The Jolly Restaurant in Edinburgh, City of

It's like stepping back in time to this amazing little Italian. Food amazing just love coming here

1970s 'proper' Italian restaurant with hanging Chianti bottles and red checked tablecloths, plus some theatre memorabilia - so dated it's now chic again! Wonderful food, great service and very reasonable prices. Generous portions, huge menu and a really good three course lunch menu for just under £10. It's a real Edinburgh institution - and always busy. Love it!!

What an amazingly friendly restaurant. Service - Cheeky & Charming. The team are really good & will ensure that you are looked after. Food - Fabulous Wine - Good Quality & Great Value Quality - Great Quality (Any Pizza - superb); In all fairness, I (may have) worked my way through most of the menu. Superbly located & the local clientele are super friendly. This place does get very busy, very quickly. One moment, the restaurant can be half full & within moments - it is packed out, with people queuing out the door.

Good local restaurant. Better value and atmosphere than others that locals are less likely to visit. We enjoyed lunch. Thank you- what a nice experience.

Lovely pizza, quick friendly service.

Absolutely the best Italian restaurant in Elm Row .Exceptional service its great that they have a menu for celiac and non Celiac people they do the best Pizza,s and Soups and best Dishes me and my Dad went there for his Birthday Lunch. The staff were Outstanding and 200% Recommended and me and my dad will. For sure be back for another Visit. Well worth it folks

Pizza and pasta for a very reasonable price. The interior is older but hey – at least it has a unique vibe. We didn't really enjoy the strawberry ice cream since it tasted like a toothpaste for children, but other than that we had a pleasant lunch.

Very nice establishment, delicious food, great atmosphere🔥

We went before the theatre and the place was packed at 5.45 on a Monday night, clearly we stumbled upon the best pre-theatre secret in Edinburgh! We weren’t expecting much, this place clearly hasn’t changed since the 80’s. However, we were very pleasantly surprised! I had a huuuge plate of pasta with mussels (very fresh) and giant prawns, which fit the bill. BF had pizza and we both think it’s the best we have had in Edinburgh, and we have eaten a lot of pizza over 20years! Service was polite, not intrusive and friendly, 2 pints, two wines and two mains came in at £45 so fabulous value as well!! We will be back!

The food, the customer service and the kindness of the owner made for a great night which was our last in Edinburgh. Typical Italian still life that preserves an authentic style. Safety pin!

Fantastic restaurant. Delicious food. Really good value for money. Welcoming homely atmosphere. Staff are amazing. Would very much recommend.

Food is homely and well priced, I enjoy bringing my family here. I would prefer that my wine arrives at the table unopened as the wine is hit and miss

Over packed restaurant with no room for moving anywhere. Never saw so many tables & seats in the one area. We asked for early tea menu, it seemed they were reluctant to give it to us. The waitress looked like she didn’t know what we were talking about. Got the menu and a la carte menu which was sticky and falling apart. Ordered garlic mushrooms which was mushrooms swimming in grey sauce and slice garlic bread. Not the best. Then main course. Pizza was cold and hard to cut through although not burnt! More chewy!! Pork was dry and steak fatty. Then we asked for puddings included in tea menu. We were told strawberry cake or ice cream. Cake was like a homemade sponge with icing on it and tinned squishy cream. Downstairs the toilets were awful. Steep steps which were dirty, and (stuff!!) stored in corners, it smelt of damp. Inside Toilet doors were dirty. We won’t be back. This restaurant needs a good overhaul. It’s stuck in the past.

A Jolly fantastic establishment for a very reasonably priced Italian meal! First ate here, as a student, in the early '90s, generally the half n half option, of pizza and pasta. Popped in for Lunch on Saturday and tried the set menu for the first time, which was very nice and excellent value. Good food and friendly staff, definitely recommend if you are in this part of town.

Great food . Really cheap and not over priced . Great staff . . Win win 🏆

I've eaten here a few times now and the food has always been good, decent sized portions and staff are friendly and the restaurant is always busy, last Wednesday when I was in I had a desert and it was fantastic.I think it was called tartufo, I will try and post a picture of it,I also recommend the Spaghetti Amtriciana, keep up the good standards please.

