've got our eye on the sweet potato and toasted cumin fishcakes with tamarind sauce to start – that's on lockdown. When it comes to mains though, there will be no messing about when it comes to the roast turkey – get ready for this – wrapped in pancetta, served with chesnut & shallot stuffing, honey-glazed root vegetables, duck fat roasted potatoes, pigs in blankets, as well as cranberry and port sauce (phew). If you've any room after that, then don't faff about, admit to yourself that you want the dark chocolate & cherry fudge cake with Tia Maria cream, then eat it. Don't feel guilty. You did the right thing. 
Tigerlily, 125 George St, EH2 4JN, Tel: 0131 225 5005, book a table by emailing sam@tigerlilyedinburgh.co.uk 

Restoration Yard

If you're out for a festive jaunt with the family at Dalkeith Country Park, or checking the amazing new Spectacle of Light, be sure to stop in to Restoration Yard for a delicious lunch. Get with the festive feats program and go for the seasonal and comforting seven hour lamb hot pot with parsnips, carrots, turnips, new potatoes and rosemary gravy (£14), with a generous side of rosemary fries (£3.95). 
Restoration Yard, Dalkeith Country Park, Dalkeith EH22 1ST, Tel: 0131 654 1666, book a table here