New in Food: Smoak, Century General & more
On the hunt for somewhere new to eat and/or drink? We round up some of the most intriguing new venues to open in recent weeks, including a Scandinavian-inspired restaurant in Edinburgh and the triumphant return of some Glasgow street food royalty.
Ever have trouble keeping up with the new restaurants and cafés in Edinburgh and Glasgow? Don't worry, it happens to the best of us, but we can help. This is our new monthly column on the notable new openings across Scotland, from craft beer bars to charming cafés to ping pong-powered nightspots. Opening a new food and drink venue in Edinburgh or Glasgow? Let us know – send the details to peter.simpson@theskinny.co.uk.
Seasons
The Seasons team fuse Scottish ingredients with Nordic influences to create tasting menus based on the best produce they can get their hands on. Expect to see an eclectic list of ingredients, have a short wait in lovely surroundings, then be amazed by what the kitchen team manage to do with said ingredients. 36 Broughton Street, Edinburgh
Century General Store & Café
Imagine the corner shop from a Wes Anderson movie came to life in a leafy bit of Edinburgh. That’s Century General Store, a lovely shop and café packed to the rafters with design gifts, locally-sourced treats and homeware. The Century team have now opened a second venue at Montrose House in Abbeyhill, with a 20-seat café serving coffee from Steampunk Coffee and sweet treats from Bostock Bakery and Grace & Co, along with a host of other edible goodies. Montrose House, 1 Montrose Terrace, Edinburgh
Obadiah Coffee
Taking up temporary residence at the foot of the Grassmarket next to Dance Base, Obadiah is a pop-up coffee shop from the start-up supplier whose beans have been seen at Filament and Fortitude in recent weeks. Obadiah’s coffee roastery is in the Bulgarian capital Sofia, with the business working with disadvantaged groups in Bulgaria and the UK. They’re serving up their own-roasted, single-origin coffees in a bright and airy space – sounds alright by us. 16 Grassmarket, Edinburgh
Proud Mary
Ping pong! Yes, you read right, ping pong! Proud Mary on Queen Street combines an eclectic food and drink menu upstairs with a 'Ping Pong Ballroom' in the basement. There’s a bumper beer garden outside and plans for regular DJ sets and live music inside, so plenty to distract from that one mate who insists he 'meant' an incredible lucky shot and won’t stop going on about it. Something for everyone, we believe is the phrase. 25 Queen Street, Glasgow
Smoak
The Glasgow barbecue aces have a permanent home – following residencies at the likes of Tribeca and Pivo Pivo, the Smoak crew have set up shop in the Merchant City. There’s plenty of locally-sourced, slow-cooked barbecue goodness, as well as an inventive breakfast menu and a number of Asian-inspired dishes to mix things up a bit. 6 Royal Exchange Sq, Glasgow