Michelin recommended Scottish restaurant with 'exquisite dishes' to close

A multi award-winning Edinburgh restaurant will close its doors for the final time this summer.

Fhior, which has been co-owned by chef patron Scott Smith and his wife Laura, has won numerous awards and is listed in the Good Food and Michelin Guides.

But the Broughton Street restaurant will now run its closing dinner service on June 1 and will shut for good after the final guest leaves.

Announcing the closure, the owners said: “After nearly seven incredible years, we’ve made the deeply difficult decision to bring our restaurant, Fhior, to a close.

“This has not been an easy decision. Fhior has meant the world to us — not just as a restaurant, but as a place where we’ve met life-long friends, shared unforgettable moments, and worked with some of the most passionate, generous people we could have ever hoped to cross paths with.

“From our dedicated team past and present, to our wonderful regulars, guests and suppliers, you’ve helped make Fhior a place of purpose and genuine connection. We are so incredibly grateful.

“Ultimately, this decision comes down to a number of personal and practical factors, including the arrival of our second child and a desire to spend more time with our growing family.

“While the restaurant has achieved so much, the cost of doing things the right way in a very difficult hospitality climate has taken its toll. Rather than compromise what Fhior stands for, we’ve chosen to close on our own terms, with intention, and with the same care and integrity that defined every service. Our team has been part of this process and we’ve been able to help them all find new jobs.”

The 32-cover venue had made a concerted effort to showcase Scottish produce and elevate the flavours the country has to offer, with Mr Smith bringing under utilised ingredients to the forefront.

This is most famously the case with Fhior’s beremeal bread, which legendary critic AA Gill called “sublime”, whilst Marina O’Loughlin said of Smith: “A new Scottish star is born.”

Just a year after opening, Fhior won Restaurant of The Year at the Edinburgh Restaurant Awards. Later that year, Mr Smith was crowned Best Scottish Chef at The Scotsman Food and Drink Awards.

The chef had also previously won an Acorn Award, a coveted honour given annually for 30 stars in hospitality under the age of 30. Fhior was also noted in the Estrella’s National Restaurant Awards upon opening, and was crowned Scottish Restaurant of the Year in The Scotsman Scran Awards just last year.

Fhior

Mr and Mrs Smith added in a statement: “We want to end well — there’s still time to join us over the coming weeks, and we’ll be doing everything we can to ensure this final chapter is one we can all be proud of.

“To those holding gift vouchers, we understand this may be short notice, and we are already looking at ways to honour those who cannot use them in time. We will be in touch. If you have a booking, please bear with us while we get back to everyone.”

Mr Smith, who has run the restaurant since 2018, will instead be launching a new culinary project, Blank Plate Creative, providing hospitality businesses with bespoke catering solutions.

The husband-and-wife team said: “While this is the end of Fhior as a restaurant, this is not the end of the journey.

“In the months ahead, we’ll be focusing on family, rest and some exciting new projects, including the launch of Blank Plate Creative, a space for collaboration, creativity, and supporting others in building meaningful food businesses. And you never know where Fhior may pop up again.

“Thank you, from the bottom of our hearts, for being part of Fhior’s story. We’ve loved every moment and we’ll carry the spirit of what we built here into everything that comes next.”