Dantes in Edinburgh, City of

Bruschetta pleasant base tasting well with the tomatoes gently heated with a careful touch of seasoning to bring up their natural flavour. Calamari lightly cooked, pleasantly al dente and not tough.The seasoned coating was good. It's now rarer to be given "tender" calamari as (in my experience) they have to be good and fresh, then cooked promptly and briefly. But September is a good month and the Forth supports shoals of same, so little excuse other than a chef's casual timing. The ravioli was my second dish but I swapped it with my sister who had ordered a rack of lamb. Though looking well grilled, it was found to be effectivly raw. My bent, is for meat served blue but not raw. Unlike beef, lamb on the bone becomes difficult to cut as any slightly warmed adjoining fat becomes extremely slippy and exceedingly difficult to cut. And eating, without resorting to chewing! makesw a nonsense of "tender" lamb. By ignoring the fat, I still enjoyed it but found the waitress's response as to why it was so little cooked..... unsatisfactory ..... apparently "an In-house" style yet not mentioned on the menu ? So glad the chef doesn't have a preference for raw potatoes ! I'll check next time. regards John Perreur-Lloyd

Amazing atmosphere absolutely outstanding food and every time we go the staff are lovely friendly and have they have cocktails they are sooo tasty if you haven’t tried Dante’s you’ve gotta go 🤤 great prices very high standard of food plus

We stayed in Colinton for one night before we flew to NYC. We were so lucky, the sun was shining, there was a festival in the park and we found Dante’s. We had already booked our evening meal here but it has a small outside area so we stopped for some afternoon drinks. We met three local ladies there who were very friendly and were assured that we would have a lovely meal there in the evening. They were not wrong albeit I did get a shock at the Bruschetta as it is normally made with a toasted bread base but theirs is a pizza base and in all honesty was beautiful. This was by far one of the best restaurants I have been to whose delicious food was only bettered by the friendliness of the staff. If we ever fly from Edinburgh again or are in the area Dante’s will be our first port of call.

Had a last minute idea to do something different for my wife's birthday and chose Dante's as we would normally go into town. Great idea! The place is lovely with great service and very, very nice food. The vegetarian options are a bit limited, but I wouldn't lower any stars for that since the ones offered were very nice! Between us we had the Tuscan sausage stew, Ricotta cakes, Penne with Pesto and the Duck with blackberry sauce. All very nice but the duck was tremendous! We finished up with the tiramisu and semi freddo special. Awesome! We'll definitely be back.

We went to have food on Saturday with my wife. My first time there my wife has been there many times before. When we arrived we were greeted by the wonderful staff and shown to our table. The place was busy and the atmosphere was nice. They apologised for the wait to take our drinks and food order which was only ten minutes. We weren’t bothered by this. The food was amazing we went for Burrata E tartufo and Spezzatino Di Salsiccia followed by Ravioli con capesante E gamberi. And drinks as well. We will definitely be going back again! Thanks to all the staff for a memorable dinner

Friendly staff who go out of their way to give great service. Good choices ranging from meat, pizza or pasta, to delicious fish specials, all of which always deliver on taste. Whether we are having a quick midweek bite to eat or enjoying a more leisurely dinner with friends, it’s always a treat. Nice cocktails too! Dantes is our local and we love it.

One of my favourite restaurants, situated in a leafy suburb of Edinburgh, this place is a hidden gem! The food is authentic Italian and is probably the best Italian food I’ve experienced. Along with the warm, friendly service,you can’t go wrong eating at Dantes

Fantastic birthday lunch today! Staff were amazing, very good service and friendly, even took some family pictures for us. We all went for the lunch menu which was all cooked fresh and tasted beautiful( £12 ) Starter and a main, this was great value from this Family Italian in Colinton. Great soup of the day and also specials sounded Like we need to return soon. Thanks to Dante’s for making this a great meal.

We dropped in on the off chance they could fit us in for lunch. We were lucky. The food was tasty and filling and the staff were attentive. The menu is varied but not too extensive as befitting for a family run restaurant. We will be making a regular booking for lunch as the value is excellent.

After walking the Colinton Tunnel, we stopped by this restaurant to eat.

Cannot say enough good things about Dante’s. The food was amazing… maybe one of the best steaks I’ve had in the UK. The drinks were incredible too. But the best part about Dante’s are the servers and staff. They totally made the experience. You can get great food a lot of places, but the people make the experience memorable. We regret we didn’t have enough time to go again before our visit to Edinburgh ended. (Thanks again for all the sightseeing tips - we hit them all!!)

