The Honours

I absolutely love the Honours!
The oysters are very fresh and worth trying. As far as the starters are concerned, I would recommend the hand-​rolled tagliatelle with scallops. The crab cappuccino was too creamy. The pumpkin and vanilla risotto and Wishart’s blend salmon are also worth trying. I want to try the sea bass tartare on my next visit.
We always have THE HONOURS CHATEAUBRIAND for the main course. It is always cooked to perfection, medium-​rare, tender, smooth, delicious, and well-​seasoned! The duck fat chips are also a must.
Desserts: the apple tart and the Honours sundae are good. However, the star of the dessert selection is the Soufflé. I always want to try the Tiramisu when I go there but I always end up ordering the Soufflé — it is the best Soufflé I have had. Dark chocolate with mint, served with ice cream. The consistency is perfect, the taste is orgasmic. You can’t go wrong if you order the Soufflé.

Just wow oh wow. This place is ah-​mazing and a must go!
I went with my partner to celebrate our seven year anniversary and am so glad we picked the perfect place. We booked a few weeks in advance just to make sure we’d have a place even though it was a Tuesday night. Throughout the evening the place did fill up so probably just as well.
The staff were nothing but attentive, friendly and oh so helpful. At the recommendation of a friend, we had the scallops with fresh pasta, entrée size. Prepare to pay £16 for two scallops and about 5 pieces of pasta, but it was absolutely delicious, I’ve never had a scallop cooked so perfectly.
We ordered the chateaubriand that was a special for the evening and paired our wine with the meal. This came with salad, duck fat fries and onion rings. The meal, whilst it looked huge, was actually perfect for two. Quite pricey at £70, but you’ll have to get over the fact the place is pricey and just go with it (you’ll enjoy your meal much more then!) Our meat was cooked at a perfect medium rare, even cook throughout with a good crust and delightful glaze. Duck fat chips were sparse but perfectly cooked through. Even the salad was perfect down to the tiny micro herbs throughout.
For dessert, the pear soufflé and honours sundae were chosen. Both impeccable. You could see the attention to detail given to each and every bit of the meal by the chefs.
Lastly, we were given pistachio marzipan sweets with ‘happy anniversary’ by the staff. So it was a total fluke as they got us confused with another couple celebrating their anniversary, but it was an accident that worked out well for all!
I could not reccomend this place highly enough and cannot wait to return!

Absolutely delicious! I almost ordered another side of mashed potatoes for desert. Gin fizzed oysters and my acorn fed pork could not have been better.
Very quaint inside! Staff was very helpful too. I will definitely be back if I come back to Scotland.

Took a friend here to have a sort of celebratory dinner right after the opening of her Fringe show. Food and service were impeccable. it was just what I hoped it would be. Nice that Martin Wishart decided to do a sort of bridge line bistro. Recommend highly.

The Honours feels like a bit of Paris in Edinburgh. The exquisite food and attentive service reminds me more of Paris’ Taillevant than most restaurants.
The team have matched incredible Scottish ingredients with French cuisine to create an almost Franco-​Ecosse fusion.
I’d recommend asking for suggestions of wine pairings!

I ate at the Honours in September and I am still thinking about my visit! We went for my birthday and had a brilliant meal.
Please, please, please try the chateaubriand. It WAS the best thing I ate in 2014. It melts in your mouth. The sauce is to die for (really). The chateaubriand is for two people and comes with über posh chips and veg. I have eaten many steaks in my life and I think that this was my favourite. In fact, I have been using this meal in my mind as the epitome of food perfection (oh yah!)
Service was how you expect — top notch.
Tip: Ensure you book far in advance of your proposed date/​time.

It’s finally happened — a 5 star dining review in Edinburgh. Not only that — 5 star dining in a place I can afford to enjoy again! Yay!
We attended To celebrate my sisters graduation, but The honours is the perfect balance of casual brasserie and upmarket venue. The décor is BEAUTIFUL — tasteful, airy and bright. There is also a comfy, casual bar area with a creative cocktail list for a pre or post dinner tipple.
This place is one well oiled machine; knowledgable and welcoming waiters knew the menu inside out, recommended wines for all dishes and swooped in and out of service efficiently and swiftly. They were really busy but service was impeccable — I was impressed!
But onto the food — the highlight. To start was the crab cappuccino, a salty frothy soup with chunks of crab and Parmesan. This was deliciously rich but the portion siZe was ambitious. Even with help from my fellow diners it was left unfinished!
My main, the lamb Tagine with cous cous, was unreal. Perfectly sweet, perfectly Al Dente cous cous and meat that fell apart to the touch. Plate licked clean! Others went for the Honours signature grills; perfectly grilled steaks glazed with an almost BBQ style sauce. No bernaise needed as the meat and marinade alone packed a flavourful punch!
For dessert, a classy sundae — with chunks of honeycomb and stewed banana, served in a martini glass. Perfect end to a perfect meal!
While no means a cheap restaurant, the honours provides superb quality food at a realistic price tag. I’m already planning my eats for next time…

Finally the New Town gets a great restaurant! I cannot find fault.

