Restaurant in Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Edinburgh's best-value Michelin-recognised vegetarian.
Hendersons is Edinburgh's Michelin Plate-recognised vegetarian restaurant — and at ££, it's one of the clearest value cases in the city. Founded in 1962 and now in its third generation, the kitchen produces predominantly vegan cooking with real technique: salt-baked celeriac, vegetarian haggis, teriyaki tofu with pickled shiitake. Easy to book, welcoming for solo diners and groups alike.
Yes — and not just if you're vegetarian. Hendersons has held a Michelin Plate for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025), carries a Google rating of 4.9 from over 1,200 reviews, and has been feeding Edinburgh since 1962. At the ££ price point, it delivers a level of cooking that most restaurants at this tier don't approach. If you're looking for plant-based food in Edinburgh that takes itself seriously without taking your wallet hostage, this is the clearest recommendation in the city.
Hendersons sits on Barclay Place, a short walk from Bruntsfield Links in the south of the city. The setting is neighbourhood rather than destination — unfussy, welcoming, and notably unpretentious for a Michelin-recognised venue. Walk in expecting a room that feels like it belongs to the area, with the kind of service that matches: friendly and competent, without performance. This is not a special-occasion dining room in the traditional sense. It's the kind of place you could come back to every few weeks without feeling the weight of the occasion.
What separates Hendersons from the category is the cooking itself. The menu is predominantly vegan, and the dishes lean into that rather than apologising for it. Salt-baked celeriac and a vegetarian haggis with herby smashed purple potatoes, caramelised onion, and spring greens sit alongside more globally inflected plates: jackfruit and tomato with coconut stew, sweet potato and quinoa doughnuts, teriyaki tofu with coconut, lime and coriander rice, Asian vegetables, and pickled shiitake. These are not backup options for people who've run out of choices , they are the main event, thought through and executed with real technique. The puddings are plant-based and, according to the restaurant's own framing, designed to satisfy serious sweet-tooth demands.
For a first visit, come with an appetite and a willingness to order things you wouldn't normally. The combinations here tend to be more considered than the menu descriptions suggest. The visual presentation on the plate is clean and structured rather than rustic and piled, which signals the kitchen's intent clearly.
Hendersons is the answer to a question many diners have when planning a trip to Edinburgh: where do you eat well, without committing to a £££+ tasting menu? The city's most-discussed tables , The Kitchin, Martin Wishart, Timberyard, AVERY, and Condita , are all ££££ and require more forward planning. Hendersons operates at a fraction of that cost with Michelin recognition, which is a rare combination in any city.
The ££ price range here means you're looking at a genuinely accessible dinner or lunch. For a comparable quality-to-cost ratio in the vegetarian category internationally, you'd be looking at venues like Fu He Hui in Shanghai or Lamdre in Beijing , both considerably more expensive and considerably harder to book. Hendersons punches well above its price tier, and the 60-year history of the restaurant (founded by Janet Henderson in 1962, now run by her grandson Barrie) is not mere heritage dressing , it signals that the kitchen has had decades to refine what works.
The Michelin Plate distinction, awarded in both 2024 and 2025, is worth contextualising: it signals a good kitchen producing consistent food, one tier below a Bib Gourmand but still a meaningful credential. At ££, a Michelin Plate is considerably rarer than at higher price points. This is the honest summary of the value case: the gap between what you pay and what you receive is wide in the diner's favour.
For a first visit, a weekday lunch is the lowest-friction option. Bruntsfield is a residential neighbourhood rather than a tourist corridor, which means the crowd is local and the atmosphere is relaxed without feeling empty. Weekend evenings tend to draw more interest from visitors staying in the city, so if a quieter room matters to you, aim for Tuesday through Thursday. Edinburgh's winter months , when the festival crowds are long gone , make Bruntsfield feel particularly suited to this kind of unhurried neighbourhood meal. That said, summer visits work well too if you can secure an earlier sitting before the city fills up.
Reservations: Easy , booking difficulty is low, but it's worth reserving ahead, particularly for weekend evenings given the strong Google rating and loyal local following. Price: ££ , among the most accessible Michelin-recognised restaurants in Edinburgh. Location: 7–13 Barclay Place, Edinburgh EH10 4HW, near Bruntsfield Links , a short taxi or bus ride from the city centre and easily walkable from Marchmont and Morningside. Cuisine: Vegetarian, predominantly vegan. Dress: No formal dress expectations , neighbourhood casual is entirely appropriate. Good for: Solo diners, couples, small groups, plant-based eaters, and anyone who wants a serious meal without a serious bill.
See the comparison section below for full peer detail, but the short version: Hendersons occupies a position no other Edinburgh restaurant fills in quite the same way. It is the only Michelin-recognised vegetarian restaurant in the city at this price point, and that combination makes it a default recommendation for any plant-based diner visiting Edinburgh. For a broader look at the city's dining options, see our full Edinburgh restaurants guide. You can also explore Edinburgh hotels, Edinburgh bars, Edinburgh wineries, and Edinburgh experiences through Pearl.
