Contini George Street
103 George Street 
Contini’s interior is stunning: it’s in a former grand banking hall. Starters of oozing burrata and the signature pasta dish of orecchiette keep one foot solidly in southern Italian food, while the menu brilliantly melds Scottish and Italian produce.

Divino Enoteca
5 Merchant Street
This Old Town basement wine bar and restaurant shirks regional to serve cuisine from the length and breadth of Italy. Think mussels and prawns over golden saffron risotto, and steak served rare as you like. Wine flights offer a taste of each Italian region.

Locanda De Gusti 
102 Dalry Road
Rusticana is the watchword here and Neapolitan/southern Italian cuisine is king. Specials of fresh fish and handmade pasta change daily. It’s a family-run establishment and you can feel the love in every sun-ripened Sicilian pepper and beautifully balanced vegetable ragù.

Radicibus
2 Deanhaugh Street
This sleek but cosy basement spot in Stockbridge takes Scotland’s abundance of wild game, foraged mushrooms and seafood, and turns it into Italian fine dining. Choose between a seven-course tasting menu or go à la carte: artisanal Italian wines are carefully selected to pair with each dish.

Tipo
110 Hanover Street
Stuart Ralston’s third Edinburgh restaurant is an ode to Italian regionality. There are hearty pastas and main-sized meals alongside small plates, so you can follow the trend of tapas-style wine bar eating or buck it for a filling bowl of strozzapreti or pappardelle with crab.

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