Valvona & Crolla Caffè Bar

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

This review is taken from the current (2011) edition.

At the back of the famous and delightful delicatessen is the long, glass-ceilinged, bustling caffe bar. Serving coffees, breakfasts and lunches, it’s popular and can get very busy, so you may have to book or wait for a table. The menu consists of classic Italian dishes made from high quality ingredients. A platter of antipasti, conducive to sharing, comes with a selection of Italian cured meats, Fonteluna sausage, mozzarella, roasted vegetables, rocket and sourdough bread. The insalata di mare is a delicate dish of smoked mussels, squid and king prawns combined with rocket, celery, garlic, olive oil, lemon and parsley. For mains, choose from an appealing pasta and pizza selection or a ‘piatti principale’ such as baccala: salted cod in a black olive and tomato sauce with potatoes and sautéed artichokes in white wine. You can buy wine in the deli or go with the menu recommendations – a wine to complement each dish is suggested. It’s difficult, but try to leave room for a dessert such as the orange polenta cake, chocolate torte or creamy pannacotta.

• High point: Dreamy mozzarella
• Low point: Some dishes don't quite live up to expectations

1. For the real Italian experience.. – 25 August 2008, 3:14pmValvona & Crolla Caffè BarReport

I was very disappointed by my visit to Valvona & Crolla after what I had heard and read about the place. Being Italian I was looking forward to it so the opportunity arose when I visited the Edinburgh festival. I have to admit that it is very difficult to find a proper Italian deli in the UK. I am used to buy my wines and a few more products online but no more than that so this time I made sure I had plenty of space in the car, I was hoping to come back with plenty of Italian food and wine, the one I drink and eat when visiting my family, and set off to my Italian discovery shopping experience. All my hopes disappeared when I entered the Valvona & Crolla shop, when I started reading the label and found that the product on sale were all average Italian supermarkets products with a very dear price, and not the one I would buy. The Valvona & Crolla branded products were made by big Italian companies and the only few good wines they had, but nothing more than the ones available from supermarkets, had an excessive high price. As this was not enough, we decided to stay for a coffee, it was 4pm and when reading the menu we found the “affogato” and ordered it. Again, another big disappointment.. The affogato we received and we paid £3.95 was not more than a ball of vanilla lost in a poor espresso… Luckily, for us Italians looking for something to remind us about our country, there are other places that I would recommend to try. Examples are the Tavasso delicatessen in Newcastle where I used to live and Italyabroad.com a website specialised in Italian food and wine by small producers.