Chef Dan Ashmore thanks team and friends of The Pompadour following the restaurant's closure

Cara Houchen

It’s the end of an era for legendary Scottish restaurant The Pompadour as it has officially closed its doors after 95 years of operation.

The ‘Edinburgh institution’ is based at The Caledonian hotel in Waldorf Astoria and was headed up by chef Dan Ashmore.

Over the years, it has seen some of the UK’s finest chefs pass through its kitchen including Martin Wishart, Alan Hill, Jeff Bland and Roy Brett.

In a statement from the team at The Pompadour, they said: “After careful consideration, we confirm that we will close our doors for the last time this Sunday. We are proud of the achievements and memories over 95 years. Thank you to our customers and suppliers.”

On Friday, head chef Dan Ashmore shared a message of thanks to his kitchen team and the Waldorf Astoria crew, to his customers and suppliers, thanking them for what he called the best three years of his life. 

 

The restaurant was previously known as the Pompadour by Galvin and was headed by brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin. The Galvin group has previously run Galvin Brasserie de Luxe at the hotel, which chef Mark Greenaway then took over.

The Waldorf Astoria Edinburgh was built in 1903 and underwent a £24m refurbishment before relaunching in 2012.

Chefs and customers took to social media to express their shock and disappointment:

 

In these challenging times…

The Staff Canteen team are taking a different approach to keeping our website independent and delivering content free from commercial influence. Our Editorial team have a critical role to play in informing and supporting our audience in a balanced way. We would never put up a paywall  – The Staff Canteen is open to all and we want to keep bringing you the content you want; more from younger chefs, more on mental health, more tips and industry knowledge, more recipes and more videos. We need your support right now, more than ever, to keep The Staff Canteen active. Without your financial contributions this would not be possible.

Over the last 16 years, The Staff Canteen has built what has become the go-to platform for chefs and hospitality professionals. As members and visitors, your daily support has made The Staff Canteen what it is today. Our features and videos from the world’s biggest name chefs are something we are proud of. We have over 560,000 followers across Facebook, X, Instagram, YouTube and other social channels, each connecting with chefs across the world. Our editorial and social media team are creating and delivering engaging content every day, to support you and the whole sector - we want to do more for you.

A single coffee is more than £2, a beer is £4.50 and a large glass of wine can be £6 or more.

Support The Staff Canteen from as little as £1 today. Thank you.

Cara Houchen

Cara Houchen

Editor 27th January 2020

Chef Dan Ashmore thanks team and friends of The Pompadour following the restaurant's closure