The food was good, with a nice range of choices throughout. The quality of ingredients was obvious and really drove the steak-​on-​bone option that I chose. I can honestly say that the oysters were the best I’ve ever tasted. The meal was not overly complex but it’s simplicity was made up for with taste. I found what really made The Honours was the exceptional service. The waiter was attentive without being overbearing and had a fantastic knowledge of the menu and wine. I really enjoyed the décor and ambiance of the restaurant, bar the horrendous music played throughout the evening — luckily at a volume which wasn’t too noticeable. In future I would also like to see some more homemade condiments on offer, for example the mayonnaise was store bought, something I would not have expected at a restaurant of this quality.
To sum up, the food was very good, the atmosphere was great and I would definitely recommend to those looking for a luxurious, well priced, dining experience in Edinburgh.

This lovely little brasserie was the perfect spot for a grand dinner with an old friend I hadn’t seen in seven years. It’s elegant but not fussy, busy but not too noisy for a good chinwag. Our servers were knowledgeable about the wine lists and food, so we were very comfortable asking for recommendations.
I was disappointed that there was only one meatless entrée. The menu says you can make special requests, and if I had known that earlier in the day I would have called ahead. But I’m also not militant about my preference, so I decided to just suck it up and ordered the chicken, with glazed carrots and baby new potatoes, in the hopes of a light, healthy-​ish meal.
The chicken was very good with a sweet sticky glaze, but hard to eat in an elegant setting without a lot of sawing and wrenching off the bone.
The carrots arrived in more glaze that I thought was much too sweet for dinner. The potatoes looked like sausages and I had to ask the server to confirm their identity. They were tasty, but seemed a bit oily and more deep fried than roasted.
After a very generous serving of crème brûlée, I was ready to either explode or pass out.
I think if I’d ordered a different meal I may have enjoyed it more. But the combination of the sugary glazes, oil, and dairy were too rich and heavy for me.
If you dine here don’t make plans for afterwards unless it involves laying on a couch. And if you’re a strict vegetarian or vegan, make arrangements with the kitchen before you arrive.

Nice restaurant, but didn’t exactly impress me with anything. I got the rabbit main, which was my first time in memory trying rabbit, and was surprised to discover that rabbit itself is not a very flavorful meat. Luckily, the sauce of the dish and paired very well with the nicely cooked rabbit. My friends got risotto which they enjoyed but wasn’t particularly special /​innovative. We ended with a crème brûlée that was delicious, but isn’t most all crème brûlée delicious? All in all, considering that it came from a Michelin star chef’s restaurant, the pricing wasn’t too bad, but I didn’t leave feeling impressed as I would expect from a michelin star.

This place is amazing. If you really like good food… if you really like eating somewhere where there is a solid appropriate wine list… GO HERE. EAT HERE! ENJOY HERE. We like good food… we had the special steak, and duck fat fries (omigawd!) …but the seasoning, the sides, the care by the wait staff. made it an evening you want to share with every one… yes, its a bit noisy… but only at the bar… not in the dining room… it was intimate… multi guest friendly… make a reservation and enjoy the food. really enjoy the amazing the food. Make this one of your stops in Edinburg… please…

