Papavero

I’ve been twice now and both times the food has been excellent. Now on offer is 3 courses for under £10 which is excellent value. Freshly made. Staff are lovely. Very friendly and attentive. Will be going back.

We really enjoyed the Papavero restaurant while on holiday in Edinburgh recently. It was near the Apt. that we rented so we were able to try it three times during the week we stayed. Overall, the value for the money on the 2-​course and 3-​course (less than £10 each) lunches was really good. It was a nice way to stretch our US dollars against the pound (that was running at about a 55% surcharge during our stay). The variety of items on the menu was good including traditional Scottish and Italian fare, and the quality was «chef-​inspired» and pretty gourmet in my opinion. My wife had the chicken Caesar salad every time with a special honey mustard dressing made by the chef, since she’s allergic to lemon. She also tried the fish/​chips, and a couple of pasta dishes. I had the spaghetti bolognese two times and the chef’s daily special on the last day. It was a ravioli and mushroom dish in a light cream sauce. We finished with a cappuccino and a latte with our dessert. I had the panna cotta and my wife had the tiramisu. I also tried the banoffee pie. Gregory, the chef-​manager, said that his wife made the tiramisu that was as good as what we had in Italy last year! I think his brother works in the kitchen too, so it’s a really nice family-​run business.
Please give them a try, since you won’t be disappointed!
Just remember that they’re closed on Monday.

Gorgeous pizzas and great service. We were introduced to Papavero through a Groupon offer, but also noticed they advertise a lot of specials and deals on their website too — worth checking out as it can be really good value. That said, it’s well priced even without a special deal. Top quality Italian food, a lovely bijou ambience and service with a smile. Definitely a new favourite for us.

After a hard day at work I ventured out to Papavero for a nice and relaxing meal.
It was packed and was a tad on the merry/​noisy side.
For starter I chose Aubergine Garlic Bread. The portion did appear rather on the smaller side, however, the taste really was quite good.
For my main course, I tried, Rack of Lamb. This was just so perfect, I was flabbergasted as to how good it was. The Lamb was cooked just right and effortlessly merged with the gravy.
Service was quite snooty and not that attentive.
I was going to rate Papavero 2 Stars, however, the Rack of Lamb saved the day and moved the rating up to an easy 3 Stars.

Taking over where the Room in the Town used to be, Papavero is an Italian-​Scottish fusion place, with a very broad menu of options. I really enjoyed my soup and pizza, but it’s hard to tell where the real gems lie on the menu, without closer inspection. Fortunately, things are very reasonably priced, so it lends itself to multiple visits.
The interior is really very smart, and the welcome friendly, so if all the dishes on the menu match up, this has a good chance of being a much-​loved place.
Overall, we said: «I enjoyed my visit to Papavero. With a menu that seeks to blend styles, it’s even harder than usual to give a rounded assessment in just one visit, but the place is starting from a good level of quality. Things are very reasonably priced and the breadth of choice is likely to please. I look forward to seeing how things develop, as I think it has an opportunity to become a real New Town favourite.»