Skua

4.8 (39)

£26 to £40

Scottish

49 St Stephen St, Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5AH

Make a reservation

2 people

May 19, 2025

May 2025

7:00 PM

Booked 10 times today

Experiences are available.

About this restaurant

Neighborhood gem
Innovative
Good for special occasions

Skua is a small basement restaurant and bar located on St Stephen street in Stockbridge. The food menu, led by Head Chef James Aikman, is seasonal, refined, well balanced and innovative. Drawing from a large library of pickled and fermented produce year round the kitchen team offers dishes that punch well above their weight and are produced in an exceptionally small space, visible to guests as they enter the restaurant. The cocktail programme, spearheaded by Jacob Thunder is equally innovative and playful with a regularly rotating selection of house favourites as well as the classics available on request. Skua has been listed in the Michelin Guide and The Good Food Guide since its opening year in 2023.

Additional information

Dining style
Fine Dining
Price
£26 to £40
Cuisines
Scottish, Contemporary British, Modern European
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Phone number
0131 202 7834
Website
http://www.skua.scot/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
49 St Stephen St, Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5AH
Neighborhood
Edinburgh
Parking details
None
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine

Experiences

Drinks and Bar Snacks Only
Multiple dates available
After 10pm we remain open as a bar, with a small selection of snacks available until we close. The main kitchen will not be able to prepare dishes from the main menu during tis time.

I.O.W Tomatoes | Gooseberries | Sorrel (V)£14.00
Braised Shallot | Plum | Pancetta | Spruce£14.00
Free Co Beef Tartar | Anchovy | Spelt | Fermented Leek£15.00
Scallop | Delica Pumpkin | Blackcurrant Leaf£15.00
Pink Fir | Walnut | Cheddar | Fermented Ramson (V)£15.00
Sea Trout | Sweet Potato | Cucumber | Aji Amarillo£14.00
Skua Fried Chicken 2.0 | Scotch Bonnet | Hung Yoghurt£22.00
Market Fish | Taramasalata | Sea Plantain£28.00
Sirloin | Girolle | Variegated Kale | Pedro Ximenez£30.00

Dessert

Woodruff Set Cream | Green Pine | Fig£8.00

House Cocktails

Stockbridge Sour£10.00
Single Malt | Symphony 6 | Douglas Fir | Red Wine
Paulie Walnuts£10.00
Toasted Walnut Brandy | Maraschino | House Vermouth
Not Another Gin Fizz£11.00
Purple Carrot Vodka | Kwai Feh | Rose Vermouth | Ginger
Sour Grapes£10.00
Midori | Suze | Verjus | Tequila
Kim’s Chi£10.00
Mezcal | Ancho Reyes | Sherry | Kimchi
Red Hackle£9.00
Lind & Lime Gin | Tawny Port | Campari
Creme Brulee£11.00
White Chocolate | Licor 43 | Olorosso
Blood Orange Fizz 0%£7.00
Lyres Italian Blood Orange | Ginger | Soda

Uncategorised

Bread | Butter
Oyster | Blackcurrant Leaf | Olive Oil
Beetroot Tart | Apple
Smoked Cheese Donut | Guanciale | Chive
Toasted Oat | Leek | Balck Pepper
Grilled Seabass | Cauliflower | Leek | Jersey Royals
Free Co Lamb | Tenderstem | Yoghurt | Bordelaise
Hen of the Woods | Alexanders | Spruce
Ricotta | Blood Orange

What 39 people are saying

Skua reviews from people who’ve dined at this restaurant. Based on recent rating.

Overall ratings and reviews

Reviews can only be made by diners who have eaten at this restaurant

4.8

4.8 based on recent ratings

4.7Food
4.8Service
4.7Ambience
4.5Value

Noise • Energetic

Loved For

Edinburgh/Midlothian
Best Ambiance
Edinburgh/Midlothian
Innovative
Edinburgh/Midlothian
Scottish
Edinburgh
Best Ambiance
Edinburgh
Innovative
Edinburgh
Scottish

Review summary

AI-generated from verified diner reviews

Skua offers an exceptional dining experience with "amazing food" and "super friendly staff." Guests enjoy a cozy, intimate atmosphere with a "great vibe" and innovative cocktails. Renowned for its "creative food" and "well-informed staff," Skua is a "hidden gem" in Edinburgh. Highly recommended for its "fantastic" service and "outstanding" dishes.

