You’ll find Ardfern tucked round a corner off Great Junction Street, the newest opening from Roberta Hall-McCarron and the team behind The Little Chartroom and Eleanore (since May 2024). Described as an all-day cafe, bar and bottle shop, Ardfern sits directly next door to The Little Chartroom, and the syzygy between the two has been clearly highlighted, with the same colour scheme and typography spanning across both venues, and staff in chef’s aprons and front-of-house navys flowing seamlessly back and forth between the two.
What’s the vibe?
Ardfern is cool. It’s laid-back, fuss-free and despite being a busy Saturday (every table was full basically the entire time we were there) there is a sense of calm about the place. The tables are spaced in a way that you can lean over and ask the table next to you what they’ve ordered (if you’re inclined, like me, and notice something looking particularly good), but you can also deep-dive into some spicy yet confidential work gossip without worrying that everyone around you will hear.
Like almost all places that describe themselves as a bar or bottle shop – essentially anything other than a restaurant – the menu is small plates. If this sounds derisive, I don’t mean it to be. The relaxed vibe of Ardfern lends itself perfectly to this style of menu. The dishes here work a treat for sharing, and the menu, which features burrata, chilli peanut ribs, and a baked fish crumpet, doesn’t have an obvious theme to it. But altogether, it works – every dish as balanced and well-executed as the next.
What should I order?
Dinner kicked off with a glass of Pet Nat, which was light and cidery, and a welcome meal kickstarter due to its natural fizz – especially as you don’t get it by the glass very often. Also sourdough, laden with silky soft butter and flaky salt.
The first three plates to arrive were all deep-fried (partly accidental: I misread dauphine as dauphinoise). A dauphine, turns out, is a mashed potato blended with choux pastry which is formed and then fried – and the ones at Ardfern are things of beauty, mixed with crab meat and served with a sticky chilli sauce. They’re followed by roast beef and gruyère croquetas, exceptionally crisp, perfectly cheesy and topped with a pickled jalepeño for a hit of citrussy flavour. Finally, it’s the hash brown with pea, wakame, baby gem and chilli, which was just as fresh and packed with flavour. No regrets.
Next was the baby back ribs, stacked high and coated with chilli peanut crisp and mint salsa, so good that they’re worth every bit off the mess you get yourself in eating them (first date-ers, beware). I’m usually not fussy about getting fresh plates, but our server immediately whipped them away after this, which I appreciated. And thank goodness they did, as it was then time to give the baked fish crumpet our undying attention. This was cloud-soft, with fish that fell apart into gorgeous big flakes, and topped with a perfectly poached egg, arbroath smokie hollandaise sauce and leeks so buttery you could taste it in every bite. It just about took me out, but it was a seriously good plate of food.
What are the prices like?
Aside from the bar snacks (olives, salamis etc) the cheapest plate is £8 and the most expensive is £17. The wines by the glass are available in three sizes starting from around the £6 mark. For cocktails fans, the list is small but incredibly enticing, with some classics and some house specials priced between £10 and £13. I ended the meal with a peach sour, a whiskey sour with Amarosa and peach liqueur, which was the liquid highlight of the night.
What’s nearby?
Ardfern is a 15-minute walk from the Shore, one of the most picturesque areas of Leith, and Edinburgh as a whole. Walk the rest of Great Junction Street and you’ll find yourself at the foot of Leith Walk, a long sloping street lined with bars, cafes and shops that take you right into the city centre. If it’s raining (let’s be honest, it will be), jump on a bus or a tram from the foot of the walk instead.