Polentoni in Edinburgh, City of

One of the best sandwiches I’ve ever tasted

Absolutely fantastic food (heavenly focaccias, eggs and spinach being my favourite), great service, very reasonably priced and a very welcoming place. Italian stuff at its finest - cannot recommend enough 👍👍👍

Felt this need to post this as I’m flabbergasted that this place has anything but 5 star reviews. The food that is served here is GENUINELY the most flavourful and well thought out food I’ve had in Edinburgh. The only negative I have is that you can only get the pasta between a few hours in the mid-day, and I genuinely can’t complain as the pasta is hands down the best I’ve ever had in my life (I’m not over exaggerating, I’d pay quadruple what it’s priced at based on how good it tastes). To those complaining that it’s no longer a sit in bakery / restaurant, there are so many other places to go. I believe a local guide gave the place 1 star based SOLELY on this, and clearly never tried the food as it’s hands down better than 90% of what’s around. Incredible ingredients, extremely fair prices. PLEASE go to try the food here, there should be something for everyone and if you can get there around 11/12am, you HAVE to get the pasta (doesn’t matter which pasta, they all taste other worldly). My boss and I go here whenever we can and it’s continuously the highlight of our day!

Amazing, high-quality, authentic and delicious. I wish I could eat lunch here everyday.

Superb sandwiches, perhaps the best in Edinburgh The porchetta in particular is divine but I always feel spoiled for choice. I really can't pass the shop without getting a sandwich.

The food here is so good, the focaccia especially is amazing (also their pasta fagioli is delicious!) and the house bread is really tasty. Have tried a few cakes and cookies and they're always great too. Not expensive at all, and everyone is always friendly and nice. Love it!

The ciabattas we got were incredible. They had a truffle sauce, rocket and a tasty but subtly flavoured ham. We were expecting it to be far more expensive than it was. Best thing we ate in Edinburgh

In an area overrun with bougie cafes this spot really stands out for lunch on the go. Best sandwich I’ve had in a very long time, also they were kind to my dog.

Ein Salami-Sandwicht, das seinesgleichen sucht gibt es hier!! Mit (für UK-Verhältnisse) super Brot und Trüffelöl-ein kulinarischer Genuss.

Absolutely delicious - got a mix of calzones, arancini and polenta fritters. Incredibly complex flavours which is incredible for the price. Highly recommend!

INCREDIBLE. Get your running shoes on now & dash down for a slice of heavenly focaccia for your lunch. You won't regret it.

This is one of the few gems on Easter Road and worth the trek! Franco is a master at his craft and turns out high quality in a very consistent way. His foccaia is tender and fresh, arancini awesome, sandwiches are made with fresh baked bread and fresh ingredients (you can watch him making them each morning), the pizzas he makes are delicious and inventive. The sweet stuff he sells is pure addiction level stuff! If you find youself at the top of Easter Road, stop here for a little something to carry you on down the road.

I took a meadley of cakes for my boss birthday and what a TREAT - Absolutely beautiful and huge portions - I will for sure be back !

Lovely place with friendly staff! I work from home occasionally and it’s my go-to for picking up lunch. It does delicious filled ciabattas to take away but there is so much more, including focaccias, soups, salads, pastas, and it is all so fresh. Definitely recommend.

I love their focaccias, if I could I would eat them every day!

Best sandwiches in Edinburgh. Super nice staff as well. Always the highlight of my weekend when we go. They do this bean, pancetta and parmesan soup which probably the best soup I’ve ever had

Looks like it still has some great food but - be warned that - since Lockdown it no longer has any dine-in facilities at all so basically is now a takeaway Italian sandwich shop where you need to queue out in the street to get served. NOTE: you can therefore basically discount any reviews or photos or menus here on Google that are from February 2020 or beforehand - it’s a real shame as Polentoni WAS a 5-star café /bistro back in the day! A real loss to Easter Rd.😞

Looked from the photos like this is a cafe. The name and the pictures of tables misled us. The reality was very different as you can see from the photos. It looked like you couldn't even go in. There was a tiny bench inside but no tables inside or out. Yes, it was during opening hours.

