Ciao Roma in Edinburgh, City of

No dogs allowed. Unfriendly service.

Don't know what the woman behind the ice cream counter's problem is, but she's incredibly rude right off the bat for no reason. We're locals who definitely won't be back.

The place is nice.. the service is great.. especially a woman named Anna, very kind and honest.

Went with my 4.5years old for lunch. Each of us got a pasta and we shared a dessert. It has been 6 years since I last visited and food is still wonderful! My little one ordered creamy cheese pasta from the kids menu and she said to me that’s the best “Mac & cheese” she had ever had. I am not an ice cream person but just can’t find any reason to refuse another spoon of their ice cream on the crepe!

Great authentic Italian, friendly and impeccable room and food. Let us advise you on the star dishes of the day. Get rid of a staple in the house!

Great pizza, friendly staff, and tasty desserts

I went with my son to celebrate Mother’s Day. We only planned to sit down for dessert, as we had already had lunch elsewhere — something that clearly didn’t please the staff member serving us. The person behind the ice cream counter was also quite snobbish and arrogant. When I asked about the desserts, she answered dismissively and with a condescending tone. Not everyone speaks Italian, and not everyone knows all the desserts by name. That said, the desserts themselves were delicious. However, the overall impression was rather off-putting due to the poor service. I wouldn’t recommend dining inside, but the ice cream is excellent and can be bought by the scoop to take away.

Had a fantastic lunch last week.

I went with my son to celebrate Mother’s Day. We only planned to sit down for dessert, as we had already had lunch elsewhere — something that clearly didn’t please the staff member serving us. The person behind the ice cream counter was also quite snobbish and arrogant. When I asked about the desserts, she answered dismissively and with a condescending tone. Not everyone speaks Italian, and not everyone knows all the desserts by name. That said, the desserts themselves were delicious. However, the overall impression was rather off-putting due to the poor service. I wouldn’t recommend dining inside, but the ice cream is excellent and can be bought by the scoop to take away.

A fabulous experience with fabulous food and great service 😊

Great menu. Excellent quality food and friendly staff. What more could one want in an Italian restaurant.

I'd love to love this restaurant. It's just a few minutes away from the Festival Theatre so it would have been a great pre theatre option, and it's in the centre. But not for me. I ate there once and had to wait 1 hour to be served food even though we had a booking and were a table of 4 people. The food was tasty enough but not worth the wait or the service being quite poor as they took no accountability for the delay. It's very busy, it's true. Another time I booked a table but was turned down upon arrival even though we arrived on time, because it was too busy, so never again. There are better italians in the centre with great service, like La Locanda on Cockburn street for example.

An excellent meal before the theatre tonight. We were looked after by Sebi and colleagues and the food was delicious. Good vegetarian options. They offered us Sardinian wine, but we chose one from Sicily. The whole place has a lovely Italian feel to it and now I want to go home and book another holiday….

Hemos venido aquí durante años en nuestra visita anual a Edimburgo. Estábamos aquí este año para celebrar nuestro aniversario de boda de oro. En el día especial decidimos venir aquí, no sé si era solo el lunes por la noche miseria o si el personal había tenido una caída, pero estamos extremadamente miserables. La única alegre fue una joven que trajo una bandeja para mostrar a los comensales qué opciones había disponibles para el desierto. La comida como de costumbre era excelente, pero el ambiente era tan pobre que nos sentimos desagradables. Fue una verdadera pena y poner un poco de amortiguador en lo que había sido un día especial para nosotros.

Nice Italian restaurant, just across from the University of Edinburgh, with a more modern section at street level and a wonderful section just up a few stairs that dates t 1832 and was once a hangout of Robert Lewis Stevenson. This section is much more atmospheric, -now decorated to the theme of Treasure Island. The Fodd is also very good and authentic Italian. Highly recommended.

Had a great gluten free pizza here, staff appeared knowledgeable about gluten free and other allergies

The pizza was great, but then I asked for a vanilla canolli and it was not vanilla, it was filled with white chocolate, the girl at the counter insisted it was vanilla, they didn't change it for me

We bought 6 ice creams. Not a smile or greeting from any of the staff. We asked if we could sit down given the restaurant was empty. Nope. Only served single scoop in choc dipped cones (refused to serve in the plain cones). Ice cream ok. Choc on cones had no taste. Will be heading to another ice cream place next time. Complacency. How about being nice to tourists so they come back and buy more ?