3 words to describe my experience in The Honours from Michelin Star Chef Martin Wishart.
* Awesome *
* Fantastic *
* Amazing *
In a few more words I can explain that this visit is in the top of my best meals in Scotland list. I have been to quite a few restaurants and I have experienced service and produce.
The Honours scores ⁵⁄₅ on both accounts.
Yes it is a Brasserie, but don’t let that fool you as the food on offer puts many a restaurant to shame!
Bookings are preferably done by phone or on-​line reservation. They allocate a 2 hour slot — We had 17:30 to 19:30.
On arrival we were invited to sit in the lounge and have a drink — we each took a Bloody Mary.
The tables are simply and elegantly dressed, linen napkins, cutlery, wine glasses — noticeably no salt and pepper.
Menu prices are reassuringly set in the upper regions of the spending scale, but reasonably so.
I started with a Rillet of Pork & Duck — this was supplied with a Parmesan Crisp. I was delicate, tasty and just what I expected.
For main I decided on the Glenarm Estate Shorthorn Rib-​eye Steak — served with a red wine jus. Thin fries and buttery green beans to share.
Anita A. took the Presa Steak (fillet) of Iberico pork.
Both pork and beef were prepared on a Josper Grill — of which quite a few restaurants we visited lay claim to — but this was the first restaurant that actually made it taste properly. Smokey, charcoal flavour throughout — just wonderfully cooked! No salt or pepper required.
We each took a glass of Pinot Noir to accompany the meal, which was a good choice. — They have about 12 wines by the glass — this Pinot Noir was the top range choice, but well worth it.
As a dessert I took a Banana & Mango cocoa dusted Soufflé with a Mango Sorbet side. Perfect! Well risen, good texture, light an airy and that little pure chocolate on the bottom of the dish made it quite special. Well done!
I finished this wonderful experience with a Gaelic Coffee.
(As a side note. The music was not loud, more background. It was a nice mixture of up to date songs — they even played ‘Happy’ from Pharrell: D)

I had an amazing dinner at The Honours, probably one of the better meals I’ve had in Edinburgh!
We were greeted warmly on arrival and told to take a seat in the ‘sofa area’ to wait for our table to be ready. Ordered cocktails and the waitress came with menus and told us the daily specials.
After a while we were taken our table and soon ordered food. The waiter brought some warm bread and butter which was tasty.
I must say the Grill section of the menu at Honours is very appealing, especially for steak lovers — with 28 – 36 aged beef on offer, rare breeds etc. However, I had my eyes on the ‘presa steak of iberico pork’ (pork shoulder steak) which I knew I had to try. I’m glad I did, as it was delicious. It was perfectly chargrilled and very tender. The pork was served with a red wine sauce. Though the pork was very tender, I would still preferred to have had a steak knife with it. I ordered some green beans as a side and they were just right — buttery and crunchy but not underdone.
For dessert I ordered a vanilla crème brûlée, as it’s one of my favourite desserts. The waitress then came to advise that they actually only have a cocoa or jasmine crème brûlée on offer, so I chose the jasmine one. It was a large dessert — a big round dish of perfection, the top caramelized beautifully. It was delicious, but I couldn’t taste any jasmine.
The Honours is a wonderful restaurant for a special occasion. The staff are so welcoming and professional and the atmosphere is not too formal, which I liked.

I took my boyfriend here for a birthday treat last summer, booked online with a request to put a candle on whatever desert he ordered. He thoroughly enjoyed the food (we both had steaks). It is quite noisy, but that’s expected in a brasserie. The food was so good, you can tell it’s a Martin Wishart restaurant. Even though we only had steak, chips & greens, I could not fault the food. Also my boyfriend asked for sorbet by itself for desert which wasn’t a problem (it wasn’t on the menu) — it came with a candle as requested! The wine list was good too, think I tried two different reds (they had a nice selection of wines by the glass), the sommelier recommended a few wines too.
I love this place and will visit again with a larger group of friends (I can’t remember much else but I know the food was lovely)

Expensive, yet exceptional evening. We had a lovely evening at The Honours, with dinner followed by cocktails in the bar/​lounge.
Their quality of steak is very high– one of the best we’ve enjoyed in Scotland. We also very much enjoyed their cocktails which were very tasty with the right level of potency. A wonderful place to celebrate a special occasion.

A gem! This is the best value for money experience I have ever had. The atmosphere is chic, the food is Michelin-​standard and the service is very attentive with extremely helpful advice on food and wine. We paid about 40 pounds per person for a starter, main, a bottle of good wine and a dessert to share, which I would say is an extremely good price for its standard.
If I were to say one disadvantage, that would be it is slightly noisier than I would like. However, it being a brasserie this is within the package.
It is much better than restaurants within more or less the same category, such as Hadrian’s, St Honore, Escargot Bleue, Maison Bleue and La Garrigue.
Very highly recommended!

