Argile

Argile: An Intimate Culinary Journey – Truly Unique to Edinburgh Argile is a restaurant that starts conversations before you even walk in the door. It is so cleverly named—Argile (meaning "clay" or "earthenware" in French) is often pronounced in English like "Argyle," fitting perfectly with its location in Argyle Place. This immediately sets up an interesting, mind-bending confusion that is the start of the experience. Once inside, you discover a small, comfortable, and deeply cozy place with a distinctive Japanese aesthetic. The seating is unique: you are at the counter, completely overlooking everything Chef Jack and his team are doing. All the preparation for your course is done right in front of you. This dinner was an extreme example of luxury and class. Chef Jack uses traditions of Japanese barbecue infused with beautiful European elements, Japanese spirits, and wine pairings. The entire menu is a thoughtful summary of his extensive travel experiences and culinary vision, presented beautifully through the food. The whole evening was exceptionally personal, beautifully crafted, and perfectly balanced in taste. This is highly recommended for someone who is seeking an in-depth, full stimulation of flavor and experience. Not many places in Edinburgh offer this kind of intimate, Asian-style open dining. Sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with other diners at the bar, you become completely engrossed in what the chef has to offer, with very little opportunity to mingle. It is definitely recommended for an experience that transcends a typical meal. Worth a shot!

An extraordinary dining experience at Argile in Edinburgh – intimate, refined, and utterly memorable. With only eight seats (six occupied during our visit), it felt like a private dinner party, yet with the precision and elegance of fine dining. Jack, our host, brought a warm presence and a deep knowledge of the ingredients and techniques. His explanations added so much to the experience – from the provenance of each element to the philosophy behind the minimalist, essentialist approach. The degustation menu, crafted and cooked by Jack and Scott, was exceptional. Every course was beautifully balanced, but the highlights for us were the dry-aged monkfish and the venison prepared 'kobujime' style – a brilliant example of the restaurant’s Scottish-Japanese fusion. Precision, boldness, and restraint all in one. Highly recommended for those who love food with intention and story. A hidden gem.

We have been wanting to try here ages and finally got the chance to go. The restaurant is small and intimate with only 8 seats. When we went there was only 6 couples. The food was delicious and the chef/owneer is knowledge and friendly. The menu was seasonal and fresh and it was great seeing it made it front of you with a discussion about the ingredients. Definitely recommend if you're looking for something different. The restaurant may benefit from a little bit of light background music that's my only suggestion

Delicious and very intimate experience. All the detailed explanations from the produce sourcing to the preparation, added so much to the courses. Heavy emphasis on local, seasonal ingredients grilled on a japanese barbeque. Great selection of wines. Very comfortable bar seating. Overall a fantastic evening!

I’ve been meaning to go to Argile for a long time and was delighted to get a reservation. Jack Montgomery, assisted by Scott, served the most exquisite tasting menu, along with fascinating commentary on the ingredients, preparation and sources. The paired wines were thoughtfully chosen and came from lesser known vineyards with unusual grape varieties. Jack had spent some time in France and knew his wines. Diners sit around the bar and the food is prepared in front of us. With only eight covers (there were three couples on the night we went) it is an intimate experience and we felt privileged to be served personally by an experienced and original chef. We will go again.

My wife and I had the pleasure of dining at Argile this week. Even two days later, we are still thinking about this dinner. With its limited space for just eight guests, Argile creates a very intimate setting. As we arrived, we were seated at the bar alongside the other guests, and, unsure what to expect, we embarked on a journey. Jack and Thomas served us throughout the night, and it was fascinating to watch them as they meticulously prepared each course while sharing the backstory. We felt like we were in a live episode of Netflix’s Chef’s Table. The evening went on as we meandered through courses, each more delicious than the last. They were beautifully crafted, delicately balanced, and captivatingly simple. Humble ingredients like fennel, mussels, egg, and onion broth were skilfully transformed into a perfect blend of complex flavours and textures. The thoughtful wine selection was creatively paired and very reasonably priced. Argile is not simply a fantastic restaurant; it's a dining experience that, if you are willing to trust and surrender to the chef's vision, will surely not disappoint. One of the best meals we've ever had. We will definitely be going back.