Wonderful service, fantastic restaurant and a truly wonderful meal. Would highly recommend

Pretty good food, Lack of seasoning in the dishes unpleasant welcome! They charge us extra and when it's time for dessert, they turn off all the lights even though it's 10 p.m., seeming to want to throw us out. Not a hint of a smile, except for that of a waitress! Very disappointed, I don't recommend.

Delicious food in a good atmosphere.

We had chefs recommendations. Excellent wine, and the spaghetti with seafood was great. It took ages to get the bill

Amazing restaurant. The staff were so much fun and gave excellent advice. Lots of specials too. Food was very authentic. Ambience fun and relaxed, staff friendly and engaging - good value too

Ciao Roma makes me feel like I am eating in Rome. The food could not be better as everything is perfect. The pizza is one of the dishes I would recommend but keep in mind that other dishes are great. Apart from food, the services are great and I really enjoy starring at the painting on the wall while eating. This painting could be in a museum.

food was decent although a little overpriced. the staff tried way too hard to upsell, to the point of bringing dessert specials to our table despite us saying we didn’t want dessert. this felt a bit uncomfortable

Absolutely incredible experience! The food here is beyond delicious every dish was packed with authentic Italian flavor. From the perfectly cooked pasta to the fresh ingredients and rich sauces, you can really tell they put love into everything they serve.

HIDDEN GEM !!!♥️you have to absolutely come here 😭 I only found it my last night in Edinburgh, otherwise would have ate all my meals here! Highly recommend, quality of food is amazing ( you feel like in Italy) plus amazing service, ambiance, and very reasonable prices ! I had the mushroom risotto and for dessert- sfogliatelle with pistacchio-gelato😭and I wish I could time travel just to have it again ( not kidding) ♥️😍thanks so much 🙏🙏🙏

Good dinner experience. Very friendly staff and good typical menu. We ordered a real Italian pizza, it was very good.

Great food, fabulous and prompt service.

Deserts and coffee was terrible, even the original cannoli was genuinely inedible, coffee was not even mediocre and served cold. Extremely expensive and absolutely crap WOULD NOT RECCOMEND

Good italian restaurant and cafe near Royal Mile and University of Edinburgh. Staff is professional and friendly. Good portion size. Margherita pizza was big. Chicken starter had tasty mushroom sauce. A section is dedicated for sweets and icecream which is a must try. No much crowd. Prices are a little high.

Nuestra visita a una comida pre-teatral temprana ( 5. 30 pm) en Ciao Roma comenzó bastante bien, incluso si era lento para entregar nuestras bebidas. Todos en nuestro grupo de 6 pensaban que sus entrantes elegidos de paté o bruschetta estaban bien. Nuestros platos principales no llegaron hasta las 7. 05 pm con algo del orden equivocado y frío. La Pinsa ovalada de mi amiga fue servida en una tabla de madera fría y húmeda que eligió ya que es baja en calorías, ¡incluso menos calorías ya que solo se comió la mitad! Mi Pollo Al Pesto (ensalada de pollo cesar) tenía muy poco pollo, virutas de parmesano o aderezo, pero un montón de lechuga cos. Uno de los pedidos principales tenía la cobertura equivocada y también estaba frío, así que esto se retiró de la cuenta después de que se lo señalamos a nuestra camarera visiblemente estresada en este ocupado sábado por la noche. Tuvimos suerte de que el teatro está al otro lado de la carretera cuando nos apresuramos a nuestro espectáculo.

Disgusting tourist trap. Tiramisu is 🤢

Una velada maravillosa. La comida deliciosa y el personal fue más allá. Fui por la recomendación del chef para la pasta de marisco = increíble. El personal consiguió todo el restaurante cantando feliz cumpleaños a mi hija cuando llegó su postre!

Large place, good food and good service.

The best Italian food in Scotland absolutely 💯 incredible 😲

Great meal here, the staff were delightful, extremely busy, as it was Saturday night, and it is practically opposite The Festival theatre, Mary Poppins was on and we were excited we were going to see it! The pizza base was superb, the real thing, just like the ones which I have tasted in Italy.

I’ve been a few times now, and each experience has been lovely. Even when crowded, the staff is always pleasant, and happy to give recommendations. My favourite is always the Ravioli al Granchio, which is unbelievably good.

