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    Bella Italia

    3.3 (99 reviews)
    ModerateItalian, Pizza
    Open 9:00 am - 11:00 pm

    Bella Italia Photos

    BELLA ITALIA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Touristy
    Outdoor seating

    Recommended Reviews - Bella Italia

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    Reviews With Photos

    Garlic dough balls with garlic/butter dipping sauce.
    Mikey J.

    Stopped in for something different from the local fare and pub food. Decided to try Italian and were happy we did. Service was excellent. We were seated right away and were able to get drinks quickly. We ordered spaghetti and meatballs, chicken cacciatore and the gamberoni pasta. All the dishes were delicious. We also had the garlic dough balls, which were excellent. The dipping sauce was buttery and fantastic. Nice Italian dinner in the heart of Edinburgh's Royal Mile.

    Manish C.

    Bella Italia is located at the intersection of the Royal Mile and North Bridge in Edinburgh. I was a bit apprehensive dining here based on the many reviews which are either highly positive or very critical, with not much in between. It's a quaint Italian food eatery with pleasant atmosphere and nice decor, and food at reasonable prices. Our waitress recommended the mozzarella sticks over the dough balls and flatbread, so we started off with those. We made sure to ask for a tomato-based sauce (pomodoro) for dipping since it comes with some chipotle chili jam which didn't sound appetizing at all. They were fine, but nothing noteworthy. We went with the margherita pizza and pomodoro mozzarella for our meals. While certainly not the best we've ever had, both were tasty and prepared using very fresh and high quality ingredients, so we were happy with our meal here. Service was quick and friendly, with no issues of rudeness some other reviews have mentioned. I would recommend a visit if you've got a hankering for Italian food in the Royal Mile area of Edinburgh.

    Pizza delicious

    Love the food here, very near to my living place. Service is also good, deserve your try

    Last slice of margherita pizza, with added onions and mushrooms.

    Nice clean establishment. Good selection of food and drink. We got margherita pizza, with added mushrooms and onions. Service was responsive and professional, and food came out quickly. Quite good pizza, not oily, good thin crust, and the perfect size for us to split. Highly recommend if you are the Royal Mile and a recharge.

    This restaurant has good Italian food, pastas are recommended and the location of the restaurant is premium. But the attitude of the hostess and service is just plain arrogant. I guess they don't mind to give rude service because many other tourists will still get in to the restaurant. Please don't take me wrong, the kitchen is doing a good job, but the servers need to be trained. Cheers

    Another awful pasta
    Jack T.

    I really can't begin to convey how pitiful this business is and our waiter in particular (Dan or Man the man as he says... over and over) The Waiter Let's start with what I seriously believe to be unstable hazard to patrons. He berated my table and others with a pseudo Italian accent and even sexually harassed one of our tables females calling her his "ex girlfriend" to his other wait staff at an attempt at a joke. Our order which was forgotten about until we complained 1 and a half hours later! was awful to says the least. When we complained about the time it was taking to get our orders after 3 surrounding tables of similar meals were all served what did "Dan the Man" do? He argued and berated me and my table for 10min! Until the manager had to get involved. Saying it takes a long time to cook food and that it was our fault for ordering appetizers? Then when we did get our food one order was wrong and how long did it take to cook their made to order pizza? 7min this time! So what happened last time Dan? Why did it take so long? I can't understand how in this day in age someone like him is employed and allowed to harass and argue with customers like that. The food If it was simply a bad waiter I would have conceded and gave this place more stars, however the food was equally as bad on all orders! The pizza's of which we ordered three were all burnt, thin, stiff, and lacking any cheeses or sauce. This is some of the toughest, most cardboard like pizza I have ever tasted in my life. I don't think it is made to order and I dont think they have competent kitchen staff either frankly. The speciality pizza's were lacking ingredients and using sub par quality ingredients. Everyone at my table noted how downright absurd the quality was here. I can't understand how this place has a licence to operate. Overall Avoid this place at all costs. It has a nice interior and location, thats about all it has going for it. The wait time is long, other reviews mention similar issues, it has from what I can tel now a track history with downright appalling customer service and food quality. They leech on tourists that are unsuspecting looking for the first place that looks nice to eat at and scam them of money with awful food and an unstable staff. Please mind this warning and don't risk it, there are a plethora of other more highly rated places to eat than this abomination.

    Margarita pizza

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    4 months ago

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    1 year ago

    Service was great, food was good and the the restaurant had a nice ambiance. Definitely recommend this spot.

