The Witchery

You're dining inside a fever dream of velvet drapes, antique tapestries, and candlelit alcoves that would make Dracula feel overdressed. Tucked into a 16th-century merchant's house on the Royal Mile, this is Edinburgh's most gloriously over-the-top restaurant, where the Gothic romance is laid on with a trowel and somehow works perfectly. The Scottish menu matches the drama – think Orkney scallops, Highland venison, and lobster that costs more than most people's weekly shop. Yes, you'll pay handsomely for the privilege, but the cooking is genuinely excellent and the service suitably theatrical. It's where American tourists propose and locals celebrate milestone anniversaries, all while feeling like they're dining in a particularly posh haunted castle.