I've been to Centotre for the infamous EdCM for the last few years, almost every Friday morning and I have enjoyed it immensely. The staff are mostly very friendly and courteous with only a few situations where I've had haughty service, however the management are amazing and cannot be faulted. Always happy to smile and say hello, and they remember a face which is good. Coffees are well worth it here as well as their red and orange breakfast drinks that I can't ever remember the names of. Excellent for breakfast and for coffee meetings. Some excellent options on the menu. I would suggest the filled foccacia as they are an awesome start to the day! Especially black pudding and poached egg which is now my standard. read more

Popped in for dinner last night (Saturday). Great food (bresaola, gnocchi and pizza), great service, and great grappa. It was pretty noisy but it was peak time on Saturday night. The space is remarkable, high ceilings, cool paint and lighting. read more

I was taken here as a fallback choice for dinner by some friends who live nearby and were finding it hard to get a last minute table anywhere else due to the festival. The venue is a gorgeously high-ceilinged, greek-columned room that must have been an old banking hall or something, with a bar at its centre. The service is so attentive it's almost awkward, as they insisted on brushing up every teeny crumb on the table in between courses. But overall it was just... fine. The menu isn't exactly imaginative and felt like it was trying to be a swanky Prezzo or ASK - though that might be what you're looking for in which case there's a good selection of pizza/pasta. Portions are also decent, esp the calamari starter which two could probably share. I've filed it away as a good dinner back-up for fussier eaters, but it just had a bit too much of the overpriced Italian chain feel for me to get excited. read more

Great restaurant with lovely, friendly and helpful staff. I haven't had a bad meal in here, though I've only sampled breakfast and some of the most stupendous and spectacular desserts. Nice atmosphere and stunning building - look at the ceiling to see all the corniced delights and details. It's a very pretty place indeed. Best kept secret of the entire place? The most incredible hot chocolates. They have the consistency of melted dark chocolate - when you dip your spoon in the chocolate coats it from top to bottom. How many hot chocs from Starbucks do that?! Legendary. I dunno why I'm leaving off the final star... It's a really good place. I wonder if it's because I haven't had a full meal here? read more

A very good and very nice decorated restaurant. Good selection of typical italian food and a very good selection of wines. Especially wines are very pricy but it is good. The service is very friendly and helpful. Love the free wifi too. read more

Contini - Center of restaurant - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

This place used to be a bank so has those awfully high ceilings and grand scales that many of the properties in the new town have. So ambience is at a high. They serve clean, fresh Italian food which is priced above average. However, the service was pretty terrible and the excuse of 'it's the festival' doesn't really work. Should do better. read more

I came here for afternoon tea yesterday with my cousin and loved it. What a beautiful room everything so clean and shining, from the gleaming chandeliers and Italian bar/counter to the immaculate tables. Magnificent pillars supporting the exquisite panelled and plaster ceiling apparently this lovely Georgian building used to be a bank some years ago. The staff were extremely polite, welcoming and friendly; our tea and coffee served in beautiful china. I thought it was going to be expensive but not so. I shall definitely be back!! read more

Contini - Centotre, Edinburgh - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Bloody Mary: delicious Entrees: 1. Warmed Foccacia w/pork sausage, mushrooms & 2 poached eggs: great dish! Butterflied the pork open & put the poached eggs inside the sandwich. Definitely a fork & knife dish. 2. The full Scottish breakfast (2 fried eggs, ham, sautéed mushrooms, black pie (known as haggis/blood sausage), grilled tomatoes & toast): My husband ordered this as I was a bit skeptical on the black pie portion of the dish, but it was awesome!! We ended up splitting both meals b/c they were so good. Cool atmosphere & decor inside. read more

A lovely dinning room. We were escorted to a table by the window and separated from the main room. Not a good table but I lived with it. Our server was a little slow and made a major mistake by bringing starter and main course together. A no- no for this Italian. The food was great. Worth the visit read more

Went for my friends birthday, staff were very rude to all of us, refusing to let us sit inside even though we booked and bought their overpriced food. Cocktails were disappointing and when my friend and I tried to take a photo in the restaurant we were rudely approached and the staff member stood right in front and awkwardly watched. Weird vibes the whole time. read more

