Restaurant in Edinburgh, United Kingdom
Edinburgh's most polished room. Book early.
Number One at The Balmoral is Edinburgh's most credentialled fine dining room, combining Michelin Plate recognition, a World of Fine Wine 2-Star wine list, and service warm enough to justify the £99–£119 per head price tag. Book at least three to four weeks out. The seven-course tasting menu, built around named Scottish producers, is the format to choose.
Number One is the right choice if you want Edinburgh's most polished fine dining experience inside one of the city's most recognisable buildings. At £99 for three courses or £119 for seven, it sits at the leading of the Edinburgh price tier, but the combination of Michelin Plate recognition, a La Liste 2026 score of 77 points, a World of Fine Wine 2-Star wine accreditation, and a service standard that genuinely earns its room rate makes this a defensible splurge for food-focused visitors. If you want a more experimental edge for a similar price, look elsewhere. If you want grown-up, well-spaced fine dining with Scotland's larder front and centre and a sommelier team worth consulting, this is the booking.
Number One sits in the basement of The Balmoral Hotel at 1 Princes Street, and the first thing to note is that it does not feel like a basement. Red lacquered walls, spacious banquettes, and well-spaced tables give the room a warmth and generosity that is increasingly rare in the tasting-menu format, where communal seating and elbow-to-elbow counters have become standard. Here, you sit at a proper distance from other diners — close enough to hear the room hum, far enough to have a private conversation. For business dinners or occasions where conversation matters as much as the food, that separation is worth paying for. The pre-dinner cocktail bar off the main entrance gives the evening a deliberate structure: aperitif upstairs, then descend to the table. It is old-school in the leading sense.
Chef Matthew Sherry runs a kitchen that is disciplined rather than theatrical. The menus — three courses at £99 or seven courses at £119 , are built around Scottish provenance, with producers named on the back of the menu rather than just mentioned in passing. Salmon and langoustines come from George Campbell and Sons, a fourth-generation fishmonger. Honey is harvested from an apiary on the hotel's own roof. Venison comes from Hopetoun Estate. N25 caviar and hand-dived Orkney scallops appear among the premium ingredients. This is not foraging-as-concept but a precise and well-sourced supply chain that shows up on the plate.
The seven-course tasting menu is the format that leading demonstrates the kitchen's range, from amuse-bouches through to dessert. Dishes are technically precise without tipping into self-conscious complexity , a balance that is harder to achieve than it sounds at this price point. The wine list, accredited with a World of Fine Wine 2-Star and covering around 360 selections from a 3,000-bottle inventory, leans on France and Italy but makes room for less obvious regions including Lebanon and Bulgaria. Corkage is £45 if you bring your own. Wine Director Callum McCann and Sommelier Ruaridh Bakke are both named , a trust signal that the team has depth. Ask for guidance and use it.
This is where Number One separates itself from Edinburgh's wider fine dining field. The service here is described consistently as professional, warm, and well-paced , the kind that puts diners at ease rather than performing formality for its own sake. At £99 to £119 per head before wine, that ease is not a small thing. When service at this price point feels stiff or transactional, the whole evening contracts. At Number One, the pacing is managed rather than left to the kitchen's rhythm, which matters on a seven-course menu where a poorly timed gap or an over-rushed second act can collapse the experience. General Manager Andrew McPherson leads a team that understands this. The Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe ranking , #315 in 2024, #461 in 2025 , reflects a restaurant that is maintaining standard rather than surging, which is honest context for a venue that has operated at this level for years.
One note of comparison: for diners who prioritise service polish above all else, the question is whether Number One or [Martin Wishart](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/martin-wishart) better fits their expectations. Wishart's team is tighter and more formal; Number One is warmer and more at ease with occasion dining. Both are defensible choices at the same price tier. For visitors from cities with deeper fine dining benches , if you are used to [CORE by Clare Smyth in London](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/core-by-clare-smyth-london-restaurant) or [L'Enclume in Cartmel](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/lenclume-cartmel-restaurant) , the service here will feel comfortably familiar in its professionalism, if not at the same technical ceiling.
Number One is well-suited to: business dinners where the room quality and service pace matter; couples celebrating an occasion who want space and comfort over a counter; food-focused visitors to Edinburgh who want the most credential-backed fine dining option in the city; and wine-serious diners who will use the sommelier team and the 3,000-bottle list. It is less suited to diners who want a more experimental or Nordic-inflected approach , for that, [Timberyard](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/timberyard) is the better call , or those who prefer a more intimate, chef-forward setting, where [Condita](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/condita-edinburgh-restaurant) is worth considering.
If you are planning a wider Edinburgh trip, our full Edinburgh restaurants guide, hotels guide, and bars guide are useful starting points. For other Edinburgh options in the modern cuisine bracket, Argile, Cardinal, Montrose, and Moss are all worth considering depending on budget and format.
