Rosario Sartore's Dalry Road kitchen in Edinburgh, opened in 2013, a family-run Neapolitan dining room running pasta, seafood and wood-fired pizza in the West End.
Must order: Pesce all'acqua pazza (whole fish in tomato broth) and the homemade pappardelle with wild boar.
Tip: The lunchtime three-course express menu at GBP 18 is one of the city's best Italian-value deals.
Address: 102 Dalry Road, Edinburgh EH11 2DW
Victor and Carina Contini's George Street dining room in Edinburgh, opened in 2004 in the former Lloyds Bank, an Italian-Scottish bistro serving Mediterranean.
Order: The Contini meatballs, the Sicilian sea bass and a glass of the Continis' own-import Etna Rosso.
Tip: The high tea at 15:00 to 17:00 is a quieter alternative; Sunday family lunch is a long-running tradition.
Chef David Bann's vegetarian dining room on St Mary's Street in Edinburgh, opened in 2002, the city's reference vegetarian fine-dining kitchen with a candlelit.
Order: The Sri Lankan coconut curry and the spinach and feta filo parcel.
Tip: Pre-theatre two-course at GBP 22 runs to 19:00; the wine list is genuinely thought through.
Edinburgh Larder bistro on Blackfriars Street in the Old Town of Edinburgh, opened in 2009, an all-day cafe-restaurant serving Scottish-provenance breakfast.
Order: The Larder breakfast with Stornoway black pudding and the daily soup with sourdough at lunch.
Tip: Closes by 16:00 most days; the original cafe on Blackfriars Street is the calmer of the two rooms.
Valvona and Crolla's caffe-bar on Elm Row in Edinburgh, opened in 1934 (the bistro since 1996), the back-of-deli dining room for Scotland's longest-running.
Order: The carbonara made with house-cured pancetta and the Pugliese antipasto board.
Tip: The deli at the front sells the same dry pasta and tinned tomatoes the kitchen uses; shop while you wait for your table.
Edward Murray and Dale Mailley's stone-cottage kitchen in Royal Terrace Gardens in Edinburgh, opened in 2012, a shared-table no-choice set-menu room sourcing.
Order: There is no choice; the daily-changing seven-course set menu is the only option.
Tip: Communal long-table seating; book three days ahead. Vegetarian version available with notice.
Leith Walk's converted police-box coffee counter in Edinburgh, opened 2016 inside a 1950s Glasgow-style box, serving filter coffee and seasonal pastries.
Order: A flat white and the cardamom-and-pistachio cake.
Tip: There is no seating; coffee in hand on Leith Walk's central reservation is the local move. Cash only most days.
