Café Domenico

This place is a family favourite of ours! Can’t fault the gorgeous Italian food and the service is always top notch. They’re super accommodating and very friendly.
Organised a birthday lunch here for my brother with kids and adults and when one of the toddlers got a bit restless they suggested taking him out to the nearby playpark. Such a good idea! It was quite a disorganised affair but they handled our booking fabulously, always worth a trip down Leith for a meal here!

Good menu choice for a small restaurant. Nice quaint atmosphere and good pasta. Had the daily special of rigatoni, very nice.

How delighted was I to rock up here to meet some Unilocalers before a Cocktail Quest, to discover it wasn’t just a ‘café’ as the name implies, but a lovely family-​run Italian restaurant (or at least, that’s how it felt). Not a ‘genuine’ Italian restaurant that’s mainstream; but a real hidden gem, tucked up a side street that only the locals know about.
And run by two very noteable Italian gentleman, who made it feel like I’ve stepped off of the streets of Leith and into a restaurant right in the middle of Rome.
I didn’t have any food, only a glass of wine. But I intend to come back very soon for dinner, as all the Unilocalers said the food wad deeeelicious (and judging by a near full order for desserts after mains, and clean plates, it was!)
Bellisima!

Well as #Cocktailquest strives to find the best in mixology the city has to offer Robyn wisely suggested we get some dinner first to ensure we were all 100% ready for the challenge that lay ahead.
Having lived and worked in Leith in the past Domenicos is close to my heart, from their daily lunchtime specialis to the focaccia sandwiches they have always been at hand with a taste of Italy.
So as to last night, 8 hungry Unilocalers deceneded looking for a comforting meal on a cold night. From the minute you walk in the door Tony greets you like a long lost friend. His hospitality is second to none. I was running erm rather late for dinner so instructed Caz to order on my behalf. Having been given 3 options I went for the seafood stew… it was a good choice.
As a starter we were given a selection of anti-​pasti — cheese… meats…ccheeeeese, roasted veg… lovely.
To my fish stew — mussels, salmon, squid, haddock… smoked haddock all in a lovely broth. With bread on the side for mopping this was a very enjoyable dish. The mussels and the smoked fish were particularly tasty.
For desert I initially ordered the tiramisu — as it seemed I was getting the last one I agreed to share with Scott so we both got half tiramisu/​half banoffee pie. Nice enough and washed down with a lemoncello even better :)

Visually, the restaurant is pretty unassuming. Inside it has the classic décor of a local Italian dive with checkered tablecloths.
From the start the waiter was talkative and friendly, offering us dishes not on the menu. When he mistakenly described the special as also coming with king prawns he promised that he could have it made that way especially for us. The chef also stopped by the table a couple of times to joke with us and ask how the meal was going.
I was tempted by the pasta + wine special for £7.90, but I couldn’t resist the Seafood Stew based on Blythe’s recommendation. The stew was overflowing with fresh mussels and fish for £15. I’m not a big fan of salmon, so I was pleased that the stew had a rich variety of flavors, including a nicely smoked whitefish. The broth was tasty, but when I went to sop it up with the accompanying bread I was disappointed. The bread fell apart in my hands and had a wholegrain taste that didn’t match the rest of the food.
For dessert I tried the Tiramisu and Banoffee pie. Both were fine, but nothing exciting.

As I have mentioned before, I am an insufferable boring snob when it comes to Italian food outside of Italy. I’m so horrible that I don’t even want to listen to myself go on about it, which is why I rarely bother to try Italian restaurants in the UK at all. But when other people suggest a friendly meet-​up at one, I try not to be a jerk about it, so I just show up with a smile. Which explains how I ended up at Domenico one evening. Lucky for me, because it was an utterly charming experience. The service was personable, welcoming, and accommodating. The food was, well, pretty good. Pasta cooked correctly. Good house wine at a reasonable price. Decent grappa.
I would go again. This is high praise, I assure you.

Utterly delicious!
It’s small, busy, tables all squidged together, with a real Italian family restaurant feel and the food is superb! I’d happily eat here every day. Yummy!

Great little haven. Family business run on lots of heart. Lovely food. Exceptionally reasonable prices. A must-​try !

wednesday night found me merrily skipping my way from the bus stop to the warm lights of this restaurant that i have been desperate to try for ages! i was so excited, as the only reviews i’d ever heard about café domenicos could be summed up with the word AMAZING.
opening the door i was first greeted by one of my lovely night out companions sitting down followed by the handsome waiter asking if i would like my coat hung up. so with a good looking man providing the service, the evening was already off to a great start! our third companion for the night came along shortly after and we deliberated over the menus.
the first thing i noticed about the menu was how concise it was. about 6 starters, 6 pasta dishes, and 4 – 5 main courses and a handful of specials. even with limited options though i still found it rather difficult to make my choice! after a bit of debate and discussion with the waiter we ordered the fig and blue cheese bruschetta, a tomato, mozarella, and pesto bruschetta, spicy sausage and red pepper pasta (extra chilli and garlic), auberigne and tomato pasta, and pesto, spinach, and broccoli pasta.
just a note, they offer a deal monday thru wednesday for a pasta dish and a glass of wine for £7.50. they kindly subsituted my glass of wine for a diet coke as i wasn’t drinking that night.
The bruschettas took a bit of time to arrive as the waiter made them all fresh, but they were definitely worth the wait. each toasted piece of fresh bread was topped high with tasty ingredients accompanied by a sizeable portion of rocket and tomato salad dressed with olive oil. both bruschettas were very good but i have to say the figs with blue cheese was just delicious! the combination of the sweet fig with the salty slightly pungent blue cheese and the crispy bread was like bruschetta heaven in my mouth…
pastas arrived in an appropriate time after our starters had been cleared and for £7.50 (including the drink) these were very good portions! my plate held a very pleasing meal of spinach and broccoli with penne pasta mixed through with fresh pesto and just a hint of cream to bring it all together. topped with parmesan, i very happily ate the lot because it was so tasty and comforting. my fellow companions also found their dishes very tasty and we were even paid a visit by the chef to see how our dinners were.
as we had a movie to go to and decided to get some cinema treats, we didn’t get dessert although there were a few tasty options on the menu. the waiter kindly brought the cheque and was happy to accept three forms of payment as well.
i was very impressed with café domenico and felt that it completely lived up to expectations and i’m looking forward to going back already! the excellent customer service and their willingness to tailor dishes or make them up specific to a diner’s need was a really nice touch. not too mention how delicious and fresh the food is and the excellent value for money, seriously can this place do anything wrong?
perhaps as i’m desperate to get lunch there as both my friends raved about the quality of the sandwiches, but working many miles away from leith will not allow such luxuries. maybe they could set up a delivery service???

