The Herald - The Herald Magazine
Top 10 Italian restaurants
Where to find your slice of culinary heaven
THERE might be more than 1,000 miles between us and Italy, but you don’t have to travel very far to find an Italian restaurant in Scotland. Thanks to a rich heritage of immigration to our shores, we are lucky to have an abundance of restaurants where you can get your fix for pizza, pasta and ice cream. But with an Italian in almost every corner of the country, how can you sort the wheat from the chaff and make sure you are dining at the very best? With this handy guide, of course.
EUSEBI RESTAURANT & DELICASTESSEN, 152 Park Road, Woodlands, Glasgow 0141 648 9999
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 8.30am-9pm
There’s no risk of being short on choice at Eusebi’s Deli. As well as their restaurant menu (served from noon); they have a mammoth breakfast menu which offers an extensive range of Italian pastries and vits, alongside traditional Scottish favourites like potato scone and steak sausage. But it is with their eggs that the Eusebi’s breakfast really elevates above the rest. Try the Cacio Pepe, with soft scrambled eggs, served Roman style with pecorino and black pepper, on a delightful toasted sourdough. You won’t regret it. Joanna Blythman says: “Eusebi’s never rest on their laurels and keep notching up the quality, always drawing on their traditional roots, yet never allowing their creativity to be choked by them.” eusebideli.com
ORO, GLASGOW 85 Kilmarnock Road, Shawlands, Glasgow. 0141 632 4222
Open every day, 9am-10.30pm
While many venues in Shawlands have changed hands in recent years, Oro has remained steadfastly popular with south side diners. Its menu is huge, so there should be something for everyone, with very clear allergen information for anyone who needs it. A particular highlight is the ‘design your own pizza’ offer, where you can choose your base (gluten-free option available), cheese and toppings – even adding gold leaf for a fee of £9.50. As well as their food they also offer an extensive list of cocktails, including the classically Italian Aperol Spritz. www.oro.restaurant
ONE 20 WINE CAFÉ, EDINBURGH 120 Dundas Street, Edinburgh 0131 556 1911
Open every day, 10am-late
One of the best-reviewed Edinburgh restaurants on TripAdvisor, One 20 Wine Café has built its reputation by offering simple Italian food made to the highest quality. Its menu is small, offering a handful of main meals and three types of sharing platter. Our pick is the charcuterie platter: 30-month aged Parma ham, Mortadella with pistachio, Speck by ‘Carni’, Sopressa ‘Vino Torcolato’, pickled vegetables, marinated artichokes and semidried tomatoes.
www.one-20.co.uk
CHEESE & TOMATIN, INVERNESS 10 Stephens Brae, Inverness
01463 223752
Open Tuesday-Sunday, 12pm-10pm
Glasgow might have traditionally been the epicentre of Scotland’s Italian culture, but you can get just as good a pizza in the Highlands. At Cheese & Tomatin, in Inverness, they keep things simple, with a choice of just nine pizzas making up their main menu, but each are Neapolitan wood-fired, made with artisan homemade sourdough. We recommend the Spanish Tapas, with chorizo, Manchego cheese and peppers; or the Mediterranean medley
with olives, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and red onions. You can even have pizza for dessert: a
‘Nutella calzone’ made with marshmallows and fresh cream. Pizza aside, there is a fresh pasta special created by the team of expert chefs each day, as well as some delightful cheesy garlic bread as a side dish. What’s not to like? www.cheeseandtomatin.com
POLDINOS, ABERDEEN
7 Little Belmont Street, Aberdeen 01224 647777
Open Monday-Saturday, 12pm-2.30pm and 5.30pm-10.15pm
If you close your eyes and visualise traditional Italian food, the chances are you are pretty close to what is on offer at Poldinos. This cosy, welcoming restaurant offers hearty portions, attentive staff and a consistently busy backdrop, as well as a range of dishes. But their pizza is where Podinos comes alive: with the dough made in-house with quality olive oil, and a sauce that’s crafted from Fior di Latte cheese and Italian tomatoes. Our pick is the ‘Picante’, made with spicy sausage, red onion, fresh chilli and Gorgonzola cheese.
