Run, don't walk to Lovage before it gets discovered…read more We didn't have a reservation anywhere and went at the suggestion of our concierge. It is block from North Bridge and 1/2 block off the Royal Mile. Quiet, modern decor. A very intimate space. Every dish we had was excellent. Service was spot on.

Understated service, friendly but not cloying. Adequate wine list. Small choice of gins, more…read morewhiskeys. Chic look and chic crowd. Nice departure from Scottish pubs and whiskey joints. Bread comes with pesto/lovage/mint butter. Delightful Gaspacho arrives as an empty bowl except for a spoonful of ricotta, a cherry tomato, and a sliver of fennel. The waiter adds a thin broth on it, then you have to stir the ricotta in. The duck breast, though the waitress didn't ask is a perfect medium rare, unsliced, but accompanied with an adequate steak knife. Spring roll, filled with cabbage and nuts is a fine addition as are the blackberries and carrot purée. Paired with the Mourvèdre/Syrah from S. Africa was a great idea. The sea bass is amazingly good - every bite. The tiny potato beignets are a nice touch. Scallops with chorizo arrived without chorizo. Waitress says they are wee bits. We couldn't finish the sea bass and sadly left no room for dessert.

In the lovely Old Town area of Edinburgh, just below the castle, we found the Alba Bistro. There…read moreare many pubs and eateries in the area and we just chose this one, in part because it looked quite nice from the outside. The restaurant interior is beautiful. Lots of beautiful stone, wood and brick throughout, and handsome, unique rope hanging light fixtures. There were tables and booths with big padded seats for comfortable seating. We were seated immediately, and started off with an appetizer of the Deep Fried Brie with Cranberry Dip. Our server was young (I think she may have been the daughter or granddaughter of the owners?), and she was quite friendly and helpful. For our mains, I ordered the Haggis, Neeps & Tatties, and my wife ordered a Linguine King Prawns & Pesto. Everything was delicious and full of flavor. I'd had Haggis several different times, and several different ways at this point. This version was a lot like the American dish, meatloaf & mashed potatoes, with gravy on top. It was so delicious, I cleaned the plate. Don't be scared, y'all! Give Haggis a try! My wife enjoyed her pasta as well, and we both enjoyed the Brie. Bein' in Scotland, I enjoyed a fine Scottish whiskey with my dinner. Alba Bistro is a lovely restaurant and a great place to have a meal if you're in the Edinburgh area.

Two years have passed since I was last at Alba Bistro, but the food, service and hospitality is…read morestill as wonderful as it was before. I had the Lamb Kebabs and the meat was flavorful, tender and cooked perfectly. As always 10/10.

Whenever I'm in a new city, I try to find the pizza place locals argue about…read more In Edinburgh, that was Civerinos. This isn't trying to be classic New York and it isn't trying to be Neapolitan either. It lands somewhere in between with its own personality, and it works. The crust had great structure with just enough chew, the toppings were balanced instead of overloaded, and every slice held together exactly the way it should. You can tell they're using quality ingredients without feeling the need to advertise every supplier on the menu. As someone who has spent plenty of time eating pizza everywhere from Long Island to California, I appreciated that Civerinos wasn't chasing authenticity for authenticity's sake. It just focused on making a really good pie. The atmosphere fit the food too. Casual, energetic, and the kind of place that feels equally right for a quick slice or hanging out with friends over a full pie and a beer. Edinburgh has an outstanding food scene, and Civerinos deserves to be part of that conversation. If I lived here, I'd be back often.

There is an award for 7th best pizza in the world, but for me, it's 1st. Never had a more flavorful…read morepizza with the most perfect crust. The pie was soft but not droopy. The crust was perfectly light and crispy. I had the wild mushroom & prosciutto. Highly recommend it! Highly. Hubby got The Civerinos- had a little kick, ricotta, pepperoni, marinara and parmigiana. He said it was amongst some of the best pizzas he ever had. Drinks were excellent. Severs were skater girls. Restaurant was clean, well ventilated, and comfortable.

We visited on our last night in Edinburgh and it did not disappoint. It was hands down our best…read moremeal in Scotland and I would not hesitate at all to go back. Service was attentive. The portions were huge and the food was expertly prepared. It was fantastic.