Ciaio Roma is such a lovely Italian diner. The food is quality. We had pizza siciliana. It was delicious and then we left with some take away ice cream. The ice cream is amazing and there are lots of yummy flavours to choose from.

Very expensive, with out reason.

Pasamos por este restaurante y fuimos atraídos por la decoración única. Somos un poco “turista oscuro” y nos encantó el tema náutico espeluznante. Sin embargo, pedimos dos platos de pasta para compartir. Boloñesa y carbonara. La carbonara era sosa y requería sal y pimienta para que supiera a cualquier cosa. La boloñesa era promedio. Disfrutamos de que la pasta estaba cocinada en casa y definitivamente se nota como la textura de la pasta era genial. Si vas a ir allí, te recomendamos probar los desiertos ya que eran geniales y una gran parte del restaurante con el armario de helados de estilo de la vieja escuela con toneladas de sabores diferentes. Yo diría que no vale la pena el dinero, ya que era bastante caro, pero no una experiencia terrible. Lo recomendaría para familias, pero tal vez no una cita romántica.

Fabulous food and friendly, helpful staff. Couldn’t fault anything.

Enjoyed a lovely lunch here, post visit to the Surgeons Hall Museum. Full of character, hustle and bustle. Delicious food and very friendly staff, would recommend and will visit again when going to the theatre at this side of Edinburgh 😊

nice restaurant, traditional in style. staff pleasant enough. on this occasion I wasn't that impressed with the food., my companion had no complaints reasonably priced

Grand kids treated well, everyone catered for. Surroundings amazing. Great portions. Staff amazing.

Fabulous family run authentic Italian. Food was outstanding. And so good to see it busy on a cold Tuesday night! Will definitely be back next time in Edinburgh.

Booked table for pre theatre, as it is just across the road from the Festival Theatre. Restaurant seemed lovely, but we waited over an hour for our food, which meant we had to bolt it down, and had no time for dessert or coffee. The server told me that the pasta dish I ordered took a long time to cook, surely if this was the case she could have pointed this out when I ordered. I think almost everyone who was there at that time of day was going to the show, so it would seem reasonable to tell people there is going to be a long wait.

One long black hair in my starter I ignored but when I found the second - I’m afraid that’s just not good enough. They didn’t charge me for the starter - I should think not - but I won’t be eating there again - plenty of restaurants in Edinburgh without hairy starters.

Really enjoyed our meal, food was beautiful, fresh,tasty, well presented, great service. Top class !!

As an Italian living abroad, I can only say that eating at "Ciao Roma" is like eating in Italy or, better yet, at home. Excellent hospitality, Franco and Fabio are at your disposal from the first moment. The restaurant is welcoming and, above all, characteristic for reasons that you will discover if you decide to stop for lunch or dinner. The food is of high quality: the handmade pasta is just a must try. We ate spaghetti carbonara, fregola, mezzamaniche with white veal ragù (really delicate), Venetian-style veal liver (to taste), Sfogliatelle, and coffee... the right one! In short, a proper Italian lunch... in Edinburgh! It was a very pleasant surprise! Thanks Franco and Fabio, and to all the staff, for maintaining the high level of Italian Hospitality. As an Italian living abroad, I can only say that eating at "Ciao Roma" is like eating in Italy or, better yet, at home. Excellent hospitality, Franco and Fabio are at your disposal from the first moment. The restaurant is welcoming and, above all, characteristic for reasons that you will discover if you decide to stop for lunch or dinner. The food is of high quality: the handmade pasta is just a must try. We ate spaghetti carbonara, fregola, mezzamaniche with white veal ragù (really delicate), Venetian-style veal liver (to taste), Sfogliatelle, and coffee... the right one! In short, a proper Italian lunch... in Edinburgh!It was a very pleasant surprise! Thanks Franco and Fabio, and to all the staff, for maintaining the high level of Italian Hospitality.

The food was great. The waitress was very nice and very helpful with our order. I really loved my spaghetti it was super nice. It was a mix between 2 menu items. Definitely I will dine there again anytime.

Had minestrone to start which was lukewarm. Carbonate for main was average and the crepes for dessert which was lovely. Staff were very pleasant and the cafe itself had a comfortable feel. Toilets were spotless. Also had a wide variety of gluten free options for all courses.

