Pizza Express

my kids have grown up with Pizza Express on the Shore. It’s nothing special other than the closest by. Chances are my kids will choose it if I give them a choice of where to go for dinner. You know the menu by now!

We had a totally farcically bad time here last year, and following an even worse (top 3 worst EVER restaurant experiences) in North Bridge Pizza Express, it took a lot for us to go here tonight. Actually it took rubbish treatment across the road, dirty eyes (don’t you dare come in here even though we’re still open eyes) from a close by establishment, and a bunch of actual closed places at 9.15 on an August Thursday night for us to plump for PE.
To my total surprise and delight, they immediately restored my faith in hospitality. The server who greeted us was «glad to» seat us, chat a bit, read us like books, bring us everything we ordered and more, make us feel at ease, feed us yummy dishes, and earn every penny he and the company makes. He was really good at his job and seemed to genuinely enjoy himself. Finally…
SO Pizza Express Shore are back on the list (never thought i“d say that! Tho North Bridge will never get another chance). Thanks to them and our server. You made a crappy night miles better…

a warm sunny evening had me off to meet up with the lovely nikki a. for some pizza, gossip, and free prosecco from pizza express. now, perhaps pizza express isn’t the first place that comes to mind when thinking of where to go for a girly night out, but it was hard to resist since they had sent me a voucher for a bottle of free prosecco for my birthday :)
we’d booked a table outside, but decided that it was getting a bit breezy so the waiter happily showed us a table inside. although there was only two of us he sat us at a table for four which was nice since we had a bit of extra space. he almost promptly brought the prosecco over so we could have a drink while looking over the menu.
pizza express clearly does one thing well and that is pizza! we both went for the pandana leggera pizza, while i started with the mozarella and tomato salad and my dining partner had the dough balls. although we were initially told that it could be up to 30 minutes for food, our starters arrived fairly quickly. a mozarella and tomato salad is basic but i think what makes the pizza express version is their amazing pesto sauce drizzled around the side! i only wish there had been more of it!
pizzas arrived shortly after starters, so i assume the kitchen wasn’t as slow as they predicted. although the leggere version is smaller than the typical version, i definitely didn’t feel like i was missing out on anything! that pizza base was crisp and the goats cheese and carmalised onions made it delicious. i also felt sort of healthy with the salad in the middle of the pizza, although that may have been cancelled out by the polenta fries nikki and i shared. as a side note the polenta fries are awesome and sharing food means that calories don’t count ;)
we finished up with the mini desserts, me opting for the brownie and a tea instead of the coffee. the brownie was incredibly good and indulgent but the perfect size as it was just big enough to really enjoy but small enough not to feel like i was overindulging.
the food was definitely good, but i also have to make a point of saying that the service was really excellent. our prosecco glasses never went empty (until sadly the bottle was finished), the wait staff was super attentive making sure that our food was brought out promptly and any extras were brought out as well. also our waiter had a bit of witty banter with us which made it for a very fun evening!
definitely enjoyed this pizza express and i know i’ll be back :)

Really surprised by my experience here. Yes, it is Pizza Express, but the make over with the modern décor and pretty comfortable chairs, then I was happy to dine here and what is more, I really enjoyed it.
The new gluten free options means that I had choice here and I thought the pizza was pretty yummy. It is a standard base used — no options on size and thickness but it is thin and crispy, with the right amount of crunch. There are a good range of toppings available (sadly no Sloppy Giuseppe) and my la Reina was tasty and well covered with toppings.
A nice addition is the mini bites with coffee. Dessert is available but you can also get coffee with a range of mini desserts when you want something sweet but can’t face a full dessert. There is an option of a gluten free brownie and despite my brownie fatigue, it was really good and just enough to round off a meal.
So as Claire C has mentioned, there’s deals aplenty for Pizza Express so its worth checking before heading here but for tasty food, good service and nice surroundings then it is worth a visit. And for sunny nights, the outdoor seating at The Shore is lovely.

Really good. I don’t know how to say this any better. They have done away with the ‘wood and rustic’ feel that was seriously outdated. Instead they now have tables with Italian marble and Mediterranean stripe. Soft mint green walls and a real open kitchen.
The offererings are same ol’ same ol’, and with the fresh interior and quality on offer it is still just as tasty. We ordered a mezze starter mix and a variety of Romana pizzas — and a gluten free one as well. all this went down a treat and — yes — we bagged and tagged the leftovers.
The service was quick, curteous and flexible! I ordered an affagato — though not being on the menu they happily managed to serve us one.
For a chain this place is very very good!

Well, it’s Pizza Express, innit. You know what you’re getting as soon as you step into this place. Consistently tasty food on a voucher deal and pretty quick and painless service.
I’ve been in and out of this restaurant quite a few times over the past six months and have no complaints. Just always remember to check the voucher sites before turning up — the idea of paying full price for a Pizza Express is like paying full price for a Domino’s.

I love pizza, and by that I mean good pizza. Not pizza like you get from pizza hut that also seems like the crust is somehow deep fried.
Pizza Express is a chain yes but like I have said judge a place by what it sets out to do. PE aims to deliver good pizza for the family at affordable prices but with an edge of qaulity about it.
Slick décor, friendly staff, nice menus all set a good tone. Pizzas of every variety as well at the opportunity to add your own toppings makes me a happy man.
Take a margerita… add some black olives… throw on some anchovies and drizzle with chilli oil and you have my idea of heaven! Nom nom nom!
They have a very reasonable selection of Italian wines as well — most under £20. Desert range for me is where is goes a bit wrong — hate the lemon meringue tart — shop bought/​frozen rubbish — that accounts for their lost star.
Pizza Express… does the job!