I love Martin Wishart’s Restaurant in Leith, like really love it. I was super excited when he decided to venture into Brasserie style food. Now this could be because I had built it up to such epic proportions before dining here but I can’t rate it anywhere near as highly as I could his other restaurant in Leith.
The service I have to say was impeccable. To be honest I imagine Mr Wishart wouldn’t expect any less. However the food left a bit to be desired. It was a special occasion so we went the whole hog with the three courses. Crab Cappuccino to start, Château Briand for main with duck fat chips, onion rings and a Béarnaise sauce and for dessert The Honours Sundae. So lets start from the top, the crab cappuccino was sufficiently tasty although a little on the large side, especially considering what we were following it up with. The Château Briand I have to say I was disappointed with. As a Brasserie I imagine the steaks you serve should be your showcase. Unfortunately, whilst cooked to perfection the steak was quite chewy in places. The duck fat chips were, I’m sorry to say quite tasteless :(and the onion rings greasy. The Béarnaise was a delicious accompaniment. Now the dessert… so standard it was unreal. I expected something even remotely special in there not, what tasted to me like, Cadbury’s Crunchie pieces!
The Jury is out on this place which is a shame as I imagine it could be spectacular. Maybe a little more refinement on the individual elements would do the trick as it isn’t the cheapest brasserie in town and the others for example Kyloe and Hadrian’s spring to mind are doing it just that bit better.

special occasions call for special places to celebrate and The Honours fits the bill perfectly. following the boyfriend’ new qualifiers ceremony me, the boyfriend, and his parents headed here for a leisurely afternoon lunch. i’d been once before about a year and a half ago (the days before i knew of Unilocal!) so was hoping my second visit lived up to my first.
on arrival we were warmly welcomed by the hostess who very kindly took our soggy coats and wet umbrellas to place in the cupboard while we were shown to our table in the main dining area. i quite like the look and feel of this restaurant as it’s done in muted browns and tans so it’s nice and calming for a relaxing meal. there is also an open kitchen so depending on where you’re sat you can watch as your meal is prepared which is a nice touch.
the menu is well put together with a nice selection of starters and mains but clearly the main highlight is their grill items mostly notably their selection of steaks. after some debate we all decided on what to order and i went with the crab cappachino soup to start and sirlion steak for the main. i’d had the soup before so was eager to try it again and i can confirm it was just as delicious the second time as the first. a delicate broth is adorned with a foam made from the soup, crab meat in the bottom, and little parmesan crisps placed on top. a really lovely way to start the meal. i also got a bite of my boyfriends saffron and broad bean risotto which was so delicious i had a bit of food envy!
luckily no food envy for the main course as my sirlion steak was just magnificent! i thought it was a bit confident of the restaurant to not give us steak knives for our meal but they were definitely not needed! the steak as perfectly cooked at medium rare and soooooo tender! it was topped with a madiera glaze and also a side of bearnise sauce as well. the boyfriend and i shared a side of creamed spinach and potatoes boulangere which were both really tasty and went well with the steak.
as good as the steak was though i have to say that the main highlight was dessert! i had the soufflé of the day which in this case was rasberry with a side of homemade chocolate ice cream. the soufflé arrived towering above the ramekin it was being served in and was light and airy and just heavenly! even though i was full i managed to eat it all as it was just so so so good!
in addition to the food, the staff are absolutely lovely and so professional. at one point my boyfriend’s father accidently knocked his knife to the floor and in an instance a waiter was picking up the knife and replacing it as well. some very impressive service indeed!
so The Honours is definitely a five star restaurant for me! looking forward to another special occasion to go back and dine :)

Go there… go there now!!! Why are you still sitting here reading this go to the Honours NOOOOWWW!!!
Ok so ive calmed down now but jeez this is one of the finest places to open in Edinburgh in a long time!
Delighted to see Martin Wishwart going back to his classic French training and creating a menu with the superb Paul Tamburinni. Its fun its innovative there is increcible choise its just awesome!
20 different starters! Count them…20!!! Normally this would terrify me but you look through it and can get how they manage it, a lot of terrines and preserves as well things which are taken from supplier to plate!
And wait for it they have oysters!!! Not just any oysters though oh no these are Fal Estuary oysters and are awesome!
The menu as I say is well designed, pasta/​seafood/​meat options + a full range of grill options!
The really fun aprt comes at desert, you start with 3 french classics that you would expect tarte tatin, crème brûlée and chcoalte delice! But then holly mother of mary of awesomeness they have a Sundaes menu! 4 awesome sounding deserts including black forrest and piña colada all amde with homemade icecream!!!
If Carlsberg made restaurants it wouldnt be as a good as this!