We saw this place during breakfast and said we'd come by for dinner. And so we did! We arrived around 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. read more

Gordon's Trattoria is a small Italian restaurant near the end of Royal Mile. The Penne Speciali & Tagliatelle al Pesto were both 5/5. The fresh pasta & sauce made the whole experience better! Portions are large. I didn't finish my pasta. Their house red was also a solid choice. It's a small restaurant but ambiance is cute & they keep the place clean. Service was excellent! Would definitely come back to try their pizza & calzones next. read more

Gordon's Trattoria - The Penne Speciali & Tagliatelle al Pesto - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

It saddens me to leave this review as I usually try the place before writing anything. My date and I went to this eatery as it has decent reviews. As we walked in, the teen boy had an annoyed face/demeanor. He walked us to our table which was about 8 inches wide and 8 inches long. My date is 5 feet 5 inches and 100 lbs and she couldn't fit in the booth. I didnt even try. Im almost 6 ft amd 220 lbs. They didnt give us options just said sorry as we walked out. read more

Great spot, good food, good service. The place is large but friendly. I wiuld eat there again.

Ambiance was not good, music selection all over the place and loud I suppose because we dined outdoors as there were no open tables inside. Staff were inattentive and seemed rushed. The food was horrible. I chose this place because of all the glowing reviews.... Those people must have had too much to drink. I ordered the Chicken Marsala, it dry and way overcooked. I've honestly had better Chicken Marsala from Jonny Carinos (an American rustic Italian chain) . My daughter ordered the fillet and while cooked to perfection it had no seasoning at all. This place is way overhyped and I would not recommend it. read more

Gordon's Trattoria - Chicken Marsala - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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The waiters and staff were really nice and the pesto pasta was good! This place also offers gluten free pasta which is great! the focaccia was sooo salty, pizza was greasy, and a lot of their food had a lot olive oil on it. We all thought we could make better pizza at home. Lastly my friend ordered a margarita it wasn't good but that's on her for ordering that at an Italian restaurant. read more

A nice spot with surprisingly good food. We had a chicken pasta and a pizza with goat cheese and spicy Italian sausage. Portion sizes were generous and the staff was pleasant and prompt. I'd definitely recommend this place after dining here. read more

Excellent pizza and a nice ambient atmosphere! The food came out quick and great service. Highly recommend!

Amazing food! Authentic. Delicious to the last bite. We ordered a pizza and a pasta dish. 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. read more

Gordon's Trattoria - Expresso martini - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Might be my new most favorite Italian restaurant in the world! Service was outstanding and food was spectacular. I loved my dish!! read more

Gordon's Trattoria - Gnocchi - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Outstanding food and service. This place is family run and the manager does his rounds as much as the wait staff. He clears the tables and greets the customers. I love that he is in trenches and not just watching. He walked around and mingled when he wasn't serving or clearing plates. We are in Scotland for the Fringe Festival and this place is located right at the entrance. It was prime dinner hour and drinks were flowing, good food all around! I saw a neighboring table order the most delectable charcuterie. Dang, it made me drool. The lasagna was excellent - it's all about the sauce and the meat. The noodles were an afterthought. Only wished it came with bread so we could have scooped it all up. Extra charge for garlic or bread basket so we just skipped (not thinking, I could've ordered it after our entrees arrived). The margherita pizza was excellent as well, simple and delicious. The sauce! Tangy but not overly salty, very robust and it was not oily as others have stated in their reviews. Only thing, they didn't pre-slice it. They gave us a steak knife to cut it ourselves. I guess that's how it's done here. Must try: the chicken Milanese. The breaded cutlets (two large pieces!) were still moist on the inside and not burnt or charred on the outside. Soft and tender chicken. I only wished my salad part of the meal came with diced tomatoes as I've had before in other places. And there was no dressing on the salad but it was still good altogether. The roasted potatoes and onions were crispy and charred but oh so yummy. The more burnt, only added to the perfect texture and taste. Skip on the beef stroganoff, very saucy but the beef strips were very thin cut. I found it dry but the sauce covered a lot of that. Very hearty dish since it came with salad and rice. The place is on the Royal Mile so I was lucky to score the last table for four! The desserts all looked heavenly and gorgeously plated but we were too full to eat more. read more

