Gordon’s Trattoria

With so many great dining options all around, it’s a shame to have to spend an evening here. I’ll admit, I wasn’t all that excited about it to begin with. Perusing the menu didn’t help. I ordered bruschetta, thinking it was a safe choice and that maybe I’d try a friend’s dish.
It wasn’t so much bruschetta as french bread with tomatoes. Normally, I like basil, garlic, olive oil, vinegar and FLAVOR on my bruschetta. A friend had to hunt down our missing waitress, and then I asked for some mozzarella. I had to do surgery to this thing or starve. She brings out a plate with a couple of golf ball sized pieces of mozzarella. Seriously?
Now I’m picking apart mozzarella balls with my hands in order to add it to my bruschetta. I dab on some vinegar I’ve found on the table to give it more acid… and it’s finally edible. If I wanted to make my own bruschetta, I could have stayed home… and it would have been much better.

The restaurant was fine-​nothing outstanding, very friendly (owner greets everyone and very attentive staff), noisy and busy, food was good quick and hot if a bit under seasoned. We had the goat cheese focaccia (good cheese but under toasted), the penne with spicy sausage (very good) and the manicotti stuffed with spinach (under seasoned). Two glasses of wine, shared dessert, shared appetizer, two entrees, coffee and after dinner drink 80£.

Great food and the host and staff made it a wonderful experience. Don’t let the look fool you.

Without doubt, one of the greatest dining experiences I’ve ever had. May sound over the top, but until you come here and meet the staff, you won’t be able to appreciate that comment.
Let Gary choose your meal. Simply tell him what you’re in the mood for and he’ll come back with a choice that will completely satisfy you! A warm atmosphere and an ambiance that might make you forget you’re in Edinburgh.
Great prices in a great part of the city. A fantastic choice for lunch and dinner as I’ve had both experiences there.

Lovely atmosphere, really felt transported to the continent, with very personal service. Great, homey food; whatever you take is delicious.

Jumped in here for a quick bite to eat after a long festival day. The rest of the street was closing down, but Gordon’s was open and alive. The friendliness and warmth of the staff make up for the tacky décor and extremely cramped space, and the food was just a touch above good.
My wife had the seafood risotto, and I went with a mushroom pizza. Italian food should be simple and fresh, and these dishes at least managed that in principle. It was a bit bland and slapdash for my liking, but given the price and location I really couldn’t complain.
Looking for a gourmet dinner? Give it a miss. Want a tasty quick bite, delivered with a smile? Gordon’s will do for you.

Amazing food and the hospitality cannot be beat. Traveling alone can be tough and the staff here made me feel at home. Plus the owner was there also greeting diners. Love it– try the pizza!

Great food at a great price. We had the veal, the risotto, and pizza and they were all delicious. The staff is incredibly engaging and friendly and despite the name not seeming traditionally Italian, it was authentic food and a great experience in casual dining.

So amazing! My Risotto was brilliant and the desserts we shared after… nothing short of divine. The best sticky toffee pudding I’ve ever had the pleasure to enjoy. Must eat!

Visited this restaurant one night and it was pretty quiet. For a restaurant with prime location on the Royal Mile, I would have expected it to be busier, especially on bank holiday weekend. There were two other tables occupied and we were invited to sit anywhere we wanted. It’s a odd space arrangement, the kitchen is at the door which provides a narrow eating area along side it or else you venture to the back where there is more space. The room temperature is a bit crazy here too, it was nice and cosy at the wall, but there was a cool draft down the centre of the space. So we moved early on to find a cosier table before ordering.
I ordered the ham, spicy pepperoni, onion and mushroom pizza and the my friend, a pasta (forgot what exactly, but in the menu is stated «go on give it a try»)! The pizza arrived and was a good size, but sadly the base was cooked underneath, but the top was still soggy. Flavour wise, it was good, much better that my companions over salty pasta dish. I wasn’t all that impressed and the interior is basic and dated. The restaurant is dependant on tourist who don’t know better. Expected more from a restaurant on Royal Mile, there are better Italian restaurants out there… Go a bit further a field and got to La Favorita, in Leith.

