Restaurants and Italian
- Eatalia's
Great Italian food to go - with a delivery service - Centotre
Centotre serves food made from locally sourced ingredients in a great location - Amore
Experience the true taste of Italy in the heart of the Merchant City - Valvona & Crolla Caffé Bar
Worldwide food products and wines from an Italian family company, established 1934
La Favorita
325–331 Leith Walk,
Edinburgh,
EH6 8SA
The hectic craft of kneading and folding pizza dough is the first thing you see on entering this busy Leith Walk eatery. Walk past the front counter, through the lively, three-pronged dining area, and you'll notice most diners are working their way…
Nonna's Kitchen
45 Morningside Road,
Edinburgh,
EH10 4AZ
The Stornaiuolo family's latest venture in Morningside scorns old-fashioned italiano gimmicks, despite their long, proud history as Italian restaurateurs. Instead, the interior is modern and crisp, yet warm. If you’re lucky enough to be greeted by…
Divino Enoteca
5 Merchant Street,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2QD
The enoteca wine bar is one of the great joys of visiting Italy, and since June 2010 Edinburgh has had its own slice of Milan hidden below George IV Bridge. Nestled in a stripped-down basement in the Old Town, Divino is stylishly fitted out in chrome…
Jolly Ristorante & Pizzeria
9 Elm Row, Leith Walk,
Edinburgh,
EH7 4AA
A bright red sign pronouncing the restaurant's whereabouts cheerfully stands out amid Elm Row's other established businesses, beckoning in passers-by from the bustle of the town centre. The interior is dark and slightly worn by contrast, but incoming…
The Partners Italian Bistro
1051 Great Western Road,
Glasgow,
G12 0XP
Partnered – to coin a phrase – with Bearsden's Partners Bistro, Tapela and Tattie Macs, this restaurant sits in unpromising surroundings, just off Great Western Road next to Gartnavel Hospital – yet the striking former Kelvinside train station houses a…
Mamma's American Pizza Company
30 Grassmarket,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2JU
Once the go-to place for Edinburgh’s pizza guzzlers, Mamma’s still enjoys a lively following on the weekend, given its Grassmarket location. It may lack the bone fide mamma-in-residence of its title, but certainly tries to make up for that with the…
Amore
6 Shuttle Street (Corner of Ingram Street),
Glasgow,
G1 1QA
Located in a dull corner of the Merchant City, Amore briskly caters for workers and shoppers by day and is a good choice for families and work nights out with its generous space and cheerful informality. The central round booth is particularly handy…
Centotre
103 George Street,
Edinburgh,
EH2 3ES
Like sister establishment The Scottish Cafe & Restaurant, Centotre promises to serve only ‘happy food’, their term for food made with fresh, locally-sourced ingredients. True to their word, Victor and Carina Contini work with a large band of…
Bella Napoli
85 Kilmarnock Road,
Glasgow,
G41 3YR
From the street Bella Napoli looks like a run-of-the-mill Italian deli, but discerning food lovers know that through the back, past the racks of wine and tins of olives, is a reliable restaurant of some worth. While the front cafe offers casual…
Firebird
1321 Argyle Street,
Glasgow,
G3 8TL
This well-established neighbourhood bar and bistro makes sense whatever the occasion. The intelligent, free-flowing layout means you can dine more formally at the rear, sip a cool microbrewery pint perched at the curved wooden bar, or snack and watch…
Torna Sorrento
148 Woodlands Road,
Glasgow,
G3 6LF
In Italy, when it comes to dining, appearances count for little and it’s all about the food. Such is the case at Torna Sorrento, which could all too easily be dismissed by passers-by as just another Italian café with a rather stark interior and basic…
The Italian Kitchen
64 Ingram Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1EX
High ceilings, exposed sandstone walls, big windows, red leather seats and fast moving waiters characterise this Merchant City success story. It is advisable to book as this large restaurant always seems to be busy, probably due to the exquisite food…
La Lanterna
35 Hope Street,
Glasgow,
G2 6AE
Descend the stairs to La Lanterna and step back in time. This place has survived credit crunches, food fads, and fast foods. The owner, Christopher Martinolli, was born the year his father opened the restaurant in 1970 and nothing much has changed…
Qua Italian Restaurant
The Todd Building, 68 Ingram Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1EX
Situated in the fashionable Merchant City area, Qua likes to think of itself as a stylish place to eat quality Italian food, the way they do back home. The décor is minimalist, with red and black furniture dominating the large dining area which is…
La Fiorentina
2 Paisley Road West,
Glasgow,
G51 1LE
Although dark and slightly forbidding from the outside, hinting that the dining experience beyond these doors may be a serious and formal affair, inside it is relaxed and cosy with a fun, kitschy bent to the décor, reminiscent of the best tourist…
The Italian Caffè
92 Albion Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1NY
As chic and contemporary as Italian eateries get in Glasgow, this shiny, glass-fronted enoteca puts a designer twist on the concept of tapas. Why settle for boring old patatas bravas when you can have a bottle of gavi di gavi and some fresh sardines…
Sannino Pizzeria
61 Bath Street,
Glasgow,
G2 2DG
More than 20 years after it was established, this handsome pizzeria continues to lure customers into its underground chamber of dark wooden booths, chrome railings and Tiffany-style lamps. Regulars appreciate the reasonably priced set lunch and…
Zizzi
Building 5A, Edinburgh Quay, Fountainbridge,
Edinburgh,
EH3 9RU
Zizzi's three Edinburgh restaurants are located in busy areas of the city, and seem to have been placed to make the most of passing trade from tired shoppers and hungry cinema-goers. As branches of a UK-wide chain of almost 100 restaurants (and…
Arta
The Old Cheesemarket, 62 Albion Street,
Glasgow,
G1 1PA
Arta does well to bracket itself as the ultimate leisure suite for an aspirational generation weaned on Ready Steady Cook and Grand Designs. A cavernous, opulent venue for eating, drinking, disco dancing and live music, its menu accordingly hedges its…
Canasta Bistro
1102 Cathcart Road, Mount Florida,
Glasgow,
G42 9EG
Within a pizza throw of Hampden stadium, Canasta has become a celebrated restaurant in Glasgow's Mount Florida – an area not known for great dining options. It's cosy inside, with chequered tablecloths and scatter cushions contributing to an informal…
Coia's Café
473–477 Duke Street,
Glasgow,
G31 1RD
When you’ve been in business since 1928, you must build up a lot of regulars – perhaps that’s why this Dennistoun institution has such a large menu, because they can’t risk disappointment by dropping any old favourites. It’s an odd mix of traditional…
Ti Amo
16 Nicolson Street,
Edinburgh,
EH8 9DH
Ti Amo's position opposite the Festival Theatre ensures its enduring success. Amusingly dated décor distracts from perusing menus bearing the brunt of many a thumb and spilled vino: menu-matching, smoke-aged, stencilled walls; pillars, statues, and an…
Il Castello
36 Castle Terrace,
Edinburgh,
EH1 2EL
Il Castello takes its name from Edinburgh’s best-known landmark, which towers over this compact, split-level restaurant in the city's busy theatre-land. They have been feeding hungry theatre-goers here since 1991, from a menu that reads as a long list…
