A trio of Edinburgh hospitality heavyweights are vying to become Leith’s newest neighbourhood favourites after transforming a former pub into a restaurant designed to break down the traditional barriers between customers and staff.
Dogstar, the new venture from long-time friends - chef James Murray and Nauticus cocktail bar co-owners Kyle Jamieson and Michael Lynch - opened its doors in the old Portland Bar on Portland Place in early November.
The painstakingly renovated space brings together decades of experience from some of Scotland’s most acclaimed kitchens and bars, creating a relaxed dining room where thoughtful cooking, innovative drinks, and easy-going service shine equally brightly.
“We’ve been chatting about doing something together for a long time,” says Murray, who in 2023 earned a Michelin Star while head chef at Edinburgh’s Timberyard.
“I’ve been to Nauticus many times over the years and always loved the hospitality. It’s a globally recognised bar that’s super slick but still feels local, friendly, and fun.
"I was really interested in how that worked and felt I’d love to run a restaurant in a similar way.”
The success of Nauticus, which Jamieson launched in 2018 alondise with world-renowned mixologist Ian McPherson of Panda & Sons, laid the foundations for Dogstar, giving the team a blueprint for the kind of customer-led experience they wanted to create.
“I think Scottish hospitality is going through a great period right now,” Murray continues. “What Kyle and the guys at Nauticus have proved is how important it is to do the bare bones really well, serving well-thought-out drinks without being precious, and making sure people feel welcome and looked after from the moment they walk through the door.”
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Adapting this ethos to a restaurant setting, Murray has created a menu built around local, seasonal produce, with dishes designed to suit a wide range of appetites and occasions.
So far, this has included the likes of puffed pork skin snacks, whole grilled mallard for sharing, and grilled mussels sourced fresh from Scottish waters.
“We want to start seeing regulars, people who eat out here once or twice a week,” he says.
“We don’t want it to be somewhere you only go for a special occasion. Edinburgh restaurant prices can feel quite high at the moment, with a lot of places going very high-end, but we’re aiming for hearty, home-cooked food.
“If you want to come to Dogstar and have a pint of Guinness or a martini with a bowl of cockles, you can.
"Or if you want a £95 bottle of Barolo with a ribeye for two, that’s great too.
"We ask people how they want to eat rather than telling them what to have.”
This laid-back philosophy extends naturally into Dogstar’s drinks offering.
"A lot of restaurants will focus on their wine menus with a cocktail list for support, but what we’re really trying to do is connect the drinks with the food, which is something I think we’ll grow into as time goes on
“Next spring, when I’m fermenting things like wild garlic, capers, and vinegars, I want Mikey to be able to try them and say, ‘I'm going to use that for a cocktail,’” Murray explains.
The aim is to offer a drinks list as creative and packed full of local ingredients as the food menu, inviting guests to explore new flavours without losing the approachability that defines the venue.
Even Dogstar’s interior design elements have been chosen to encourage a deeper sense of connection with their customers, with a bar that curves around the open kitchen, allowing guests to sit close to the action and interact with the chefs and bar staff as they work.
“There’s a feature at the end of the bar that grows out like a half-moon, so you can sit there facing the kitchen and see the chefs cooking right through to the pass,” says Lynch.
"We salvaged the original leather seats, which Jimmy’s partner, who is an upholsterer, restored.
"It’s deliberately warm and lived-in, not stainless steel and white. Every decision was made together, so it’s been a very democratic process.
“We all grew up in and around hospitality, and for our whole careers, the kitchen and front of house have usually been kept very separate.
"At Dogstar, we’re breaking that mould.”
There’s perhaps no better home for a business so determined to go against the grain than Leith, a neighbourhood full of food and drink heroes ranging from long-established Michelin Star spots to thriving independent cafes and street food.
“Though we’re close to places like The Kitchin and Martin Wishart’s, our specific location is a bit of a no man’s land," Murray says.
"You’ve got Alby’s, who were brave enough to open here first, then Norah’s, and of course the Fishmarket in Newhaven.
"If we didn’t have the Nauticus name or my experience behind us, it could have been a trickier site, but I think we've done enough to tempt people around the corner.
“We know where we are and what we're about, and a lot of people have a connection to the Portland Bar, which makes us feel sort of like custodians who want to do it justice."
“People often talk about gentrification, but Leith has been buzzing for a long while now, and it's remained so full of its own character,” Jamieson agrees.
“I don’t think that spirit is ever going to change.”
Dogstar is located at 17 Portland Place, Leith, Edinburgh.
For more information, visit dogstarleith.com.
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