Just came home from a most delicious dinner. There were 5 of us; a 6 year old, a 12 year old and 3…read moreadults and EVERYONE was very full and very happy by the end of the meal. Lovely place, food is excellent and the staff are just the right amount of attentive without being intrusive. Highly recommend, and I already want to go back...

OMG yes I highly recommend this eatery. I think I ate dinner here 4+ times out of the week. The…read moreemployees were friendly and attentive. I tried different items off the menu, but I must admit I always went back to the pizza. That dough and the way they hand make it were stupendous. They also offer gluten-free penne and spaghetti. Great location and the prices were reasonable, hence the multiple trips there. Oh oh they make their own beer, I had multiple Hopo Lagers. I believe they have 4 that they craft. Great choice for lunch or dinner. You can join their rewards program too and receive discounts, just mention it to the servers and they will adjust the bill.

We came by this place randomly as we were walking near our hotel and we were pleasantly surprised!…read moreThe food was delicious, we tried the Tricolore; the portion was good for two (we also ordered some chips and a bread board both were also really good!) Theres a wide selection of beers and spirits. The service was really great, the staff was very attentive and friendly. The venue itself is pretty big, there was live music when we went in and it seems they frequently have live music playing.

Unfortunately we were really unimpressed with the service time and the food. Not only did our food…read moretake an hour and a half, we ordered starters, and mine came out burnt and was not as described on the menu. I was so hungry that I didn't bother to send it back (they also got another table's order wrong but they were also so hungry they didn't care and ate it). The server told us that it's because they have so many orders for delivery and there is only one chef. The one upside is that the mussels were delicious as a starter.

Taking over where the Room in the Town used to be, Papavero is an Italian-Scottish fusion place,…read morewith a very broad menu of options. I really enjoyed my soup and pizza, but it's hard to tell where the real gems lie on the menu, without closer inspection. Fortunately, things are very reasonably priced, so it lends itself to multiple visits. The interior is really very smart, and the welcome friendly, so if all the dishes on the menu match up, this has a good chance of being a much-loved place. Overall, we said: "I enjoyed my visit to Papavero. With a menu that seeks to blend styles, it's even harder than usual to give a rounded assessment in just one visit, but the place is starting from a good level of quality. Things are very reasonably priced and the breadth of choice is likely to please. I look forward to seeing how things develop, as I think it has an opportunity to become a real New Town favourite."

Service was wonderful, knowledgeable about gluten allergies! Beautiful little place and very best…read moreGluten free Pizza I have ever had! Well done and much thanks!!! Fabulous!

This is a actually a REALLY GOOD place to grab some lunch. I ordered the "Stoned Steak". When it…read morecame out, it was sizzling on a stone. Sort of like fajitas. I was at first turned off because the steak was raw but I didn't know that the stone was super super hot and was cooking the steak. I cut the steak up to help with the cooking process, but honestly, I probably didn't have to. Once it got done to a medium well, I took a bite...it was Damn Good! The meat was tender, no fat and not stringy. Very good steak. I guess it's from the dry aging? Not sure. All I know is that it was tasty. The two pizzas ordered by my wife and daughter were good too per them. The service was quick and friendly too. Oh and thanks to Yelp, my wife and I got a free starter with each full priced meal! I got chicken wings, which in my opinion were just okay. My wife got the garlic bread which was pretty good; light, airy, and garlicky.

I like this place. Food, coffee, other juices, open space for seating and conversation and nice…read moreatmosphere. But the open food case needs to go. The times I have been the kids like to gather, point talk, and today was a cough over the case of food, and the adults are not much better. People talking over your food is like having people spit on your food; Really kind of nasty. Raise the case, raise the glass, or remove it. 5 stars for the food, if you get it early. 4 stars for atmosphere 1 star for hygiene

Our favorite cafe during our visit to Edinburgh! So nice we went back twice in a short trip. Lovely…read morecoffee drinks, pastries, and an extensive menu of elevated Scandinavian inspired cafe fair. They also serve pizzas which looked delicious. Over the course of our two trips we tried both salmon smorrebrod, the vegan toast, chai lattes, americanos, and a few pastries. There are multiple locations, some are order at the counter and the pavilion location (our favorite) was a sit down place. Very cozy environment with speedy service.