Been many times, we have celebrated quite a few family birthdays at Jolly's. The food is delicious and the service has always been excellent. Very good value for money, portion sizes are always generous. Would definitely recommend.

Lovely Italian neighborhood restaurant. 3 course lunch

The food was very average, but at a good price! Friendly service and the atmosphere of the place is a plus :)

It's a great little Italian place, I stress little. It's a tiny little place; it was busy both times we stopped in. The pasta and pizza were amazingly good. It was so good we went twice.

Was really busy and quite cramped. Food and service was superb tho

We enjoyed the spaghetti vongole and the house-style penne. The portions are rather large, so we couldn't finish everything. The wine selection corresponds to the restaurant. Everything Italian friendly.

I don't ever post reviews but I felt compelled to after my parter and I took our 3 children for dinner to Jollys last night. It was quite late when I'd called and it was last minute but the owner had absolutely no issues squeezing us in and got us a comfortable little table at the side. We ordered three pizzas between us, everyone has drinks and desserts but the best past was when they brought out our 6 year olds dessert, they sang happy birthday to him. He was so happy and I was so touched at this little detail of going above and beyond for him. The service was impeccable and the owner is absolutely lovely. Our kids all gave him a hug before we left and said thank you. He gave our birthday boy a chocolate bar and some lollys for them to share. I honestly cannot recommend this place enough. Not only is it family friendly but it's run by family and makes you feel so at home and so welcome. The food was *delicious* and authentic. We felt like we were in the heart of Italy in a family's home. Thank you so much for having us. We'll definitely be back 🙂

Very beautiful place and history

Incredible!!!! Better than in Italy! The pasta, the pizza, the brusquettas, the super attention!!!! Highly highly recommended! This is what a pizza and pasta fan says. Without a doubt very highly recommended!

The best pizza I have ever tried, and the lasagna pasta is the best, wine, pizza, everything is excellent.

We ordered a dish that is half pizza and half pasta. Neapolitan pizza and spaghetti: the best in the world. My husband ordered lasagna, amazing. 10/10!!!

The most amazing coeliac friendly meal I have had in a very long time. My husband found this restaurant on the gluten free app and I was not disappointed. I ordered a half pizza half pasta dish and I was given a full pizza as no one else had ordered a gluten free base. I cannot fault the food or the service. We tried to pay extra as we got a full pizza but the lovely man wouldn't accept it as his phrase 'times are hard' in the end we compromised and left a larger tip than normal. 100% will be back.

Great friendly servers and hosts, welcoming atmosphere with great traditional Italian cuisine, go and meet Paul the host if you can!

Amazing service, tasty food, large portions. Love everything about the experience. We ordered for takeout and it took only 15 minutes.

We got warm beer, the food was also not outstanding and even average

Terrific value lunch menu. Friendly service, great food and lovely atmosphere.

10/10, me and my celiac girlfriend went out for dinner and it was some of the best gluten free pizza she has ever had. Would return . Great prices, great service, great atmosphere.

We came here for my grandson's birthday..I love it here...Great service..friendly staff and...not pretentious. Just as well we booked a table..as it is soo popular. The owner is always around making sure everything is working well. Last but not least pizzas are fantastic. V.Clapton

Very good restaurant, super traditional. Food well prepared. The waitress was super kind. Recommend to everyone.

A true ‘hearty italian’; forget the bread, try this place instead

I haven't been to such a great Italian restaurant outside of Italy before.

If you order the large pizza for yourself, you're probably making a mistake because it's enough for two people! The pizza is not only big overall, but also really great!

Delicious and authentic Italian food. Affordable prices, good portions. Absolutely recommend.

Such good value for money here at Jolly Restaurant! I had minestrone soup and lasagne, both delicious. Come with the whole family or friends, and know your meals will be decent and affordable 👍🏻 Very central too, just a short walk from the St James Quarter, cinema in the Omni centre and the New Town.

Best food I've had in a while, excellent fast service, cannot fault anything. Would definitely recommend to try here.