Good service and even better food!
I went in late on a weekday lunchtime for a sandwich so they were pretty much shutting up. The staff were friendly though and happy to have a look about to see what they had left.
I went for a ‘mexican’ sandwich off the specials board. Freshly cooked (I assume) breadcrumbed chicken, salsa, guacamole, rocket, jalapeños, and no doubt some other things I can’t remember. All the ingredients were great, from the bread to the rocket and especially the chicken. The combination worked really well too, it’s good to get something that has had a bit of thought put into the flavours rather than just chucked together.
All in all a great visit, and cheap too for what I got. I’ll certainly be returning a bit earlier next time and maybe sometime to try the restaurant/​café for a sit in meal.

From the when you enter the door, to the moment you sit back and sigh after a happy, hearty meal, Café Domenico makes you feel like you’ve been embraced in the welcoming hug of a true Italian family.
Café Domenico is one of the most charming, delicious spots in Edinburgh and Leith, with fresh, exquisite ingredients, real Italian cooking, and genuine, kindly and fun service. If I could, I would visit Café Domenico for breakfast, lunch and dinner every single week.
Particular favourites are their lunchtime sandwiches, wraps and pastas — these cause a queue around the corner they are so scrumptious! For dinner, the intimate surroundings are perfect for a romantic date, or a family get together. Their antipasti platters are some of the most impressive I’ve seen in Edinburgh, and they are always happy to adapt meals off their menu or specials to suit your every whim!

lovely resturant great food big helpings and very friendly staff I had scallops cooked to perfection

Amazing sandwiches for take away lunch; lovely lunchtime pasta dishes; create rustic evening dishes. An absolute winner and Lunch Quest favourite.

If you want great not just good but really great Italian Food this is the place to go. It is on the outskirts of town but it is well worth a trip. Accessible by the #22 bus from town. For starters we ordered Bruschetta (Basil pesto, mozzarella cheese and fresh tomatoes) £4.50 and Mussels Marinera £4.50 The Bruschetta was deliciously full of flavour. For the main dish I had the Ravioli with Wild Mushroom in a cream sauce. Oh man! It was heaven! James had the pasta with chorizo and sea food. We both ordered off the «specials for the day» menu and loved our choices. The house wine was smooth and easy.

Now my favourite restaurant in Edinburgh for both Lunch and Dinner! Love it :) Excellent prices, an ever changing menu that always has something delicious. Great!

Enjoyed our business lunch, good food well served — so few restaurants manage to get the pace right for diners these days — good value for money and very welcoming. We all liked the atmosphere, so a great success.

Domenicos is simply the best place to get a sandwich at lunchtime in Leith. Fresh ingredients, generous portions, and great service not to mention the incredible prices. The pasta is also great if you’re not in a sandwich mood.

Four of us (two adults and two children) hit upon Domenico’s by chance for a late lunch when travelling through Leith. We ate in — as the last reviewer says they have a few tables inside (maybe 40 covers) and some outside — which weren’t an option for us in Leith between Christmas & New Year!
The lunch was excellent, the service superb — they managed to maintain an authentic Italian atmosphere despite the fact that most of the time we were the only ones there! 3 of us had pasta off the lunchtime menu — an excellent choice and all with just the right balance of ingredients. The children had been warned about the spice in the spicy sausage and asparagus and it certainly was spicy and authentic. The fourth meal was off the lunchtime special menu — seafood provinciale. This was great food and great value with mussels, squid, king prawns and a crayfish in a fishy, rich tomatoey sauce. We only managed two puddings — a mango sorbet which was full of flavour and an excellent home made tiramasu. Puddings had generous portions and were brought with extra spoons to share. The only downside we found was the toilets — not large enough to satisfy the female members of our party! We thought this was excellent value for this quality of food — £46 including drinks for the 4 of us –and will certainly be back.

Just off Commercial Street on Sandport Street, Domenico’s does quite simply the best takeaway sandwich in Edinburgh. This tiny deli-​cum-​café is massively popular with office workers in the Shore area and the queue at lunchtimes is usually onto the street but it is well worth the wait every time. You choose your roll then select from a mouth-​watering range of sandwich options or invent your own from the staggering array of ingredients in front of you. The black olive pesto is particularly good but it’s pretty hard to go wrong. There are also a few tables if you want to eat in and when you do the food is equally amazing. Book a table or you’ve little chance of even getting in the door.