If you're in Edinburgh, Asti is an absolute must! Had the chicken risotto with pancetta and spinach and wife had lasagna. Both are 2 of the best things I've ever eaten in my life! Been all over the globe and even to Italy and Asti tops them all. Risotto had the perfect combination of texture and robust flavor and I only wish we'd eaten here sooner and multiple times on our trip. Lasagna was piping hot and full of flavor. Tomato sauce has to be made from scratch. Service was excellent as well. We were sat quickly and tended to quickly throughout our meal. read more

Asti - Risotto and Lasagna - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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It was fine. The place was nice and attractive, with good service. Our special antipasta was a fried rice ball with cheese, mushrooms and other yummy stuff inside called arancini - definitely the highlight. My special crab ravioli with mussels was more meh, with kind of too-delicately-flavored mollusks and crustaceans for the spicing of the broth. Should have brought a spoon with the dish - kind of messy to eat with a fork alone. My wife's bream was good, with accompanying flavors that complimented it well, but just wasn't outstanding. Both were served with white rice and a flavored rice dish with a little bite to it, which I loved but didn't quite go with the fish for some reason. It was fine. I won't tell you to avoid it, particularly because of the comfortable ambience, but there are lots of good establishments in the neighborhood. Wander around a bit before you decide. read more

In Edinburgh on my honeymoon. My husband and I ate here two nights in a row not only because it was in walking distance of our B&B but because this is REAL Italian food! We were in Rome two years ago and fell in love with the food. Last night we were in the mood for Italian after eating too much "Scottish" food the last few days. We knew it was a risk trying Italian food anywhere other that Italy but we read the reviews and decided to give it a try. I have to say both times were the best meal of the year so far and my husband and I agreed that this may be the best two meals we have on our entire honey moon and we still have 9 days left! Try it you will not be disappointed! Did I mention the price is reasonable?! read more

Asti - I forgot the name but there is grilled Aubergine under there and it was AMAZING! - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Wow. The specials seem to be amazing here as ours was too! We had the handmade ravioli filled with prawn with a tomato basil sauce. It was absolutely phenomenal. The minestrone soup was also quite good!! We were very pleased and would easily come back if we lived here. read more

I must say I was a little unsure about Asti for dinner, as the deli which had formerly been in the building was definitely more of lunch spot and, at least from the street, the basic setup looked unchanged. A small group of us had a table in the back room and, although the decor, lighting and music don't create much of an atmosphere, the service was friendly and we were made to feel welcome. Not exactly a great spot for a date, but then I wasn't on one. What makes Asti really worth a visit (and more than compensates for the slightly odd setting) is the food. The menu instantly bodes well - classic northern Italian pasta, meat and fish dishes, with interesting antipasti and (on the night I was there) a good specials board. We shared a big antipasti platter and another of crostini. The meats and cheeses were great and the fried polenta (not something I've seen very often here) was light and tasty. Despite generally being pretty wary of specials, I ordered venison haunch on a pearl barley and juniper berry risotto, just because it sounded so nice. I wasn't disappointed. The venison was perfectly seasoned and cooked - moist and pink in the centre - and strongly flavoured enough to hold its own against the tart, slightly smokey juniper. Everyone else seemed equally happy with their choices, though the saltimbocca was particularly impressive. The portions were so generous that I decided to skip dessert, though again it was a very tempting selection. Great food, good value. read more

Decided to try this restaurant because it was near my hotel. Lovely Italian food and great service. I had a special of sea bass and lemon zest ravioli with a light cream tomato sauce. I had the choice of a smaller plate rather than the dinner size. The small plate had 7 large ravioli! My waiter was Italian (I asked) and he said most of the cooks were Italian, too. I've been to Italy and this place seemed authentic to me. I treated myself to a lemon sponge cake for dessert, which was wonderful. If I ever get back to Edinburgh, I will eat at Asti again. read more

Asti - Lemon sponge cake-heavenly! - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Asti is a nice little place, serving classic Italian dishes to a good standard. Their lunchtime deal of £9.75 for two courses plus coffee represents pretty good value, with a good range of dishes to choose from. Overall, we said: "I was pretty pleased with Asti. The back room is a very smart setting, with the lovely bay window ensuring it's bathed in natural light. Dishes were tasty and comforting, and represented a very reasonable lunchtime deal." read more