39 Reviews

M
Maricel VIP
Columbus1 review
4.0
Dined 3 days ago
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Portions are quite small. The large plates are sized like appetizers. Not a lot of choices either.
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K
Kilian VIP
London2 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 10, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 4
Just go and visit! Wonderful experience on all levels- food, ambiance and service.
Is this helpful?
J
Jay VIP
Washington DC52 reviews
5.0
Dined on May 3, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 4
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Definitely a small table, intimate restaurant with wonderful staff. It is more like a pub than a restaurant, but it is wonderful A+ to everyone.
Is this helpful?
A
Angela
Edinburgh2 reviews
3.0
Dined on May 2, 2025
1. Overall 3
2. Food 3
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 2
Sadly a disappointing experience at one of our favourite restaurants. Welcome, menu options, service not as good as we have experienced in the past.
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T
Tracet
Edinburgh1 review
5.0
Dined on April 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
Brilliant food and service. I had a sore throat and they brought honey and hot water and paper so I could write messages to my friend. Really thoughtful. I keep it would be good as my daughter had raved about it but it surpassed expectations on service.
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C
Can
London2 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 26, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Amazing food, super delicious. The staff is super friendly. Would 100% recommend
Is this helpful?
W
Will
Edinburgh1 review
5.0
Dined on April 22, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Great service and amazing food. Highly recommend!
Is this helpful?
L
Linda
Cologne1 review
5.0
Dined on April 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Lovely evening great food great service thank you !
Is this helpful?
A
Anton
Atlanta1 review
5.0
Dined on April 19, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
Very nice little restaurant, great service, brilliant food! Definitely a must go when you’re in Edinburgh.
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W
William VIP
Seattle13 reviews
5.0
Dined on April 16, 2025
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
All I can say is WOW! What an incredible experience. We split 6 dishes (plus bread and butter) between the two of us and it was the perfect amount of food. The vibe of the place felt warm and modern for a small basement restaurant. The drinks came out quickly as did the bread and butter, then the kitchen of 2 chefs sent dish after dish out to our table until we had enough. Wish I lived near here because I would be back again and again.
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FAQs

Skua is rated 4.8 stars by 39 OpenTable diners.

Yes, you can generally book this restaurant by choosing the date, time and party size on OpenTable.

Make a reservation

Booked 10 times today

Experiences are available.

49 St Stephen St, Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH3 5AH

Additional information

Neighborhood
Edinburgh
Hours of operation
Dinner Tue–Sat 5:00 pm–10:00 pm
Price
£26 to £40
Cuisines
Scottish, Contemporary British, Modern European
Dining style
Fine Dining
Dress code
Casual Dress
Parking details
None
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Additional
Bar/Lounge, Beer, Cocktails, Full Bar, Gender Neutral Restroom, Gluten-free Options, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Vegan, Wine

Website
http://www.skua.scot/
Phone number
0131 202 7834

Sun	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thu	Fri	Sat

Skua

Make a reservation

About this restaurant

Additional information

Drinks and Bar Snacks Only

Snacks

Bread | Katy Rodger's Cultured Butter (V)£2.50

Nocellara | Guindilla (V)£4.00

Coppa£10.00

Oyster | Beach Rose | Green Strawberry£4.50

Chickpea Panisse | Fennel | Summer Herbs (V)£5.00

Kimchi (V)£3.00

Skua Fried Chicken 1.0 | Hot Sauce£5.00

Plates

I.O.W Tomatoes | Gooseberries | Sorrel (V)£14.00

Braised Shallot | Plum | Pancetta | Spruce£14.00

Free Co Beef Tartar | Anchovy | Spelt | Fermented Leek£15.00

Scallop | Delica Pumpkin | Blackcurrant Leaf£15.00

Pink Fir | Walnut | Cheddar | Fermented Ramson (V)£15.00

Sea Trout | Sweet Potato | Cucumber | Aji Amarillo£14.00

Skua Fried Chicken 2.0 | Scotch Bonnet | Hung Yoghurt£22.00

Market Fish | Taramasalata | Sea Plantain£28.00

Sirloin | Girolle | Variegated Kale | Pedro Ximenez£30.00

Dessert

Woodruff Set Cream | Green Pine | Fig£8.00

House Cocktails

Stockbridge Sour£10.00

Paulie Walnuts£10.00

Not Another Gin Fizz£11.00

Sour Grapes£10.00

Kim’s Chi£10.00

Red Hackle£9.00

Creme Brulee£11.00

Blood Orange Fizz 0%£7.00

Uncategorised

Bread | Butter

Oyster | Blackcurrant Leaf | Olive Oil

Beetroot Tart | Apple

Smoked Cheese Donut | Guanciale | Chive

Toasted Oat | Leek | Balck Pepper

Grilled Seabass | Cauliflower | Leek | Jersey Royals

Free Co Lamb | Tenderstem | Yoghurt | Bordelaise

Hen of the Woods | Alexanders | Spruce

Ricotta | Blood Orange

Overall ratings and reviews

Loved For

Review summary

FAQs

How is Skua restaurant rated?

Is Skua currently accepting reservations?

Make a reservation

Additional information