The beloved Scottish gallery cafe that's closed for makeover inspired by John Bellany painting

It’s not just culture we’re interested in when we visit the neo-Gothic National Galleries Scotland: Portrait on Edinburgh’s Queen Street.

We also make a beeline for the ginormous cheese scones that are served in the cafe.

Sadly for those who regularly visit - in order to make a pilgrimage to the newly installed painting of Lorraine Kelly by 2024 Sky Portrait Artist of the Year 2024, Brogan Bertie, or see their Celebrating 40 Years of Scotland’s Photography exhibition (until March 16) - before hanging around for lunch or afternoon tea, the cafe and shop are currently closed until February.

However, we’re hoping that the temporary pause in service will be worth it. Currently, the space and menu is undergoing big changes.

We asked Sandy Robson, executive director of company, Heritage Portfolio, who looks after the catering side of the gallery, to tell us more about their plans.

Why was it time to refresh the gallery cafe?

We have recently extended our partnership with National Galleries Scotland: Portrait, so now felt like a good time to update a well-loved café counter that was last refurbished around 12 years ago. This has given us the opportunity to refresh the space with new furniture and to add some sound baffling measures to improve the acoustics. We’re also taking the opportunity to introduce a new bookable dining concept, The Nook.

What are your plans and inspirations for the new interior?

The colour scheme is inspired by the John Bellany painting, Queen Street Café, which hangs in the café. The overall design is inspired by the artist’s palette - the wooden board on which artists traditionally keep their paint. We’d like visitors to feel that art does not just hang on walls but is reflected in the fabric of the café and in the food produced in our kitchen.

Will the same paintings as before still be in situ?

Yes, the beautiful portraits that were hung in the café prior to the refresh will be back once the works are completed.

How will the menu be changing? Any new signature dishes or cakes? Will you be keeping the beloved cheese scone?

The principles of our menu remain the same. It’ll still be prepared fresh onsite in our kitchen and will celebrate the seasons. Of course, our famous cheese scones will continue to be a staple of our menu. Our talented chef, Alec has also created some signature dishes that are inspired by artworks in the Portrait gallery. For example, our menu for The Nook, our new brunch and private dining concept, includes a dish of Smokie Hash, which consists of smoked haddock, with sweet potato hash, poached egg, wilted kale, spinach, grilled vine tomato and a cava beurre blanc. It’s a dish that’s again inspired by John Bellany’s Queen Street Café, which prominently features fish.

How many cakes do you offer at one time and what are the bestsellers?

Our range normally extends to 10 to 12 delicious sweet and savoury bakes on our counter at any one time. Everything is made by our in-house bakery, either on-site or in our main kitchen in Leith. Our three best-selling cakes are cherry bakewell; our apricot, date and oat slice; and the ginger and oat slice, with the latter two being vegan cakes. We sell more than 800 of each of these cakes every month. That’s more than 280kg of cake.

Will it continue to be self-service?

Yes, the café remains self-service with the addition of a distinct coffee and cake counter, alongside the main counter which will have the full savoury, sweet and drinks menu. We are also introducing a new table service menu for The Nook, where it will be possible to book a table.

Who is your average customer, and are there any regulars?

Like the Portrait gallery, we welcome all sorts of customers. We have so many visitors who pop in daily for a scone and a coffee, or a chat with a friend over lunch in this unique and relaxed setting. We are lucky to have a very loyal, local customer base and we have been keen to listen to our customers before undertaking the refurbishment.

Are there plans to expand the shop?

The shop will remain in its current location at the café entrance. The changes we are making to our furniture and configuration mean that we have been able to increase the shop’s footprint while managing to retain the same capacity as before in the café.

Why did you choose the name, The Nook?

The Nook is located in a space that was historically used to store artworks that were not on display, and this room was referred to internally as the ‘nook and cranny’. So, we have used this name with an affectionate nod to the room’s original use. As a more intimate and secluded space, which is located in the corner of Café Portrait, we think the name, The Nook, fits the bill.

National Galleries Scotland Portrait | Nial Smith

Are any of the other National Galleries of Scotland’s cafes having a refurb?

There are no immediate plans to refurbish our other cafes. Both Café Modern One and Paolozzi’s Kitchen at Modern Two have benefitted from a refurb in recent years and we will no doubt continue to develop and invest in the fabric of our cafes as required to ensure the vibrant, accessible and relaxing café environments that our customers and visitors expect.

National Galleries of Scotland: Portrait, 1 Queen Street, Edinburgh, www.nationalgalleries.org