On Saturday 8 February, Heritage Portfolio, the specialist events and catering company within Sodexo Live! based in Edinburgh, will reopen the fully refurbished Café Portrait at the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait, unveiling a more accessible, vibrant, and relaxing space for all visitors.
Following the extension of Heritage Portfolio’s contract with the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait in 2024, the team saw an opportunity to refresh a much-loved café. The redesigned space now features modern furniture, soundproofing measures to improve acoustics, and a newly designed servery for a faster and more seamless service.
A highlight of the refurbishment is The Nook, a cosy, bookable table-service area offering brunch and lunch seven days a week. As its name suggests, The Nook provides an intimate and welcoming escape within the café. The Nook is also available for private dining and events.
The café itself remains largely self-service, with the addition of a dedicated coffee and cake counter, complimenting the main counter that offers a full menu of savoury dishes, sweet treats, and drinks.
To transform the space, Heritage Portfolio worked with design consultancy, Space Solutions. The refreshed interior takes inspiration from John Bellany’s painting "Queen Street Café," which hangs in the space. Its colour palette reflects the artist’s colour board, blending creativity and comfort to ensure art is not only displayed on the walls but embedded in the very fabric of the café —including its carefully curated menu.
The menu remains true to its core principles - fresh, seasonal ingredients prepared onsite. Under the guidance of Head Chef Alec, new signature dishes have been crafted, by the gallery’s artwork. One standout from The Nook’s menu is the Smokie Hash, a vibrant dish of smoked haddock, sweet potato hash, poached egg, wilted kale, spinach, grilled vine tomato, and cava beurre blanc. It’s a dish that’s again inspired by John Bellany’s Queen Street Café, which prominently features fish.
Café Portrait has always been a space where art, food, and community come together.
This refurbishment reflects our commitment to enhancing the visitor experience.
The new design and menu are inspired by the very artwork that surrounds us, creating a space where everyone feels welcome, whether stopping for a quick coffee or enjoying a leisurely brunch in The Nook.
We’re thrilled to reintroduce this iconic venue to our guests.
We are so excited to celebrate the re-opening of Café Portrait and can’t wait to welcome visitors to relax and enjoy delicious food in beautiful surroundings.
The café is a staple for so many of our visitors to the Portrait gallery, whether catching up with friends for a scone or dropping in after visiting the familiar faces in the gallery, like Lorraine Kelly, Billy Connolly and Andy Murray.
Whatever your reason for visiting we hope that everyone will find the new look Café Portrait a warm and inviting space to make memories.
Plus, visitors can now plan their trip ahead of time and take advantage of the exciting new bookable table service space, The Nook!
Nestled amongst Scotland’s magnificent national collection of art, discover all that the brand new Café Portrait has to offer from this Saturday.
Our goal was to create a space that’s both inspiring and inviting, where visitors can relax and connect with their surroundings.
Inspired by Bellany’s artwork, we carefully crafted the design—from rich colours to acoustics—to enhance the experience.
It’s been a pleasure collaborating with Heritage Portfolio to bring this vision to life.
Heritage Portfolio’s continued partnership with the National Galleries Scotland: Portrait is a clear indication of its commitment to the catering and events sector and will bring about a new era of service excellence at one of Edinburgh's most beloved cultural venues.
Heritage Portfolio, a division of Sodexo Live! is a leading provider of private and corporate hospitality for cultural destinations. Producing outstanding catering and event services, it serves some of the most prestigious venues across Britain, delivering amazing experiences that go beyond the remarkable food it creates
ENDS
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About Sodexo Live!
Sodexo Live! supports some of the UK and Ireland’s most iconic music, cultural and sporting events, plus conference centres, by delivering world class hospitality and food services. We help deliver globally recognised live events with a proven track record of creating exceptional moments that bring people together. We help our client partners to reach their true potential. We create exceptional moments and lasting memories for guests every time they visit the venues we serve, supporting long term revenue growth and delivering sustainable benefit in the heart of communities.
Globally Sodexo Live! contributes to the success of events such as Royal Ascot, the Tour de France, the Rugby World Cup and soon the Paris 2024 Games, and showcases exceptional venues such as the Eiffel Tower Restaurants, Bateaux Parisiens, Yachts de Paris, the Royal Academy of Arts in London, the Hard Rock Stadium, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, and the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles.
Other venues in the UK include Fulham FC, the ACC Liverpool, and Edinburgh’s magnificent Signet Library.
Sodexo Live! is part of Sodexo which provides catering, facilities management, employee benefits and personal home services to 80 million consumers daily in 45 countries. At Sodexo we believe in the difference a day makes. That’s why we are proud to focus on people’s essential needs: we see them as key to improve the quality of life. We know that by focusing on the tangible, the real, the concrete improvements, day after day, for millions of people, we have a big impact not only on individuals but also on society and the planet. We believe it all starts with the everyday.
About the National Galleries of Scotland
We are the National Galleries of Scotland and our three Edinburgh galleries are the National, Modern and Portrait. We house and look after Scotland’s amazing world-class art collection. Step inside and explore treasures from Botticelli and Titian to the very best modern art to contemporary portraits of pop culture icons. And, as you’d expect, the world’s greatest collection of Scottish art. We’re a space for thinking, dreaming, doing and playing. Soak up the art. Meet friends in the cafés. Have a family picnic surrounded by the sculptures in the Modern grounds. Be inspired by our amazing art films. Choose your own experience. There is no one way to enjoy Scotland’s national collection. We are yours to discover.
National Galleries of Scotland | Art Museums in Edinburgh
