Gordon Ramsay returning to Scotland to open Edinburgh restaurant

Gordon Ramsay is returning to Scotland to open a new restaurant in Edinburgh, 17 years after his Glasgow venue closed its doors.

The chef's company has taken the former Refinery site at 4-8 St Andrew Square (pictured) which will reopen as the first Bread Street Kitchen in the UK outside of London.

An earlier report in The Sunday Times fuelled speculation Ramsay was set to take the site after Drake & Morgan, which ran the Refinery, announced it would be closing on 12 September after its landlord served notice.

Bread Street Kitchen will occupy a 3,728 sq ft site on the ground floor and a further 3,357 sq ft on the first floor.

Andy Wenlock, chief executive at Gordon Ramsay Restaurants, said: "We have taken our time to look for the perfect location for our first Bread Street Kitchen & Bar outside of London and we are delighted with the site we have chosen in Edinburgh.

"Such a vibrant city with a cool food scene, it really feels like the perfect match. All the team are looking forward to bringing this popular all-day dining concept to our new neighbourhood guests later this year."

Stuart Moncur, head of national retail at Savills, added: " The fact that Gordon Ramsay Restaurants has chosen Scotland, and specifically St Andrews Square, to open its first restaurant outside of London is testament to the strength of both this city and more specifically this location."

Ramsay opened Amaryllis in Glasgow in 2001 and it won a Michelin star a year later. However, the restaurant closed for good in 2004 following the death of head chef David Dempsey in 2003.

Gordon Ramsay Restaurants is currently undergoing a major expansion drive with the aim of opening up to 50 new UK restaurants by 2025. The first Bread Street Cafe opened on Ealing Broadway on 23 August and a Bread Street Kitchen and Bar – South Place opened in the City of London on 30 August.

Savills advised the landlord while Graeme Wait advised Gordon Ramsay Restaurants.