Ricks Edinburgh Restaurant and Bar Reopening 2026: The Untold Story
Ricks Edinburgh Restaurant and Bar Reopening 2026 returns Frederick Street's old favourite on Oct. 31 with ten bedrooms, seasonal food and a fresh look.
RUKAIYA KADIWAL 
Lamps glow in the tall windows of a stone building at dusk. A red awning sits above the doorway, and olive trees stand in terracotta pots beside wide steps. The image shows a place waiting for its guests. The Ricks Edinburgh Restaurant and Bar Reopening 2026 will bring those guests back to Frederick Street on Oct. 31.
A Name Taken From the Street
Ricks first opened in 2000. Its name came from Frederick Street, shortened the way locals do. The venue grew into one of the city's most distinctive Edinburgh independent cocktail bars and boutique hotel destinations. Today the same address trades as Rabble. That is about to change.
The Montpeliers Group Edinburgh company created the venue by joining two New Town properties. One was a Georgian tenement and the other a former warehouse. A glazed courtyard, full of light, links them. The bedrooms occupy the former warehouse and stables. It is a layout that suits Edinburgh New Town dining well, with its mix of old stone and quiet corners.
Recognition came quickly. In its first year, Condé Nast Traveller named Ricks among the world's 25 coolest places to stay. By 2008, it ranked among the world's top 100 bars. In 2017 the venue became Rabble, still under Montpeliers Group. Almost a decade later, Ricks is coming back.
What the Ricks Edinburgh Restaurant and Bar Reopening 2026 Involves
The dates are firm. The restaurant and bar will close from Oct. 19. It will reopen to the public as Ricks on Halloween, Oct. 31. This Ricks Edinburgh Halloween reopening follows an extensive refurbishment. The Rabble Edinburgh closure is therefore a short pause rather than a farewell.
The bedrooms are already closed for work. They will reopen alongside the restaurant and bar. These Ricks Edinburgh 10 bedrooms are not an afterthought, according to the company. Their return makes this an Edinburgh boutique hotel reopening as well as a dining one. Anyone following Ricks Edinburgh reopening October 2026 news can expect all parts to open together.
The Voices Behind the Return
Sean Weeraratna, managing director of Montpeliers, calls the comeback “less about reinvention and more about remembering what Ricks always was.” The line matters because it frames the venue as a restoration of character, not a new idea. He wants a place that tourists seek out and locals return to. A seat at the bar, a good meal and a sense of home are the aims.
He also stressed the upstairs rooms. They are part of what Ricks has always been, he said. The Edinburgh boutique hotel rooms give guests a reason to stay beyond one evening. Dinner can lead to another drink, and then to a bed.
A Room With Personality
Malcolm Duffin Design led the Ricks Edinburgh refurbishment. The brief asked for a room with real personality that never feels too polished or formal. Lead designer Sarah Duffin said nostalgia shaped the thinking. The aim was to honor the memories attached to Ricks without only looking backwards. “Familiar, not stuck in time,” is how she described the result.
Food and Drink on the Way Back
A preview shows what guests may find. There is steak from John Gilmore butchers, a Grasshopper Cocktail and the Ricks Modern Martini. Crispy fried burrata comes with arrabbiata sauce, basil oil and toasted focaccia. Together these dishes hint at an Edinburgh seasonal restaurant menu built on familiar comforts.
Ross Giamblanco, group executive chef of Montpeliers, says a chef has a duty to “champion seasonal, local produce.” He works with suppliers he has known for most of his career. The approach is simple: do it as well as it can be done. For lovers of Edinburgh cocktail bars, general manager Josh Ramsay adds a promise. He wants to bring back the version of the bar that takes its offering seriously.
The report does not publish a full menu or any prices. Details of opening hours and booking are also missing, so guests will need to check with the venue.
Where It Fits in the City
Every comeback is also a signal. In the Edinburgh hospitality industry 2026, a returning name from the early 2000s stands out. The story belongs in Edinburgh restaurant and bar news, and it adds to the wider Edinburgh food and drink scene. It is a notable Edinburgh city centre restaurant reopening at a time when many places close.
The address also matters. Among Frederick Street restaurants, few carry as much memory. The Ricks Frederick Street Edinburgh venue sits in the heart of the New Town. The Ricks Edinburgh restaurant will now share the street with new habits and new guests. Fans of the original will find the Ricks bar Edinburgh name back above the door.
Details are available on the Ricks Edinburgh official website. For another review of a restaurant tied to its neighborhood, see this review of Ted’s Montana Grill in Athens, Georgia.
On Oct. 31, the lights will come on at Frederick Street and the doors will open. The Ricks Edinburgh Restaurant and Bar Reopening 2026 is not meant to surprise anyone. It is meant to feel remembered. A room that was once part of many evenings is ready to be part of new ones, and the city will decide how long it stays.