The fabulous bakery in Edinburgh🤩. I used to live in the neighbourhood and buy bread here for breakfast. Their spinach and egg bread and roasted potato bread were my favourite. This is the place I've missed the most since I moved.🥹

Came for the Fringe, but this little bakery was a highlight! Great value, great taste, and very authentic. The sandwiches and pastries/cakes are fantastic, looking forward to visiting again in the future!

Just had a fantastic potato and mozzarella focaccia and delicious flat white followed by some cheeky morning chocolate cake. Everything was 🤌🏼🥰 ✨ thank you!

One of the best places to eat in Edinburgh.

Good food , good people , good prices ( which appeals to me being a good Aberdonian ) I had the zuppa di pesce and my wife the pasta fagioli , both outstanding . Could have eaten the whole menu . Best Italian food in town by far ( and I’ve tried a few )

Vraiment nul, ne regardez pas les photos, car il y a aucune table c’est que à l’emporter. La personne était mal polis…

one of my favourite places in edinburgh!

Excellent sandwiches at a very reasonable price! Various options and really nice bread!

As an exchange student returning home soon, this is one of my favorite spots in Edinburgh which I will miss extremely. I quite simply cannot walk by without buying something. I go absolutely feral for one of their Parma ham sandwiches with courgette pesto, rocket & mozz on the freshest, crustiest bread. And would promise my first born for a slice of the chocolate cake. This shop is also run by the loveliest individuals which makes stopping by such a pleasure!

Everything is perfect! Amazing quality and care. Some space to sit in would be lovely, but I’ll gladly buy their bakes to take away regardless

I reviewed this 4 years ago when this was a sit in cafe. 4 years on I still love the food and still keep a high 5/5 rating! Recently just started ordering the soups for lunches instead of my usual sandwich choices. The lentil parmesan and pancetta is the tastiest soup I've ever had in my life!

Unfortunately after Covid there is no opportunity to sit down and relax. Only takeaways.

Complimenti per il posto. Passato con amici per una colazione. Ho preferito il salato, la focaccia era molto buona e anche la mozzarella e il prosciutto. Prezzo non eccessivo per la Scozia e raffrontato con l'Italia sicuramente è migliore di tanti.

My favourite eatery in the area. Highly recommend!

Ridiculously delicious. The artichoke and potato focaccia made my morning

A bakery like cut and paste from Italy. So authentic and delicious. Best schiacciata in the city!

Absolutely cracking sandwich, nice and fresh

Great Italian food, wonderful soup. Sublime sourdough chiabatta for an amazing price. Also great iced coffees for your sugar fix. Get there before 1pm or it's all snapped up.

I got the soup for lunch today and it was delicious also the roll I got with it was a very happy bonus, both delicious

Mushroom and Gorgonzola arancini, beautiful. Cancel your weekend plans and get down here. Bella bella

I've been living just off Easter Road for 2 years now and Poletoni has been consistently amazing. My partner and I get breakfast foccacia here at least once a week, with a regularly changing selection of toppings, as well as great lunch options and a recent addition of freshly squeezed juices. 3 years of working in hospitality in the city and Polentoni stands out as my favourite family establishment, amazing stuff.

The most amazing sandwiches! Taste of Italy.

Simply the best. I miss living in Edinburg mostly because of them...it's THAT good!

The absolute best! Love their breakfast focaccias and pastas. Run by the loveliest family. A real Easter Road locals place.

First visit to Polentoni today. Wow, absolutely fabulous Italian sandwich (Coppa)! Best sandwich in Edinburgh - bar none!! Highly recommended. Will be back next time in the area. Thank you. Charlie

Great spinach calzone and ciabatta sandwiches (mortadella is my favorite). And the best is actually the chocolate cake! It was surprisingly good! I hope they will have sit-in soon, I would love to have a proper polenta.

Simple, delicious sandwiches of fresh crunchy bread; small, round, fluffy pizzas; cakes and pastries with price tags that make you wonder why everyone else is charging so much. This is simply the best place in Edinburgh for a quick take-away lunch, and deservedly sells-out early.

Best place for coffee and food in the area £2.50 for a great flat white both next door coffee shops are 90p more a cup.

Friendly host but unfortunately only take away during pandemic.

Great and authentic sandwiches and cakes.