Number One is a hard booking. The restaurant holds a profile that draws both hotel guests and Edinburgh visitors, and the room is not large. Book as far in advance as possible , a minimum of three to four weeks is advisable for weekend dinners, and further out for high-demand periods including the Edinburgh Festival in August. If you are staying at The Balmoral, in-hotel booking access may ease the process. Dinner only. Price range is ££££, with the three-course menu at £99 per head and seven courses at £119, plus a prestige wine pairing option available. Google rating: 4.6 from 277 reviews.
Quick reference: Dinner only | £99 (3-course) / £119 (7-course) | 1 Princes St, Edinburgh EH2 2EQ | Book 3-4 weeks minimum | Wine list: 360 selections, 3,000 inventory, corkage £45
| Venue | Cuisine | Price | Awards | Booking Difficulty | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number One | Modern Cuisine | ££££ | “A perfect place for business to be discussed and enjoyed” – this “lovely dining room” in the plush basement of the Scottish capital’s landmark hotel is the epitome of luxurious comfort, complete with spacious banquettes and red walls (for a subterranean room, it manages to feel surprisingly unclaustrophobic). Chef Matthew Sherry provides either a three-course menu for £99 per person or a five-course selection for £119 per person, with the option of pairing with ‘prestige wines’.; Number One, The Balmoral is a restaurant venue.without_translation_and hotel in Edinburgh, UK. It was published on Star Wine List on November 27, 2024 and is a White Star.; Start your evening with an aperitif in the cosy cocktail bar of this plush restaurant inside the Balmoral Hotel, one of Scotland's most iconic buildings. Red lacquered walls and richly upholstered banquettes lend an air of luxury to the place, as do premium ingredients like N25 caviar and hand-dived Orkney scallops. There is a natural flow to the well-balanced dishes on the 7 course tasting menu, while the professional, well-paced service instantly puts you at ease.; La Liste Top Restaurants (2026): 77pts; {"wbwl_source": {"slug": "number-one-the-balmoral", "page_type": "star_accreditation", "category_slug": "2-star-accreditation", "award_result": "Accredited", "is_global_winner": "False"}, "scraped_details": {"hero_image": "", "page_title": "2-Star Accreditation", "page_url": ""}, "source_row_snapshot": {"raw_name": "Number One, The Balmoral"}}; 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.; Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe Ranked #461 (2025); Michelin Plate (2025); WINE: Wine Strengths: France, Italy Pricing: $$ i Wine pricing: Based on the list\'s general markup and high and low price points:$ has many bottles < $50;$$ has a range of pricing;$$$ has many $100+ bottles Corkage Fee: $45 Selections: 360 Inventory: 3,000 CUISINE: Cuisine Types: British, Seasonal Pricing: $$$ i Cuisine pricing: The cost of a typical two-course meal, not including tip or beverages.$ is < $40;$$ is $40–$65;$$$ is $66+. Meals: Dinner STAFF: People Callum McCann:Wine Director Wine Director: Callum McCann Sommelier: Ruaridh Bakke Chef: Mathew Sherry General Manager: Andrew McPherson Owner: Sir Rocco Forte; Opinionated About Dining Classical in Europe Ranked #315 (2024); Michelin Plate (2024) | Hard | — |
| Martin Wishart | Modern European, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| The Kitchin | Modern British, Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Timberyard | Modern British - Nordic, Modern British | ££££ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| AVERY | Creative | ££££ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
| Condita | Modern Cuisine | ££££ | Michelin 1 Star | Unknown | — |
Comparing your options in Edinburgh for this tier.
Book at least three to four weeks out for a standard weekend reservation, and further ahead for dates around festivals or holidays. The room is not large, and the restaurant draws both hotel guests and outside visitors simultaneously — that combination keeps availability tight. For a specific occasion with a preferred date, six weeks is safer.
At £99 for three courses or £119 for seven, Number One sits at the top of Edinburgh's fine dining price range — and it earns that position if the format suits you. The kitchen sources traceable Scottish produce, service is well-paced and professional, and the room itself adds genuine occasion value. If price is the priority concern, The Kitchin delivers rigorous seasonal cooking at a lower price point; Number One makes sense when the full package of room, service, and food matters equally.
The seven-course tasting menu at £119 is the stronger choice for a first visit — it shows the kitchen's range and the sourcing story most clearly, with producers named on the menu. The three-course menu at £99 is a sensible option if you prefer a shorter format or are dining before a show. The wine pairing with prestige selections is an available add-on if the 360-bottle list feels daunting to navigate alone.
The restaurant is in the basement of The Balmoral Hotel on Princes Street, but the room reads as a destination in its own right rather than a hotel add-on. Red lacquered walls, spaced banquettes, and a cocktail bar for pre-dinner drinks set the tone before you sit down. The format is formal fine dining — this is a room where service pace and occasion atmosphere are part of what you are paying for, not background details.
The venue data does not include specific dietary policy, so check the venue's official channels before booking. Given the tasting menu format and kitchen discipline described across multiple sources, advance notice of requirements is standard practice at this level — raise dietary needs at the time of reservation rather than on the night.
Keep this venue in your Pearl passport, rate it after you visit, and track it alongside every other place you collect.
