Papilio Restaurant in Edinburgh, City of

Lovely family-run Italian restaurant. Delicious food and great service - they really made you feel welcome. I'll definitely return when I'm next in Edinburgh. Worth booking in advance as it's not that big and was certainly popular when we were there.

A restaurant that words cannot describe. The staff is more than wonderful, punctual and courteous in dealing with anyone. The choices on the menu are many and very suitable for Muslims. I recommend it very strongly👍🏻. Note: You may need to book an appointment before you come, due to the high demand in the restaurant.

Lovely Italian! Attentive staff and very nice food. My best friend loved their pizza and said it was one of the best they ever had and my mum loved her fig stuffed pasta. I had the carbonara and I think it did leave something to be desired. I think the sauce could have been more flavourful so I would probably have given my meal a 2.5 stars but since my mum and friend rated theirs so highly I have given the food a 4 star rating. I still enjoyed my meal and the experience and I would recommend this restaurant! Huge wine list

27th March 2025 My first review of Papilio's gets 5-Stars for only our third visit. My wife and I frequently visit Italian restaurants on our travels and this stands out as one to visit again as we've never been let down by our choice of food. On this visit we skipped any of the starters or excellent 'Specials' fish dishes on offer, going straight for the ample size portion main dishes . . . . Lasagna Alforno @£13.95, Tagliatelle Prosciutto @£13.95, Torta di Fromagio @£6.50x2 =£13.00, Large glasses House Red wine @£6.70x2= £13.40 + 10% set service charge =£5-43 Coming to a total of £59-73. Not one of the cheapest restaurants we've frequented, but we felt we paid for good produce, the service was excellent and very polite and we left feeling full and satisfied.

We go here fairly regularly but never left a review. Never disappoints. Great menu, possibly too much choice, but the quality is always there. Over time we have had various starters, pasta dishes, pizza and the daily specials. The food comes out quickly and is delicious. Prices are very reasonable and the house red wine is a great choice too. Finally, the people need to be friendly and they are!

First time in Papilio which is now a major life regret given we live within walking distance of this 1st class establishment since it opened 20 years ago. Always busy every time I pass and today was no different - so probably best to book, even for lunch. Vibe is 40s/50s classic in the best way possible. Waiter was super friendly and helpful. The food was fantastic, at least as good as any Italian we've ever been in the last 35 years & very good value in today's climate. They really have struck the perfect balance here & we look forward to many many more visits in the future.

Last time I had a meal like this was in Rome

The friendly staff recognised me as a previous customer and welcomed my group of four. As always the choice of menu items was superb along with the ever present Specials Board. We all 3 courses each, 2 bottles of wine and 2 double espresso. Fantastic value and a proper Italian with home cooked food.

Brilliant food with very kind servers.

First visit but will be the first of many to come. Had the 2 course lunch menu, excellent pate served with quality toasted bread and breadcrumbed veal with a spinach and cream sauce, followed by tiramisu from the a la carte menu which was incredibly good. Great service from "Meemo " the lone waiter.

Delicious food, friendly and attentive service. Thank you very much team at Papilio

Brilliant food, service & value. Can’t complain. Highly recommended.

a great place with amazing italian food! the selection of food is amazing, you can get pastas, literally 7 different bread selection, pizzas, meat and fish. they have gluten free pastas option as well. the service is amazing! the conversations with waiters were really warm and welcoming. we have enjoyed being served by such lovely people! if you are looking for a place to have a dinner and feel like home - choose this one for sure. great selection of wine as well!

Great place, great food! Been here two days in a row.

Food gorgeous , but felt invisible with service .. took so long then 50 minute wait for starters and once we had finished main only just.. started to rush us .. as they gave us only 1.5 hour at table.. didn't sit well .. then apologised when I broached it, but why have such quick turnaround with slow service

Lovely little Italian restaurant with an authentic vibe in Edinburgh. Service here is very helpful and attentive. Great portion sizes for decent pricing.

Great ambience, great food, great service. Well worth a visit

If I could bath in their fig, coconut and Almond pasta dish I would. It was incredible and unlike anything I've tastes before!!

Papilio is an absolute gem. Great service by a friendly welcoming team. Fantastic Italian food with daily specials menu. 5 stars are genuinely warranted. That's why we are regular and loyal customers.

