Aizle

Fabulous five courses, relaxed atmosphere, helpful and friendly staff, great drinks selection, perfection! I found Aizle by doing a bit of research online for a weekend trip to Edinburgh. You can book a table on their website through an automated diary which tells you what seatings are available for your chosen date, super easy! They do take a credit card number and charge a penalty if you don’t show up though. But you REALLY wanna show up for this. They don’t have a menu as such, they put together a five course meal based on their monthly ‘harvest’. They also change their cocktails on a monthly basis. Each plate was beautifully presented, cooked to perfection and delicious. Well worth the short taxi ride from the city. I had relatively high expectations of the place and it didn’t disappoint! The entire experience, from booking the table to having a taxi called for us was an absolute pleasure!

Ever have one of those meals where you already start planning the next visit before dessert hits the table? Well, Aizle had me hankering for a future visit by the end of the bread course… it’s THAT good.
I’ll be brief in regards to the concept because many folks have already laid that out more eloquently than I could, but in a nutshell: Aizle works with a monthly «harvest» of locally sourced ingredients to build a set menu that switches each month. Though you know the ingredients, you aren’t informed of each course, making the meal a total surprise. Though they happily cater to dietary restrictions, this type of meal is best suited for the culinary adventurer… picky eaters be warned.
Simply: what they do, they do well.
It’s no secret that Aizle has some serious culinary ninjas in the kitchen, but what really struck me about the evening was that this little restaurant has a knack for story telling. So many meals nowadays are built on speed — quick meals where you can be in and out of the place within an hour. True, that concept comes in handy a lot of the time but as we delve more and more into speed dining, we lose the art of a «good meal» along the way. Those good ol’ fashioned meals where you actually sit down to have a conversation and be present — chat about the day, about the food, take your time and put down your phone (between the food pics of course). The nature of Aizle’s menu makes for an instant talking point and the pace of the food has a nice balance to keep you comfortably perking along without feeling rushed or bored. There are few places that encourage the art of a proper sit down meal and very few that master it… but Aizle makes it look effortless.
Great food, great drinks, great concept… but more importantly, Aizle makes for a good story… and after the food is gone, that’s the best you can arrive at.

Quite frankly — one of the best meals I’ve had in a very long time. There is no menu — as many have mentioned — but it didn’t matter. I anxiously awaited the next course — each building on the prior and completely surprising me at every turn. Almost 3.5 hours passed by in a blink of an eye and I was truly sad to have to leave. The service was impeccable and the drinks highly creative. If only I could con these folks into coming to OKC. I can only imagine what they could do with the unusual and highly local ingredients found in Oklahoma. If you’re thinking of going — get there before October is over: the trout is absolutely out of this world.

Can’t believe I’ve not reviewed this place! I’ve already been numerous times since they opened a year ago. I love Aizle. There is no menu. The list of ingredients changes each month and is full of local Scottish produce. Each dish comes beautifully presented and always tastes as good as it looks. They are fantastic at catering to any dietary requirements and you can just tell they put so much care into every plate.
The cocktails are always really tasty and compliment the food. The service is so super friendly and they’re great at answering any questions.
Don’t let the fact that there’s no menu put you off. It’s liberating not having to fuss and ponder and choose!
Highly recommend, do book ahead of time as I’m not sure they accept walk-​ins.

This is probably my favourite overall restaurant in Edinburgh. They showcase so much of the best of Scottish/​local meats and produce (hogget is often featured, but based on my visits and the multiple photos of it here they’re finding all kinds of ways to prepare and present it) and the attention to detail is astonishing. It’s not «cheap and cheerful» (well, it is pretty cheerful especially if you enjoy some of their exquisite cocktails with your dinner) but dinner at Aizle is comparable to ones I’ve had that cost several times more than here.
Each dish is so beautifully plated and presented you almost feel bad tearing into it with your utensils. But then you actually taste how incredible it is and you don’t feel bad about it anymore.
Service is impeccable but not at all stuffy. It’s so rare and lovely to be able to enjoy a meal of this calibre in such a relaxed and cosy ambiance.
If you’re visiting and staying in the centre it’s a short bus or cab ride over and worth a visit if you’re a local as well.

Aizle is definitely a five-​star place for me in Edinburgh. I had dinner here a few weeks ago with fellow Unilocaler Mariana per her suggestion and I was not disappointed. First things first, the view out of the window of Salisbury Crags is amazing! The ambiance is lovely and cozy, a great place for a date or a gathering with friends. It is upscale casual, but not TOO upscale or uncomfortable at all. My favorite kind of place.
I am kind of obsessed with the concept of a blackboard board with ingredients and the chef creating the five course menu from there. I came hungry and truly enjoyed each and every course. I ate everything as listed, but they do enquire about dietary restrictions and seem fairly accommodating. The presentation of each dish was also beautiful. The care that goes in to the food here is astounding. We got cocktails and wine with our meal, but you can add a drink pairing for £30 (the 5 course meal is £45 and worth every penny). Next time I go I think I will do the whole thing up properly with the drinks pairing, but the cocktails we tried were absolutely lovely. Service was also impeccable. I have nothing to complain about with Aizle and I truly cannot wait to be back. I can’t imagine a restaurant in Edinburgh that can beat this one.

I last visited Aizle a year ago (can’t believe it) for their pre-​opening night. My boyfriend surprised me last week with an impromptu return visit and I just need to say it was probably one of the best meals I have ever had. We splashed out and had the wine pairing with our meal and it is so worth it. Each course was delicious, fresh and inspired. Even better than the first time we came here. Service is always impeccable. I just love not knowing what delights the next course will bring and which combination of ingredients they will use. I will be recommending Aizle to everybody I know and I will be requesting to come back for my birthday in a couple of months thank you for a perfect evening x

Aizle has no menu, just a list of ingredients that may or may not show up in your food, plus a chance to explain your dietary restrictions. The meal consists of five creative courses inspired by seasonal, local produce.
Aizle is getting 5 stars from me because every single course delivered. Each dish brought interesting flavors to my tongue — there were no duds, no fillers. Just tastiness. The second course involved perhaps the yummiest carrots I have ever eaten.
I opted for the drinks pairing, which included a beer, three wines, and a cocktail (all small servings). The beverages complemented the food well. The cocktail (a strawberry concoction, the type of thing I would usually avoid) was particularly delicious. I’m looking forward to trying some more of their house cocktails on our next visit, which will be very soon.