www.poldinos.co.uk
ERROL’S HOT PIZZA, GOVANHILL 379 Victoria Rd, Govanhill, Glasgow 0141 423 0559
Open Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 4pm-9pm
Forget some of Glasgow’s better-known Italians, this is where all the cool kids are getting their pizzas. Errol’s Hot Pizza is situated in a tiny shop in
increasingly-trendy Govanhill where you will almost certainly have to hang about outside before you get your pizza – but the wait is more than worth it. The team behind Errol’s include two former chefs from the Alchemilla in Finnieston, and their experience shows in their cooking. They boast more than 10,000 followers on Instagram – which is the only place you will find their menu – creating a real buzz about their food before you’ve even eaten it. Demand is so high, in fact, that you have to pre-order your pizzas on a Tuesday when their waiting list opens, then collect at an arranged time slot on Thursdays, Fridays or Saturdays. www.calendy.com/errolshotpizza
PICCOLO, DUNDEE 210 Perth Road, Dundee 01382201419
Open every day, 6pm-12am
This classy restaurant isn’t the cheapest, but it offers some of the best Italian food in Tayside. There are plenty of great dishes to choose from – the individually made tiramisu is not to be missed – but it is their seafood that really sets Piccolo apart. The king prawn ravioli, with wine, butter, garlic and chilli is nothing short of a knockout, while the seabass limone is delightfully light and fresh. And for diners concerned about social distancing, there are temperature checks on arrival as well as tasteful transparent screens separating each table to maintain social distancing. A winner all round.
www.piccolodundee.co.uk
DEVITAS PIZZERIA AND CAFÉ, WICK 97 High Street, Wick, Caithness 01955602803
Open Wednesday-Sunday, 12pm-8pm
Situated just 16 miles south of John o’Groats, DeVitas in Wick is one of the most northerly Italian restaurants. But location isn’t the only notable thing about this restaurant, with their handmade pizzas and fresh pasta proving hugely popular with both locals and tourists from the North Coast 500 alike. It looks reasonably plain from the outside, but thanks to some very satisfied customers DeVitas has managed to attain a coveted TripAdvisor Traveller’s Choice Award for 2020. By far the most popular dish is the homemade meatballs, but diners also comment on the minestrone soup and the homely atmosphere. It has recently been renovated to allow for better social distancing in post-Covid times, but takeaway is also available for those who prefer it.
L’ANGOLINO, DOUNE 47 Main Street, Doune, Stirling
01786 841850
Open Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, 5pm-9pm and Saturday 5pm-10pm
With foreign holidays all but cancelled for most of us, many Scots have been heading out to the countryside to discover our beautiful scenery. For those who decide to explore the Trossachs, they may discover that they require some hearty food at the end of a hard day of hiking. And if you do want to refuel, you couldn’t do much better than a meal from L’Angolino. Meaning ‘the little corner’ in Italian, this intimate restaurant is found in the quiet village of Doune, near the popular tourist town of Callander. Owner and head chef Craig Small was charmed by the venue when he decided to take it over two years ago, and has since focused the menu around locally sourced produce. With only seven tables in the restaurant they are currently only able to offer takeaway, but the quality of the food is just as high – plus it gives you the chance to enjoy a scenic picnic alfresco – perhaps by the river or the castle.
www.langolino.co.uk
PADRONE PIZZA, HELENSBURGH 41 West Clyde Street, Helensburgh, Argyll and Bute. 01436 674 252
Open Monday-Thursday, 12pm-9pm and Friday, Saturday and Sunday 12pm-10pm
Some people like to create their own pizza, others like to trust their chef’s wisdom and order one straight from the menu. Whichever camp you fall into, there is something on offer for you in Padrone. Diners can pick from one of the ten wood-fired pizzas on the menu, with our pick being the number eight (spiced chicken, BBQ pulled pork, mozzarella and tomato sugo), with the option to pay a small supplement to get any of them made into a calzone. But if you want to really put your stamp on your pizza, you can also swap to vegan mozzarella, a gluten or dairy-free base, or switch the Fior di Latte Mozzarella to Mozzarella di Bufala. Extra toppings, like anchovies, Parma ham or fresh chilli, can be added too for a small charge per topping. Even the fussiest of eaters should be able to find something they like.
https://www.padronepizza.co.uk