I visited to check out accessibility. Most places welcome you and show you round. Not the Jolly. I was met by a guy who was definitely not jolly. He did not answer my questions helpfully. The toilets are down an extremely dark stair which had very narrow steps did not look clean. The stairs reminded me of the type that you put in to access your attic - yes that steep!! Not sure who could negotiate them safely. A few reviews have said toilets not clean (I didn't see them myself). Tables and chairs very close and crowded again making accessibility problematic. I said thanks for your help and without a word the guy turned his back and walked away. I have no idea why this place gets nice reviews, such a bad vibe.

Had lunch here. Got diarrhoea few hours later. Avoid.

Busy lunch service, built on very competitive three course lunch. Plenty of choice. However, tables are close together, and toilets down a steep staircase. Tables turned over quickly. Great value for money, but not for a quiet meal.

Very good original Italian with an absolute top price-performance ratio. The food was incredibly delicious.

Jolly has a very nice atmosphere and the staff is very friendly and pleasant. The food was very tasty and good value.

What a gem of a place, old ,authentic, noisy, jam packed great atmosphere lovely staff tasy tasty food and so cheap . Been twice now for dinner think its my favourite new old place to eat

Vito is the man and this restraint is a number one to go to for a date at night make sure u say hello to Vito guy has good reputation I travel miles and miles just to eat out this restraunt unbelievable food ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ Mic

Fantastic place. Always been a firm favourite and Edinburgh institution

Good food .. claudio was amazing on helping us to choose .all was good and a good Italian atmosphere

Beautiful atmosphere lots off laughters and good food. Vito, Julia, Ollie and Claude offered amazing customer service and the Italian food sizzled your taste buds. Nothing like a wood oven for pizza and authentic ingredients for your meal.

OMG. Absolutely the best Italian restaurant around. Exceptional service from Julia, Claudio, Oliver and the owner Vito. Whoever is working the wood oven was godsent😀. Perfecto. From pasta to pizza; my family and I left with huge smiles and a full tummy. Thank you Jolly for making us Jolly. Definitely a place to enjoy great food in Edinburgh.

Best value meal in Edinburgh city centre, as far as I know - in most places you might get one course for £9.20, but Jolly's weekday lunchtime deal gives you three! About 5 starters and a dozen mains to choose from, good-sized portions. Only a couple of choices for dessert, but that's fine. It's quite cramped inside but they managed to fit our party in, including one wheelchair, with an advance booking. Toilets are down a steep and narrow staircase though, so not good for anyone with mobility issues. (Review updated Aug 2024 but photo is from an earlier visit.)

We just drank an Aperol Spritz. Nothing more... The service was without a smile, too bad 8.90 pounds per Spritz, it’s very expensive!!!

Perfect! Little Italy in the middle of Edinburgh. We were thrilled.

Delectable food for perfect prices, highly recommended!

Just amazing! Real value for money! Veto never lets me down 10/10

This is what a pizza should be for me: good value relative to pizza size, classic oven style dough, ability to add some toppings, generous servings of cheese. Whats not to like? Delicious!

Classic Italian cuisine. The plus: speed of service. Affordable prices.

One of the best Italian restaurant in Edinburgh

Our family group of 6 ate at this first class place prior to a show at the Playhouse. The food was excellent as was the atmosphere. We were also treated so well by the staff that had the night ended there we'd all have been happy. Highly recommend a meal here.

5 of us arrived 15 minutes before closing time, yet no problems fitting us in. Usual standard served up with usual customer service with a smile.

A super good Italian gourmet restaurant. We ordered a plate of mussels, a piece of salmon, a plate of tomato beef sauce pasta (the meat sauce seemed to be free), a piece of roasted mushrooms, and a pizza platter. A total of 47 pounds, a good meal for four people.

You've just got to love this place for what it is. It doesn't make itself out to be something it isn't - it just offers great food and a good price in comfortable surroundings. Me and my friend arrived one Saturday lunchtime expecting to be able to get a table. How wrong was I! The staff member advised me that there would be around a 15 minute wait. Not really much of an issue as the weather was nice outside and we had a wee stroll. As we returned we were seen to promptly, For a three-course business lunch I challenge anywhere to be able to match both on quality and price that the Jolly can offer. Service wasn't shabby either! It's an honest place, offering a good range of tasty food and a fair price. Would I return? Sure I would!

