Ristorante Gennaro

Send us more details about this place.

The 2011/12 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

The busy Grassmarket area attracts a mix of tourists, revellers and locals, and the same can be said of this family-run establishment. It claims to offer a true taste of Italy, and that starts from the moment you are greeted by one of a clutch of waiters with accents as strong as Gennaro's espresso. Tables in the front dining area enjoy the buzz of the venue, while the atmosphere in the rear section is slightly more subdued. Antipasti feature classic Italian dishes such as caprese, a whole buffalo mozzarella with the usual tomato and basil accompaniment, or select from a range of bruschetta – the capangnola is a delicious mix of peppers, olives and capers served cold on warm toast. Alongside pizzas and pasta, other traditional options populate the list of main courses, with vitello saltimbocca that ticks all the boxes, or a mildly spicy chicken diavolo. Meat dishes are served with chips and a rather limited salad, which is overpowered by celery. Desserts feature a chilled lemon or orange filled with ice-cream that is a refreshingly light finale, or you could go native and choose the tartufo classico, a zabaglione centre coated with chocolate that is loyal to its Italian roots.

• High point: Slick service by efficient waiters
• Low point: Limited salad accompaniment

1. Hamilton, Glasgow – 8 August 2008, 10:07pmRistorante GennaroReport

I used to frequent Gennaro's in the Grassmarket on a very regular basis some time ago and having recently returned on a trip to Edinburgh i cant begin to explain how dissappointed i was in finding that my fav Italian restaurant outside of Rome has lost the plot ! having stopped by for lunch with my aunt, i started out with the cozze which was fairly decent apart from the lack of finger bowl and when asked if they had any bread was informed that they had none ! even though the menu states home made bread, the minestrone soup resembled and tasted like look warm dish water with some chunks of soft veg, and the highly wilted and tainted leaf salad looked like it came from a bag in the out of date shelf in Tesco.

I guess somtimes you should never go back !

Anthony Hamilton