I’m a vegetarian American in Edinburgh for a conference. Came by this restaurant on a wet Sunday evening looking for a warm meal and felt immediately welcome by all the wait staff and, apparently, Gordon. I had the pizza fungi and it was absolutely delicious! Well seasoned, well cooked toppings, good cheese and a nice thin crust.
Oh, and free wifi — useful for people dining alone and wanting to browse the web while eating.

visited on tuesday 29^th march — using a groupon voucher — went early doors before heading to see Greg Davies at Royal Festival Hall (far superior to this experience) … Arrived to a restaurant with just two other tables of people in it (to be fair it was only 5.30pm) but for some reason got stuck right next to another couple despite loads of empty seats — and the next couple half an hour later got put directly next to us!!!
The starters (minestrone soup) and pizza garlic bread with tomato were ok… nothing flash, but edible at least. The mains however (nothing tricky — a parma ham pizza and a mushroom, ham and pepperoni pizza) were awful — bland, tasteless, undercooked and stodgy — the «ham» was reformed nonsense and the pepperoni full of fat… obviously the guy serving (looked like maybe the owner) spotted the vast leftovers on the plates — and asked «what was wrong» to which I discreetly pointed out the pizzas were undercooked and tasteless — his reaction… a shrug and wandering off to fetch us the bill. Interesting take on customer service.
I’d thoroughly recommend going to any number of other far better eateries in Edinburgh — i’m reviewing at least two others after this that were outstanding — shame some continue to appal whilst those around shine brighter…
And to top it off, the place was filthy.
AVOID.

It’s interesting to read the variety of opinions about this place. I’ve been here once, and I don’t remember having a particularly strong opinion on it either way. Nonetheless, it is worthy of a review.
The restaurant itself is situated on the bustling Royal Mile, which at this time of year (summer) is full of tourists, though mercifully not as busy as when the Festival is on. It enjoys a prime location on a street that is devoid of many restaurants, instead being full of gift shops for the tourists.
I personally didn’t find the food to be too memorable, but then if I want an Italian meal, I will tend to default to Pizza Express. I do, however, remember enjoying a nice sorbet for dessert, which was very tasty. My other lasting memory is of someone cheering when a glass was dropped on the floor, but this is something that happens everywhere of course!
It’s a small restaurant inside, and it does feel a little dated in the décor. On the whole, the experience was a good one, but I tend to feel that I would go for a chain restaurant in preference.

OMG Gordon’s Trattoria is our favorite Edinburgh Restaurant. Right on the Royal Mile in the middle of everything. The food is to die for. They always make my daughter her favorite «Angelena Pizza» — it’s heart shaped with just sauce & cheese. Look here:
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Eat here. The pastas are the best and you can do a ½ portion if it’s too much for you, but I recommend you get the whole thing and take some home. It’s even better the next day.

It was nice to sit outside and eat (and people watch on the Royal Mile), and the owner came out a few times to chat, which was nice. The food was pretty good; I was quite taken by the penne with pesto. The beer selection was pretty awful, though. Food-​wise, you could do a lot worse on the Royal Mile, that’s for damn sure.

It’s sitting on the Royal Mile, so it’s not going to be Little Italy.
It’s a nice enough place, with a warm welcome (from Gordon himself, if you’re lucky) and nice enough décor. A bit dated, but hey. The food is questionable… I’ve eaten here a few times and tried to vary what I have, but it all tastes the same — bland! The Spaghetti Carbonarra is faaar too creamy for my liking (and my hips didn’t thank me) and the meat can be chewy. I don’t know why I come back here, I think it’s because my Dad likes it — but he likes Ronan Keating, so y’know…

You can tell you’re in tourist trap territory, when the Italian restaurant isn’t called «Giuseppe’s» or «Roberto’s», but «Gordon’s». It doesn’t exactly stir up thoughts of gondola rides in Venice, espressos in a Milanese street café, or hazy meditteranean nights in a country run by a perverted, far-​right criminal.
It’s nothing like as bad as some of the Royal Mile’s more appalling wallet emptiers though, with passable pizza and pasta on offer. Not really much to see here for locals, but it does it’s job of parting the unimaginativce from their cash.

I went to this restraunt for a birthday dinner and it was fabulous. The service was exquisit, the food was delicious and the prices were absolutely fantastic.
Well done trattorias!