The Times
Charlotte Ivers headed to Leith, her favourite part of Edinburgh, to a new venture from Roberta Hall-McCarron and the team behind the popular Little Chartroom.
“It’s next door, and basically identical. The difference is there if you squint: it’s a bit less formal, a bit less fancy. But from the outside you’d be forgiven for not noticing Ardfern even existed, walking straight past to its famous older brother.”
The service – from Ellen – was terrific, and Charlotte was impressed by the brevity of the menu, which “feels delightfully chic. I like a short menu. It implies confidence, perhaps even arrogance. ‘We know what’s good for you,’ it seems to say. At Ardfern, they definitely do.”
Charlotte Ivers - 2024-07-14The Sunday Times
Noting that restaurant critics don’t have locals “because we’re duty bound to eat in different places”, Chitra Ramaswamy admitted that she has gone to prolific chef Roberta Hall-McCarron’s all-day café, bar and bottle shop more than any other place since it opened last spring.
A regular for its “divine” batch-brew coffee, for brunch and for lunch, Chitra headed there for Sunday lunch to sample what “people keep telling me is the best roast of their life” and hash browns “so legendary I’ve heard them discussed on the dancefloor at parties”.
The beef lived up to its billing. “The rump cap, roasted then finished on the grill, is cut thick like a sirloin. It’s long-rested, blushing pink, iron-rich, soft as a fillet steak. Wow. Is it the best roast beef of my life? Oh yes.” And not to be outdone, the hash browns are “sinfully good”.
Chitra Ramaswamy - 2025-02-23The Times
Exhausted after a few days devoted to “cultural self-improvement” at the Edinburgh Festival, Jay Rayner found solace in a glazed brioche bun stuffed with Cumberland sausage, lamb haggis and back bacon (£9.50) – all of which, like the bun and tamarind-rich brown sauce on the side, were made on-site at this all-day spot in Leith next door to its sibling restaurant, The Little Chartroom.
Impressively, Jay declared, chef-owner Roberta Hall-McCarron and her team can “change gears” between ambitious restaurant cooking and home-made breakfast.
“Many ‘all day’ restaurants claim to be loose and informal. Then they offer a three-course menu that laughs in the face of informality. Ardfern really means it. Go there for the Arbroath smokie Benedict and a glass of wine. Or a doughnut and a coffee. Or a long dinner. Look, if you’re in Edinburgh it would be a mistake not to go, whatever you choose.”
Jay Rayner - 2025-08-03
Drinks
Extras