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What attracted us to eat here one lunchtime was the exuberance and enthusiasm being shown by the guy serving outside. Walking up to a table, he was there helping my partner with the chair. Fantastic service. Ordering a beer and a wine while we looked at the menu, they arrived so promptly. We weren't that hungry so asked if it would be a problem if we shared a margherita pizza and could we have a small bowl of chillis as my partner doesn't like them. The answer was 'no problem, leave it with me'. A small bowl of chillis arrived at the table in an incredibly hot sauce. The pizza arrived, surprisingly, halved an on separate plates. Something we didn't expect. Those guys and gals do a brilliant job and, listening, they do it with every guest. Want a bite to eat then check this place out. It is BRILLIANT. Thank you everyone for an enjoyable lunch. read more

Gordon's Trattoria - At the entrance - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The food was delicious, the owner made us feel like family. It was the beat stop in Edinburgh for my wife and I. We will absolutely be back! read more

Gordon's Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Great service. Delicious food. Friendly staff! Espresso drinks are the best in town. Pizza and pasta perfect.

AMAZING pasta hilarious service. Fun crew here - pasta is handmade. Great options. Love this place!!! read more

Gordon's Trattoria - Penne speciali on top and Penne fonteluna - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

We enjoyed our first dinner in Scotland there. The owner & staff accommodated our request to sit outside. The Margarita & Bianca pizzas were delicious! All of the staff were very nice & welcoming. Appreciated the great service! read more

This is definitely more of a family Italian restaurant. The layout was a little cramped but service was stellar even as they were really busy and food was really good. Highly recommend! read more

Great food and great service. All the staff were very friendly and it was very authentic Italian. It is a great location, and I highly recommend sitting outside. Could not have asked for anything more! read more

Listen my family is Italian-American and this is probably one of the better Italian places in this city. The food was tasty and the service was good. The server we had was extremely funny. read more

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Kicked off the vacation portion of a recent trip to Edinburgh (most of which was work-related) with a dinner at Gordon's - after checking in to the AirBnB I was in for my "on my own" slice of Scotland visiting, and horking myself back into the old city with a buddy for dinner, I was looking at online reservation options, which were pretty slim pickin's by 7:30pm on a Tuesday night. Gordon's had a table, though, so ... off we went. Gordon's is the kind of place that I learned about in my first city-living experience, in my teens in London (my family lived in the UK when I was in high school), where my very-foodie family made a point of learning all about the restaurant and cooking scene in the city. Neighborhood joints are always happy discoveries, which is knowledge I've carried with me on travels to cities across the globe, from Riyadh (weirdly good Thai scene) to NYC to Paris to San Francisco to Chicago to Nawlins. Anyway, Gordon's welcomed us, served us some gloriously tasty dinner - I had salmon (photo), my buddy went for the carbo load with a fettucini Alfredo that looked sinfully good - and became another on my list of Great Neighborhood Joints in Cities of the World. read more

Gordon's Trattoria - Grilled salmon. It was superb. I don't eat pasta, so they gave me a beautiful arugula/rocket salad instead. Stellar. - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Words can't describe the quality of the food and service here. We were hungry and tired and a friend in the US told us to keep our eye out for this place. We were surprised it was walking distance from our hotel. We all went in and it was crazy busy. We were seated by the kitchen and could see the cook's working in a frantic pace. The servers were hustling just as fast. We watched huge amounts of food being made and served just as it either came out of the oven or off the grill. It was just crazy to see. Our server gave us so much attention. We asked if we should get the lasagna or spaghetti. The server said OK and didn't tell us what we were getting. It ended up being the lasagna. OMG, it was still boiling hot and bubbling. It was to die for. Who would have thought that the best Italian food I'd had in a long time would be in Scotland. We all went in for a 2nd night and while the restaurant wasn't quite as crazy, it was still busy. The food was just as good and all of the people were just as friendly. 5 Star easy. We never saw anything come out of the kitchen that wasn't awsome looking. Lots of smiles and laughter everywhere. read more