Had two course lunch with 3 others 3 had wine, two had extra bread with their mussels starters two had soups. For mains two had sea bass with French fries one had pizza and one chicken risotto. Two had ice creams and two had coffees. Total bill £90 with no service charge was incredible. Very old style cosy and authentic Italian place and friendly service, no time limits. All food excellent, good size portions. No background music making conversation easy.

Papilio is a fantastic restaurant. I use it as my go to favourite when I have friends or family come to stay. You are always guaranteed great service, delicious food and yummy wine. I always go for the seafood tagliatelle and my dad would always get a pizza as he swears they are the best. Would always recommend Papilio.

Decent and affordable lunch menu. Always a pleasure.

Great lunch here last week with an old friend.... cracking food (set lunch incredible value) - we had veal, monkfish melanzane, all terrific quality, tasty food, professional service - papillio always delivers!!!!

Lovely and warm italian. Waiters were especially kind and served us very well, and the food was great - recommend the risotto ortolano.

Amazing. Tried to find something nearby on a Monday evening and stumbled upon this place. Definitely happy we did. Great and friendly service and the food was just amazing. Woukd definitely recommend the house tagliatelle.

Wow we were reccomned here by some local friends and not disappointed! Lovely ambiance in the restaurant, very relaxing too. The food was superb, I enjoyed the pizza and gelato very much. The staffs were so attentive and polite too. Thanks to all at papilio.

I usually come into the restaurant but tonight We ordered for takeaway, Absolutely sensational, if we could give you 10 stars we would. Pasta dishes we had were absolutely delicious, pizza and starters were beautiful. Thank you for fantastic service. Such lovely staff. We will be back soon.

One of the best restaurants I've ever been to! When you enter you immediately taste the Italian atmosphere, it is a beautiful authentic small-scale restaurant that creates a good atmosphere. The waiters have very good manners and know how to perform their job with passion and love for the guest and the Italian food. They are very hospitable and have a passion for Italian cuisine. The food was really of a high standard. I had the mussels as a starter, sea bass as a main and tiramisu with coffee for dessert. All these dishes were incredibly tasty and well balanced. Very good ingredients have been used and the chef understands Italian cuisine perfectly. Definitely 10/10 points for the entire experience!

I've never been to a more disappointing Italian restaurant, expensive with small portions and mediocre food, and then to top it off an additional 10% service charge added to the bill which appears to be because we were non locals. I was expecting a crisp authentic Italian pizza, I received a soft pan pizza of similar style and quality to a kebab shop, the salad was less than a handful of rocket with a miniscule amount of cheese, Garlic bread was expensive and small for the price, tiramasu was also small and expensive for what was served and certainly one of the worst I've had. No choice of Italian beers (its Peroni or nothing) no branded beer glasses for the beer or cold glasses, just an old odd glass that your nan would keep in her kitchen cupboard. From the outside this restaurant has the look of an authentic family Italian; old waiter wandering around and several other Italians waiters in an old buulding but something has gone wrong here, they are probably doing well off the one time visitors from the tourist trade and it has created there own bubble, they are serving the absolute minimum quantity of food at the minimum standard, I left slightly hungry and felt disappointed for what we had paid, I've been to Italians all over the UK and Europe and always try to visit and support independents. I am baffled by some of the good reviews for this place, some people are either living a very sheltered life with low standards or have very low expectations. it's no exaggeration that there are many other Italian restaurants with food one hundred times better than this place.

really good italian restaurant with amazing waiters !! + the soup (brocoli + spinach + gorgonzola) was amazing would recommend!!

Just returned from a short break in Edinburgh and ate here on two evenings. Had to book the first time and just hit lucky the next night, one free table. Food gorgeous, fast and efficient service, yet the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed. Wish it was my local.

Great food, good service. Everything you want from an Italian restaurant.

Food Was authentic and delicious. Mr.Tony was very kind for selecting the dishes for me . Must go place

Ordered the Spaghetti Aubergine pasta and it was fab. Would definitely recommend to try it. Our serving person was also sweet and explained everything on the menu. Overall it was an amazing lunch time.

