Edinburgh’s first French restaurant

View of Paris by François-Joseph Dupressoir

Whilst carrying out fundraising research on 19th-century residents of New Town houses, one of our regular customers, Barclay Price, came across a piece that he thought readers of our newsletter might enjoy. Read his article here.

I research and write historical snippets for Edinburgh World Heritage's Facebook page and while researching happened across the first use of the term ‘restaurant’ in an Edinburgh newspaper, and it was a French restaurant - in 1828! As a fan of your restaurant I thought I would send you the information [see link above] for your interest! Especially as they did take-away!! 

One of the newspaper adverts states: “Arrangements have been made to send out dinners ready dressed in the best French style to families who may order them.” While this could be a recent lockdown advert for l’escargot bleu’s excellent dinners at home, it is in fact one from two hundred years ago advertising Edinburgh’s first-ever French restaurant. 

The Café de Paris was opened in North Hanover Street in 1828 by Valentine Fadeuilhe, a wine merchant, and the Caledonian Mercury newspaper reported: “The various dishes produced after the manner of cuisine Françoise obtained for the restauranteur the highest approbation of the assembled gourmands… Fadeuilhe’s Chambertin (the favourite wine of Napoleon) is altogether exquisite and wonderfully moderate in price.” 

In 1830 the restaurant moved to George Street but closed in 1832. Fadeuilhe then opened the Turkish Divan and Café de Europe in South St David Street. “We have paid several visits to the Turkish Divan for the purpose of examining the splendid pictures of Paris which adorn the walls; three of them are 23 feet long by 11 feet in breadth.”

The paintings were by François-Joseph Dupressoir who while in Edinburgh painted local scenes, including Leith harbour. The Turkish Divan closed in early 1835.

Fadeuilhe continued to trade in wine until 1838. He then moved to England where he invented and sold milk tablets.

Barclay carried out his research in exchange for a charitable donation of £100, split between Edinburgh World Heritage and the Dance for Parkinson’s Scotland project run by Dance Base (Edinburgh’s National Centre for Dance). If you are interested in commissioning Barclay to research your house’s early residents email him at: albanystreetedinburgh@gmail.com