Cafe St Honore in Edinburgh

16 December 2022|Read time 2 mins

Cafe St Honore is a popular Edinburgh restaurant offering a small slice of Parisian culture in the Scottish capital.

Edinburgh author Alexander McCall Smith immortalised it a few years ago in his Isabel Dalhousie novels.

But even before literary fame, Cafe St Honore has held a special place in the hearts of many Edinburgh residents for a long time.

Cafe St Honore, a popular Edinburgh restaurant

Tucked away in a cobbled street just a couple of minutes from the city centre, it would be easy to miss this unobtrusive restaurant. 

Except that word of mouth has made Cafe St Honore one of Edinburgh's most popular restaurants offering international cuisine.

A typical menu features Borders roe deer terrine with green tomato chutney as the starter, followed by the main course of East Lothian fish casserole.

I am a huge fan of this Edinburgh restaurant. 

It has never let me down on the many occasions (including birthdays and anniversaries) I've eaten there.

Parisian experience in Edinburgh

One of the nicest things about Cafe St Honore is the schizophrenic nature of eating there. 

On the one hand, you see, it's easy to feel you are no longer in Edinburgh at all. But transported to a chic bistro in Paris.

On the other hand, many of the ingredients (such as the East Lothian fish casserole and Borders roe deer terrine mentioned above) are sourced locally. 

And that has the effect of making you feel more connected to your surrounding environment.

Vegetarian Choices

One welcome departure at Cafe St Honore from traditional French cooking is in the range of choice for vegetarians. 

Normally when my husband (a vegetarian) asks in a French restaurant what he can eat, the staff just stare at him in bewilderment.

Let's just say the poor man has eaten a lot of omelettes in his time!

However, unusually for a top-notch French restaurant, Cafe St Honore offers a range of vegetarian delicacies. 

These include dishes such as organic vegetable pave, made using ingredients from the popular local organic farm Damhead.

Chance to choose

There's also chestnut mushroom and tarragon ravioli and asparagus, pea and broad bean risotto. 

This means we can sit and deliberate our menu choices. 

A novel experience, as anyone married to a vegetarian, or who is themselves vegetarian, will understand.

Other French restaurants in Edinburgh

For lovers of French cuisine, there are several other options in the city centre of Edinburgh.

Where the Royal Mile meets George IV Bridge we find Le Bistrot, housed in L'Institut Français. 

With excellent food on offer and events such as wine tasting, Le Bistrot offers another authentic dining experience in the heart of Edinburgh.

Around the corner from Le Bistrot, on Victoria Street, is Maison Bleue, which uses local produce to create dishes with French, North African and Scottish influences.

With many of the chefs coming from these regions, the food will not disappoint.

Over in the New Town, we also find Chez Jules on Hanover Street.

Chez Jules offers dining throughout the week, including lunch options. 

The restaurant has great dishes on the menu such as chargrilled steak, steamed mussels in white wine and goat's cheese salad.

Enjoy this popular Edinburgh restaurant

Being tucked away in a side street gives Cafe St Honore an intimate charm that makes it perfect for a romantic evening out during your stay with Reserve Apartments. 

The restaurant has charming decor.

And the service?

Well the service, as the French might say, is impeccable. 

Bon appetit!