I've been here loads of times and it's always amazing - great food, service and very reasonably priced. It has a very nice family feel to it.

Amazing food. The focaccia is delcious and the ciabatta sandwiches are to die for. Great customer service too. I have a dairy allergy and they always do their best to accommodate 👌🏻

What a find sandwiches were amazing and the blueberry dessert was delicious

Just the best. Absolutely perfect. So wish it was closer to Midlothian and I’d go every single day. I cannot believe there’s not always a queue down the street. Fantastic food. Never been let down over the years. Just sublime.

This place does amazing food, the hot food is fantastic as are the sandwiches. And the cakes!

Great food! Staff are always very friendly too

Fantastic wee cafe, amazingly delicious Italian pastries, focaccia, sandwiches, and other tasty treats. The flavour and quality of ingredients are top notch, at a good price too. A real gem, the best in the city! 10/10 would recommend

Love it! Worth a visit and provides me with an opportunity to play my favourite game of ‘pastry wars’ between the cafes on Easter Road… the winner is still to be announced! Polentoni is in the running 🍰

Franco,the owner, has a true talent. A real hidden gem on Easter Rd. And the best chocolate torte on the planet. His pizza variety is terrific and one of the only places that has true Italian fennel sausage. Worth every penny.

Such great food from such awesome people!

Go out of your way to get a Polentoni sandwich - it’s 110% worth it! The bread, meats, cheeses and fillings are authentically Italian and very reasonably priced for the exceptional quality they are. I used to go here lots when it was a full restaurant and their food was always outstanding. I think they only do take away now. Can’t recommend highly enough! Also the staff are lovely :)

Just happened to stumble across this place on the way to somewhere else and immediately after seeing what was on offer in the window we said we would have to come straight back here! We went for the Nduja & Gorgonzola Focaccia and a Dark Chocolate Cake. Both were so amazing and fresh! Staff were so polite and friendly. Served at the door just after covid restrictions lifted in Scotland. Well worth a trip to, won’t be disappointed. Some amazing choices, it was hard to decide!!

Triple good. Coffee is great and the pastries and sandwiches are glorious. Everything is especial and simple at the same time. Very good flavours and ingredientes. Love it for take away in the morning.

Needed quick pastry breakfast and coffee on the go and it was just the place. Pleasant staff and great quality food. Ended up getting 2 different switches while waiting for my coffee as everything looked so delicious! Good coffee too!

Many claim to have ‘gourmet’ fast food - Polentoni DOES! I am an Italian who has lived in Edinburgh for 20 years and Polentoni is possibly the only place where I have found authentic italian flavours. Franco is really knowledgeable and passionate about gastronomy and always keeps the offering interesting and varied by introducing regional specialities to his Scottish customers. More vegetarian options than in the past, SO GOOD!

Their sandwiches and focaccias are OUT OF THIS WORLD.. I could have them everyday. Definitely worth a try!

Stumbled upon this place after visiting Cloud9 next door. The coffee was delicious and fairly priced. My partner ordered a chocolate cake which was half brownie and half cake and scoffed it in less then 10 seconds, saying it's the best cake he's had (and he loves his food!). Great food, great coffee and friendly staff

Delicious vegetarian sandwiches and foccacia. Really lovely for a weekend brunch, especially as there are quite a few cafes on that stretch of the street so there's a lot to pick from if you're in a group.

Polentoni is one of the bests assets for any Hillside, Abbymount, Leith- or even Edinburgh in a broad sense- inhabitant. As the name suggests, Polenta is its specialty and part of the many delicious dishes. I look forward for my weekly informal yet special sandwich (perfect bread by the way) as well as for the special dishes such as the incredible gnocchi and Friday's specials. Franco and Polentoni are by far a very recommended spot!

Absolutely awesome Italian deli. Best place for lunch, brunch and bread on Easter Road. 1/2 the price of the competition and 2x as good IMO. My favourites are the Nutella swirls, house bread and potato focaccia.

The seafood pasta is too salty and a bit pricy. The rest menu is great.

Food is always unreal. Especially the gorgonzola and polenta fritter and the focaccia with potato.

