Award-winning cocktail bar and restaurant The Voyage of Buck, in Edinburgh’s West End, has marked its 10th anniversary this month with the appointment of a new Michelin-acclaimed head chef.
The William Street bar has recruited local talent Nathan Graham to lead its kitchen team and open ‘the next chapter’ in the development of its restaurant.
Originally from Gorgie, Graham attended Forrest High School and played for Edinburgh City Football Club youth team, before pursuing a culinary career at some of the city’s leading fine dining restaurants, including Purslane in Stockbridge and more recently, as head chef at Dùthchas in Leith.
In 2025, Graham secured a place in the Michelin Guide for Great Britain and Ireland for Dùthchas, and was also a Craft Guild of Chefs 2025 Graduate Awards semi-finalist.
Under his leadership, the food menu at The Voyage of Buck will change with the seasons, everything will be made in house and elevated by weekly deliveries of wild ingredients from local forager, Gerard Murphy
Highlights of Graham’s new autumn menu at The Voyage of Buck include rarebit made with Scottish cheddar and Guinness; Castle Game venison with chicory, turnip fondants and fig chutney; brown butter; Scottish hake with Madeira and wild mushrooms; as well as salt baked celeriac with shoestring celeriac fries and mustard cream.
Chef Graham said: “I’m really excited to have joined The Voyage of Buck as head chef in its 10th anniversary year.
“It’s a great opportunity for me to put my own stamp on the restaurant menu, whilst maintaining the quality and style that the venue has become well known for over the last decade.
“My style of cooking is all about big flavours, simplicity and letting the quality of the local and seasonal ingredients speak for themselves,” said Graham.
“We’ve just launched our new autumn menu and my two personal standout dishes are the Scottish venison; as well as the rarebit made with Scottish cheddar and Guinness.”
With a concept centred around the fictional William ‘Buck’ Clarence and his many voyages to far-away cities, The Voyage of Buck was once voted the most stylish bar in Scotland at the Scottish Style awards, and 10 years on is still going strong.
In keeping with its epically historical theme, the drinks list showcases cocktail styles from arguably the golden age of bartending between 1900 and 1935.
Drinks are stirred down and strong, or long and refreshing, and are inspired by key cities on Buck’s travels so guests can travel the world through drinks and conversation.
The Voyage of Buck has also been a career launch pad for many young people over the years, who have then gone on to do great things in the hospitality industry, including Mike McGinty – one of the Scotland’s leading Whisky ambassadors – and Nicole Sykes, who went on to join the teams at Lyaness and Satan’s Whisker’s.
Colin Church, managing director and co-owner of the bar operator and special events company, Big Red Teapot, which runs The Voyage of Buck, said: “Reaching our 10th anniversary is a significant milestone in our journey and a real measure of success for The Voyage of Buck.
“We’ve come a long way over the last decade winning a string of industry awards and making our name as one of the most popular cocktail bars and restaurants in Edinburgh’s West End.
“Appointing Nathan Graham as our new head chef marks a new chapter for the venue and we can’t wait to see what the next 10 years has to bring.”