A perfect wee Italian, delicious food, great staff, good value for money, I would definitely eat there again!

Three kiwis and me. End of trip meal for Ross and Irene before the long haul back to Nelson, New Zealand

Lunch menu is really good value, starter and pasta main for £14 I had mussels starter, it was a large portion! And super yummy pasta for main

Best Italian food we’ve had so far in Edinburgh! I had a chicken and spinach risotto that was amazing! Would highly recommend. It’s a small, family run restaurant that has been in business 20years.

Had a very good steak with black pepper sauce.

This is a small restaurant with a great atmosphere. Has a comprehensive menu and caters well for those with allergies. My wife is coeliac and choosing a suitable meal was made easy. Very friendly, helpful and attentive staff. We will return.

We didn't book, they were very busy but so accommodating and food came quickly and was amazing.

We loved our meal at this authentic and charming restaurant. The food is exactly as served in Italy with classic dishes served with simple ingredients. They had a range of specials, which they were happy to explain to us. The venue is not large so you really should book ahead. The only method seems to call them. When we arrived for our booking at 7.30 it was the last free table. The service was friendly and efficient.

An excellent Italian restaurant that never let's you down in terms of food, service, the whole package.

The wife and I visit quite frequently and don't have a bad word about it will always have them in my phone.

Food was amazing the risotto was epic and they had amazing appetiser with aubergine and cheese was so good.

The food was delicious, and the service was exceptionally good. Thank you for a good experience!

Good food, good service in nice premises. I had a nice meal here.

Authentic Italian food, great service.

Great authentic Italian food, and nice atmosphere. Great variety of dishes, and a really good specials board. Lovely seafood, pasta, pizza, and more. Staff are warm and welcoming.

The food was spectacular and the chianti was especially good. I had the stuffed pasta with ricotta and a tomato and pune nut sauce

Charming personal service. Warm, friendly not intrusive. Food was excellent. Portions were the right size. Happily on the list for a return trip.

The lobster cream and the special tagliatelle was divine. Best Italian restaurant ever, I’ll be back.

Walked past this restaurant so often and finally tried it and was not disappointed. Quality of food is excellent and delicious. Lovely Atmosphere and exceptional customer service. So pleased to have stepped over the door, we will now make regular visits. It’s no wonder it has such consistently good reviews. So pleased we have an authentic Italian restaurant on our doorstep. Highly recommend. All the dishes were delicious but have to give a shout out to the Homemade Pate, Taglia Papalina and Tiramisu (husband said hands down best he’s ever tasted!)

The staff was extremely helpful, food was delicious (recommend the tiramisu!😊) place is lovely, great time!

Lovely little restaurant which a great busy vibe, food was nice and the service was great the man gave us a free garlic bread and chocolates while we waited! Garlic bread was delicious and the gnocchi too.

Such friendly service, lovely atmosphere and delicious food. A gem!

If I could marry food it would be the tiramisu. I wished I had taken photos but the food vanished.

Lovely little restaurant, a real hidden gem. We both had pizzas which were absolutely delicious. The staff were helpful and attentive. Hope to come back soon!

It was an amazing surprise. The food was great with an extensive menu. The wait staff were extremely friendly and haapy to help. It was a great fun night with great food. There is a reason it was busy.

Excellent food & great service 😍

My favourite Italian restaurant in town. Authentic and friendly. My family love Papilio. Keep up the great work.

Amazing high quality food at a very reasonable price.

It was a cold, rainy evening on our visit to Edinburgh when we found this warm, cosy Italian restaurant welcoming us with the delicious aroma of delights to come. And we weren't disappointed. The meals came cooked to order, hot and a good sized portion, reasonably priced and served with a smile. I wish I lived nearer, I would certainly visit Papilio again and again.

Excellent, authentic, delicious Italian food.

The only less positive point was that they didn't let the table be occupied immediately. They asked for 15 minutes even though the table was free. Otherwise, everything is excellent at very competitive prices. I recommend.

We really enjoyed our meal here. There was a mistake with the booking (our fault) but they went above and beyond to accommodate us. Food great, especially the pasta dishes which are top tier.

Amazing food, amazing staff, amazing environment, I don't have a bad word about this place, been multiple times with family and it never disappoints, very authentic Italian cuisine and employees.