This restaurant had a fancy place to eat. It was like this great stature, that is pleasant to look at, but not so pleasant to eat from. The food is under average.. AND OVERPRICED AS SHIT. Oh well, we got water for free, and free wifi. If the building wasn't so nice, it would hav got 2, maybe even 1. read more

Very good Italian food in an unusual high ceilinged restaurant, which looks as though it was probably a bank or similar in the past. Friendly efficient service and often live music Not as expensive as you might think. (The background music in the toilets includes a lesson in Italian vocabulary!) read more

We ate here for lunch over this weekend. First impressions were great, we arrived before our reservation time but we were still seated. We both had starters and mains and they were excellent, the arancini for a starter deserves a special mention. The service was not so good unfortunately. Despite the menu saying to ask the waiting staff what kind of fruit dacquiris were served, the waiter did not know and still had to ask another member of staff. Our starters were served promptly but when they arrived, our waiter had not yet provided us with starter cutlery. After we had finished our main courses, we waited for around 10 minutes before anyone seemed to notice that our plates needed cleared, despite walking past the table multiple times. No excuse for this when the restaurant was not overly busy. Even after our main plates were cleared, we were never offered any dessert menu or tea/coffee. I would go back for the food, but only if I could be sure the service would be a vast improvement! read more

I have to admit this is probably my favourite place to eat when I am in Edinburgh. The food is delicious, the service warm, friendly and unobtrusive. It is so refreshing to find that my dietary needs are catered for here, I am gluten free and vegetarian - the staff are always on hand to advise and recommend dishes for me if I am undecided! read more

NOT a BREAKFAST place despite the ranking in yelp for breakfast. I had a salami mozzarella panini which was good but no breakfast items on the menu. read more

i love birthdays! i love friend's birthdays even more! and i love friend's surprise birthdays the most really!! so saturday night, the boyfriend and i headed here to celebrate my friend's birthday by surprising her with a birthday dinner that had been organised by her thoughtful boyfriend. on arrival we were the first, so had the choice of seats at a long table towards the back of the massive dining area. i do love that this place has huge high ceilings and loads of space with a fancy tiled floor, but the structure of the building does lend itself to being a bit noisy when all the tables are full up. not a problem for our party as we made just as much noise ourselves. after being seated and a few more friends arrived we ordered some drinks that were swiftly brought just in time for the birthday girl to arrive, be surprised, and sit down! we turned our attention to the menus after this and i found it particulary nice that they appear to change the menu on a daily basis. they had a special offer on for january calling it the 'skinny january menu' both due to the price (£17.95 for three courses) and the lower calorie content of the items available. i'm not down with a skinny january so opted for the regular menu of which i ordered a spaghetti cabonara and a shared antipasti platter to start with. i also indulged with a few glasses of prosecco that was lovely, fizzy, and had just the perfect amount of sweetness. starters arrived and my shared option was just the perfect size for two! the fresh tomatoes were delightful and the parma ham was tangy and salty and went perfectly with the fresh mozarella that was so incredibly delicious i probably could have eaten my weight in it!! mains were next and my spaghetti cabonara was one of the best i've ever had. it didn't have cream which helped keep it light, but there was loads of parsely, parmesan, and pancetta to satisfy and i happily ate the lot. it was delicious, so much so that i'm craving it right now as i recount this experience!! i also tried a bit of the boyfriend's veal which was lovely and tender. i was thankful that my main had left me room for dessert and that my boyfriend will always help me indulge by spilting a sweet with me. we went for the apple crumble which was served with fresh whipped cream and was just the perfect pudding for a cold nice. it was nicely spiced with loads of crumble on top, just the way i like it. the food here was amazing, there is no doubt of that. but i couldn't give this place five stars and that's due to the waiter. when we first sat down we had a very nice obliging waiter that was friendly and helpful. he must have finished his shift at some point because when it came time to order dessert a new waiter arrived who was pushy and arrogant and seemed annoyed that we were enjoying each other's company by talking and not immediately deciding what we wanted from the menu. he basically acted like he was too good for his job which just really annoyed me. so due to his attitude i had to knock a star off as waiters should never be arrogant to a customer let alone a group of customers that paid for a £400 bill. i will be back to Centotre as the food was just divine! i just hope mr rude waiter has the day off.... read more

