Housed in a former bank, The Palmerston opened towards the end of covid lockdowns in August 2021, and has garnered a few fine words said against its name since; including a rave review from the Guardian’s infamously difficult-to-please Jay Rayner.
Taking it’s name from the street it occupies in Edinburgh‘s West End, The Palmerston is a neighbourhood eatery offering a relaxed dining experience with bistro-style interiors. The first restaurant from chef Lloyd Morse (previously at Spring) and James Snowdon (former general manager of the Harwood Arms, Fulham), nose-to-tail cooking is championed here, as is the use of local produce. Morse and Snowdon have worked closely with Scottish farmers and producers to bring a sustainable approach to the menu including fruit and vegetables from local farms Phantassie and The Free Company; meat from Butchery at Bowhouse and Kildermorie Estate; and fish from Welch Fishmongers and Stevie Fish.
With a daily-changing menu, you’ll be hard pushed to chow down on the same thing twice here, the fare on offer rotating with what’s seasonal, fresh and available. Meat is prepared on-site by The Palmerston’s kitchen team, led by Morse, with the whole animal used. Dishes are hearty, comforting and flavourful.
A large dining room seats 60 diners and is filled with natural light, whilst the in-house bakery serves up bread and pastries and offers counter seating from which to devour the freshly baked goods. Snowdon heads up the front of house, and has curated a drinks offering that combines a far-reaching list of world wines, with sharing bottles of beer, a concise seasonally-changing cocktail list and an extensive selection of whiskies in an ode to the restaurant’s local heritage.
A place of provenance and integrity, The Palmerston Edinburgh is a fine looking spot with an enviable bakery (that supplies other local restaurants) and, as Mr Rayner has said: “the best time I’ve had in a former banking hall in a very long time.”
The Palmerston Edinburgh Photography, James Porteous.