Had a lovely meal here for my birthday with family. Child friendly, excellent service, good prices. Highly recommend.

We had family visiting from Australia and we can't thank the owners & staff enough for not only their excellent food and friendly service but for 'going that extra mile' by opening their Restaurant 30 mins before their opening time in order to cater for our booking which was for 14 covers and with only 1 day's notice. We would definitely go back again and thoroughly recommend it.

I visited this restaurant with my girlfriend when we were staying in Colinton. The food and the hospitality were amazing and the atmosphere was just as good. Definitely worth a visit.

Lovely little restaurant with some really good food. We went for an early dinner on Friday, and there was a really nice family-friendly vibe with kids of all ages.

The food was very good and the staff was friendly.

6 of us celebrated 2 anniversaries on the 13/6/24 It was a great night simply made better with the food and service from everyone at Dante’s Highly recommended

Wonderful last minute meal after a day out in Edinburgh. We decided to pop by the Colinton tunnel for a walk after a cruise down the forth. Dante's was very close by and we thought it was worth a shot asking for a table despite it being a Saturday evening. There were no indoor tables but we were delighted to have an outdoor done as the weather was amazing. We both had pasta which was absolutely delicious would definitely recommend the sausage. Hopefully we will have reason to come back and next time we will book in advance.

A fantastic little restaurant in a small village outside of the city. We booked a table here before arriving but they had limited availability…you can see why. We were the first ones in on a Saturday night, but we have young kids so that worked out well for us. We had a few starter plates for the table for us to share and then moved on to the mains. My wife and I had pasta and they were both beautiful! My daughter had a small plate (they offer these for children at a cheaper price), and my son had a pizza! Everything was lovely!! Staff were great and very attentive! Thank you for making the visit so enjoyable. We will 100% be back if ever in the area

Brilliant food, atmosphere and service. Would highly recommend to everyone. Family of four visited and we all had different dishes for starter and main course. Every dish was exceptional. All fresh food. Reasonable prices too.

What a great little find this restaurant was! They were able to give us a table after calling at very short notice and the staff were all lovely. They were so accommodating with our 1 year old and the food was lovely- would definitely recommend!

Nice atmosphere, service and food. I love Cacio e Pepe and tiramisu is my number one. I tried 10oz steak with chimichuri which was delicious also cornfed chicken highly recommend. I was just a bit disappointed with focaccia,looks and taste like garlic pizza. Generaly you can feel that ingredients are fresh and good quality. Restaurant is far from city centre but it’s worth to go there at least once.

The team that run this place go over and above. Always a pleasure to visit 😊

Booked here for my wife’s birthday, dined her before and as usual everything was perfect, service excellent by both members of staff who served our table ,special mention to the chefs as all plates of food looked good and everyone really enjoyed their choice. Will definitely re visit.

Dante’s never disappoints, delicious food and amazing friendly service. Had a great time tonight celebrating my daughters birthday

Fantastic food, great value, lovely staff and an all round great evening! Thank you Sandro and team

Had an impromptu early dinner here last week and they were able to squeeze us in. Superb pizzas and puddings! Service is always cheerful, we love Dantes! We live locally and its a go to for us. Can highly recommend!

I'm sure the place is nice, it looked it. But turned up having reserved for a table of 5 to be told they couldn't fit me in.

Excellent food, service and very friendly staff very popular with locals always book early

Great food, very kind staff. Just a bit chilly and noisy.

Amazing atmosphere from the first step and beautiful food. I had a duck fillet and I started wondering if they have a Michelin Star. Never had such a delicious thing in my mouth.

Excellent meal and service. Staff and owners were very welcoming. Pizza was one of the best I've had. The base was very tasty. Even the music was perfect. We will be back for sure.

Fantastic service with great quality food. Will definitely be back, cannot recommend here enough!

Did a search for restaurants near to where we we staying outside Edinburgh centre. Reviews for Dantes looked favourable and was not too far away. Booked a table for our wedding anniversary and arrived earlier than booked time (thank you bolt driver) but wasn't a problem. Taken straight to our table and offered iced water while we decided on our choice. Soup of the day was tomato and roasted pepper, which was delicious. My wife had fish of the day, Salmon, while I opted for veal escolopes. Normally we wouldn't have desserts but it was a special occasion so she had sticky toffee pudding and I opted for profiteroles. Both excellent. Overall superb food, service and atmosphere. If we are in the area again in the future there are so many dishes I would love to try.