For context on what Michelin-recognised vegetarian cooking looks like at higher price points elsewhere in the UK, CORE by Clare Smyth in London, L'Enclume in Cartmel, and Moor Hall in Aughton all offer strong plant-forward menus, but at significantly higher cost and with far more demanding booking windows. The Fat Duck in Bray, Gidleigh Park in Chagford, and Hand and Flowers in Marlow round out the UK's most-discussed special-occasion tables , all excellent in their own category, none of them offering what Hendersons offers at ££.
The vegetarian haggis with herby smashed purple potatoes, caramelised onion, and spring greens is the obvious starting point on a first visit , it's a direct engagement with Scottish tradition through a plant-based lens and is one of the dishes the kitchen has clearly invested in. Beyond that, the jackfruit and tomato with coconut stew and the teriyaki tofu with pickled shiitake represent the more globally influenced side of the menu. For pudding, the plant-based options are designed to be genuinely satisfying rather than afterthoughts.
Hendersons operates at the ££ price point rather than as a tasting-menu destination, so the question of tasting-menu value doesn't apply in the traditional sense. What you're assessing here is à la carte value, and on that basis the answer is clear: the combination of Michelin Plate recognition and ££ pricing makes almost any order here strong value. For a formal tasting menu in Edinburgh's vegetarian category, there is no direct local competitor , the ££££ options like Condita and Timberyard offer tasting formats but are not vegetarian-specialist.
For plant-based food at a comparable price point in Edinburgh, the honest answer is that Hendersons has no direct peer. If you want to step up to a tasting menu format, Timberyard and Condita both accommodate vegetarian menus at ££££. For modern European cooking with strong vegetable-forward dishes, Martin Wishart and AVERY are worth considering , but again at a higher spend and with more demanding reservations. None of them replace Hendersons if vegetarian cooking at accessible prices is your priority.
The neighbourhood setting and relatively relaxed booking conditions suggest group dining is feasible, and the price point at ££ makes it an easy choice for groups where some members are vegetarian or vegan and others are not committed either way. For larger group bookings, contact the restaurant directly via their listed address (7–13 Barclay Place, EH10 4HW) to confirm capacity and any group arrangements. Phone and online booking details are not currently listed in our database.
Yes, and it's one of the better solo dining options in Edinburgh at this price. The neighbourhood feel and friendly service , noted consistently across reviews , make it a comfortable room to sit in alone. The à la carte format means you order at your own pace without the social pressure of a shared tasting menu. A weekday lunch sitting is the most relaxed option for a solo visit.
At ££ with a Michelin Plate and a 4.9 Google rating from over 1,200 reviews, the value case is direct. You are getting Michelin-recognised cooking at a price that most casual restaurants charge for unremarkable food. The gap between what Edinburgh's ££££ restaurants cost and what Hendersons delivers at ££ is significant enough that value should not be a concern. Book it.
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Booking Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hendersons | Vegetarian | ££ | Easy |
| Martin Wishart | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Unknown |
| The Kitchin | Modern British, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Unknown |
| Timberyard | Modern British - Nordic, Modern British | ££££ | Unknown |
| AVERY | Creative | ££££ | Unknown |
| Condita | Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Unknown |
How Hendersons stacks up against the competition.
The vegetarian haggis with herby smashed purple potatoes, caramelised onion, and spring greens is the dish that earns its place on any first visit — it's a direct challenge to the Scottish classic and delivers. The jackfruit and tomato with coconut stew and the teriyaki tofu with coriander rice and pickled shiitake are strong alternatives if you want something further from tradition. The sweet potato and quinoa doughnuts are worth ordering as a dessert if you have room.
Hendersons operates at ££ pricing and runs as a neighbourhood restaurant rather than a formal tasting-menu venue, so this isn't the format to expect here. If a structured multi-course progression is what you're after, Condita or Timberyard are better fits — both offer that format at higher price points. Hendersons' value is in well-executed à la carte plant-based cooking with a Michelin Plate behind it, not in tasting-menu ceremony.
For omnivore fine dining at a higher price point, Martin Wishart and The Kitchin are the obvious step up. If you want creative tasting menus with more ambition, Condita and Timberyard are the names to consider. AVERY fits if you want a modern Edinburgh dining-room experience at mid-to-upper pricing. None of those are direct vegetarian alternatives — Hendersons occupies a position in Edinburgh that has no close plant-based equivalent at this price and quality level.
The Bruntsfield premises is described as busy, suggesting reasonable capacity for groups. At ££ pricing with a neighbourhood feel and accessible booking difficulty, it's a practical choice for groups of 4–8 who want a no-fuss dinner that works for mixed dietary requirements. Booking ahead is worth doing for weekend evenings regardless of group size given strong local demand.
Yes — the neighbourhood atmosphere and friendly service noted in its Michelin Plate recognition make it a comfortable solo option, and there's no high-pressure formality attached to a ££ price point. A weekday lunch is the lowest-friction time to go. Solo diners who want a more counter-focused or destination experience should look at Timberyard or Condita instead.
At ££, Hendersons is straightforwardly good value — a Michelin Plate for two consecutive years (2024 and 2025) at a price point where most restaurants don't earn that recognition makes the case clearly. It's the answer to eating well in Edinburgh without committing to a £££+ spend. If you're comparing it to Martin Wishart or The Kitchin on ambition and occasion-dining weight, those venues do more — but they cost significantly more too.
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