I dined at Argile for the first time last night and enjoyed a first class evening. This restaurant is a brilliant addition to the Edinburgh restaurant scene. The restaurant works, chef’s table style with a maximum of 8 diners. Jack prepares the dishes in front of you explaining the cooking methods and produce, with a big emphasis on local produce. The food was absolutely brilliant, cooked to perfection, tasted delicious and was well matched to some lovely wines. The matched wines tended to showcase some less known grape varieties which was really interesting. I would highly recommend and I can’t wait to go back.

A very small and cozy space—only 8–10 seats around the bar—which creates a warm, homey vibe. The setup is clearly thoughtful. Some dishes were excellent (the langoustine, Orkney scallop, and Shetland mussel stood out), while others felt more average—like the grilled quince and the tartare, which didn’t quite work for me. The BBQ loin was tasty but a bit too large for a tasting menu portion, which threw off the balance. Desserts were all fantastic. One thing to note: paying the check took quite a long time and could definitely be smoother. That said, all respect to the team for their hard work—I’m still giving 5 stars. Jack has undeniable talent, and there’s real potential here. It feels like the beginning of something special. Wishing the team all the best on their journey!

As a local pub goes, it's quite good. But I'm here mainly to review the Argyle Bar club sandwich (which I used to LOVE). Guys, what happened? My first gripe is that they placed the sandwich on a panini press with the lettuce inside. Ughhhhh. This made the lettuce all soggy and inedible. Second, there also used to be cheese on the sandwich, which although not a typical item on a club sandwich, I thought this was an excellent addition. Third, what happened to the skinny frites? Perhaps it was the time of the week/year and they were out. Either way, my personal preference was the skinny fries, cheese and toasted bread. I'll still frequent the Argyle, since it is my local and as far as drinks and atmosphere go, it's great. However, i'll be hesitant to order my favourite club sandwich again. At least they have burgers!

Great bar in Marchmont in Argyle Place! Friendly staff and great selection of drinks!

The Argyle Bar really doesn't look much from the outside, and even inside it doesn't seem to offer a lot. It is quite small with a lot of crammed seating and a little traditional wooden bar. The the stafff are friendly enough and the customers are usually locals who use it as their standard drinking hole. I pre-drank here with my flatmates a few months ago on a Friday night and, whilst it was busy, there wasn't the great, vibrant atmosphere that you get in some other smaller bars. They do have wall mounted TV screens which show the latest matches and the drinks are pretty well priced, but it's just not really my kind of pub.

This seems to be a sweet small pub in the heart of Marchmont, but unfortunately is really too small for anything. There is a good selection of beer and the staff are friendly but you can't escape the feeling that everyone else can hear everything you are saying. In summer it is a bit better, as they have a few seats outside, but due to the nature of the pavement, there is not a lot of space for many. The biggest disappointment is that they have a downstairs area that would add considerable space to the pub if it were used, and didn't remain constantly with the lights off. However they do show all the big football games, and as there are few pubs in Marchmont to choose from, this is a good bonus.

I was waiting a while to re-review this place to see how the recent new ownership and renovations sat with me, due the length of time I have been coming here and I am a fussy sort about pubs changing..... and well tbh I love the place. The pub is now under the same ownership umbrella as the brass monkey pubs, but has a very different vibe for the better I might add. The renovations have really made a difference to the place. No more broom handle propping up the fan in the gents... actually I kinda miss that. The new managers and staff are friendly and well informed in terms of booze. On that note they do keep a well stocked bar here with lots of vodka etc and pints available. No food on offer but they do keep a fine line crisps and other bar snacks. :D

Lovely pub for a drink. We popped in here tonight to meet friends and and watch the European Cup final. A very nice evening it was too. An excellent comfortable space. Very nice atmosphere here. Very good staff too. We appreciated the help from the very pleasant young man who was very helpful. We wandered off into the evening very satisfied with our drinks, the amiable pub atmosphere and the inspiring win by the often unlucky Portuguese.

Recently refurbished and under new management the Argyle is an appealing mixture of old and new. Part old man pub and part student pub somehow the combination works to give a winning atmosphere. With a fair range of spirits and 2 rotating cask ales and a selection of lager the beverages on offer are more or less exactly what you want, they are also reasonably priced. In short a good hybrid of the modern/traditional pub.

