Al Dente

We booked many months ago to get into Al Dente for a meal prior to running the Edinburgh Marathon. We were not disappointed, it was a wonderful meal. Very busy restaurant, a little gem tucked away from the city centre. Fabulous food, great service, friendly too. Would highly recommend it to anyone.

Al Dente is always great. Very welcoming and relaxed. The food is always very fresh and authentically Italian. They also have regional evenings. Have taken family and friends and had some great nights there.

Al dente is small but appealing. The menu is a pleasant diversion from the standard Italian menu, the food was beautifully cooked and the staff were very helpful, with a personal chat with the owner thrown in. We will be going back.

Another lovely meal in Al Dente. Food fresh and delicious. Lovely wine, all very reasonably priced. As always, warmly welcomed too. You couldn’t ask for more!

Very good food, and pleasant staff. We could hear speaking Italian in the kitchen, which made us feel like we were in Italy, it was lovely. Chef came to ask us if our food was okay as well! Will defo go back :)

Great food, excellent service. Very accommodating host and helpful staff, wil be back on a regular basis. Terrific choice for before the Hibs matches especially!

Food was excellent and a friendly welcoming staff who went out of their way to make our evening special. Would definitely visit again and recommend to anyone interested.

Food was pretty average and unfortunately the service wasn't much better. Shame really as I had high expectations. Don't think I will return in a hurry.

Excellent food and lovely wee restaurant. The owner and staff were friendly and attentive. Will definitely return when in the area again, happy to recommend to anybody who enjoys tasty freshly cooked Italian inspired dishes.

Superb. Great service. Amazing food. Our 8 yr old thought it was his best meal ever. All homemade food. Had the special and it was excellent.

Good food, reasonable prices, cosy restaurant but slow service due to inexperienced waitress...she is keen and friendly and will cope after about a week experience! We will be back.

We were a little hesitant because it does not look like much on the outside, but the food is absolutely delicious. We ordered the veal ravioli (special at the time), ricotta and spinach cannelloni, and gnocchi in a pesto sauce (originally a tomato/mozzarella, but they accommodated my request for pesto instead). All were amazing and came out hot! The staff were also very friendly and did not rush us. Best Italian food we had in Scotland. Great eats for a reasonably priced menu!!

Warm reception, very good menu and specials offerings, excellent service and very reasonable prices. We ordered the carpaccio for appetizer and spaghetti with seafood and cannelloni with spinach filling as our main dishes, finishing up with tiramisu, which were all delicious. Beer selection is minimal, but easily made up for in all other respects. Overall, a great dining experience without breaking the bank!

What a gem of a restaurant, tucked away in Easter Road. The food was delicious, the service was attentive and friendly and the atmosphere was authentically Italian. A really relaxing place for dinner.

Really good Italian food in a little gem on Easter Road. Restaurant is quite nice and clean on the inside, and only has a couple tables, making it quite "home"-y. The goat cheese tart appetizer was delicious, and the lasagna was classic comfort Italian food for me. Would love to return :)

I really recommend this restaurant. Good Italian food and service in a familiar atmosphere. We ate some starters and pastas and I really advice to try carbonara. Highly recommended!

Welcoming and attentive waiting staff, pasta was amazing and fresh, sauces were lovely. Portion size was good and very satisfying, will be going again soon.

Fantastic meal on Friday night. The food was delicious and well presented. A picture on a plate. The portion sizes were perfect, not too much, not too little. The service and attention to detail was excellent. Would definitely recommend you try this lovely wee restaurant. We will certainly be back.

Food was amazing and the chef was lovely. My boyfriend and I had spaghetti alle carbonara and tiramisu which we would highly recommend. Thank you.

The atmosphere and service were exceptional. My main was a little disappointing but the tiramisu was amazing the best I've tasted. A really nice, old fashioned Italian restaurant.

Such a lovely independent small restaurant. Food was very tasty, great homemade flavours and the service was very good. Would recommend highly, very relaxing and enjoyable evening.

The service is excellent, nice cosy atmosphere and beautiful fresh pasta. My second visit and just as good as the first time. Highly recommended! Only note is main courses are not always large, so you may want to order a starter too.

Great food and great service. We had a pasta dish and monkfish from the specials both superb and the Tiramisu was heavenly. Best Italian I've had in ages. Would highly recommend.

Loved the food. Cooked to perfection. The staff were very friendly and helpful. The restaurant is very unpretentious and low key in decor. Just the way a small Italian restaurant should be. The menu can be viewed online and although its not excessive I think most people will be spoilt for choice. I would highly recommend a visit to this little piece of Italy.

We went with friends and all had a relaxing dining experience.Fabulous dinner beautifully prepared and a delightful host. Will be going again very soon and can highly recommend!

Great wee Italian home-style restaurant, friendly staff and excellent food. We got a window seat and were able to watch the bustle of Easter Road go by.

