Restaurant closes after diner exodus

ONE of the Capital’s leading restaurants has closed its doors after more than quarter of a century, less than a year after it underwent an extensive refurbishment.

The Vintners Rooms, in Leith, has been forced to shut after its owner admitted customer levels had dwindled, despite undergoing a £40,000 revamp which saw the addition of a whisky lounge.

The closure of the restaurant, in Giles Street, comes after several other high-profile eateries went down the same path.

French chef Daniel Vencker recently closed his bistro, named Daniel’s.

Vintners Rooms owner Giuseppe Begnoni said: “The Vintners Rooms was losing too much money. We had a lot of tourists coming into the whisky lounge, but not enough local people. The restaurant just wasn’t busy enough.

“I’d consider leasing it out again but, at the moment, the plan is to sell the site off.”