Spry

A Georgian address doing something quietly unconventional

On the stretch of Leith Walk that connects the city centre to the port neighbourhood of Leith, a single word in serif script on the portico of a classic Georgian tenement is all the signage Spry offers. Step inside and the logic of the room becomes apparent immediately: shelves of wine line the right-hand wall, a central oak-topped island bar doubles as the kitchen pass, and a spare arrangement of stools, a sofa, and a handful of chairs fills the remaining space. The Georgian bones and the minimal contemporary fit-out sit in deliberate contrast, a combination that defines a particular strand of Edinburgh drinking culture — serious in its interests, low on theatrical gesture.

That contrast between inherited architecture and contemporary intent is worth lingering on. Edinburgh's dining scene has largely split between the formal, destination-focused restaurants clustered around the Old Town and the West End — places like The Little Chartroom and eleanore , and a looser, more informal east-side tier where the distinction between bar, shop, and restaurant is deliberately blurred. Spry belongs firmly in the second category, closer in spirit to a Parisian cave à manger than to the tasting-menu formality of Skua or The Broughton.

The wine programme and what it means for the food

The wine list is not incidental to what Spry does. Ranked number one by Star Wine List in 2024, the selection focuses on naturally produced and organic bottles, predominantly from small producers, spanning regions globally but with the kind of editorial rigour that comes from having a point of view rather than a purchasing budget. Wines are available by the glass, and bottles purchased from the shop carry a modest corkage charge for in-house consumption , a pricing model that keeps the barrier to interesting drinking lower than most comparable rooms in Edinburgh. That structural decision shapes the whole experience: the food exists to accompany the wine rather than compete with it.

This is a meaningful distinction when placed against the broader Modern British conversation happening at venues like eòrna or, further afield, at destination-tier addresses such as L'Enclume in Cartmel or Moor Hall in Aughton. Where those rooms make the plate the protagonist, Spry inverts the hierarchy. The wine list earns the headline recognition; the kitchen works in support.

Modern British identity at the informal end of the register

The Modern British label covers an enormous range in 2024, from the technically demanding multi-course formats at CORE by Clare Smyth or The Fat Duck in Bray to the more grounded, produce-led approach of Hand and Flowers in Marlow or Gidleigh Park in Chagford. Spry sits at a different point on that spectrum entirely , closer to the European wine-bar tradition than to the white-tablecloth lineage of The Ritz Restaurant or the precision-plated ambition of The Ledbury in London.

The kitchen operates around a daily-changing menu of hot and cold small plates, reflecting what is seasonal and available rather than a fixed repertoire. The recorded dishes from a single lunch service , labneh with fresh and pickled cucumber, cured mackerel with ripe cherries and buttermilk, aubergine with fava beans and gremolata, pollock paratha with saffron and yoghurt , indicate a kitchen comfortable moving between British, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern reference points within a single sitting. That eclecticism is not confusion; it is a contemporary British kitchen's actual working method, drawing on the full range of ingredients and techniques that have entered the domestic food culture over the last two decades.

A cheese course , with options including Ragstone, Cora Linn, and Stilton, each individually paired with crackers, preserves, chutney, or pain perdu , signals that the kitchen understands the grammar of a serious meal even while operating in a casual register. The Michelin Plate awarded in 2024 places Spry in the tier of Edinburgh addresses where the cooking merits attention, without the full-star apparatus of the city's more formal rooms. For context, Edinburgh's Michelin-starred tier , Martin Wishart, The Kitchin, Timberyard , occupies the £££££ bracket. Spry at £££ sits a price band lower and offers a meaningfully different format.

The basement and the bakery

Below the main wine bar, a basement café operates as a distinct space, serving coffee alongside an in-house bakery that produces sourdough available for purchase. The bread is also deployed at table during the wine bar service , quality sourdough with cultured butter is a consistent element of the lunch experience. The vertical integration of wine shop, café, bakery, and restaurant-format dining within a single Georgian address gives Spry a density of offer that is unusual for its price point and unusual for Edinburgh more broadly. It is the kind of operation that works because it serves a genuine local function rather than existing primarily as a destination for visiting diners.

Planning your visit

Spry is located at 1 Haddington Place, Edinburgh EH7 4AE, on Leith Walk , within walking distance of both the city centre and Leith itself, making it accessible on foot from most central accommodation. A five-course set menu is available at £60 per person, with optional wine pairings at an additional £50. The à la carte of small plates offers a lower entry point, and the bottle shop pricing structure means a table drinking from the shop's shelves will generally spend less than the equivalent wine-list spend at peer Edinburgh restaurants. Given the size of the room , sparse by design , booking ahead is sensible, particularly for dinner and weekend lunch. The Google review score of 4.7 across 253 reviews indicates consistent performance rather than isolated peaks. For anyone planning a broader Edinburgh trip, the full Edinburgh restaurants guide, Edinburgh bars guide, Edinburgh hotels guide, Edinburgh wineries guide, and Edinburgh experiences guide provide broader context for the city's current offer.

Frequently asked questions

What do regulars order at Spry?

The daily-changing menu means no dish is permanent, but the format of small plates , cold starters, hot dishes, and a cheese course , remains consistent. The kitchen draws on British, Mediterranean, and Middle Eastern flavours within a single menu, so expect combinations that cross reference points freely. The Michelin Plate recognition and the Star Wine List number-one ranking in 2024 suggest both the food and wine are worth ordering seriously rather than treating as secondary to the setting.

Should I book Spry in advance?

The room is intentionally spare in its seating, which means capacity is limited. A 4.7 Google rating across 253 reviews points to a consistently full room rather than a quiet neighbourhood spot. Booking in advance is advisable, particularly for the five-course set menu format at £60 per person. Edinburgh's east-side dining corridor, which includes addresses like The Little Chartroom, operates with shorter booking windows than the city's formal tasting-menu restaurants, but the smaller venues fill up quickly.

What's the defining dish or idea at Spry?

The defining idea is the inversion of the usual restaurant hierarchy: the wine list, ranked number one by Star Wine List in 2024, is the primary editorial statement, and the daily-changing kitchen , awarded a Michelin Plate in 2024 , exists in service of it. The five-course set menu at £60 is the most complete expression of the format, pairing seasonal Modern British-inflected small plates with a natural and organic wine programme that spans small producers globally. The sourdough and cultured butter, baked in-house in the basement bakery, is as considered as anything that follows.