Lovely Italian restaurant in the outskirts of Edinburgh. We were staying about 20 mins away be foot and it was well worth the walk. The place is situated in a lovely small village centre with other places to eat and drink too by the looks of things. I found the staff warm, friendly and attentive. I had a really nice spaghetti and sausage ragu with a large glass of house wine which I really enjoyed. My partner had a vegi pizza which I had a cheeky slice of and I would rank it as one of the best pizzas I’ve ever had and I’ve been to Italy more than once! Lovely place to eat and would love to go back one day.

Excellent food and service. We had olives and bread for starters, pizza and spaghetti for mains. Great portion sizes, food was delicious. Tiramisu for desert also excellent. Great service, lovely staff very attentive. Would definitely recommend.

Very nice aesthetics and wonderful staff. Love that iconic hand statue in the window - it's legendary. Delicious food and scrummy ice cream.

Love this place. Tastiest Italian restaurant in Edinburgh. Great service and amazing food ❤️

Great place, friendly staff and the food was amazing. The should make the tomato soup permanent to the menu it was the best I’ve had!! Would be coming back for sure

Everything about this place is absolutely perfect! Definitely worth trying!

Tasty food and friendly service.

Truly delicious Italian food. Perfectly cooked with the lightest of touch. Super friendly service and warm and inviting atmosphere. Try it !!!!!.

I loved the place, was easy making a booking and all the staff was amazing and welcoming. The food was excellent, the service was excellent and will recommend this place to anyone was is looking to take their partner out for a meal. The atmosphere was excellent and will be back to take my partner again for a date night.

Leuk klein Italiaans restaurant, heerlijk gegeten voor een schappelijke prijs. Erg leuke, gezellige bediening, echt een avondje uit.

We went to Dante’s the first night we moved to Colinton, and have had many dinners and celebrated many birthdays in the more than two decades since. Whether it’s for just a pizza or something more formal, the family are welcoming and so friendly. The service is great, the food is excellent and it’s all well priced.

Been here many times and it never disappoints Saturday's meal was perhaps the best yet. Usually we go for their exceptional pasta or brilliant pizzas, but this time we went rogue. I had venison which was so tender you could have cut it with a spoon. My partner had pork tenderloin which was also fantastic. This has made choosing what to have even harder the next time we go. Friendly service is guaranteed.

The food and staff are excellent. My second visit, and again not disappointed. I'll be back, soon.

I reviewed this lovely restaurant after our first visit there in January 2019. We did return but yesterday was our first visit back since lockdown and it was still excellent. A really nice relaxing and welcoming atmosphere, lovely premises, friendly and prompt service and delicious food. We were the first to arrive at 5 pm and it was virtually full when we left at 6.30 to head for a Festival show back in the city centre. Easy bus transport from city centre to within 2 to 3 minutes walk away so no need for added expense of taxi rides. Well worth a special trip from Glasgow!

Wow! Great atmosphere, service, wine and FOOD. The wait staff are a credit to the venue, so warm and hospitable. Dante’s is definitely the cherry on top of the beautiful Colinton Village.

Wir kamen ohne Voranmeldung und hatten Glück ! Hier stimmt wirklich alles !!! Die Speisen sind’s frisch zubereitet und schmecken fantastisch. Das Tiramisu war sehr lecker.Die Mitarbeiter sind freundlich und lustig. Was will man mehr! Wir kommen gern wieder ;-)

Had another great lunch there today. Always a pleasure and our families favourite Italian.

Amazing place go there with my family often would recommend to anyone that like’s Italian

Really enjoyable dinner experience. The specials on the night we were there were exceptional. If I had one gripe, I would say that the sticky toffee pudding could have been bigger, but I always think that 😁

Fantastic food and the most friendly staff. We were given a table without reservations. Highly recommend.

I cannot use words to express how great this place was! We had been traveling all day, and just come across this place and we were hungry. We quickly discovered we were underdressed, but that didn’t matter to anyone at the restaurant. We also figured out that it would have been better to get a reservation, but he still made time for all five of us. The service and food were truly spectacular. I am so grateful we came across Dante’s. If you are considering eating here, PLEASE DO! The kindness from the staff alone would have made me come back.

