Smith & Gertrude

So I leave Melbourne. Fly away, halfway across the world, snug in my little village that is Stockbridge. Then, Smith and Gertrude arrives. I’ve had my suspicions about the name for a while and tonight, my suspicions were confirmed– this idea was formulated in Melbourne, the bright light-​bulb flashing into the owners mind whilst sipping a glass of wine on the iconic corner of Smith Street and Gertrude Streets in Melbourne. The hipster trend is spreading globally people! And you know what? I’m on board!
The service, ambiance and style so reminds me of my hometown (whats that I feel… pride?)
This might just become the place for meat, wine and cheese. For the past year Henri’s of Stockbridge has been my go-​to for my Sunday wine and charcuterie but Smith and Gertrude will closely rival this.
So lets talk wine. The list is extensive and impressive. I’m actually not too much for Australian wine myself, but the list of Australian wines available almost made me want to yell out ‘woo! represent!’ but I didn’t do that because I’m a grown up of course. I instead ordered a lovely Argentinian wine at the recommendation of our very helpful server which paired the meal nicely.
Meats and cheese. Well. I feel like there could have been more on the board (or maybe have smaller boards so it looks fuller?) Nonetheless, whilst it looked simple to begin with, the mixed board was more than enough for two people, though I did add the gorgonzola cheese along with bread with oil with dukkah.
All delicious but not foreign to me. The cheese is sourced locally and I buy it all weekly so I essentially paid to have it plated and to eat it somewhere with better lighting. If you don’t know cheese, then you might enjoy the ever-​changing cheeses to try until you find a favourite. Then you can go buy it in bulk from the local cheesemongers if you so wish.
The interior is very trendy and Melbourne-​like. The atmosphere, quality of food and service was nothing short of great. .
If you’re really just wanting the meat and cheese without the ooze of hipster-​mess, I would suggest the buying the cheese and meats from local stockists. Thy also stock wines which I will certainly return to purchase.
I give five stars as a fellow Melburnian seething with pride for this new local business. They’ve taken a simple concept and done it well, using local product and supporting other small businesses which I highly commend.
Highly recommended for a place to just sit, eat, chill and plain enjoy, whether alone or with company.
The only thing that was missing was the excellent barista-​made coffee I have come to adore from Melbourne (read: its the minimum standard I expect.) Steampunk in a french press guys, really? I’ll keep an eye out on this development and will probably move in when this changes.

I’d been super excited about checking this place out and it didn’t disappoint. I visited on a wet, dreary night in November and loved the cozy atmosphere when I walked in.
I had a quick chat with the guys at the bar and they recommended a couple of wines. They also let me have tasters of the wines before I made a decision.
Didn’t try any of the food as we were going to dinner. The donuts looked great (possibly from twelve triangles?).
If it weren’t on the other side of town and wasn’t so pricey, I’d visit a lot more often!

I’ve been to Smith & Gertrude twice now, once for drinks and the second time for food. Wine and cheese bars seem to be the new it thing in Edinburgh with a number popping up over the last year. No complaints from this cheese and wine lover though as the more the merrier especially when they are in short walking distance from my flat.
I’m a massive fan of Pickles on Broughton St, it’s cosy the staff are lovely and the menu is reasonably priced. So when I heard about Smith & Gertrude opening I wondered what to expect. Thankfully this place is different than Pickles… It’s a bigger open space with soft colours and a much more chic sort of vibe over being cosy in a front room sort of feel. What I’m trying to say is that I like it, it’s a good space and easy to find a seat since there’s a good amount of space.
The wine is a bit pricey but if you go for the flight option it’s quite reasonable. Three small glasses of wine for around £15 which I think change daily or possibly weekly. Also the prosecco is reasonably priced which is always a plus in my book. There are tons of wine options by the glass but you do need to watch the price of you don’t want to pay a tenner a glass.
The food options are great! You can make your own cheese and meat boards or pick ones to match the wine flight. They have seasonal special and some smaller bites– think grilled cheese or salad. I got the sourdough grilled cheese which for me was just a amazing toasted in between two slices of bread! I also had the festive sausage roll (which for the life of me I can’t remember what was in it) that was super tasty and clearly homemade. I also shared a portion of the truffle crisps which were a perfect accompaniment to my grilled cheese.
I seriously loved the food here and enjoyed my wine flight. It’s a cool place within a 20 minute walk from my flat so no doubt I’ll be back over and over again!

Had been wanting to try out Smith&Gertrude since its opening. Once I knew it was all about cheese and wine. even MORE so.
My friend and I decided to try the «wine & cheese» flights. This involved a 75ml sample of 3 different wines, with cheeses selected to accompany each wine with a few crackers on the side.
Although the selection of wines AND cheeses were great and the staff friendly enough and amiable, I would have to say that trying it was enough for me. It had a nice enough vibe and interior décor. But sadly, I feel it has fallen into the trap of charging above what it should «because it’s Stockbridge». Other places in the local area deliver as good wines and service for less than ‘S&G’s’ over-​inflated prices. A shame as I like their idea.

I’m surprised that no one has snapped up this FTR, seeing as this place seems to be more or less hopping around the clock (or at the very least, most days after 5pm). Tucked in the space of the old cat café, I didn’t even realize this place was there until Julie G suggested we meet there for a glass. If you had visited the cat café previously, this new venture has more or less gutted the place and it’s unrecognizable. They’ve done a great job with the room, with lots of wood detailing, vintage inspired knick knacks and communal seating… it’s basically a hipster coffee shop, but with wine. Eye roll all you want, that’s a damn good combination of trendy.
I only had two glasses on my first trip here, so I can’t speak to the food or the flights, but the wine (though pricey… ack!) was interesting and the wine flights that went past us, with four little glasses and the option to pair with cheese almost had us falling off our seats to get a better look. Well worth heading back for more investigation.
So far, I deem this place a cute little addition the the neighbourhood. Welcome Smith & Gertrude!