Centotre, you are a lifesaver. The odds were against me: There I was, in Edinburgh for first time ever, and instantly in need of a place for us to rest, recharge, and eat--and not too far from our hotel. To make the situation even more challenging, I was with my parents, who are not easily impressed, and will give up and go with the easiest eating option if there isn't a clear plan in place. But no way was I going to have my first meal in Scotland in our hotel. I had to think, fast. And then, across the street, draped in 4-star Yelp glory, was Centrotre. Without Centotre (and the Yelp app), it would have been room service and sadness. Instead, it was warm service and happiness! From decor to dessert, Centrotre was a carnival of old and new, delighting without overwhelming, and definitely different from what my parents were expecting from a seemingly random restaurant in Scotland. My dad and I are big fans of gnocchi and shellfish, and the saffron-laced gnocchi with mussels had us fighting over bites. My step-mother and our family friend went for lighter options and seemed very satisfied. We ordered several types of bread--a rosemary focaccia and a rustic sourdough with ciabatta--and ate it all. Moreover, I loved the fact that Centotre's "Love happy food" vision actively stands for exactly what it delivered to us--a happy (and tasty) moment for my family. Moral of the story: When in Edinburgh with your parents, go to Centotre! read more

Contini was recommended by the desk staff at our hotel. My family and I were pleased with the service and the quality of the food. The building is a converted Bank of Scotland and the atmosphere was fun. Our server was delightful and knowledgeable, making recommendations and explaining anything we had questions about. When traveling and being faced with numerous options on where to eat, one always hopes to make a good choice. We made a good choice with Contini, so much so that my Mom was ready to go back the next night. read more

This was a very disappointing experience. The service was terrible, difficult to get any server's attention then when we did the 2 that attended us were inattentive and got the order incorrect. None of the dishes we ordered were in any way outstanding or ones that I would comfortably recommend. Compared to other Italian restaurants I have dined in they were below par. None of our party came away impressed and 2 of the party suffered from stomach upset after the visit. read more

My family and I were visiting from Los Angeles and we decided to go to this restaurant for dinner based on the reviews it had on Yelp. It did not disappoint! The food was amazing! We got bruschetta and arancini to start, both were delicious. Then for our entree my parents shared the chicken Parmesan and the pasta contadino, I tried both of these dishes and they were both so good. I had the pasta pomodorino and it was amazing! At the end of the night when we were walking out we got to speak to one of the owners of the restaurant Victor. He was so nice and it truly made the experience even better. We even decided to come back for dinner another night! My parents ordered the same thing and I ordered the contadino. If you are in Edinburgh this place is a must. read more

My wife and I were taking a group of college students on a trip to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of a college class. We decided to hold a farewell dinner on the last night of our journey and the Contini Restaurant was a wonderful place to have it. They gave us a private room downstairs so that we did not bother anyone else (and they did not bother us, either) The food from a pre-arranged menu was served "family style" and it was fantastic. I am NOT a gourmand so I can not officially comment on the quality, but everything I ate was simply excellent. The service was great and they even made special accommodations for people with food issues. The manager and staff could not have been nicer or more accommodating. At the end of the meal, I was stuffed and could not have possibly have eaten the fantastic desserts, but I did so anyway. (and I am glad that I did) The only slightly negative issue was a structural pole in the center of the table which made it hard to see everyone all of the time, but compared to the great service and delicious food, this was a very minor problem. read more

While wandering around Edinburgh, we Yelped for a great dining spot and found this place. We had a fantastic lunch! I had the Carbonara and it was legit! I rarely rate anything higher that a 4 star unless a week later I'm craving it again and I'm pushing this to a 5 star because I want more!! read more

Had a great meal. Service was great - everyone was very helpful and friendly. The server provided wine samples to taste so we could select be best option. The owner is very interactive with the customers. On to the food. Most was great but one shortfall (hence the 4 stars). Had a pork chop that was a little over cooked - but it still tasted good. The other dishes were properly prepared and tasted great. read more

First off, on the expensive side of life. My wife and I shared a starter, had two mains, two coffees, a dessert, and a pint and the bill came to 60 pounds, about $90. Not too bad considering this was the best meal we had in Scotland over the past two weeks. The atmosphere is quiet and the restaurant decor is impressive. The service was great. We shared the antipasto. My wife had the ravioli and I had the Contadino which was a sausage and Orecchiette pasta in a cream and Parmigiano Reggiano sauce. Excellent. I would recommend for that special time. read more

