Tipo in Edinburgh, City of

Astonished this place got a Bib Gourmand. As someone who spends quite a bit of time in Italy, this was a crashing disappointment. Italian cooking - and the Italians - are all about generosity, heart, big flavour and loads of personality. This is the antithesis of typical Italian hospitality, tiny parsimonious portions, most dishes tasted the same (salty) and it all felt quite mean spirited and sad. We were recommended to have 8 or 9 dishes to share between 5 of us, which we did, and were advised they’d come to the table when they were ready - fine. However they actually came out one at a time, meaning there there five of us trying to share a tiny plate. Pasta portions were so small, we each got one measly forkful. We got three sad tortolinni to share between 5- where’s the joy in that? Massively overpriced for what it was - honestly should have gone to one of the longstanding trats across the road, at least I wouldn’t have left hungry. I’ve given it two stars purely because our waitress was lovely, otherwise it would have been one.

Staff v friendly and attentive. Menu pretentious and extremely limited. So overpriced for what you get. Portions tiny £17 for a small plate of pasta. Ridiculous. Emperors New clothes venue.

Imaginative Italian cuisine with local produce. The asparagus starter was ery refondé, the pastas unique.with fresh ingrédients and the dessert exquisite!

Franchement super bonne adresse. Très bonne carte et très bons produits. Quantité servie largement suffisante. Plats qui sont tout simplement bons. Endroit moderne, lumineux et chill. Personnel sympas Facile de réserver

As it was within a short stroll of our B&B, along regal streets of fine sandstone buildings, we found ourselves eating at Tipo for two nights during our stay. Due to TA's lack of a balanced 'Good', I find myself scoring Tipo 'average'. Excellent staff meet and greet well and are generally attentive and helpful. Food is good, enjoyable, but plate (portion) sizes are in many cases too small to share. Pasta well cooked one night, was starchy and a little tired on the pass on our second visit though. Alcohol, particularly wine as others have commented, is well north of what it should be and the 12.5% 'mandatory' service charge on that, makes it worse. After a couple of tins of beer, I switched to my tap water. Noisy environment when it's busy. I'm glad we went, and we went on recommendation, but wouldn't rave about it myself.

Stunning lunch, the food is cooked with care, using great ingredients. There is clearly a skilled kitchen team that deliver a very tasty food offer at a competitive price point. The food is matched with great service and very smart but informal dining space , finished with fantastic coffee

It was an article in the Scotsman newspaper that alerted me to Tipo, hinting they had missed out on a Michelin star but getting another award the Bib Gourmand for good quality, good value cooking. Hence the reason for my visit. Unfortunately, Tipo did not live up to those expectations. On the Sunday evening, we went, the restaurant was populated mainly by young people who may have been tempted into trying a “happening” venue possibly through social media and visiting an on-trend venue, rather than a good quality and value for money restaurant, which the article indicated. Very small plates of very expensive food and an incredibly expensive wine list left us very flat and feeling short changed. The food was presented with such reverence and panache, as if we were going to experience something magical from the kitchen, which created an odd vibe in itself. It came across as very pretentious. The small plates were so small that they resembled tiny saucers. It seems the modern way is for restaurants to serve tapas portions (small plates) as a way of selling less for more, a bit like aspects of Nouvelle Cuisine in the 70’s and 80’s. On being seated, the waitress recommended four to five small plates for 2 people. The surroundings are nice and the staff very pleasant. The mushroom tortellini dish consisted of 3 bits of pasta sitting in some cream, coming in at £16 per plate. The cured halibut wasn’t identifiable in between the tiny, sliced pieces of pickled vegetables, at £14 per plate, and you would have more food left on the plate when you had finished a normal serving, than the presented dish at outset. The pappardelle at £16 was the best of the bunch, but dominated by a lemon flavour which didn’t allow either the crab or chilli to come through. The restaurant and staff did nothing wrong; it is just overpriced for what you get and didn’t impress me at all. At the end, the addition of a 12.5% service charge by the venue just caused more irritation, as I always leave a tip, but always at my discretion, and I’m not being bounced into it by the establishment. I don’t like to be negative about a restaurant, and want all restaurant entrepreneurs to succeed, but in this instance I’m afraid I can’t be positive. I won’t be back.

This is truly exceptional. We travel a great deal in Italy, where much of the inspiration for Tipo's menu is drawn from. I can honestly say I have rarely eaten better anywhere.

Exceptional food and service. The staff were very helpful with their recommendations. We had 2 small dishes , 1 medium, 2 pasta dishes and 2 desserts between us and it was the perfect amount and truly delicious

The pasta which should be the highlight of the show was disappointing. Crab tagliatelle was congealed into a solid block which could be cut down the middle to share. It tasted fishy, sweet and without a hint of chilli . Tortellini was rubbery although the filling was nice. Cacio e pepe was decent but the sauce thin. Not good enough to warrant a second visit.