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    3 years ago

    My diner was terrible. What was thinking doing Italian in Scotland. Fun atmosphere, nice people, not quality food.

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    Bella Italia Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Bella Italia

    For main, i opted for carbonara with chicken but I didn't like it.

    Mentioned in 4 reviews

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    The Devil's Advocate - Smoked fish plate

    The Devil's Advocate

    4.3(639 reviews)
    0.1 miOld Town, Royal Mile
    ££

    Walking in to The Devil's Advocate in Advocate Close, just above Market St, the large bar greets…read moreyou. We chose the Scottish Road trip whiskey flight. As someone who truly loved little about Scotch, it was a wonderful way to taste and compare smoky vs peaty whiskeys. Fun. Our table was upstairs and we sat next to an open door which allows for fresh cool air. It was a warm day in Edinburgh. Our server was wonderful, patient and really helpful. Our choices were truly delicious. We started with the fish board, olives, and mushroom skewer. We loved them all. I enjoyed the cod main dish, while my wife finished the starters. The side of asparagus was also excellent. The mouse dessert was delicious but very rich, it's enough for 4 people. The cost of dinner was also totally reasonable. I recommend this place highly.

    After seeing the high reviews on Yelp, I decided to make a reservation for this restaurant. We…read moretrekked up the steps of Advocate's Close to get there. When we arrived at noon (opening time), the restaurant wasn't too busy. There is an impressive bar downstairs with many whiskies. We were led upstairs to the dining area. There is outdoor dining too that would be nice if the weather was warmer. Cool vibe, but it is kind of dark inside the stone walls. The menu is Scottish-focused with seasonal ingredients. We didn't want to overeat, so we decided to share a starter and a main. We got the Scottish venison fritters, which were ok. We enjoyed the pappardelle pasta (roast pumpkin and pecorino sauce, wild mushrooms, spinach, bacon and poppy seed crumb, crispy sage). It was flavorful and didn't feel too heavy. Staff were friendly and it was an enjoyable lunch.

    Photos
    The Devil's Advocate - Whiskey flight tastings

    Whiskey flight tastings

    The Devil's Advocate - Fish Filet

    Fish Filet

    The Devil's Advocate - Double Shot with Dalmore 12, kahula, espresso shot, and Demerara.

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    Double Shot with Dalmore 12, kahula, espresso shot, and Demerara.

    Gordon's Trattoria - Spaghetti all' Amatriciana

    Gordon's Trattoria

    4.1(65 reviews)
    0.0 miOld Town, Royal Mile
    ££

    Amazing food! Authentic. Delicious to the last bite. We ordered a pizza and a pasta dish…read more The pizza sauce had fresh basil (like actual basil leaves). More like Sicilian sauce with a touch of sweet than the more spicy traditional Roman pizza sauce. The pizza was like a traditional thinner crust, akin to pizza I've had in Sicily. (Chewy, but crispy on the edges.) Perfect blend of sauce, cheese and toppings. The flavors mingled perfectly to give little bits of each flavor in each bite. The pasta dish we had was the penne Speciali. Oh was it special! Chunks of delicious spicy sausage, creamy tomatoes sauce, little peas and mushrooms, perfectly cooked al dente penne. When Parmesan was offered, we greedily accepted a lovely large spoonful. It was so filling! It was equally amazing heated up. The service, spectacular. Attentive, without being overbearing. Waiter recognized the subtle clues when we were done with each course; offering us drink refills when it was about time, then desert, boxes etc. We were too full for desert, but if it was 1/4 as tasty as the main dishes, it would have been perfect. You would be a complete dumbass to not eat here. As an American born Italian- it's legit. Don't tell my nonna, but theirs is better than her food.

    We saw this place during breakfast and said we'd come by for dinner. And so we did! We arrived…read morearound 6 on a Friday night to a crowded restaurant. It was quite full but we were lucky to get seated quickly. The place inside is bigger than expected and goes long, but narrow. Between the 4 of us we shared a risotto, pesto, carbonara and a spicy marinara dish. My favorite was the spicy marinara dish. It had the most flavor. I found the pesto a bit lacking and had to add some salt to it. The carbonara was nice, but the risotto was just ok. Service was great. Would come back and try other dishes.

    Photos
    Gordon's Trattoria - The Penne Speciali & Tagliatelle al Pesto

    The Penne Speciali & Tagliatelle al Pesto

    Gordon's Trattoria - Garlic Bread

    Garlic Bread

    Gordon's Trattoria - Arancini

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    Arancini

    Bella Italia - italian - Updated July 2026

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