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Love 1/2 off large pizzas on Monday. We always get barbecue chicken pizza amd love it. Service is great also

The staff was very, very nice. My wine was good, and the pizza was good. My husband had the lasagna; I was overcooked and didn't have enough sauce. I had the rigatoni with tomato sauce. It had a smoky taste. I did not care for. read more

This was the first restaurant my friend and I stopped at in Edinburgh and it set the standard too high. The gnocchi was easily as good as anything I've eated in Italy. It cleared my skin, watered my crops, strengthened my bones. I cried thinking about how good the creamy flavor was. We also loved the family-owned feel of the restaurant and the staff was nice. Cannot recommend this place enough. read more

This place gets a 5 for service and food! We were looking for a place to eat. Asked about gluten free pasta l, which they had. Sons ordered the calzones. The food was delicious. Calzones were the best they had ever eaten. They were huge so one would probably been enough for both! Every person there had great personalities and a lot of fun! read more

The only things this place has going for it is the location, and the friendly service. The place is diner style booths inside, and some outdoor tables. This is not a relaxed fine dining environment, although the prices might indicate so (circa £16-£20 for mains). The pizzas came swimming in oil, and the pastas were average. The food isn't inedible, but for the prices you expect better. read more

Was in Scotland for 11 days last July for the Open Championship. Tried Gordon's one evening and had a GREAT dinner. Pasta with prawns, salad, mozzarella flatbread appetizer...etc. Made two more visits before my time was up...and will return next time in Edinburgh. Busy...but worth the wait for a table. read more

It's interesting to read the variety of opinions about this place. I've been here once, and I don't remember having a particularly strong opinion on it either way. Nonetheless, it is worthy of a review. The restaurant itself is situated on the bustling Royal Mile, which at this time of year (summer) is full of tourists, though mercifully not as busy as when the Festival is on. It enjoys a prime location on a street that is devoid of many restaurants, instead being full of gift shops for the tourists. I personally didn't find the food to be too memorable, but then if I want an Italian meal, I will tend to default to Pizza Express. I do, however, remember enjoying a nice sorbet for dessert, which was very tasty. My other lasting memory is of someone cheering when a glass was dropped on the floor, but this is something that happens everywhere of course! It's a small restaurant inside, and it does feel a little dated in the decor. On the whole, the experience was a good one, but I tend to feel that I would go for a chain restaurant in preference. read more

Gordon's Trattoria - Italian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I went to this restaurant while visiting Scotland in 2019. It's now 2021 and I cannot get rid of the insane craving for the spaghetti bolognese. I'm gluten free as well and finding gluten free pasta worth a crap anywhere is virtually impossible. Gordon's trattoria nailed it. Sadly for me I live in the US and it will be quite awhile until I can go back. I hope it's just as good then. read more

Popped in here for dinner and was pleasantly surprised by it. Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. Had the special - risotto and haddock- which was delicious. Everyone at the table cleared their plates so I think they liked their food too The prices all seemed reasonable too, but not a large menu. I would be happy to go back here again. read more

We went to this delightful restaurant on a Monday night at around 7:30. It was pretty busy, but we still got a seat right away. Had a great vibe. They gave us our choice of indoor or outdoor seating. We went inside because it was starting to get a little chilly. Started with a couple of ciders and bruschetta classica. Cider was good; bruschetta was ok. Mains were Penne al Ragu, and Penne Speciali. Those were both very good! While dinner was really good, it was the people that stood out. It felt truly authentic. The people were so nice, and really made you feel like family. As we left, everyone, literally, said good bye and thanked us, like it was truly a pleasure to have us there. The pleasure was ours as well! read more

