Bittersweet Leith in Edinburgh, City of

Cocktails have always been fabulous, but tonight we had food - it was amazing. Well presented, very tasty and top quality ingredients. The friendly, knowledgeable staff are great too.

What a lovely little local gem. I loved the whole experience from start to finish. Toasty warm while zero degrees outside, good start. Really interesting cocktails.. that taste as good as they look - which is saying something. The food was beautifully presented and tasty too. The staff were absolutely fabulous. Knowledgeable and friendly. Living locally I've been searching for somewhere that ticks all the boxes, mission accomplished!

Amazing drinks and delicious food , We will definitely be back***** John & Heather

We arrived at 19:30 for our booking. Fabrizio, who later told us he and his brother Simone (chef) run the place, took us to our table which was very cozy. Corner table, which was perfect and comfortable, since I was coming with my partner and our aim was to share everything. We did read that this place was one of the expressions of the Old poison local distillery. My partner started with a Peach cream cocktail and she loved it. Then the food arrived. The burrata was fresh and creamy, the calamari were perfect, the chicken was something else, perfect and delicious. Potato croquettes were amazing and the melanzanne parmigiana was the star of the night. Everything we ordered came in great time. Then my partner had a dessert cocktail I don’t remember the name of (believe is ice cream cocktail?) and was delicious. Overall, the service was great, the food was amazing and the cocktails even better. Will be back and very soon! Must say is a bit far from the city center of Edinburgh but is definitely a must try if you are looking for something local, good food and good cocktails.

Stopped by for a couple of drinks and also had some food, the Burrata and Tiramisu was lovely and the Cocktails we had were outstanding! Simone and Fabrizio really love what they do and are so much fun to be around.

Great cocktails and the food portions were bigger than expected.

I’d be hard-pressed to find a finer dining experience than this—at such a great price. Fabrizio was the most hospitable, accommodating, warm host, and the food was absolutely delicious. The espresso martinis were amazing and we couldn’t have asked for a better dining experience. Thank you Fabrizio and Simone!

Amazing experience! Some of the best food and cocktails I have ever tried. Great value for money. Friendly and attentive staff who took the time to give recommendations and made us feel so welcome. 100% would recommend!

I’d wanted to try this place for a while, waiting for a bus nearby I thought I’d just pop in for a cheeky cocktail. Had a classic, snuck in a special. Both fantastic but more than anything what will bring me back and bring my friends was the passion, knowledge and creativity shown by the team. Even on a short visit heard so much to make me want to come back.

A nice range of cocktails, a good atmosphere. A cocktail bar that we like!

THIS PLACE IS AMAZING! We were staying in Leith and we were just a 15 minute walk away from Bittersweet. What a gem! The atomsphere and vibe of this place is so cohesive from the decor, to the menu, to the cocktails, and especially to there service. We were taken care of so well. Fabrizio, who is the head of the distillery and bar, was so warm and welcoming. The cocktails we got drew inspiration from their favorite rap lyrics and the vibe they got from the song. Mine was the Snoop Dogg Peaches and Cream. Well balanced taste and great presentation. Super refreshing and packed a huge punch of peach. The MF Doom cocktail called Guinnesses was a masterpiece. For our food we order every single dish under the ‘Street’ side of the menu. Every dish was flavorful and you can tell was made with such care. My favorite that I will think about forever was the Pistachio Arancini. Perfectly crispy outside with a rich, creamy, and nutty inside. We had a wonderful chat with Fabrizio and the bartender. The bartender gave us many recommendations for the rest of our trip in Scotland which was so sweet of him. We did go on an unusually slow night for them they said. I could write a 1000 more words about my thoughts on this place. We had a lovely dinner and if they were open on Sundays we would come back before our flight!

A gem,really a Leith jewel. Few places improve after the initial months, but, this is it. No need to go to Edinburgh, Sunny Leith.

A young, committed team that impresses with its love of food and pampering. Thank you very much for the excellent food and the nice conversation.

Can't fault the place. Attentive service without being overbearing or robotic. If I could give 6 stars for food I would, great selection and need to go and try the rest. Drinks were high quality too. Overall everything is really well priced as well. Nice environment for food and drinks too.

Lovely place, good vibe, great food and drinks...hosts provide lots of information and background to what you are eating and drinking and great chat.

Extremely knowledgeable and attentive staff made the experience great. The negronis I tried were all fantastic.

Fabulous find! High quality food with an eclectic flair. Service was awesome and so glad we found this place.

Love, love, love this place!!!! The cocktails were absolutely divine and the ambiance was so beautiful and mellow. But the absolute best thing: the calamari! For many years I lived in Rhode Island, the calamari capital of the US, and I will say that this rivaled much of what I had there. After years of calamari disappointment in Scotland, this will be my new regular spot.