I’ve never been a PE fan. PE of the Italian nature in this particular case, but the boy wanted pizza, I wanted kitchen tiles and definitely didn’t want the options in our local area. To Leith! And to the offerings on both the tile and pizza front. With great reluctance (me), we settle on Pizza Express as it has a greater variety of options for the non meat eater.
And I have to say, along with my pizza, I’ll eat my words, as this was good pizza. I had the vegetarian ‘doughnut’ pizza i.e. pizza with salad in the middle (500 calories baby) complete with roasted onions, courgette and pepper. Delicious! The boy enjoyed his chicken pizza in equal measure.
PE — I stand corrected, you are very worthy of my coinage. At least at this branch.

Pizza Express is a chain of restaurants that somehow never actually feels like a chain. I attribute this to their unerring instinct for picking fabulous and interesting locations for their branches, lending them a touch of class and preventing them from ever seeming generic.
This one on the Shore is no exception to this rule, as it rubs shoulders with Michelin-​starred restaurants on the same street, catering to customers who are keen to enjoy the ambience of the Waters of Leith lapping outside the front door, but are unwilling to pay £100 for their dinner.
Of course, the menu is the same everywhere, but sometimes it’s reassuring to know what you’re getting, and at Pizza Express you’re never really taking a gamble with the food as everything is pretty nice. In fact, sometimes better than nice — last time I was here I had an awesome decadent dessert of stewed figs served with mascarpone and black coffee that was just about perfect.

Lovely, fresh pizza. The way it should be! A big range of toppings that you wish you could just have a slice of everything! Atmosphere is relaxed so is even a good place to go with a loved one (for pizza)
And being at the shore it’s always a nice walk after your meal.

I really like this Pizza Express and I always take advantage of their 2 for 1 offers on the website or the back of cinema tickets. Service is swift and the food is consistant. The large windows give a nice view of the water and bustle at the Leith shore. There are lots of healthy options on the menu as well decent veggie options.

If I wasn’t staying in Edinburgh for a week or so, I probably wouldn’t have tried this place but I’m so glad that we had a craving for pizza on our trip. Pizza Express was unique enough for me to try and they certainly made my night enjoyable … food wise that is as this location had crappy service.
I’m deducting one star for bad service as everything else was great. Our waitress was the classic «I so don’t want to be here» type and I sensed our doomed service from the first 10 minutes! Oh well, the manager did step in from time to time and he was the polar opposite.
Alright down to business, the pizzas were awesome! The categorize them in four styles. The classic is a regular crust pizza, the romana is stretch thin and cooked on a wire mesh, the Theo Randall is made with Gaziello extra virgin olive oil, and the leggera is unique in that it is thin crust pizza with the center missing and a salad put in its place! These pizzas are about 500 calories so I can see why some people would try it.
I had a Theo Gamberretini pizza with is described as a delicate marriage of brown shrimps, grated zucchini and garlic, with a créme fraîche and tomato sauce. Finished with grana padano, fresh parsley, lemon and chilli oil on the side. Yumtastic I tell ya!
The antipasto platter as a starter and the gelato for dessert was good start and end to the evening. This restaurant is situated in a very nice area by the Leith docks. I’m sure to try this place again if ever in Edinburgh again. In the meantime, I’ll look for something similar here in the Chicago, the city of the deep dish! I know … wishful thinking!

Pizza Express is fantastic. It serves wonderful, freshly prepared, food and they will accommodate special dietary needs without a fuss. Prices are reasonable and they often run 2 for 1 pizza vouchers online or in the national press. The staff are friendly and helpful and the food is delivered fairly fast (although a bit slower on weekends). They do a take-​away service but you have to pick up would be great if, in the future, you were able to get a take-​away brought straight to your door. Kids menu is superb (and as health as can be) and very well priced.

The location of this restaurant is perfect. It is at the shore. They have these huge windows that open up in the front of the restaurant. I came here on a nice day, the windows were open and there was a breeze. It was wonderful. As for seating, even after having been to the restaurant, I am confused as to weather you are supposed to seat yourself or notsome people did, some people didn’t. The food was good, but after having been to La Favorita a few times, I realize there is no better pizza in townsorry Pizza Express! We got the dough balls to start with, and they are wonderful, fresh from the oven. The service was standard. If you are in the area, the restaurant is worth going to and they have very reasonable prices (everything seems to be under 10).

Despite being part of a chain each Pizza Express in Edinburgh has a certain charm and the one in Leith certainly has an extra dose. The décor is fairly minimal but warm and inviting, and the open kitchen definitely opens your appetite too!!! The menu is not huge but has enough variety to keep most people happy, and it is the perfect place to feel a bit grown up while still stuffing your face on a good old pizza (with a knife and fork –after all it is a civilised joint). Stick to the pizzas or the lasagne, the other pasta dishes aren’t exactly big and filling, and the salads are a bit overpriced considering it is just lettuce eh! They don’t do steaks or chicken dishes either, their speciality really is pizza, but on the whole the atmosphere is friendly and informal, the food tasty and the service efficient.