In autumn 2015 the Chop House Bar & Butchery opened on Constitution Street in Leith, priding itself on its steaks but also offering a fairly remarkable cheeseburger (more details on the Leith original, see website). It proved such a rampaging success that not even a year later, in August 2016, a sister restaurant opened at the arches along East Market Street in the Old Town.
It’s a chic, metropolitan steakhouse fitted into a Victorian industrial space with booths and cocktail bar downstairs, restaurant upstairs. Clearly it’s much more central than its Leith stablemate, close to Waverley Station, and although it’s far from being a burger joint, it does have dishes to interest burger fans. From the express lunch list this would include the cheeseburger of course with ketchup, mayo and pickles; a steak sourdough sandwich with béarnaise, burnt onions and bone marrow gravy; and the remarkable hot chicken bun with sesame ‘slaw, crispy chillies and garlic sauce. The evening menu also has a mighty cheeseburger but with bacon, Bloody Mary sauce, onion rings and skinny fries. Along with a basic glass of red wine it won’t leave much, if any, change from £20 but they know their meat here so it’s worth it.