This is a great bar, well worth a visit. Upstairs is pretty chill axed, shows live sports, and a decent back bar. Staff are friendly with good banter. They have started shifting a lot more ale, which means they can make the use of their 3 taps, which is complimented by an awesome selection of bottled beers. Stacks of daily papers and board games, with a good mix of locals. Don't be put off of it looks full of students, that's not the case at all, Downstairs Cellar Monkey is good at weekends , good music and not particularly judgemental! Thursday night pub quiz starts at 7..

Nice little corner pub, with the cellar monkey below .... Good seating and friendly staff. The french martini and Strawberry Daquiri are my favourite cocktails here. The house red is good too! Haven't sampled food here though!

I come to the Argyle Bar fairly often these days. It's near a few bike shops I like, it's got some good space and they have some great cask ales on. I even managed to try the food a few times and it's always really spot on. Not much else to say about it other than if you don't get there early don't expect to get a seat. It's petty tiny but that works for the type of bar it is. Friendly regulars and bar staff so it's pretty ace. When it gets really busy there is always Cellar Monkey downstairs. By far the best bar in this area of Marchmont. Bike parking over the road too.

The Argyle has a special place in my heart. Because it's exactly what it looks like it should be. And because I've lived around the corner from it for 3 years now. My friend's dad is a regular. I find that endearing, though, it might very well just be me. And yes, it's an old man's pub. When I go there, there's always the risk of being cornered by someone I can't get out of a conversation with. I just look like the kind of person people are dying to have a conversation with, obviously. By people, I mean old men. And the former statement was actually very much false. I apologise. They've started food at the Argyle now. There's a hilarious sign that reads something along the lines of: "Stop by for a healthy meal! Paninis, Nachos, etc." I don't know what their idea of a healthy meal is, but that's not mine. I did have a great recent experience watching the World Cup there recently (Germany v. England), where everyone in the pub was really into the game, rooting for opposite teams and not killing each other. Brilliant, aye? Go there for a cheap pint. For some quiet. For interesting jukebox tunes.

This is a really nice pub. It's a wee bit out of the way, so it's nice for a quiet pint and some banter. The location is really picturesque as well, it's just around the corner from the Meadows, and is situated in the grocery district. It's quite green. It also has a small venue downstairs called the hide, that somebody has to do something cool with. We wanted to put a night on there, except their license only runs until one a.m.

It's hard to put my finger on one thing, but this pub has transformed from being a boring and soulless bar which I preffered to avoid, to my favourite local hang out since it was taken over last year. They literally raised the roof on this place (well the cieling, by a couple of feet)! And with it, the atmosphere has lifted, making it a much more sociable place. It's a warmer vibe now, with indian style rugs and comfy sofas. An array of random lamps and clocks add to the character, and fortunately the bar staff have good taste in music as I've enjoyed the tunes any time I've been in. The selection of drinks is good. On my last visit I sampled a pint of their guest ale, The Birds And The Bees which I can highly recommend, and the fridges are well stocked with various bottles. They also do nice burgers now and everything is very reasonably priced. Downstairs there is the Cellar Monkey which is a great wee hide away with candles and armchairs, and the bar is laden with monkey decorations which locals have contributed so you don't forget where you are! It has an almost jazzy vibe to it and I always thought this place would make a nice live music joint, and now it is, with a weekly open mic and occassional live band. So all in all, I'm thoroughly digging the new incarnation of the Argyle.

I love the Argyle. It's my neighborhood pub and I always pop in. Recently they started advertising a breakfast deal during the six nations and I had to check it out with some friends. 2 for 1 breakfast (with both meat and veggie option) and a bloody mary tossed in for good measure. It was really tasty. Nothing extraordinary, but a tasty Scottish breakfast for a fiver. Can't beat that! Plus the bloody mary was perfectly spiced. Not sure if the breakfast deal will continue after six nations but it's worth checking out regardless.

Maybe we caught them on a bad day, but we paid £25 for wine that belonged over fish and chips and burgers that was tiny, dry with a small portion of chips, no fillings and definitely not worth £8.50. I advise you to eat at the local fish and chip shop and then maybe go in for a pint.

Dreadful pub - condescending middle aged staff, expensive drinks and full of Hooray Henrys and Henriettas! Avoid!