About Us
About Café Marlayne
Café Marlayne is an independent French restaurant located on Thistle Street in the heart of Edinburgh’s New Town.
Cafe Marlayne has been serving the people of Edinburgh, along with the many visitors who come to enjoy this beautiful city, since early 2000, making us one of the few restaurants in this ever-changing dining scene to have survived and continued to thrive for over a quarter of a century.
Originally opened by Marcelline and Islay, hence the name, after many years of managing and working in what was then Edinburgh’s busiest and most famous French eatery, the aim was to create an intimate, personal yet lively little bistro serving fresh, bold and robust classic dishes, cooked with care and precision, using the best Scottish produce available.
The inspiration came from the world-famous bistros and brasseries of Marcelline’s hometown, Lyon. In those early days, there was also plenty of help and guidance from the recipes and wisdom of Marcelline’s mother, Madame Levicky, a formidable cook.
And so, with Islay in the kitchen and Marcelline front of house, the doors opened on 27 February 2000.
In 2023, the “deux vieilles poules” stepped back from the day-to-day running of the restaurant and handed the reins to the younger and more energetic Agnes, with advice, support and, of course, a little famous French opinion never far behind.
This is our story. And as always, we are here with a friendly welcome, unpretentious service and properly prepared, delicious food.