The story
Number One occupies a singular position on Edinburgh's dining scene. Situated within The Balmoral Hotel at 1 Princes Street, it holds four AA Rosettes, carries a Michelin Guide recommendation, and features in La Liste among the world's best restaurants. The Wine Spectator Award of Excellence further underscores a commitment to quality that extends from the kitchen to the cellar.
The cooking is rooted in seasonal British produce, sourced from a carefully maintained list of trusted suppliers. Head Chef John Munro — who joined Number One as Senior Sous Chef in 2022, having previously worked at the Michelin-starred The Black Swan and Edinburgh's The Little Chartroom — leads the kitchen with a clear point of view: Scottish ingredients, classic flavour combinations, and a modern sensibility that avoids novelty for its own sake. In 2024, Munro introduced the restaurant's first beehive, adding the role of head beekeeper to his responsibilities — a detail that speaks to the seriousness with which provenance is taken here.
Dinner at Number One is structured around a five-course tasting menu alongside a three-course choice menu, both showcasing seasonal produce at its best. The format gives the kitchen room to express what Scottish cuisine can be when treated with precision and care, without overwhelming guests with endless courses.
Front of house is in equally considered hands. Restaurant Manager Emma Hemy, named Hotel Restaurant Manager of the Year in 2021, and Assistant Manager Keith McGregor — an Edinburgh local — oversee a team that the restaurant describes as delivering "world-class hospitality." The atmosphere is formal enough to feel like an occasion, but the dress code is relaxed: smart-casual is the recommendation, with the emphasis on respecting the setting rather than adhering to rigid rules.
For those seeking something more private, a dedicated dining room seats up to ten guests — an intimate space with a sophisticated design suited to special events or business dinners.
What distinguishes Number One is the coherence between its ambitions and its execution. The seasonal British cooking here isn't a marketing position — it's reflected in the sourcing, the menus, and even the beehives on the premises. The recognition from guides and publications is the result of consistent, grounded work rather than a moment of attention.
Number One is open Thursday through Monday for dinner.
Recognition
Ambience
Details
History
*Senior sous-chef Jon Munro has been promoted to head chef, replacing Mathew Sherry.* In a city with a vibrant farm-to-fork and supper club scene, Number One oozes olde-worlde opulence. Descending from the entrance on Princes Street, the restaurant (all red lacquered walls, well-spaced tables and elegant banquettes) is sumptuous without feeling stuffy. Nowadays, being crammed around rustic communal tables is often the tasting-menu norm; seated binocular-scanning distance from other diners feels like a novelty. Choose between a three- and seven-course taster, which naturally showcases Scotland's larder, with producers name-checked on the back – the salmon and langoustines, for example, are from fourth-generation fishmongers George Campbell & Sons, while honey is harvested from an apiary on the hotel's roof. This is faultless fine dining from head chef Matthew Sherry, with more than a dash of old-school, grown-up glamour for good measure, opening with exquisite amuse-bouches ranging from tiny potato scones layered with egg, salmon and salty caviar to subtly seasoned beef tartare in a crisp, crumbly pastry case. Warm, just-baked sourdough comes with a shiny globe of Orkney butter, while a sliver of Shetland salmon with minuscule cucumber balls, soy, sesame, peanut and coriander is sweetly aromatic. Tortellini of veal sweetbread swims in earthy foam on a bed of caramelised Roscoff onion and a green peppercorn sauce, while venison (roe deer from the local Hopetoun Estate) with cauliflower, mustard and kale is a hearty, traditional plateful. Dishes reveal a feather-light touch and intricate detailing, exemplified by a dessert of 'Tomlinson's rhubarb' – a delicate mousse in a sweet glazed case with a sharp compôte and candied almonds. The wine list is a real page-turner that gallops around the globe, taking diners on a whistle-stop tour of the Lebanon and Bulgaria with longer stopovers in French regions such as Burgundy and the Loire; there are plenty of by-the-glass selections too.
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