Perfect meal for New Year's Day. I had the Penne Pollo Pesto (that's homemade pesto!!) and my date had a spicy seafood linguine (red sauce, just the right amount of kick). Everyone was warm and friendly (welcome to Scotland) and location is great - right in the middle of the Royal Mile. If you're craving Italian, this is your spot. (Also tried Bella Italia in Old Town. It's good but not as good as Gordon's.) read more

From the warm greeting we received, the delicious food, careful recommendations and incredible service you can do no better than Gordon's. Our server, Samuel and the other staff took wonderful care of us, from caprese to sticky toffee pudding, it was incredible. Special recommendations: Caprese Penne Speciali Tagliatelle al Pesce read more

Visited this restaurant one night and it was pretty quiet. For a restaurant with prime location on the Royal Mile, I would have expected it to be busier, especially on bank holiday weekend. There were two other tables occupied and we were invited to sit anywhere we wanted. It's a odd space arrangement, the kitchen is at the door which provides a narrow eating area along side it or else you venture to the back where there is more space. The room temperature is a bit crazy here too, it was nice and cosy at the wall, but there was a cool draft down the centre of the space. So we moved early on to find a cosier table before ordering. I ordered the ham, spicy pepperoni, onion and mushroom pizza and the my friend, a pasta (forgot what exactly, but in the menu is stated "go on give it a try")! The pizza arrived and was a good size, but sadly the base was cooked underneath, but the top was still soggy. Flavour wise, it was good, much better that my companions over salty pasta dish. I wasn't all that impressed and the interior is basic and dated. The restaurant is dependant on tourist who don't know better. Expected more from a restaurant on Royal Mile, there are better Italian restaurants out there... Go a bit further a field and got to La Favorita, in Leith. read more

I'm a vegetarian American in Edinburgh for a conference. Came by this restaurant on a wet Sunday evening looking for a warm meal and felt immediately welcome by all the wait staff and, apparently, Gordon. I had the pizza fungi and it was absolutely delicious!! Well seasoned, well cooked toppings, good cheese and a nice thin crust. Oh, and free wifi - useful for people dining alone and wanting to browse the web while eating. read more

Great personal service. Was in the restaurant industry for 25 years. Great amatriciana. Beef and pork Ragu was good too. Picked the place because of the 4+ stars, and it was worth it read more

Great for kids! Friendly, thoughtful, and helpful service - particularly for kids. Their meals came quickly, which we all appreciated. A good spot for the whole family - parents, grandparents too. read more

It's sitting on the Royal Mile, so it's not going to be Little Italy. It's a nice enough place, with a warm welcome (from Gordon himself, if you're lucky) and nice enough decor. A bit dated, but hey. The food is questionable....I've eaten here a few times and tried to vary what I have, but it all tastes the same - bland! The Spaghetti Carbonarra is faaar too creamy for my liking (and my hips didn't thank me) and the meat can be chewy. I don't know why I come back here, I think it's because my Dad likes it - but he likes Ronan Keating, so y'know.... read more

Jumped in here for a quick bite to eat after a long festival day. The rest of the street was closing down, but Gordon's was open and alive. The friendliness and warmth of the staff make up for the tacky decor and extremely cramped space, and the food was just a touch above good. My wife had the seafood risotto, and I went with a mushroom pizza. Italian food should be simple and fresh, and these dishes at least managed that in principle. It was a bit bland and slapdash for my liking, but given the price and location I really couldn't complain. Looking for a gourmet dinner? Give it a miss. Want a tasty quick bite, delivered with a smile? Gordon's will do for you. read more

You can tell you're in tourist trap territory, when the Italian restaurant isn't called "Giuseppe's" or "Roberto's", but "Gordon's". It doesn't exactly stir up thoughts of gondola rides in Venice, espressos in a Milanese street cafe, or hazy meditteranean nights in a country run by a perverted, far-right criminal. It's nothing like as bad as some of the Royal Mile's more appalling wallet emptiers though, with passable pizza and pasta on offer. Not really much to see here for locals, but it does it's job of parting the unimaginativce from their cash. read more