Ottolenghi is opening its first ever restaurant in Scotland

The mighty Ottolenghi is bringing its fantastic Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours to Scotland for the very first time. 

The chain will open their debut Scottish restaurant this autumn, with a site on George Street in Edinburgh. Executive Head Chef and local lad (well, local-ish– he was born in Skye) Neil John Campbell will oversee the joint, which is the second UK Ottolenghi opening outside of London, following the launch of a restaurant in the outlet shopping Valhalla that is Bicester Village in Oxfordshire. 

Speaking about the forthcoming opening, Yotam Ottolenghi, chef and founder of Ottolenghi said: ‘We’ve been dreaming about opening in Edinburgh for years, at last the time is right. The city has a brilliant dining culture and access to incredible local produce - fish, seafood, and beautiful vegetables from across Scotland. Neil, our executive chef, is from here, so it’s made the whole thing feel special from the very beginning’. 

The menu hasn’t been released yet, but the Spitalfields branch is currently pumping out dishes such as roasted aubergine with feta cream, za’tar tomatoes and carob molasses, as well as shawarma chicken skewers with cucumber pickle and mustard oil. Yum, and yum again. 

The first Ottolenghi shop opened in 2002 in Notting Hill, and there are now a host of Ottolenghi delis across London as well as a handful of branded restaurants including Rovi in Fitzrovia and Nopi in Soho. There are also two European Ottlenghi restaurants, in Geneva and Amsterdam. 

Ottolenghi Edinburgh will open this autumn at 92 George Street, EH2 3DF.

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