Perfect family Sunday lunch at one of our favourites. There were 6 of us, fabulous food, the friendliest of service. Many thanks

Accueil chaleureux et ambiance sympathique.

Favourite Italian restaurant! Family run with excellent service and the food to match! Even better with a spot of sun you can relax with a cold beer!

Schönes kleines italienisches Restaurant mit einer guten Beratung zu Speisen und Getränken. Die beiden jungen Kellnerin vom Mittwoch müssen nicht so aufgeregt sein, sie haben ihre Sache sehr gut gemacht.

Excellent food and service in friendly local village restaurant. Free parking nearby too.

What a lovely evening and great service and food! We are a group of 5 girlfriends and were seated in the semi-private booth which was perfect for food and chat!. Our waitress was so helpful, friendly and knowledgeable the whole evening. Starters of the garlic prawns, calamari and ricotta cakes all delicious! A mixture of main courses - ravioli, sea bass, chicken also delicious. Would recommend ordering veg to go with the meat/fish courses - we forgot to order veg so a late request was quickly delivered. Good wine list. Highly recommend

Un gran italiano!!! he ido sola después de 2 días en (Colinton) Edimburgo sin una buena comida y me ha dejado sin palabras, el mejor espagueti carbonara que he comido en mi vida, era exquisito y el tiramisú igualmente especial, un sitio pequeño auténtico, decorado con gusto y que sirve una comida deliciosa, lo recomiendo!!! Destacar que los precios no asustan, mención especial a su personal gentil, educados y a la vez cercanos disfruten de una buena cena en el mejor italiano.

Excellent........amazing food and the service is A+++++++!!!!

One of the best italian food I have ever had

Fabulous Italian food in a friendly atmosphere

A wonderful experience from start to finish, waiting staff professional and friendly, service and food a high standard, from the prawns, antipasti, venison, carbonara to the desserts, definitely will return

We ate here tonight for my nieces birthday and it was excellent! Superb food, fresh and well presented. Service was also excellent and really cheerful owners!

An excellent restaurant. Great service from friendly staff. Delicious, nicely presented food and good wine and cocktails list. Well worth a visit.

Exactly what you want from a neighbourhood family run restaurant. Food and staff were excellent. Been here a few times and every time has been great. I’m in hospitality trade myself & this is the best customer service I’ve had in a looooong time. The little blonde girl that greeted was so happy, friendly, welcoming & smiley. Well done!

One of the best dining experiences I have ever had! Service and food was outstanding. Definitely going back for more!

This has to be our favourite Italian restaurant! The food is always excellent and the service outstanding. The atmosphere is unfailingly warm and welcoming. We always come here when we want to treat ourselves and it's a great experience every time.

Really nice Italian restaurant with great service, great atmosphere, and wonderful food. My second visit and it was as good as the last time

Lovely place staff very friendly and helpful

Came in for a meal this evening with a mate and we were extremely impressed! Amazing food and amazing service from the team. FYI the spaghetti carbonara is to die for! So good we even ordered a second portion. Thanks again guys! Can’t wait to return

Lovely warm welcome from the manager and staff. Excellent food with an extensive menu. Cheerful friendly service. We had a lovely relaxed and enjoyable night out. Will definitely be back

Amazing place with delicious food, friendly staff

Great welcome and service, fantastic Would have preferred a table as a bit crushed, with 5 in the booth, but we've wanted to have a meal there, so it wasn't too bad

If I could give even more stars for service I would. A fantastic place to eat, not only for the food (which was fresh, delicious and authentic) but for the warm and friendly staff who couldn't do more to make you feel comfortable and at home.

Super petit restaurant italien. Personnel accueillant et chaleureux. Les plats sont bons pour des prix raisonnables.

We had a really lovely lunch. The food was excellent and is all freshly prepared. The menu is quite extensive with a wide variety of choices. It was quite busy so there was a good atmosphere. Friendly knowledgeable staff who made you feel welcome. Highly recommended.

Booked last minute after a busy weekend visiting the city. Lovely village setting, easy parking and real kerbside appeal. Restaurant is beautifully decorated and had really nice atmosphere. Food was excellent. Service was too. If I had to be picky, I would say we got served a bit too quickly... But then, 7.15 on a Saturday night, they probably wanted the table. All in all a lovely place to dine, and definitely reccomended.