My favourite place for a negroni and aperitifvo food, the chicken and calamari, are my favourites. never disappointed always the best night x oh and the negroni flight is awesome

Staff are so friendly and service is great. Lovely food and extensive and inventive drinks menu. ❤️Dog friendly aswell ❤️

Amazing food and lovely people working there! A fantastic spot for drinks and food

Fantastic place! We had small plates and a cocktail, everything was delicious, staff very friendly, knowledgeable and easy going. I am Neapolitan and I felt like home❤️ Grazie guagliú 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Fantastic place for a birthday party.

The service won it for me, but the food is equally as good. A real gem of a place. Can't wait to go back.

We went with a party of 10 to celebrate my birthday, and we had the most brilliant food with great service and some great chat with Fabrizio who explained with passion the food he prepared for us. The tuna steak was one of the best things I had in a while! Absolutely recommend it and I will not wait for another birthday to be back!

Popped in for drink, had a Dark Moon cocktail, was delicious. Lovely, quirky atmosphere with twinkly lights. Independently owned by 2 Italian brothers. Will be back to sample the food.

We had an amazing late lunch with cocktails. The staff were amazing, so friendly, generous with their time and so good with my toddler - they were Flexible letting him sit up at the bar watching them make drinks, sit at the window and even made him his own mocktail. The food was delicious and cocktails a delight. I would absolutely recommend and will be back!!!

Delicious cheese board, bruschetta and coffee. Came back later for cocktails and words can't describe how amazing their velvety espresso martini is. You'll have to find out for yourself! Great atmosphere and service.

Exceptional cocktails. Lovely staff. Fabulous service.

We had such a lovely time here last night. Fantastic drinks, lovely service and a really great atmosphere. The spritzes are amazing, as were the negronis. Thank you!

Fantastic spot for some snacks and amazing cocktails

Awesome. Food was delicious and filling. Drinks were fairly priced and very well done. Very pleased with this find.

Incredible staff and owners. Excellent cocktails and delicious food. Highly recommended, 10/10 will be back.

Fantastic cocktails and amazing service from the team.

Delicious cocktails and tasty Italian light bites. Whole-bean coffee for sale, as well as their own gin.

Brilliant place great cheese board. Lovely wine good service. You have to try the bitters its awesome

The owners, the food, the CHUTNEY! The freshness of the food, the drinks. Just 100% impressed!

Great cocktails and small dishes.

Lovely stop off here after work. The food was excellent (just enough and perfectly cooked and presented) and the service first class - the place has a great ambience. Will be back!

We had a fantastic dining experience here. The food was great, staff were very friendly and knowledgable, cocktails were delicious and well made. A must try if you’re in the area.

Incredible experience dining here. Everything we ordered was absolutely delicious and each item has clearly been well thought about. The owners were friendly, knowledgeable and very passionate about flavour. Wish we were local as we’d definitely be regulars. Can’t recommend enough. Ridiculous quality for the price too.

Not one to be missed if you like your amaros and tasty bits. Staff are exactly what you would want. Did I mention negronis for £6.50?

Tried Bittersweet for the first time this evening and it didn’t disappoint. We had the arancini, bruschetta, stuffed courgette flowers and montanara - they were all delicious! Cocktails were really good and service was perfect! Thank you!

Petra was fantastic! Incredibly knowledgable about all the drinks and very effective at her job! Look after that girl Bittersweet, she will go incredibly far!

The most beautiful place ! We stumbled across bittersweet after a few nights of average meals on our holiday, purely because it was located on the same street as our accommodation. Definitely worth it! The service was amazing and the food and drinks were equally as good. Very rare to find quality in service, food and drinks in one place.

Great cocktails with amazing liquids made by the owners 👌🏼

Best cocktails in the area. Hands down.

Lovely bar staff and delicious spritz options!

a gem of a cocktail bar with amazing small dishes. original, friendly, high quality.

Go! Authentic Italian aperitif bar! So friendly and the service was amazing! A little special find in the heart of Leith!

This place is a wee gem...Cocktails are meticulously prepared, service is 5 star, and the quality of food is as good as you'd get in a fine dining restaurant. We'll be back soon for sure

Genuinely the best dining experience we've had in a while. The food was top notch, the drinks were amazing and the music was great!

