Ciao Roma: Restaurant Review

The Witchery or Ciao Roma .... Hmmmm tough choice.

If you don't live in Edinburgh (or Perth) you probably won't have heard of Ciao Roma. Whilst Edinburgh has some excellent Italian Restaurants, this isn't one of them. Only once in my life have I ever not tipped in a restaurant: the restaurant in question no longer exists and the service was truly appalling.

Tonight came very close.

OK I like really nice restaurants, but at the end of the day when I go out for a meal, all I really want is decent food, decent service and a good night out - of course my expectations vary depending on what price I'm paying. Ciao Roma is cheap, so my expectations are low.

Food

You can look at the menu, but really, just imagine ordinary Italian food, the kind you could do at home (no offence), and then downgrade it. You can do better yourself.

For starters I had 'peperoni': peppers stuffed with mozzarella and goats cheese. A waiter told me it was an excellent choice: I would hate to have tried anything ordinary. It lacked goats cheese, had too much cheap mozzarella, and hadn't heard of seasoning.

For the main course, I went for a chicken and mushroom pizza. Pretty ordinary with a soggy base. The Cannelloni looked OK ...

I skipped dessert, but to be fair the Tiramisu didn't look like it came out of a packet (which is always a bonus), and I could smell the alcohol for miles. Instead I opted for a 'double espresso': what it lacked in taste it made up for in quantity.

I wish I could write more, but I just can't bring myself to.

Service

Now comes the sucker punch. Imagine ordinary food with terrible service. We had a large table, but even so: 2 pieces of cutlery had to be sent back because they were not clean. When we arrived we were short of four wine glasses. How can you set a table so badly as to forget to put out wine glasses??

The staff are clearly having to look after too many tables, as getting anyone to take a drinks order was very hard work and even paying the bill took time.

Rating

Just don't go. There are many other Italian restaurants in Edinburgh which are far better value. May I offer a small selection here:

Vittorias on Leith Walk: I haven't been for a while but a very good basic Italian.

Guilliano's on the Shore: this is smaller than the one on Leith Walk, features fresh seafood, and is excellent for both groups and small tables. Recommended.

Cento Tre: George Street and higher end. I've not been in for a while, but have been very impressed on previous visits.

Vin Caffe: Valvona and Crolla's restaurant on Multrees Walk. A truly excellent restaurant (although quite expensive) with stunning food and a fabulous wine list. I really hope to be going back there soon - and if so I'll definitely post a review!

I'm sure there are many other good Italians in Edinburgh, but Ciao Roma is definitely not one of them. If you do decide to go, don't expect much ...