What a find. I looked on Google Maps to see which restaurants were near our hotel, walked past, liked the look of it, so called in to see if we could get a table for later that evening. Food fabulous, I had Beef Masala off the specials menu, and it was really tasty, but there's a good selecting of pizza and pasta as well. The restaurant has a warm and friendly atmosphere. Staff are lovely. Owner is welcoming and happy to get to know you. Good selection of wine too. We recommend house red. Even though about 100 yards from our hotel, it's also easy to get to by bus as well. Book in advance, better to be safe than sorry, as it was busy, however the staff will try and accommodate you. Definitely go again next time we're in Edinburgh.

Neighbourhood Italian restaurant in Bruntsfield. I’ve been coming here for years. Great food and brilliant service every time. The focaccia is particularly good, as is the vitello (veal) Milanese.

Lovely Italian food. Very good choice of dishes for starters, mains and deserts.

Superb Italian food and great service

Love this place so much . It's old school, it's my happy place .

What a wonderful find. Excellent food lovely atmosphere very attentive staff and good prices.

Amazing food, so many choices, problem is, very hard to choose just one starter or one main course. You will definitely want to go back to taste more. Such a lovely staff, very attentive and polite. 100 percent recommend it.

Landed in Edinburgh early evening and managed to get a table as a walk-in, very lucky as the place soon filled up. Just a nice piece of Italy in the city centre. Great food, and the house wine was good, too.😉

Really nice local Italian, good food, service and prices

First reviewed this eatery 5 years ago and it has been consistently one of our favourites.Excellent menu, charming service, food was authentic and service was attentive.Really recommended for family get together and a lovely lunch. One of the capital's best kept secrets.

An Italian atmosphere brought into our hands right here in Edinburgh would definitely recommend for everyone passing by.

Delightfully cozy, with the charm and atmosphere of an authentic Italian restaurant. It’s like a little slice of Rome tucked away in Edinburgh. Incredible warm service and delicious food. This place cannot be beat!

Local restaurants serving classic Italian dishes Food is all made fresh Standard basic drinks menu Staff helpful Prices reasonable, especially for the area A good local restaurant

Nice local Italian restaurant, with tasty food and great service

Friendly people and amazing food.

Voll leckeres essen und sehr zuvorkommende Mitarbeiter

La pizza muy seca, al igual que los panes con queso.la pasta bastante mejor que la pizza. Me pareció caro para lo que fue

Been coming for years. Food always delicious. Staff friendly and helpful. Recommend to book as it is often busy especially on weekends. Does a reasonable lunch menu as well.

Great Italian restaurant serving classic Italian cuisine

Awesome Italian place. Really hospitable people and delicious food.

Delicious Italian food. Perfect portion.

June 2022: Really excellent. Highly recommended. Nov 2023: still excellent all round

Alles nahezu perfekt und echt italienisch ... charmante Bedienungen .. jederzeit wieder ... leider lief das Ein und Gleiche Lied in Endlosschleife 😂

First visit tonight when myself and some colleagues were in Edinburgh for work. Great food, warm friendly service, and a cosy and intimate atmosphere. Definitely recommend it.

Great food and everyone was so friendly

Italian ambience but poor service and no special food. The main waiter was not friendly. Drinks completely forgotten. A free aperitif was promised as an apology. This was never brought. Food (lasagne and pizza) good but not worth the price. Unfortunately very disappointing.

The atmosphere and food was great! I highly recommend!

Small and really friendly with good food

We used to come here quite a lot,but hadn't been in ages and can say it hadn't changed a bit.Its still a cosy wee place.The staff were lovely and friendly and the food was great.

Várias opções de comida italiana e comida muito boa, saborosa! Convém reservar. Adorei!

We have been in Scotland for 2 weeks and ended our trip with most delicious dinners two nights in a row. Authentic Italian cuisine and genuine courtesy from everyone in the restaurant.

Everything was top class, from the warm reception, attentive without overbearing service, to the delicious fresh and full of flavour food on every course. Particular highlight was mussels with gorgonzola sauce, a bit of a suprising but incredible frontrunner.

Small restaurant with great charm. Solid wine selection, gnocchi and risotto more than worth the trip!