Inside Avery Edinburgh: The Michelin-Starred Restaurant Everyone’s Talking About

When Chef Rodney Wages decided to swap San Francisco’s Japantown for Edinburgh’s Stockbridge, few could have predicted just how seamless the transition would be. Yet only 15 months after reopening his Michelin-starred restaurant Avery on St Stephen Street, he’s not only earned his first UK star (in February 2025) but brought a quiet revolution to the city’s fine dining scene.

Tucked discreetly below street level, a few stone steps down from the colourful bustle of St Stephen Street — Avery is dark, sleek and intimate, with just 24 covers. The atmosphere is more whispered excitement than stiff ceremony; the walls, hung with bold works by San Francisco artist Victor Reyes, pulse softly under low light. Jason, the maître d’, moves between tables with the poise of someone who knows he’s steering something quite special.

I was invited to experience Avery’s Krug Tasting Dinner, an exclusive evening celebrating five remarkable expressions of Krug Champagne — including rare vintages and a preview of the unreleased Krug Grande Cuvée 173ème Édition. Hosted by Jérôme Jacoillot, Krug’s Vineyards & Wine Manager and member of its esteemed Tasting Committee, alongside Brand Manager Juliette Beard, it promised a rare glimpse into craftsmanship at its finest — both on plate and in glass.

The opening notes set the tone: a Cumbrae oyster balanced delicately on sweet fermented pineapple with faint wisps of chilli — bright, briny and alive. Then came BBQ eel, layered with beetroot, sesame and onion ash. I’ll admit, it was the one dish I approached with hesitation, but in Wages’ hands, it was masterful — smoky, silky and quietly addictive. The aged tuna followed, with yoghurt and fermented chilli. Understated in description, extraordinary in execution. I could have drunk the sauce straight from the bowl, had table manners not intervened.

Next, Avery’s signature tortellini in brodo — the dish that’s followed him from San Francisco to Stockbridge. Delicate parcels filled with a cultured mushroom broth, resting in a consommé of roasted garlic skins and burnt onion. It’s a dish that celebrates restraint and reverence — the essence of everything Wages does best.

Then, Hot carrot, cold bird — a dish that flirts with both humour and precision. A skewer of Scottish heather lifts to reveal the warmth of carrot, the chill of bird froth and the whisper of rye. Lightness, texture and wit, all in one bite.

The Sika deer arrived next, rich but never overwhelming, followed by a caviar pancake with sweet potato and maple — fluffy, sweet, and quite possibly a contender for the most elegant comfort food ever created.

Dessert unfolded as a quartet of quiet triumphs: a black sesame bun in a blush-pink brown-butter skirt; a custard and pink-lady cognac mousse that felt impossibly light; a popcorn, white chocolate and seabuckthorn pie that shouldn’t work, yet utterly does; and finally, the dark chocolate tahini and miso sandwich — sweet, savoury and entirely sublime.

Each course was paired with Krug’s most exceptional cuvées — the 170 en Magnum, the forthcoming 173ème Édition, the Rosé 29ème, and vintages 2011 and 167 tasted side by side. As Jacoillot reminded us, no written recipe for Krug has ever existed — every cuvée is built by taste and intuition. A fitting mirror to Wages himself, whose food is crafted from instinct, intellect and emotion rather than formula.

Wages didn’t plan to end up in Edinburgh — but, as he tells it, the city felt right. Perhaps it’s the hills and haar, or the creative pulse that hums beneath its stone streets. Whatever it is, Avery feels at home here. The restaurant’s name, taken from American artist Milton Avery, reflects its spirit — bold, painterly, quietly modern.

In a city that’s fast becoming a culinary capital, Avery is a masterpiece in miniature — a restaurant that reminds us that true creativity isn’t loud, it’s considered. And in Wages’ hands, it tastes of genius.