The story
Ardfern is the third venue from chef Roberta Hall-McCarron and the team behind The Little Chartroom and eleanore. It operates as a cafe, bar and bottle shop in Leith, Edinburgh, open from early until late, seven days a week.
The space offers brunch, evening menus, and bar snacks throughout the day. Brunch is served from 9am, bar snacks from 11am, and the evening menu from 5pm. The kitchen’s approach to international cuisine is rooted in Scottish produce, a philosophy Hall-McCarron explores in her cookbook The Changing Tides, which highlights hyper-seasonal ingredients from game to seafood and wild mushrooms.
Alongside the food, Ardfern stocks a carefully curated selection of over 100 wines available to drink in or take away. The bottle shop also offers wine packs, spirits, and house-made provisions such as nori hot sauce and chicken skin with peanut chilli crunch.
The restaurant earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand in 2026, a recognition for good quality, good value cooking that reflects the consistent standard of Hall-McCarron’s kitchens. Walk-ins are welcome, and dogs are allowed.
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good quality, good value cooking
Next door to its elder sibling, the Little Chartroom, this all-day venue is the McCarrons' first foray into casual eating. Open all day, the compact café, wine bar and bottle shop offers a flexible menu that deals in everything from full breakfasts (with very good coffee) to brunchy kedgeree fritters with curry mayo and cured egg yolk or BBQ flatbread with ox tongue and romesco – though with the likes of crispy squid bun with mushroom XO and baby gem also on offer, it’s possible to assemble a three-course dinner from the various options. And there are terrific Sunday roasts, too. The bottle shop’s range is included in the wine list (add corkage to the shelf price), or you can sip local beers and cocktails. 'Lovely staff, cool atmosphere,' comments one reporter.
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