Called in with my family at short notice on a busy evening but they still managed to find us a table. Food and service were both excellent, and the kids got very excited when they saw the desert selection!! A great experience all round!

Franco and his team accommodated our group of 10 on a Friday night with a great, friendly, and efficient service. The food was excellent, flavoursome with great portion sizes at an extremely reasonable price. Would highly recommend this family run restuarant.

First time here. Amazing character, very helpful staff, and food was very good. Proper Italian. And very good ice cream!

Hogmany dinner with my better half, excellently catered for in every way - food, service, atmosphere and location was perfect - definitely on the "will be back" list again when in Edinburgh.

Was in just after Xmas on 29th December 2024.. As always staff very attentive and friendly..food is great with plenty options and a good atmosphere top.. Highly Recommend this place..also very central on South Bridge..😀😀😀

Great lunch this is Italian food done very very well. Excellent pork ragu and monkfish dishes.

Had a lovely lunch at Ciao Roma with a very dear friend today. A very warm welcome, delicious food, great atmosphere. Can't understand why people write such horrid reviews. Would thoroughly recommend this restaurant for a pre theatre meal.

The food and service were excellent. The minestrone soup was delicious and so was the tricolore salad. The dover sole for the main was excellent - with butter and lemon.

Top Italian restaurant. Very tasty food.

Couldn't fault the food or service, lovely.

Anna and the rest of the team will provide you with a great service. Great selection of Italian food with veg and vegan options. Perfect for family outings or dates

Sadly we had to wait an hour and a half to be served - not great with 7 and 9yr olds. One of the pastas was undercooked and was removed from the bill. They took on too much for the evening to cope adequately

Popped in for coffee and dessert. The Italian pastries and cakes are wonderful, as is the gelato.

Delicious food, friendly staff, great vibe

Delicious food!! The staff was very friendly and the food came quickly. We ordered the Garlic Bread with Mozzarella, Mushroom Risotto and Margherita Pizza (~£36), everything was spectacular! Thanks

One of the best Italian restaurants I’ve been at. Describing in one 2 words “molto raffinato” !

Im dishing out 5 stars as I cant give six. A place like a slice of heaven cut out of Italy. Alive, real, authentic. In an italian ambiente with a living eye for detail, real italians serve you food like on the Piazza di Garibaldi: here you'll find pizze, calzone, and pinse after fabulous antipasti,and yes here you dont gave to wish for your wish fish dish - Ciao Rona has it. What more? Fantastic collection of homemade desert and, different to Bella Italia - really clean bathrooms. Magnificio.

Our families favourite restaurant in Edinburgh. We adore the staff, they are just lovely. So attentive and you truly feel welcome on every single visit. The food speaks for itself - stunning, home-cooked meals with a variety of specials on offer. The portions are great, the perfect amount of food as I often find with Italian restaurants there is an abundance of left overs. Desserts are gorgeous with a variety of options. Atmosphere is cozy, warm and comfortable with beautiful art on the walls and an open kitchen. 100% worth every penny, a must try restaurant!

Absolutely 10/10 food. The service was great, the pasta was perfect, and we loved our starter with the spicy pork as well. It was so good, we were halfway finished before taking a picture haha!

If anyone wants pasta and pizza, come to this restaurant. They have a very delicious pizza. I ordered it with cheese. I ordered a very sweet lasagna that was seasoned well. I ordered carbonara. I asked for the pork to be removed and it was perfect. The white sauce was heavy and gave the dish flavor. Finally, we ordered risotto. To be honest, it was the weakest link and did not suit me at all. The prices are reasonable and the reception is very warm. I recommend them. I will visit again if God gives us a long life and I return to Edinburgh ..I love you so much

Excellent food! Enjoyed the crab pasta and garlic bread

Awesome food. My go-to place for pasta

Lovely restaurant food 5 star Lovely staff ass well will definitely be back

Just back from the restaurant after a visit to the pantomime. Three of our 11 party had to call off at short notice. When I informed the manager of this he was really rude and said sarcastically some nice person could have let us know. I apologised that we didn’t know much in advance but he felt it necessary to say it to someone else in our party. He said they had been turning people away……… we were seated at a table with fixed seats and clearly still needed a big table and there were several empty tables available. We were booked for 3.30 pm and eventually were served food at 5pm. He also spoke in Italian to another manager looking guy who grudgingly showed us to our table. The whole atmosphere changed for our group after such a start and not sure if our long wait for food was a punishment for turning up without 3 people as a large table who arrived after us were on dessert before we had our mains. The bill came to £180 which is still a decent cover for a Sunday afternoon. When an experienced hospitality manager in our group spoke to him about his attitude he grudgingly said sorry rudely and said “ what do you want me to do cut my arm off”. Rudeness personified kept coming near our table and glowering at us. Avoid this place at all costs there’s lots of other nice places nearby.

