The Little Chartroom

There’s something quietly mesmerising about watching chefs at the top of their game as they work with the smooth movements of well-rehearsed performers. Pleasingly, at The Little Chartroom in Edinburgh, the open kitchen provides a little window into the pass. Here the team works quietly with accomplishment under Roberta Hall-McCarron, adding live theatre as a sort of soothing backing track without making themselves the stars of the show. Pole position seems quite deliberately left up to the plates.

It’s a confidently short a la carte that still manages to offer enough range to appeal to mixed groups. The vegetarian dishes gently nudge carnivores to release their hardened grip on meat and eye up a potato pie instead. A neatly scored and scalloped dome arrives, golden with egg wash and potato, cheese and sweet butternut squash, all to be doused in a rich sauce at the table.

Elsewhere, for starters, silky mushroom parfait with a sticky milk bun is that wonderful combination of rich and creamy with a spike of acidity from pickled mushrooms. Then onto mains of monkfish with a curried sauce that plays on the nostalgia of British chip shops but suitably smartens things up to allow you to prove to your friends you can appreciate the finesse of good cookery now without so much as a splash of malt vinegar.

The drinks list is as easygoing as the mood. There’s a strong wine selection, and the cocktails are well-made - the kind that effortlessly turn a quiet dinner into a lazy, long evening of sharing food and stories. Prices reflect the level of quality and attention to detail but don’t tip into extravagance, making this the perfect place for everything from elevated midweek meals through to special celebrations.

Service is exactly as you’d hope: relaxed, informed and never intrusive. It offers the sort of warmth that makes you feel entirely at ease, neither rushed nor hovered over, delivered by a sweet set who are as seemingly charmed by the food as you are.

Elegant yet understated, The Little Chartroom is one of those rare places that feels genuinely special without trying too hard. A quietly confident gem in the heart of Edinburgh that should be on everyone’s list.

The Little Chartroom is a modern European restaurant in Leith, Edinburgh, run by Roberta and Shaun Hall-McCarron. The restaurant is open seven days a week for dinner, and Friday to Sunday for lunch, serving three and five-course set menus that use quality Scottish ingredients sourced from the surrounding area. 

A multiple award-winner, The Little Chartroom has become one of Edinburgh's most recognisable restaurants, and alongside it, Roberta Hall-McCarron has also scooped her fair share of awards, including the SquareMeal AYALA Female Chef of the Year Award in 2023 for her cooking here, as well as at sister restaurants Eleanore and Ardfern.

The menus at The Little Chartroom change with the seasons, with the option to choose three of five courses. Examples of dishes you may find include starters such as Chalk Stream trout tartare with kohlrabi, kale and a buckwheat cracker, and hare with black pudding, beetroot and pickled walnut. Main courses might range from pork with pancetta, wild mushrooms and creamed corn to cod served alongside artichokes, leeks, shiso and prawn butter.

Finally, desserts are elegant and seasonal, including the likes of a damson trifle with ginger and pecans, to a brown sugar tart with sour cream, cardamom and lime. There is also a cheese option for savoury fans. Bookings of just two people can expect to be seated at the kitchen counter, offering a front row seat to the chefs in action, while larger bookings will be seated in the main dining room. 

Diners can choose to add a wine pairing to their meal or peruse the wine list at their own leisure. It features an ever-changing selection of red and white wines served by the bottle or glass, plus Champagnes, dessert wines and spirits.