A stylish Leith brasserie with real food ambition, strong steaks and brunch, and a bar-led hotel setting that’s worth it when the service is on form, but pricey drinks and inconsistent pacing can sour the mood.
Preliminary Grade: This restaurant has only 99 reviews, which is below our 100-review minimum for reliable grading. This grade should be considered preliminary until more reviews are available. Chez Mal Edinburgh delivers strong food quality anchored by standout steak, brunch, and desserts, paired with attentive service that keeps the experience polished.
Chez Mal Edinburgh feels like a polished hotel brasserie that knows how to put on a show: velvet seating, a handsome bar downstairs, and a dining room that gets called stunning more than once. When it clicks, it sounds like a very nice night out — one diner called the service “spot on,” another said the whole place felt “beautiful,” and several people clearly came for drinks, brunch, or a celebratory dinner rather than a random walk-in meal. The cooking leans modern brasserie rather than avant-garde: steaks, salmon, burgers, brunch spreads, puddings, and the occasional more playful plate. The hits are real — steak, sticky toffee pudding, brunch abundance, and a few seafood dishes earn repeat praise — but this is still a place where execution matters. Some visits are memorable; others get bogged down by slow pacing, overcooked steak, or a menu that feels a little pricier than the actual plate deserves. It’s family-friendly in the broad sense, because the menu has familiar options like burgers, steak, chicken, pasta, fries, and desserts, plus vegetarian and vegan choices such as the black bean burger and pumpkin ravioli. That said, this is not a kids-eat-for-cheap kind of room: the food is more grown-up brasserie than comfort-cafe, so it works best for families with older kids or for a special meal rather than a casual weeknight fallback.
Area vibe: Energetic waterfront district known for bars, restaurants, and converted warehouses.
Safety: Generally safe with decent evening footfall around major streets, though quieter residential pockets exist after midnight.
What's nearby: Close to Leith Docks, The Shore dining strip, Ocean Terminal shopping and Newhaven/Portobello ferry and coastal paths.