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The chef at work in the open kitchen at Argile, seen across the long wooden counter where guests sit, with a wine glass and a folded napkin laid in front.
Edinburgh

Argile

An independent chef's table on Argyle Place in Marchmont, opened in 2022, serving a changing tasting menu of Scottish produce with a French leaning.

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Welcome

Argile takes its name from the French word for clay, and it's one of the most personal places to eat in Edinburgh.

It's an independent chef's table on Argyle Place in Marchmont, just south of the Meadows, opened in 2022. Dinner is a frequently changing tasting menu of the best Scottish produce, cooked with a French leaning and touches from much further afield. Everyone sits down together at 7pm, and the seats are yours for the night, so settle in for about two and a half hours. On Saturdays there's also an early evening menu of drinks and bites, and on Sundays a lunch menu. Argile is in the Michelin Guide and rated Very Good by the Good Food Guide. It works to a rolling pattern of four days open and two days closed, so the days change from week to week: check the booking page, and book ahead with a deposit. It's best enjoyed by guests over twelve.

Close byMachina Coffee1 min by roadSee itMachina Coffee
Before you go

Book online through its own site, with a deposit; online booking closes 24 hours before each seating.

The days it opens change from week to week, and the booking page shows them.

Where
21 Argyle Place, Marchmont, Edinburgh, EH9 1JJ.
Open
Four days on and two days off, so the days change weekly; the booking page and its Instagram show them.
Dinner
A tasting menu at 7pm, £100 a head (£110 from 18 January 2027), about two and a half hours, the seats yours for the night.
Saturday and Sunday
An early evening drinks and bites menu on Saturdays from 4.30pm, and a lunch menu on Sundays from 1pm.
Booking
Online through its own site, with a non-refundable deposit that can be moved to another date with 72 hours' notice. Up to six; seven or more as private dining.
Diets
One menu for everyone at dinner; some dishes at lunch and early evening can be made vegetarian or pescatarian.
Children
Best for guests over 12; no infants.
Access
It cannot take wheelchairs at present.
Paying
By card only; service is included and tips are not taken.

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

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Where it is

On Argyle Place in Marchmont, just south of the Meadows, EH9 1JJ.

Close byMarchmont, the Meadows and the south side.
  1. Cyclists pass beneath autumn trees as low sun casts long shadows across the parkThe MeadowsThe great park on the south side of the Old Town, once the Burgh Loch, crossed by tree-lined walks and a path through a whale's jawbones.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. ConsideritConsideritA plant-based maker of doughnuts, chocolate and ice cream on Sciennes, near the Meadows, with everything made by hand each day.Under a mile 2 min by road
  3. Till’s BookshopTill’s BookshopA second-hand bookshop on the corner of Hope Park Crescent, looking over the Meadows, crammed floor to ceiling since 1985.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. HendersonsHendersonsA vegetarian and vegan restaurant beside Bruntsfield Links, opened in 2021 by the grandson of Janet Henderson, who founded the first Hendersons in 1962.Under a mile 3 min by road
  5. Tasting glasses on wooden boards before copper stills in a distillery56 NorthScotland's first gin bar, on West Crosscauseway since 2008, with a working distillery for South Loch Gin inside and a secret gin garden.Under a mile 3 min by road
  6. Söderberg's glass front on Simpson Loan, tables outside and cakes in the window.Söderberg The MeadowsA Swedish bakery and cafe on Simpson Loan by the Meadows, baking buns, sourdough and pastries on site, open every day.1 mile 6 min by road
Directions
The cream-painted shopfront of Nàdair at 15 Roseneath Street in Marchmont, its name in green above the door and wine bottles along the windows.RestaurantsNàdairA step away
The pale front of Pomelo at 27 Sciennes Road, its name painted small beside the open door and a wooden bench under the window.RestaurantsPomelo0.2 miles
Machina Coffee Roasters shopfront with espresso machine visible in the windowCafeMachina Coffee0.3 miles
The pink front of Book Lovers Bookshop on Melville Terrace, its hanging sign reading A Romance Bookshop and romance novels in the window.ShoppingBook Lovers Bookshop0.3 miles
The bright café at Lady and the Bear, with wooden tables and chairs, plants along big windows and a blue counter at the back.CafeLady and the Bear0.4 miles
A cast-iron pot of braised tofu in a red chilli sauce beside a plate of crisp battered slices in a light, sweet sauce, on a blue tablecloth at The Way Taste.RestaurantsThe Way Taste0.4 miles
A crisp, spicy stir-fry with red and green chillies and sliced peppers, served in a steel dry pot on a wooden table at Taste of Home on Clerk Street.RestaurantsTaste of Home0.4 miles
The marble shopfront of Thomas J Walls on Forrest Road, its old opticians' lettering above wide windows and a bronze door.CafeThomas J Walls0.5 miles
Plaited cheese buns and topped bagels on a copper tray behind the glass of the counter at Kungfu Bakery on Nicolson Square.CafeKungfu Bakery0.6 miles

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