Edinburgh's St James Quarter has a highly anticipated new addition as Scottish food hall Bonnie & Wild has opened its doors for the first time.

Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace has been whetting appetites for months as news emerged of the acclaimed chefs and food businesses taking spots within the premium food hall, based in Edinburgh's newest shopping and lifestyle destination.

With eight chef-led food stalls, four speciality retailers and three bars, Bonnie & Wild’s Scottish Marketplace is one of the largest food venues to open in recent years.

The Herald:

Renowned chefs including Gary Maclean, National Chef of Scotland, Peter McKenna of The Gannet, and BBC chef Jimmy Lee have each taken key concessions, which had its soft opening on Friday morning.

Now that it is officially launched, the venue is open daily, 9.30am until late.

Alongside Gary Maclean’s Creel Caught, The Gannet, and Jimmy Lee’s Salt & Chill Oriental, the Food Hall showcases restaurants such as Rico’s Pasta Bar, Erpingham House, CHIX, east PIZZA, Joelato and the award-winning Broken Clock Café and Patisserie.

On the shopping side, Bonnie & Wild is the first retail offering from national drinks wholesalers Inverarity Morton and renowned butcher MacDuff 1890. The Cheese Club, the latest venture from the team behind Six By Nico, is running the venue’s deli counter.

Bonnie & Wild’s operations director Ryan Barrie, who has a series of successful bar and restaurant openings behind him, said: “I am hugely delighted and excited to be opening Bonnie & Wild today.

"It’s a spectacular, beautiful venue, one that everyone involved should be rightly proud of. The finish is first-class, the menus are diverse, innovative and exciting, while the overall food and drink offer is of exceptional quality. There’s something for everyone here.” 

The Herald:

The food hall was established with the aim of providing a premium and high-profile venue to showcase Scotland’s best-in-class independent food and drink producers, providers and purveyors. 

Mr Barrie added: “There’s such a common purpose here – all of us care passionately about promoting and supporting the Scottish food and drink industry. It’s easy for us in Scotland to overlook the fact we have some of the best food and drink in the world, that it’s sought after by chefs the world over.

“At Bonnie & Wild, thanks to the inclusion of these brilliant chefs and retailers, we have produce from across the country, whether that’s shellfish from Lerwick, beef from the Borders, cheese and fresh fruits from the Clyde Valley and Perthshire, cured venison from the Highlands, the list goes on.

"On the drinks side, we have whisky and gin from distilleries across Scotland, and beers and ciders from local craft breweries. Combined, they give our guests an unrivalled offering of Socttish fare, a unique and fantastic vision of Scottish food and drink.”

As well as promoting Scottish food and drink, Bonnie & Wild said that highlighting the link between producers and consumers was also a major ambition.    

“We want guests to see the effort behind the food and drink being served in this beautiful, friendly and accessible venue. We want them to have the opportunity to meet the chefs, chat to them, understand where the food comes from, see it being made and prepared. Bonnie & Wild is as much about food education as it is enjoyment," Mr Barrie said.