Me and my friend are huge fans of Italian food. When we travel, we like to treat ourselves to one nice dinner out at an Italian restaurant. This place did not disappoint! The staff were friendly and helpful. Upon arrival, the staff offered to hang our coats and brought us tap water. They were speedy but not over-bearing and were accommodating to dietary requirements (one guest was pescatarian). The venue itself was beautiful. We went during sunset; it was a lovely venue during daylight and when it was more dimly lit with candles. It was modern but not cold and unfeeling. The area the restaurant was in was also beautiful, with lots of nearby bars for after. We ordered the sourdough bread to start which was the perfect size to graze on. Then we had our first course: the crab pasta. It was super delicious with a nice kick of chilli that didn't blow your head off. The staff offered to bring us fresh plates to not taint the flavours of our other dishes once we had finished. We then had the mushroom tortellini which we could not stop raving about! It was so delicious and unique! This was followed by the truffle pasta, which was stronger in flavour but still delicious. After a small pause we ordered the tiramisu dessert. We both agreed it was the best tiramisu either of us had ever tasted. We'd definitely eat here again and it was worth the money. We each paid around £40 when including service fee, for a three course meal and drink. Super reasonable, especially for the quality of food!

We have been invited by a good friend of us for his birthday in this place. We traveled from Spain in order to celebrate his 60th birthday. We already knew what the menu was, but because we are not fish fanatics, we didn’t really pay attention to it. We had a big range of tapas and they were absolutely fantastic. 16 guests returned their plates empty. That was a very good sign. When I saw the main course which was whole fried bream, I thought: oh my god, definitely what I don’t like, but because I am curious, I had to try. It was so beautiful. All the flavors of the herbs and chili went to the flesh and I loved. The food was exceptional and the service impeccable.

We had a very good meal here and I thought the food was consistently excellent with lamb fritte, mushroom tortellini and pappardelle with shellfish bisque the highlights. This format of meal combined with the prices does not make it an inexpensive experience and the wine, whilst now available at £35, ain’t great value either. The bill is going to raise your eyebrows. As a table of 6 we were also put in the rather Spartan back room but didn’t really mind as we were having fun. Service was excellent. So overall this is definitely a place to go for a foodie treat, just don’t want expect a bargain.

Having visited Noto last year, I was really excited to be visiting this new venture. Sadly, it did not live up to my expectations. The wine list wasn't available online when I booked and I can see why - £46 for an entry level white or red. It put a total damper on the experience right from the start, and not surprisingly, in a full room, I spotted only one other table with a bottle, the rest ordering water, a glass or a soft drink. The service was very good, though when I did complain at the end of the meal about the price of the wine, it was received with a shrug. As to the food - yes, it was lovely, mostly. The lamb fritte were excellent, the gnocchi with seafood and parmesan cream a delight. But the pasta was very disappointing, the papperdelle far too thick, and the tortellini almost hard. For small sharing plates too, I felt there was too much emphasis on pasta, and not enough choice. The plates were also very small. Adding a service charge onto the already outrageous cost of the wine made our bottle of basic red over £50. That alone would stop me going back. Paying so much (£160 for two, with no dessert) for a meal, you expect to be wowed. I wasn't. I won't be going back.

Dessert was the best course - the praline cannoli with salted caramel was amazing. However, the pasta and buratta were okay (but not bad) and would have expected more for the price. Staff were very friendly.

This was our second visit to Tipo, and unfortunately, it didn't live up to our expectations. The wine selection, which is exorbitantly priced, with the cheapest option starting at £44 per bottle(!). Moreover, offering wine only in 175 ml glasses is against regulations; there should be a 125 ml option available as well. The starters left much to be desired. For instance, the plate of meats consisted of just three types of meats (x 4 very, very, very thin slices each) with nothing else accompanying them. A simple piece of bread would have elevated the dish significantly. While the ragu was enjoyable, the crab pasta was surprisingly sweet, which wasn't to our taste. Overall, the ambiance resembled a cafeteria, with uncomfortable chairs and tables placed uncomfortably close together, barely 10 cm apart. In summary, our experience felt more like dining in a school canteen than a quality restaurant. Unless significant improvements are made, we won't be returning anytime soon.

Underwhelming. Cannot find another word to describe it. Nothing negative to say as such but did not live up to the expectations. Coming from a Italian/brazilian background and have an absurd love and understanding of food, Tipo just failed to impress me. The pasta was ok but thick and the gnudi tasted of flour. No one in reception to see us in either which was confusing as the restaurant is upstairs and there was a sign asking to wait downstairs to be seated.

Enjoyed a fantastic lunch. Had sharing plates of zepolle, crab pappardelle, ricotta gnudi with prawns and shellfish bisque, pasta with pork and nduja, the tiramisu and ice cream. Zepolle are crispy savoury donuts with pecorino freshly fried and amazingly light and tasty. Crab pasta one of the best I’ve ever eaten as was the gnudi. Tiramisu should not be missed. Great bottle of Elixir Viognier. Can’t recommend highly enough. Not cheap at around £130 for lunch for 2 but great quality food and I can’t wait to come again!

Noisy atmosphere - food very average - chairs and furniture poor - staff a bit annoying - food small sharing portions not very interesting ( cold meats - (average salami) and meats which don’t need a detailed explanation by server- over rated - tables wiped over with mild bleach between courses - entrance hall and stair smell of bleach - there have been better restaurants at this location before and this wont be the last.

Bit cheeky of Tipo not to have their drinks list on their website, then to have the cheapest bottle of wine at £46.! It wasn't even a particularly stand-out wine, it retails at £12.50. Food was delicious and beautifully presented - particularly enjoyed the parfait and crab pappardelle. Service was also very good. I'm not a fan in general of the automatic addition of a 12.5% service charge, especially when you consider that's being added to vastly overpriced wine (which we served ourselves from the table). Really nice food but I wouldn't go back at these prices.