Number One

Verdict

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.

The Room

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.

The Food

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.

Service: Does It Earn the Price?

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.

Who Should Book

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.

Booking and Practical Details

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

FAQ

• How far ahead should I book Number One? Book at least three to four weeks out for weekends, and earlier for August when the Edinburgh Festival puts extra pressure on the city's leading tables. If you are a Balmoral hotel guest, use that connection to your advantage. Walk-in availability is unlikely at this level.
• Is Number One worth the price? At £99 to £119 per head before wine, it is at the leading of Edinburgh's price range , but the credentials support it. Michelin Plate, La Liste 2026 recognition, a World of Fine Wine 2-Star wine accreditation, and a service standard that is warm and well-paced rather than performatively formal all justify the spend. For comparison, [The Kitchin](https://www.joinpearl.co/restaurants/the-kitchin) operates at a similar price tier with a more rustic, produce-led approach; if you want the full hotel fine dining experience with a serious wine programme, Number One is the stronger call.
• What should I order at Number One? The seven-course tasting menu at £119 is the format that shows the kitchen's range most fully. The three-course at £99 is the right choice if you want flexibility or are less committed to the full tasting format. The prestige wine pairing is worth considering given the sommelier team's credentials , with 360 selections and Wine Director Callum McCann on the floor, this is a room where the wine service adds genuine value.
• What should a first-timer know about Number One? Start with a drink at the cocktail bar before descending to the dining room , it is part of the experience and sets the pace for the evening. The room is smarter than most Edinburgh restaurants, so dress accordingly. Expect well-spaced tables, not a counter or communal format. Scottish provenance is central to the menu, with producers named on the back of the menu; that is not marketing copy, it reflects a genuine supply chain going back to fishmongers and estates. The Opinionated About Dining ranking and Michelin Plate signal a restaurant operating at a consistent, high standard rather than a newcomer still finding its footing.
• Does Number One handle dietary restrictions? The venue data does not include specific dietary policy details. Contact the restaurant directly when booking to discuss requirements , at this price point and service level, advance notice is standard practice and should be accommodated in advance rather than flagged on arrival.