Asti Italian Restaurant lives in the former restaurant called Pani Solinska. It opened some time towards end of 2011 but I hadn't gotten round to going here yet until a colleague at work suggested she take me there for lunch for my birthday. They offer a 2 course lunch menu with coffee for under £10 per head. The restaurant has changed inside offering more tables and comfier chairs, bit more of a restaurant feel to cafe and whilst this has been upgraded, it doesn't feel overly posh, just a nice place to dine in. I had the pate, which I recall was duck, beautiful, home made and came with a lovely chutney on the side, large slices of bread, lightly toasted with olive oil. My colleague opted for mussels and I was slightly jealous as she said they were delish, but my pate was just so good I couldn't grumble. But next time, I'll try out the mussels. We both had pasta main courses and they were lovely, freshly cooked and really enjoyable. The menu changes daily as far as I know offering different dishes with local produce available. As we only had 1 hour for lunch, it was quite a lot of food to eat in a short time, but in terms of getting the food out on time, no problem at all. I'd like to go back here, one evening after work when I have a bit more time to relax and unwind, hopefully over a bottle of wine and sample more of their food. Overall, I really enjoyed my first experience here and look forward to going back! read more

Outstanding food, great service, and a nice relaxing quiet dining room. It's a great escape from the sightseeing hustle and bustle. read more

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Trying to avoid carb heavy foods in Edinburgh can be a challenge. Asti offers chicken and lamb dishes with vegetables and salads. We started with rocket (arugula) salads--nice presentation, quality Parmesan cheese and a tasty balsamic glaze. The main course (chicken stuffed with mozzarella and sundried tomatoes) was well-flavored, moist and delicious. We also tried the mac and cheese, its own separate casserole whose cheese had a nice bite and texture. Couldn't resist the great dessert menu, sampling a toffee cake with vanilla ice cream. Portions are big, but so is the taste. Our server was attentive and friendly. With all that at a reasonable price and pleasant decor (bay window in the back room), I would return without hesitation. read more

Great lasagna and calamari! Good atmosphere and service. Highly recommend for a good Italian meal.

This restaurant was a surprise. We wandered in, off a plane, from the inn we were staying in nearby. The food: fresh, delicious, beautifully presented. The service: One server (long brown ponytail) professional, perfect. The other server (blonde, shorter hair) -- weird and awful. So awful, we didn't go back. She seemed put out, annoyed that she had to be there. She had negative comments at every stage. We had appetizers, entrees, drinks-- We were out in 30 mins. We'd have stayed longer, ordered more and come back--minus the borderline nasty service. read more

Conveniently close to our hotel, Asti was the venue for the last night of our short break in Edinburgh. Accessed by a few steps, the restaurant has a homely feel and a lively, friendly atmosphere. Our table towards the back of the restaurant, took advantage of the late summer sunlight and was spacious enough for the five of us. Quite a comprehensive menu, with nothing being overly expensive; a few specials on offer too, chalked up on a board. Starters wise, we just shared a rather generous portion of fresh chunky bread, with black olive tapenade, balsamic and olive oil dip and some wonderfully flavoursome non-pitted olives - a great start. As were the cocktails, expensive but with great flavours particularly the strawberry cocktail, rich red in colour. Mains wise, two of our party plumped for the special of scallop and prawn ravioli, a popular dish with many diners that night, a smallish portion, but it packed a punch. Between the rest of us, we had a rather generously portioned and hearty risotto, as well as Maccheroni al Formaggio, the best macaroni cheese I have had in a good long time, and Rigatoni Asti - a flavoursome and spicy mixture of Italian sausage, black olives, roasted peppers tomatoes and chilli. After such rich flavoured and tasty mains, it probably seemed an unwise choice to go for a dark chocolate dessert, but it was surprisingly light and complimented well by the accompanying ice cream. Everybody else had the Tiramisu, which was also predictably light and full of flavour. Great food, helpful unobtrusive service and a bustling atmosphere, what's not to like? read more

My husband and I decided to go here for some good Italian while in Scotland! It was a slow evening and we were seated in the back room with a view of the garden. We ended up being the only guests in the room, which was nice as we had been with a tour group for the past week and needed a bit of quiet time. I had a nice glass of red wine and the lasagna. Both were wonderful, but the lasagna was especially good. Very creamy and rich. My husband had the 2 course dinner, including minestrone and penne pasta. He enjoyed his dinner as well. I would definitely recommend Asti if you are looking for a small, well run Italian restaurant while in Edinburgh. read more

Fantastic meal! Our server was knowledgeable, kind and attentive. We would definitely come again! This place has mouthwatering Italian food! read more

Asti is a terrific little restaurant that provides great food and drinks at a reasonable price! We sat in the front room, there's a backroom as well, and had a nice view of the neighborhood. I had the soup of the day which had carrots, sweet potato and orange and it was wonderful! The mains included a chicken dish, linguine and macaroni and cheese - all very good. We finished up with two deserts; a black cherry tart and tiramisu - both very good. Service was good as well. read more

Asti has delicious, top-notch cocktails, excellent Italian wine and great food. Service is crisp but friendly, and the cappuccino is best in the city. We've been here twice and may come again on our last day in Edinburgh. read more