Party of two visited on a Friday lunchtime. Great service, truly delicious meal and great wine. Couldn’t ask for more. Plus they took my food allergy seriously which really matters. Great place. Will be back.

Quite possibly the best table service I've ever received from an Edinburgh restaurant! Completely outstanding. The food was also a delight and we will definitely be returning. Hats off to the staff on Saturday night as they were fantastic, 5 stars for sure.

Went here with a couple of friends on a Friday evening. The food and wine are exceptional as a note, the only thing that let's this place down is the highly strung and rude manager. The food comes slightly too quickly for my liking (personal choice) but I'd rather all 3 courses didn't come out in 1 hour, I'd rather digest what I'm having first. We'd had our mains, having a lovely time and we were all laughing at the table (no profanity or choice words as a note, only laughter at 8.30pm on a Friday eve) when the manager came over to the table and demanded "GUYS, keep it down" If he'd come over and said guys you're laughing a bit loudly or whatever fair play, I personally feel it was rude, and left us feeling like chastised school children. This isn't an isolated incident and I know several people who hold the same sentiment, amazing food, rude and highly strung manager. There's a great Italian just up the road from here where we'll go, I'll literally never be back though I love the food and wine, elsewhere will get my business, Locanda De Gusti for example is far better. On summation, amazing food, manager needs an attitude and reality check, especially in the face of a recession.

A 5 star rating across the board. There is no finer place in the south west of Edinbugh for Sunday Lunch.

From entry to leaving, an excellent experience with staff who were friendly, food which was tasty and well presented in an atmosphere which was vibrant & exciting. Only a couple of little hiccups which were close to stopping me give a 5 star rating but I was prepared to make allowance for these, given the overall experience. What were they? Can be summed up in one word 'water'! When ordering our drinks, we asked for tap water. Drinks arrived - no tap water so we asked again. Food order taken and we asked again. Twice more, we requested the elusive fluid before it finally arrived. One drink incidentally was also wrong when soda water rather than lemonade was used as a mixer. Sorted immediately but what is it about water I began to ask myself. Ahhh of course, it was probably needed to quell Dante's inferno!!! Very small points and in no way negated an otherwise lovely night out in what must be one of Edinburgh's best all round Italian restaurants. We had a cross section of menu, specials and deserts all of which were superb and would recommend Dante's to anyone who is looking for a high class meal at realistic prices combined with an excellent personal service. Catered for our 3 year old too. Just a pity about the H2O

Lovely wee restaurant. Amazing food and really friendly staff.

Popped in on the off chance and how lucky we were. The staff couldn't have been more helpful the service and food were all excellent. Lovely decor, lovely ambience . Thoroughly recommend . Thank you fior a superb lunch.

Came here for the first time on a Saturday evening and was really impressed. Servers took our jackets at the door and showed us to our table. The restaurant had a lovely busy atmosphere and service was great. Really good cocktails and the food was amazing! Great little place to have dinner.

Good food, good service. Would go again.

Always get a good meal here, perfect

Lovely Lunch , nice place , served by nice people.

Great fresh authentic Italian. We had a family lunch there with small kids - and the food was tasty, the service was friendly and efficient. Highly recommended

Really delicious food and welcoming service 😋

Fantastic staff, excellent ambience, seriously yummy food. A brilliant evening and excellent value for money. We'll definitely be back. Soon I hope!!

Great service and excellent food. Our first visit, but live locally and will certainly be back.

Visiting Scotland, we decided to eat Italian on our last day. Dantes offers delicious options even for kids. My daughter would not stop eating the pizza. Most importantly, the brothers here are such nice gentlemen and made us feel very welcome at their restaurant. The hospitality was amazing. Lastly, you need to try the dessert, the toffee pudding is to die for, highly recommend it!

Very nice restaurant with nice, vibrant staff. Fantastic pizza and a very tasty classic Italian tiramisu. The prices suit the restaurant’s quality, so lots of value

Dante’s was very nice. We made a reservation and were seated on time. The food was fantastic and the service was good. Nice selection of cocktails and wines. Only drawback was that the restaurant was very loud and warm.

Visiting Edinb for the first time... and enjoyed Dante's from our first interaction with the host, who was kind and witty. Service was attentive and friendly. 2 adults and 2 teenagers all loved the food. Also ordered the house specialty dessert -- Nancy's special -- which was excellent. If we lived anywhere nearby, we would be regulars. A highlight of our time in Edinb.