Harden's survey result
Summary
This “beautiful room” – a Georgian former banking hall modelled on a Florentine palazzo – makes a wonderful setting for an Italian restaurant that is “definitely a swagger establishment”, attracting celebs from Sean Connery to Margot Robbie over its 20-plus years. Victor Contini, who runs it with his wife Carina, received a knighthood from the President of Italy in 2024 in recognition of his achievements! The venue can become “very noisy”, though, and critics say it “promises much, but attention to detail is lacking”.
Summary
“Great Italian food” is served in “beautiful rooms” – a collonaded Georgian banking hall modelled on a Florentine palazzo – at this 20-year-old operation from a Scottish-Italian catering dynasty. It’s “quite noisy, but fun”, and is open for breakfast (when ‘Aberdeen butters’, flat Scottish croissants, are served).
Summary
This “busy and atmospheric” restaurant with “reliably excellent pasta dishes” (plus, unusually, ‘full Scottish breakfasts’) was opened almost 20 years ago in a former banking hall by Victor Contini, whose family has brought their Italian heritage to bear on the Scottish food scene for more than a century. The venue’s success has led to further openings, at the Scottish National Gallery and in Cannonball House, next door to Edinburgh Castle.
For 34 years we've been curating reviews of the UK's most notable restaurant. In a typical year, diners submit over 50,000 reviews to create the most authoritative restaurant guide in the UK. Each year, the guide is re-written from scratch based on this survey (although for the 2021 edition, reviews are little changed from 2020 as no survey could run for that year).
Have you eaten at Contini George Street?
103 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES
Restaurant details
Contini George Street Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Promises much, but attention to detail was lacking. Cod was overcooked, arancini were good, but the tomato sauce with it tasted like a tin of tomatoes, nothing more. Service was flaky, but, I suspect, just poorly trained. "
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.00 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Service | 10.00% |
103 George Street, Edinburgh, EH2 3ES
Opening hours
| Monday | 9 am‑3 pm, 5 pm‑9 pm |
| Tuesday | 9 am‑3 pm, 5 pm‑9 pm |
| Wednesday | 9 am‑3 pm, 5 pm‑9 pm |
| Thursday | 9 am‑3 pm, 5 pm‑9 pm |
| Friday | 8 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑9:30 pm |
| Saturday | 10 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑9 pm |
| Sunday | 10 am‑5 pm, 5 pm‑8 pm |
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