It’s energy of a place that knows it belongs to a bigger world has rippled throughout the city for almost two years. Initially locals were unsure of this “walnut whip” structure carving out a place in the infamous Edinburg skyline, but more and more, I hear of those adventuring to the top and finding a meeting point where global glamour and local heritage cross over effortlessly.
Perched high above the city, with those sweeping views of the gothic spikes of the Old Town, it feels metropolitan in the truest sense, and the food mirrors this sensibility.
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My salmon starter was incredibly refreshing and balanced. The lamb that followed was bold and deeply comforting with pea instead of the traditional mint accompanying it.
Across the table, my sister’s ham hock sausage roll was rustic but elevated — the sort of dish that has no business being this chic — while her curried North Sea cod carried the warm, fragrant spices you’d expect in a London supper club. It was definitely the star of the evening.
And then, of course, there were the cocktails. The “Gods and Goddesses” series makes you feel part of something playful and imaginative, a cosmopolitan mythology with nods to Gaelic folklore.
My favourite — a gooseberry-led creation — managed to be sharp, fresh, and utterly modern, and another I can’t wait to try again both Wildwoods with the stunning pear foam and Ùrachadh – Awakening, which showcased Highland Park 12 with flamed spices.
The W Edinburgh is still something of the city’s new kid on the block, but it has already carved out a striking place in the skyline and in the story of St James Quarter.
W Hotels, with their reputation for high-energy glamour from Barcelona to Bangkok, have found in the Scottish capital a home that’s equal parts heritage and reinvention. Step inside and you immediately sense it — the slick modernity, the cosmopolitan hum, the unapologetic ambition to bring something international, even a little audacious, to one of Europe’s most historic cities.
The W Lounge is a statement: Edinburgh can be as metropolitan, as stylish, as forward-looking as any world capital. And yet, you still feel the warmth, the groundedness, that keeps it uniquely Scottish.