Tomás Gormley to open Cardinal in Edinburgh in March

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Image: Stephen Lister

Scottish chef Tomás Gormley will open his debut solo restaurant in Edinburgh this spring.

Called Cardinal, it is described as an intimate, fine dining restaurant that will present Gormley's elevated take on modern Scottish dining.

Located on Eyre Place, the 24-cover restaurant will serve a 13-course tasting menu in the evening, and a shorter, more concise offer for lunch.

Each dish on the regularly-changing menu will highlight the bounty of Scotland’s natural larder, with the team working closely with local suppliers and producers to celebrate the best of the seasons.

Gormley's cooking will take particular attention to fermenting and pickling, as well as ingredients cooked over flame on Cardinal’s bespoke wood fired barbecue.

A natural-led wine list will complement the menu, alongside a short, carefully-curated cocktail offering and in-house soft drinks programme.

Gormley was awarded a Michelin star at Heron in 2023 and is also chef-patron at Skua, which he opened in Edinburgh’s Stockbridge in spring 2023 with fellow chef Sam Yorke.

Cardinal will be his first solo venture and he will be joined by Ben Mansour as Cardinal's general manager from his former role as bar manager at Skua. James Aikman, also of Skua, will take on the role of sous chef.

“Cardinal gives me and the team an opportunity to showcase something we don’t think anyone in Scotland offers people yet," says Gormley.

"It’ll be fine dining for sure, but we want things to feel exciting and fun at the same time. Expect a lot of the same energy you experience at Skua, just in a longer, more detailed tasting menu format.”