Bittersweet was everything we hoped for. Amazing service with such knowledgeable friendly staff and good honest Italian food. The cocktails were delicious and we had a wonderful evening there

There is a 10% service charge this shouldn't be we were paying enough without this

Food was incredible, some of the best dishes I’ve ever had. Cocktails to start we’re great with some wine for dinner. Staff were great at suggestion and we didn’t feel rushed at all. Ordered seconds after a 30 gap for more wine which was great. Unreal, need to try this place if you’re in Leith or Edinburgh!

Cozy atmosphere, attentive service, tasty food and amazing drinks. Definitely a gem of a place, Will be back for sure!

Non posso che non mettere 5 stelle anzi se si potesse ne metterei 6 , piccolo posto molto accogliente , personale fantastico , alla mano ed amichevole , cibo fantastico tutto molto sfizioso e buono , cocktail 🍸 buonissimo i loro distillati diretti dalla loro distilleria sono di un ottima qualità, lo consiglio vivamente per passare una bella serata tra amici in un ambiente piu che familiare.

My favourite go to place in Leith. Delicious food, cocktails are amazing and the Bittersweet staff, look after you from the minute you arrive to the minute you leave. 😊

Bittersweet is an excellent cocktail bar with a cozy ambiance that sets the perfect mood for a night out. The extensive cocktail menu is sure to impress, with a special focus on the Negronis which are simply outstanding. The bartenders here are skilled and friendly, making it a pleasure to watch them craft the perfect cocktail. The music is a highlight, with Italian rap being a regular feature that adds a unique touch to the atmosphere.

Wow, amazing food, wonderful cocktails and superb staff. A really reasonable price too and would highly recommend. My new found local treasure 😍

Great cocktails, nice wee snacks and very pleasant staff and atmosphere.

Lovely little stop off we passed by chance on our way to a restaurant. Good range of drink options with reasonable cost. Didn't get to try the food but looked good as it passed by us! Also dog friendly.

Amazing food and drinks, lovely staff, reasonably priced, nice decor and playlist. Can't fault it :)

This place has chopped and changed hands over the years but really hope Bittersweet is here long-term. There's a good range of cocktails from a £5 range to more premium drinks (it's owners are involved with Old Poison distillery) which are well made. We had a few sharing plates, which were all pretty tasty. Wines were good and are roasted regularly. Interior is tasteful and the staff hard working and very attentive. Worth checking out for a cocktail (or two) and some small plates

Excellent cocktails, delicious food, and attentive, friendly servers. Would definitely recommend!

What a magical wee gem. First visit here a few days ago with a friend by chance. I had assumed this venue was just a pub, but was delighted to learn it's been recently refurbished and is a lovely warm inviting and relaxing atmosphere. They serve really nice looking Italian food and I can vouch for the starters (tried 2 of 3) - both were delicious and a really pleasant surprise. Am already looking forward to coming back to sample the menu some more

The bittersweet negroni is awesome

Visited for the first time. Lovely food, great wee place. Staff are so lovely and attentive too

Superb food, cocktails and service. Would definitely recommend and will be back

Lovely place! Food was delicious, staff were friendly and attentive. Nice atmosphere. Would definitely come back.

When we visit Edinburgh we always choose Leith because of it's numerous bars and restaurants. Today is my 58th birthday & I got to choose the venue for our evening meal. I was not disappointed. Everything about it is spot on. The decor, ambience and feel of the restaurant is perfect. It is run by two Italian brothers. Fabulous Fabrizio is front of house, explaining the food and cocktails, which are beautifully mixed and delicious. Fabrizio's brother Simone is the chef. We chose 4 dishes: Twisted Arancini; cod croccante; pollo croccante and gnocchi with porcini. We chose cocktails too:James Justice (rum based) and Port of Leith (Bourbon based) and a Scottish Morning (also rum based) which were wonderful. I understand that they have their own distillery for certain spirits, which is pretty cool. Fabrizio's brother Simone is the chef. His food is delicious, moorish and flavourful. My favourite was the arancini and the gnocchi which is hand made from scratch. Unless you have tasted home made gnocchi, you will not understand. All in all a lovely, unhurried meal. If we lived in Leith we would be regulars. Delicious, small plates accompanied by fabulous cocktails. What's not to like? The service was attentive and faultless; we were made to feel 100% welcome. If you are a lover of QUALITY food and drink, you need to book yourselves a table At Bittersweet in Leith.

Great team, great cocktails, amazing food. This place was recommended to us and we had a great evening.

Gentilissimi, cocktails fantastici! Ci hanno organizzato un bel compleanno last minute. Just great. Bittersweet forever!

Lovely new cocktail bar with friendly welcoming staff.

Lovely addition to Leith. Food is delicious as are the cocktails and it's all topped off with friendly 5 star service. Highly recommend.

Best cocktails we had on our holiday to Edinburgh. Great service, nice surroundings and atmosphere, go for it!

