Heron

Had a great pleasure visiting the Heron at last for a friend’s birthday. For a one Michelin star restaurant, I had very high expectation. Overall, it was an excellent dining experience, food to service to wine, all good. However, for a one Michelin star restaurant, I was expecting more - kudos to the seasonal ingredients but one of us had the vegetarian menu and it was just mainly courgettes, quite underwhelming. For me and others who had meat and seafood, again things were tasty and everything was decent except for the portion sizes - I finished the dinner still feeling needing some snacks later on 😭 For the wine, the staff member described it as savoury earthy and somewhat complex but in fact it was a lot more vibrant and simple wine - we tasted it before eating the food with relatively neutral pallets and during dining, so not to judge the wine itself but more for expectation management. The service itself was professional, but not necessarily delightful - the atmosphere there at the time felt serious and unrelaxed, staff member was giving a little nervous vibe - hopefully not because of us! Maybe a thing for most Michelin restaurant because of the clientele it attracts 😅 Would I recommend it? Well, I don’t think it really matters because with the one Michelin star status people will wanna experience it as long as there is the budget for it. I’m also glad I get to pocket another Michelin star restaurant experience. But would it make sense to say it has been a very mediocre one star Michelin restaurant experience? 😂 having said this I am open to revisiting it in the future when the menu has changed and be extra careful when picking my wine. Part of me hopes for a better fine dining scene in Edinburgh comparing to the south.

Genuinely exceptional experience at Heron. I went for my birthday in January and had the taster menu with wine pairing a. Every dish was great, but more than that, each dish worked in accordance of what came before and was coming next. A lot of taster menus I’ve had before were more of a showcase of what the chef can do rather than curating a dining experience. The wine pairings were all great and good for the price. The staff were the right balance of friendly, formal and welcoming. We asked some questions that they couldn’t answer there and then so they went and found out (about new items on the menu that day) It is slightly on the pricey side for a set menu but it still delivered value for money. It was a great showcase for Scottish produce and how Scotland is showing up on the global food front. I’ll certainly be back.

Overall the food was very average, lack of flavor. It looks like the chef is playing it way to safe to keep the 1 star Michelin. Atmosphere was not great, place is very dark, not big selection of drinks either. If you go. Keep expectations low, so it doesn't disappoint.

Wow. What a tasting. Really a lovely experience with amazing tasting food. We did the chefs tasting. But opted out of the wine tasting. It was 6 glasses & we just can't drink that much. But we did choose 2 wines ourselves to go with it. The Ribolla Gialla Gravner 2016 insane. Such a great glass. Went well with all the seafood. Ended it with a Borolo haha which never disappoints me. Anyways I would definitely recommend experiencing this when in Edinburgh. Love that it's a bit out of downtown & right by the docks. Had a nice walk after dinner which we needed. So full. We would love to come back if we come to Edinburgh again. Respect & cheers to the chef & staff. Lovely

It’s hard to post this. I came in and did the tasting menu tonight. Only a couple dishes were worthy of a Michelin Star. The duck and the venison. Everything else was almost bland but definitely understated. Service was rushed and I also felt that the lighting was very poor. I couldn’t even take good pictures of my food. At one point, one of what seemed like 10 different servers asked me how everything was. I shrugged and said it was decent but I was still hungry. She said “Oh maybe that’s because you’re a big guy yeah? Need to eat more?” I couldn’t believe it. I know the U.K. Is famous for bluntness but when you’re serving, that’s not ok. I’m 6’2” and 260lbs. Not skinny but I don’t expect to be called fat by someone waiting on me under any circumstances. Friends can call me that all day long and I’ll have a laugh. From that point on though, I stopped enjoying the meal. The manager dropped the bill and I explained what happened. He apologized profusely and made it right in the way he could, but I was so disappointed with the experience that I canceled my reservation at Lyla and Alain Ducasse in London. If being hungry when leaving a Michelin restaurant is what I’m to expect, it’s not for me.

Gorgeous lunch and overall experience at Heron today! The food, and presentation of, is divine. Partner and I thoroughly enjoyed the tasting menu, each course offering an explosion of delight to the palate! It is apparent that so much thought and effort goes into sourcing the produce and the preparation here. Every single item from the starters to pudding was delicious, I'm struggling to pick a favourite, to be honest. The staff are so lovely and friendly, well versed with the description of each dish. Would highly recommend. Thank you so much for a glorious experience on a grey Edinburgh day 😊 10/10.

The food was delicious. The music was bizarre, but fun. The decor was fine, not overly cozy, but not uncomfortable either. The service was fine for the most part, but one gal was quite snotty for no reason that we can discern. The food was good but the tables around us started running to the restroom half way through the meal. Then we did too. Our stomachs were all upset for 24 hours. Hopefully the kitchen was just having an off night. I think it was overpriced for the experience overall.

Outstanding in every way! The taste of the food, the presentation, the service, and the wine pairings were spot on. Could not have enjoyed our last meal in Edinburgh anymore. They made it special for my wife and I. I also must say that the value was phenomenal for the quality of food that we got compared to other elevated tasting menus that we had in Edinburgh. Shout out to Rachael and Erin for being SO Knowledgeable about the food and the wine. Cheers!!