Amazing food. Amazing service. It's an absolute diamond in the rough. I guess I'm lucky that it is right on my door stop as I will definitely be going back.

just around the corner from our flat and we can't believe we haven't been before. Great atmosphere, scrummy food and a wonderful host. We'll definitely be back!

We loved Al Dente, the food was amazing, service was excellent, and we had a great time. Authentic Italian food in leith! Definitely going back for their homemade pasta!

Super! Great service and great food. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Super! Great service and great food. I would definitely recommend this restaurant. Brill.

Nice little restaurants excellent sea food staff very helpful. Best book a table gets very busy second time there and will definitely be going back because its not your run of the mill Italian restaurant.

Excellent Service and a nice atmosphere. Ingredients were fresh and all dishes cooked on order. Superb Place to eat and well worth it as good value for money.

Lovely atmosphere, excellent traditional Italian food (no pizza!), charming service. Tiny local restaurant. May seem a little out of the way but well worth a visit. We will definitely be back.

The food and service was excellent with a variety of types of dishes consumed by our party of eight. I can certainly recommend this small but very friendly eatery including the selection of wines available.

The waiter was friendly and did his best to serve us being the only waiter there on a. It's Saturday night! The food was good quality but we felt the menu was a bit limiting. We were disappointed by the carbonara.

A lovely early evening dinner at this hidden little gem. We were recommended by a friend to go for dinner whilst in Edniburgh. Service and food were fab. Homemade pasta stuffed with Sea bass with prawns and mussels was delicious. We would definitely eat here again. If you want to eat here make sure you book as it is very popular even in the early evening.

A beautiful cosy restaurant with wonderful service. All the pasta is fresh made on site (which can be hard to find in Edinburghs plethora of Italian places). I had pumpkin ravioli to start, sea bass for main and tiramisu for desert. Every course was absolutely delicious, beautifully cooked proper Italian food. Great restaurant for a nice intimate meal or smaller groups of four. Cannot recommend more highly.

I absolutely love Al Dente! Service is always welcoming and knowledgeable. The menu is nicely sized and the food is delicious. I take everyone here :-D

We had a wonderful meal at Al Dente last night. Excellent attention to detail and catered for my gluten intolerant guest by offering a personalised range of choices. Very attentive service and welcoming atmosphere made for a very enjoyable dining experience. Will definitely return soon and recommend to everyone.

My wife and I enjoyed another wonderful meal at Al Dente. Really made to feel welcome from arrival to leaving. Enjoyed the relaxed intimate atmosphere created in this small restaurant. Highly recommended.

Charming hosts , excellent food and a very attractive setting . Would definitely go again . Just a shame I don't live in Edinburgh any more!

What a discovery!!! This little gem is situated on Easter Road, not exactly in the centre, but it is well worth the travel. They offer authentic Italian dishes (mostly starters and pastas) made with passion and love. The quality is extremely high and every dish tasted wonderful. I am Italian and I have tried several Italian restaurants in town, and in my opinion, Al Dente offers the best pastas in Edinburgh. The service is also very good. The owner is the host of the restaurant and he clearly cares about it, as he goes around tables talking to customers and asking their opinions on the dishes. I highly recommend this place. Will go back for sure.

Overall I was a little disappointed with my experience. The calamari was overcooked and rubbery, my vongole was bland and the pasta was stuck together in places and whilst the waiter was happy and polite he forgot a number of things and we were left waiting for items. All in all I wouldn't return nor recommend.

Fantastic way to celebrate our wedding anniversary. The food was excellent. Even though we had 3 courses, we left with smiles on our faces, feeling pleasantly full, but not overfull. We were made to feel special. Just the right time left between courses. We had an expensive bottle of wine, but it was well worth it. Al Dente is a little gem in Easter Road, and far exceeded our expectations. Although we were only visiting Edinburgh, we would love to return next year when we're in Edinburgh again.

Absolutely delicious food, good atmosphere and great service. A place to suggest to friends and not. Good position in the centre, but in a quite location. Recommended!

Food was superb. Pasta stuffed with bass and pork fillet with chianti sauce and veg were both divine. Best meal of week in Edinburgh. Service top notch. Go and enjoy.

This is a delightful small restaurant. The staff are very pleasant. The food is good, mostly pasta dishes, but specials are written up on the board. It is wise to book.

Had a lovely meal with fresh and flavourful ingredients, nice atmosphere and great service. My friend tried clams for the first time and really enjoyed his mixed seafood starter and the Italian Sauvignon was a real find and good value for money. Would thoroughly recommend this restaurant.

Lovely fresh food nicely presented and friendly service. We both enjoyed our pasta dishes - especially my seafood dish with bass-filled pasta tubes with prawns and a silky seafood sauce - very moreish. Would certainly recommend this restaurant.

Great restaurant, the food was delicious and reasonably priced and the service extremely friendly. I would definitely eat here regularly if I lived in Edinburgh! Highly recommended