I ordered chicken fungi almost inedible and tough. Service was cold and brusque. I won't be back. Disappointing experi

Average throughout and expensive for what it was..

Average.. Fairly expensive as most Italian meals are now considering the ingredients. Wine was extortionate. Service ok.

We ordered coffee and dessert for my friend, she said it was excellent. I ordered vegetable soup, which to me tasted less than good, and an arugula salad that did not have any type of dressing. I asked for balsamic vinegar and oil, and I put a little balsamic on the drink until I felt, I think they are only famous for pasta.

€5 for one scoop on a cone, is absolutely ridiculous. And it was the most mediocre icecream I’ve ever had.

Great place to eat, helpful, knowledgeable and friendly staff, really good food, great choices for gf, and if not, five of us all really enjoyed the food.

41 years old, that’s the best Italian restaurant I’ve ever been to. Loved the way they had visuals of the different type of pasta - lots of different meals I’ve not seen before on the menu. Shame we live 200 miles away or we’d be back all the time.

Brilliant food and lovely desserts. Crazy Treasure Island themed section of the restaurant round the back is pretty cool. Would be good for birthday parties and large groups.

Marvelous! Very good Italian food and very attentive staff

A piece of home here in Edinburgh ❤️ Perfect place to eat Italian food, a beautiful environment full of kind and helpful people, highly recommended! ~From the three (almost) fellow villagers ☺️

Celebratory meal, lovely waitress very knowledgeable, nothing to much trouble, food excellent, especially the "specials" pasta and lobster. Excellent family run business.

What an amazing restaurant, we found it by accident, as from the street it looks like an ice cream parlour, it opens up into a lovely dinning area with a fantastic mural wall of Italian celebrities. The food was superb, three of us had the lobster special and it did not disappoint and the service was excellent and very friendly. Only negative was that the wine was a bit pricey (it was from Sting's vineyard)

No customer contact not interested Food was nothing special

Excellent welcome, high level trained staff - very tasty and appetizing dishes - excellent price and courtesy

Fantastic place. Food was amazing

Very good restaurant for pasta with nice seating and pastry selection. Had the malinse chicken with roasted potatoes and pizza. Desert options include cakes and gelato.

Excellent venue and service was brilliant. We found this spot for lunch after searching for gluten free pizza options. They had gluten free bases and gf pasta- I checked with the staff this was made on a separate tray and they clarified it was whilst it did share the same oven. Great pizza for coeliacs!

Food is amazing and the service simply great! Highly recommended!!

Staff was very friendly, specials of the day (pappardelle with viel ragù) was superb. Pictoresque restaurant, I really liked the drawings on the walls

Beautiful, nice and quiet Italian restaurant. It offers a very wonderful and delicious lasagna, and most importantly, it is halal. The pasta is medium, and I took the Special Rigatoni, which is pasta in red sauce with ricotta cheese. I also tried garlic bread with mozzarella and it was average. We finished our dinner with tiramisu, which was good and without alcohol. 🌟 The waitress who took our order was very nice, cheerful, cooperative, and considerate of the issue of halal food. Restaurant seating is good, simple and quiet. 💰The prices are very reasonable, less than 30 pounds per person Overall I enjoyed the good experience of an Italian restaurant in the heart of Edinburgh 🇮🇹👏🏼

The food is very delicious and clean.. The service is very wonderful and the staff are cheerful and helpful.. I recommend trying it and repeating it again.. Their Italian food is made with love and delicious

We nice restaurants and great Italian food

Went for an early dinner at 4 30 quiet - but by 6 45 busy busy good to see on a Monday evening😁👍

Gran comida esta noche - es bueno verlo ocupado en una noche de lunes😁👍 Solo tomamos café la última vez que fuimos, pero esta vez fue una pizza y pasta preciosas😋😋