Good size portions with lots of flavour, in a modernly styled restaurant. - The service was good, a bit too attentive though as we had to ask to have "2 minutes" a couple of times whilst they stood over us. - Noisy dining room and small tables, so modern, but not ideal for a romantic meal. read more

Their pasta with sausage dish is the best plate of pasta I've eaten. The coffee blows your socks off but is rich and hot. The service is quick, friendly and they know their food and wine. I actually can't fault the place. read more

Been here a few times and always enjoyed the atmosphere and food. Service is very friendly and you are greeted like an old family friend! Recommended!!! read more

We very much enjoyed centotre and will be back. The food was delicious, the staff was very nice, helpful and the right amount of attentive, and the building is very interesting. Great for a date night or get together with the girls. read more

Had a great saltimbocca with a spicy red wine and followed up with vanilla gelato and cappuccino. Very good!!

Delicious food and amazing, friendly service. Hot chocolate is to die for. read more

Contini - Hot chocolate. With whipped cream on the side. - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Came here to have breakfast, which was very good. The staff was friendly but a little bit slow. Also, I have to mention the beautiful building and nice interior. read more

I've only visited Centotre once for a corporate brunch before a Scotland rugby match. It is well located on George Street and it looks like the building used to be a bank or something. It is a nice big, bright, airy place with friendly staff. The food there is Italian and is of a decent standard and reasonable prices (not cheap though!). If you are looking for a quiet romantic Italian place, Centotre is not for you because it is too open plan, but its a great place to go for maybe a bite to eat on a Sunday. Good place! read more

I love it here been a few times- thought the service was fantastic - the venue is beautiful esp on busy Firday/ Saturday night when the atmosphere is just right - the food is good, fresh, what would expect - it has a different feeling than the other restaurants on George St - not my favourite street - it isn't full of rich students unlike the other bars around the area. Love it! read more

Love the food, the atmosphere and the capable, friendly staff. It may not be the cheapest Italian restaurant but it is reasonable for George street. Excellent wine by the glass and I like the starter portions of pasta as they are big enough for me as a main course. read more

Fashionable George Street is the perfect location for this high quality, attractive Italian restaurant. Centotre's delicious fresh food and high standard of customer service have made it a popular choice since it opened. The menu is admittedly not the most original but still offers a wide variety of choice to please even the pickiest of eaters. All the main classics are present - pizza, pasta, fish and steak, along with an impressive array of breads and the finest imported cheeses. The dessert menu boasts some excellent choices and my personal favourite, the Centotre meringue, never fails to disappoint. Cocktail lovers are also spoilt for choice with a long list of exotic sounding drinks. The fresh ingredients used are evident in the taste of the food, and while many Italian restaurants sometimes serve bland-tasting dishes, Centotre takes care over the taste and preperation of it's meals. There was a slight gap between courses, but the bustling atmosphere more than made up for it. The decor is sophisticated and tasteful, with the pink theme adding an unusual slant. Friendly and efficient staff complete the Centotre experience. The menu tends to be quite pricey, making Centotre a perfect place to go for a treat, or better still, if someone is paying for your meal! Highly recommended. read more

My family and I shared a cozy and delicious dinner at Contini. Francesco's service and thoughtful wine recommendations were especially appreciated. read more

Pretty much worst Italian ever. Calamari, seafood selection were terrible and even after we complained a out the lentil soup there was no action taken. Avoid this overpriced joint! read more

On the rare sunny summer days we get, sit yourself down at one of the on-the-street tables and order a fresh salad or fish.

By far one of the best meals we have ever had! Impeccable service, calming ambiance, and spectacular view of the castle. A perfect end to a wonderful day. Don't worry about the stairs...It's worth every step to a magnificent meal! read more

An ok-place, but very overpriced for its food quality, especially since they are claiming to be italian. Their sausages in the traditional sottish breakfast are completely dry and have no taste. I also recommend to not get any coffee there - it is completely british and nowhere near italian. In fact, coffee is much much better next door to the right. I do not think this place deserved its good ranking here, which was the only reason I went there. read more