Harden's survey result
Summary
“It’s a bit out of the way down Leith Walk” and “you have to go into the shop to find it”, but it’s “worth a detour” to discover the café behind this “Edinburgh legend” – a deli and wine merchant that’s been going strong since 1934, and where diners profit from a truly miniscule (£6) corkage fee on any of the fine wines available in the store. Also on the menu, “great coffee (as you‘d expect) and a wide variety of Italian dolce and snacks” (“if the pizza is on at lunchtime, have it – you won’t regret it”).
Summary
“The best choice of wine anywhere” is the main reason to visit the Caffè Bar at the rear of this famous deli and wine merchants (est. 1934) where any of the “extensive range of bottles from the shop” is available to accompany a meal for super-modest (£6) corkage. By comparison, the food is very straightforward, but provides dependable sustenance from breakfast onwards.
Summary
“A good choice of light dishes and excellent wine list” are key features of this straightforward café. It’s famous in Auld Reekie due to the esteemed and marvellously stocked deli and wine merchants (est. 1934) that it’s part of, and which provide the victuals for a meal, served from breakfast onwards. Wine lovers: you can choose any of the hundreds of retail wines for only £6 corkage… “from super value to super Tuscans”.
Summary
The walk through the legendary Italian deli and wine merchants at the front (est. 1934) inculcates a foodie frame of mind at this famous deli, at the start of the road to Leith. For a superior tipple, every bottle in the shop is available to drink with a £5 corkage charge. By comparison, the relatively straightforward food in the café-style section at the rear (open all day from breakfast) is more humdrum (for cynics a case of “big prices and wee plates”).
For 33 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 Valvona & Crolla?
19 Elm Row, Edinburgh, EH7 4AA
Restaurant details
Valvona & Crolla Restaurant Diner Reviews
"Excellent food - fritto misto, crab linguini and ragu stood out. Well priced wine list and lovely service. Stopped going years ago as the service was dreadful and food average; they have definitely upped their game. Will return"
Prices
 Drinks |
|
|---|---|
| Wine per bottle | £30.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £3.25 |
 Extras |
|
|---|---|
| Bread | £4.50 |
| Service | 10.00% |
19 Elm Row, Edinburgh, EH7 4AA
Opening hours
| Monday | 9 am‑6:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 9 am‑6:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 9 am‑6:30 pm |
| Thursday | 9 am‑6:30 pm |
| Friday | 9 am‑6:30 pm |
| Saturday | 9 am‑6:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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