Harden's survey result
Summary
“Authentic Italian cooking at the back of a glorious deli” and wine merchant is the recipe behind the simple café attached to this “very long-established Edinburgh favourite” – est. 1934, and “perhaps a bit out of the way”, but the “ideal spot for a lunch and browse round the groaning shelves”. The “good value menu” includes some “excellent” items (the “fritto misto, crab linguini and ragu stood out”), and you can’t knock their cheese: as of 2024, they’ve been a royal supplier to His Majesty King Charles III, no less.
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”.
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 Valvona & Crolla?
19 Elm Row, Edinburgh, EH7 4AA
Restaurant details
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‑8:30 pm |
| Tuesday | 9 am‑8:30 pm |
| Wednesday | 9 am‑8:30 pm |
| Thursday | 9 am‑8:30 pm |
| Friday | 9 am‑8:30 pm |
| Saturday | 9 am‑8:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
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