The best bar in Edinburgh hands down! The drinks are a lovely price and made to perfection to the point you cannot help but want to try them all. The food is responsibly prices aperitivo snacks and authentic Italian. The staff are super nice and very attentive and the vibes of the place perfect. What a wonderful place that every city needs

Great place! If you are looking for authentic Italian food, this is the right place for you. (I am Italian so you can trust my words). The ragù tastes just like my mum's one, so I was almost crying when I tried it. Simone and Fabrizio are real Neapolitan hosts, they know their stuff 😊 Worth a visit if you are in Leith and if you are not, just look for them, you won't be disappointed. Great drinks too, I finally managed to have a very nice Spritz after 8 years in Edinburgh. Love it 😍 Only flaw, it's bit pricey, but I guess Brexit is the one to blame for this.

Delicious spritzes and Rumgroni cocktail with good quality nibbles.

Exquisite service and fabulous food. Recommended!

Fantastic cocktails and the food we had was delicious, burrata and the cod. What a great place, super friendly staff too!

Just came across this place on a walk. The drinks are fantastic. The Rosa is a outstanding 👍🏿

Visited this place with friends. Tried everything on the menu as it’s designed for sharing and we had several cocktails. Food is incredible, decor is cosy and on trend, drinks are delicious and well presented using local spirits, staff are some of the friendliest I’ve ever experienced in a bar/restaurant. Give it a try. You won’t regret it. A little piece of southern Italy in Leith.

Lovely place for a post dinner drink. Husband and wife team were very friendly and welcoming. Cocktails were yum!!!

Outstanding. Cocktails are wonderful - especially enjoyed the Rose Negroni - and food is good value for money and v fresh! Staff charming and warm. Great start, guys!

Beautiful place with such a nice atmosphere. The food is delicious and you can definitely taste the quality of the products. A little gem where you can have an authentic Italian Aperitivo. A must try if you are in Edinburgh. The montanara was simply divine. We will be back soon for sure.

Bittersweet is a gem in the heart of Leith! I am an Italian with the passion for a proper aperitive! And I felt in love with the place, the relaxed nice atmosphere and the amazing spritz of the house! The food is very good and honestly the owner and the staff are so nice, attentive and prepared that the passion is the first thing I felt entering in the place! It is a brand new concept for edinburgh and it is a must to visit again and again and again!

Food delicious and appetising staff very friendly you must try the tiramisu 😄👍

This place is spot on! drinks are 10/10! staff are friendly and knowledgeable, they clearly know their stuff!! if you fancy a top notch cocktail look no further 5*

Cocktails were fantastic and the service is impossible to fault, we were very well looked after during our meal. Especially impressive given how recently they opened. Drinks are well presented and the liqueurs are made by the owners in the nearby distillery so they really know their stuff and how to be creative with ingredients. The only reason I have dropped a star is because I felt the mozzarella sticks were stodgy and that the menu needed more variation. It is a lot of carb+ragu+cheese. Some more fish or veg would be a lovely addition! I look forward to going back again but would perhaps switch my visit to cocktails with a snack rather than dinner with a drink.

Excellent addition to Leith. Friendly service and nice food allied with decent cocktails.

Some of the most refined cocktails I've had in Edinburgh. And they use their own liquor in quite a lot of the cocktails. Definitely worth a visit. And their food is also top quality, perfect small plates to go with the cocktails

This place has been a very pleasant discovery! Everything in the place feels very comfortable and the effort and passion that are behind every cocktail and course are so blatant! The Montanara trio was super good! But In all honesty everything was nice and tasteful, also the wine! We will definitely be back, thank you Fabrizio, for this beautiful place, it feels like home! :)

Really enjoyed our visit to Bittersweet. Food was fantastic. Really nice place for a few drinks and some tapas. The service was also excellent.

Authentic italian aperitivo,with genuine high quality products:from coffee to gnocchi, everything you'll try will have a taste of Italy. Since the bar is affiliated with Old Poison distillery, they are able to offer 'house' Spritz and Negroni at a price you'll never find anywhere else in Edinburgh. I also love the fact that they have vegan options and virgin cocktails so there's something for everyone. The Staff are lovely and passionate about what they do, so I am definitely going back!

Fantastic cocktail bar in Leith run by director of the Old Poison Distillery. We went to the distillery for a tour and the spirits were fantastic. The pub had some great cocktails using their spirits. The staff are very friendly and the decor is authentically Italian. They also serve food as aperitifs like tapas style

Lovely cocktails and friendly staff.

Place is lovely, cocktails and food are amazing, music is sublime and service is excellent! Best place in Leith 😊