Jolly by name jolly by nature. Tiny place that makes use of every square inch. Bit dated but the food speaks for itself. Brilliant pizza and huge portions for the price being right by the theatre. Slightly dubious when we walked in but we very much enjoyed our pizza and chilli pasta.

L'accueil est très sympathique mais le service est très long car le personnel parrait désorganisé malgré sa gentillesse. Les pates étaient bonnes mais trop cuite

Atmospheric place, delicious food and great service. We felt like we were in a cottage and the food was really delicious for a decent price. The best place in Edinburgh 🫶

Jolly was brilliant. Excellent customer service. Our waiter Finlay was unreal. Will definitely be back

The Jolly never fails to dish up fantastic, tasty Italian food. The service is excellent and the atmosphere is good too.

Food and service were just not very good. Sorry

Beautiful food at good prices. Will definitely be back!

Never delivered food .. phoned up twice the assured they would re-send another order then that never came either owner said he’d not spoken to me on the phone when in-fact he had spoken to me twice .. just not acceptable

Worst pizza I’ve had in this city.

Great pizza and a great lunchtime price highly recommend

The Jolly resturant was good italian food and great prices. Our favorites were the pastas and the sticky toffee pudding!

Quite a small restaurant but had no trouble catering for a group of six at a busy time, very attentive and helpful staff, excellent Italian foods, highly recommend.

One pizza missing, another with mushroom and banana? Order 90 mins late, cold and wrong

Food was cold and the pizzas where wrong

Good pasta, so-so pizza but reasonably priced typical hak

Simple Italian restaurant. Cheap and tasty.

fantastic food loved it .⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

What a great restaurant Jolly's is! Must be the best value lunch I have ever had. Don't know how they do it..lovely atmosphere, fantastic service and brilliant birthday meal for my daughter. Thank you!

Great and delicious food. Generous amounts too! Would definitely recommend!

Amazing food and atmosphere a reasonably priced.

First time eating here and it didn't disappoint - massive choice of dishes and everything we had was great. It was packed on Saturday evening which is always a good sign. Very reasonable prices for such a central location. We'll definitely be back!

The pizza came with all the toppings pushed to one side. It was disgusting.

Tasteless food. My friend's pizza had pieces of charcoal stuck at the bottom. The waitress was nice, but not professional. We had difficulties getting the check.

This is the 3rd time going here and never seems to disappoint me food and staff are excellent and atmosphere is excellent music for everyone

Really it’s a good restaurant, excellent food , service. Very friendly.

Great authentic Italian and ideal pre-theatre location. With a few sharing starters, a main each, a few wines and desserts to share we were just over £20 including a tip!

Used to come here years ago and decided to revisit again after COVID Still the same excellent service and food Recommended 🤟🤟

Great traditional Edinburgh Italian restaurant, great food, service and atmosphere.

Friendly Italian restaurant Generous portions Somewhat noisy due to the layout of the room and the success of the place which welcomes people

Staff friendly quick service and food is amazing. Have been going to the jolly since I was a wee girl and food is still top drawer. Good atmosphere and recommend to friends and family x

Enjoy our lovely 3 course lunch menu and this is excellent value less than £10. The staff are nice and friendly and recognise customers that come regularly. Will be back soon.

Great restaurant great food and friendly staff.Recommend this place ,Vito and staff are brilliant and very good prices.

Great service, great atmosphere, delicious food!!! We felt like we were invited into a cozy home.

Absolutely one of the best delivery take away meals we have had for a very long time - amazing food

Food was ok, disappointing for the price, fluffed up with lots of lettuce salad. Couldn’t even eat the mussels they were overdone. waited an hour for it. Table behind us had to tell the waiter they forgot a main. Then our food came without one main, and after a while of waiting we had to also tell the waiter they forgot a dish. They hadn’t started making it so we waited another half hour for our last person to get fed, which is the picture attached. then waited another 20 minutes for the bill and to get our change. Wouldn’t recommend.

First time here. Excellent service with lovely smiles. Food just delicious. Was recommended here and I'll definitely recommend to friends too!!!