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The room at Ardfern in Leith in afternoon light, with a wall of wine bottles behind the bar, leather banquettes and wooden tables.
Edinburgh

Ardfern

An all-day cafe, bar and bottle shop on Bonnington Road in Leith, with brunch, small plates, over 100 wines and a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide.

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Welcome

There's something lovely about a local place that gets it right from the first coffee of the morning to the last glass of wine at night, and Ardfern in Leith is one of the best.

It's an all-day cafe, bar and bottle shop on Bonnington Road, from chef Roberta Hall-McCarron and the team behind The Little Chartroom next door and eleanore on Leith Walk. Come in the morning for brunch: a full breakfast with venison sausage and lamb haggis, brioche buns filled just as you like them, and grilled sourdough with spiced plum jam. In the evening it turns to small plates, oysters, a double smash burger and a list of over 100 wines to drink in or take home. On Sundays there's a roast from 10am. It holds a Bib Gourmand in the Michelin Guide, and some tables and all of the bar stools are kept for walk-ins, so it's an easy one to drop into on a whim. Dogs are welcome too.

Round the cornerThe Little ChartroomChef Roberta Hall-McCarron's restaurant on Bonnington Road in Leith, with set menus of seasonal Scottish cooking and a place in the Michelin Guide.1 min by roadSee itThe dining room of The Little Chartroom on Bonnington Road by candlelight, with chefs at work in the open kitchen beyond the tables.
Before you go

Open every day from 9am, until late from Monday to Saturday and until 7pm on Sunday.

Brunch runs through the morning and evening plates from 5pm. Book through its own site, or walk in: some tables and all the bar stools are kept free.

Where
10-12 Bonnington Road, Leith, EH6 5JD.
Open
Monday to Saturday 9am to 11pm, Sunday 9am to 7pm.
Food
Brunch from 9am to 2.30pm on weekdays, to 4.45pm on Saturday and to 5.30pm on Sunday; the evening menu 5pm to 9pm, Monday to Saturday; bar snacks from 11am. A Sunday roast from 10am to 5.30pm.
Oysters
Oyster happy hour, Monday to Friday, 4pm to 5.30pm.
Bottle shop
Monday to Saturday 10am to 10pm, Sunday 10am to 7pm.
Booking
Through its own site; some tables and all the bar stools are kept for walk-ins.
Dogs
Welcome.
Access
A wheelchair-accessible entrance, seating and toilet.
Phone
0131 600 0067

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
9am–11pm
Tuesday
9am–11pm
Wednesday
9am–11pm
Thursday
9am–11pm
Friday
9am–11pm
Saturday
9am–11pm
Sunday
9am–7pm

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Where it is

On Bonnington Road in Leith, beside The Little Chartroom, EH6 5JD.

Close byLeith and Bonnington.
  1. Chefs work a pizza oven at the back of a tiled restaurantRazzoA small Neapolitan pizzeria on Great Junction Street in Leith, opened by Ivan Georgiev in 2019, its pizzas baked at 470°C in a wood-fired oven.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Bittersweet LeithBittersweet LeithAn Italian restaurant and cocktail bar on Henderson Street in Leith, run by two brothers: one cooks, the other distils and ferments in-house.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society - The VaultsThe Scotch Malt Whisky Society - The VaultsThe members' rooms of the Scotch Malt Whisky Society in Leith, in a wine merchants' bonded warehouse of 1787 that has been its home since 1983.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. The coffee counter at Carter Coffee, with a grinder and a brewer on the back bench and a plant by the window.Carter CoffeeA coffee roastery on Fyfe Lane in Bonnington, Leith, opened in 2026, pouring its own coffee at the door on Wednesday to Friday mornings.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. HeronHeronA restaurant by the Water of Leith on Henderson Street, opened in 2021 by chefs Tomás Gormley and Sam Yorke, with a Michelin star since 2023.Under a mile 2 min by road
  6. The counter at Sloe Lane Bakery, full of pastries, loaf cakes topped with cream and chalked labels.Sloe Lane BakeryA small independent bakery on Leith Walk, baking pastries, cakes, sourdough and baguettes from scratch, with Carter coffee and tables outside.Under a mile 4 min by road
  7. Restaurant Martin Wishart's white frontage with large paned windows on Leith's waterfrontRestaurant Martin WishartFrench cooking with Scottish produce on the Shore at Leith, in a converted warehouse, where Martin Wishart opened in 1999 and has held a Michelin star since 2001.Under a mile 3 min by road
Directions
The dining room of The Little Chartroom on Bonnington Road by candlelight, with chefs at work in the open kitchen beyond the tables.RestaurantsThe Little ChartroomA step away
Tartan and check wool scarves hang on a white shop railShoppingTBCoA step away
The dark painted front of DogStar on Portland Place in the evening, its name on the lit window.RestaurantsDogStarA step away
Buns and bakes on the window counter at Krema Bakehouse, looking out over Leith Walk with a bus passing on the far side.CafeKrema Bakehouse0.2 miles
The narrow dining room at Dùthchas, with deep green walls, wooden tables, tartan throws on the chairs and a bar at the back.RestaurantsDùthchas0.3 miles
Water of Leith winding through Dean Village's stone tenements and old mill buildingsAttractionsWater of Leith0.3 miles
Wooden tables and chairs beside large windows in a dark-panelled caféRestaurantsThe Lioness of Leith0.3 miles
A bowl of tonkotsu ramen at Gulp Ramen, with slices of pork belly, duck, an onsen egg and spring onion in a creamy broth, on a wooden counter.RestaurantsGulp Ramen0.3 miles
Green-fronted shopfront reading "Big Hot Sandwiches" beside a weathered white tenement buildingCafeAlby's0.4 miles

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