A year of covid restrictions and this place has shown if you sell quality you will survive and possibly thrive. The bread supplied way better than many purpose fitted 'bakers'. Combination of focaccia, always good. Soups can be a wee bit different. Never bad. Not his forte. I think. This the thing. You get picky in that place. You always expect 100% good matching Italian flavours. Always worth the queuing.

This is a really unique place in Edinburgh with real authentic Italian dishes! The kitchen menu has dishes that you can't find anywhere else, the sandwiches are somehow simple but amazing and they really make me feel like I'm home in Italy. Sometimes they do special menus like the seafood feast and that's always well done. Really recommend this place

Outstanding food, sandwiches are amazing. Fresh, high quality ingredients at a reasonable price. The coffee is really good too. Usually I order a latte and more often than not I like to add sugar. Not here though. The latte quality need not be tainted by extra sugar here! If I had one word to describe the coffee here, it’d be ‘smooth’. It goes down a treat. Do yourself a favour and give this place a try. You won’t regret it!

Maybe the best Italian food you’ll find in Edinburgh. Epic sandwiches and savories. Dark chocolate cake to die for. Heavenly lemon polenta cake and amazing hot chocolates to keep us cheery during lockdown. Proper treats and lovely, lovely owners.

Best ever pastries - Nutella Swirl this morning was amazing. Going back to try their bread. They do take away - I’m so glad. Good luck guys, your food is just brilliant.

Amazing, proper, genuine, no-nonsense flavourful Italian food - you can't go wrong!

Fab.. get the seafood feast before it finishes (I assume for the season, surely it will return!) but I'm sure it will be replaced by something equally good. 🙏

This is a superb take away and we were delighted with the soup and amazing sandwiches. The range on offer was very good.

@deerartem #JacobDeerCooking The results of testing #JacobDeerCooking vs @polentoni_ I both two focaccia’s one with beetroot, goat cheese and roasted pepper, the second with spinach, eggs, mushrooms and truffle oil. Also I get one pistachio bundt. Focaccias cost each £3.50, pistachios Bundt £1.50. All were quite ok. I wouldn’t call that “focaccia” as the dough is quite dense, but little bit crispy outside. So, the dough is something between pizza dough (dense) and focaccia (more bobbly inside and crispy outside). I cannot taste truffle at all in the spinach focaccia, eggs are nicely done and good quality. Beetroot need some more spices as is quite bland, the goat cheese is a decent quality. Better quality olive oil would be a good idea too. The pistachio Bundt, tasty, but you can’t really tasty pistachios itself as the Bundt is super sweet. However, you can see that they put inside a lot of grated pistachios. Overall, fine food for that price and they need to improve only a little bit to amazing. If you have some time give them a chance and check how you like their food. Regards Jake @deerartem #jacobdeercooking

Great food, fantastic sandwiches in particular

Great little proper Italian on Easter Road. Currently takeaway only. Wonderfully fresh sandwiches at lunch time. Brilliant seafood dinners at weekends. Highly recommended.

Had the prosciutto and mushroom sauce sandwhich which was unbelievably tasty! Staff is nice and the coffee tastes great. Could not recommend enough :)

I really like this place. The food has always been delicious and it has a nice authentic feel about it.

These guys never, ever disappoint. The Friday night fish specials are a joy. Treat yourself!!

The carryout service here is spectacular. Great value, gorgeous food.

Lo que me sirvieron fue pobre, pedí albóndigas para empezar y estaban frías en el medio, podrían haber estado frescas cuando las hicieron, pero no cuando las pedí, cuando pedí el salmón, bueno, digamos el tamaño de la porción. equivalente a un dedo de pescado con una cucharada de ensalada. El tiramasú estuvo bueno hasta que llegamos al fondo del plato donde estaba aguado. Cuando comparo este restaurante con otros restaurantes italianos, no me impresionó.

This place is awful the owners attitude is appauling to say the least! Before lockdown i went in for a coffee to sit down at 9.30 am as i had heard it was a good place i beg to differ ! For one i was not allowed to sit in for just a coffee he Wanted me to buy overpriced food to which i bought a brick hard roll with transparent ham it was vile the owner needs to be taught some manners Italians are usually very hospitable not him face that could turn milk sour ! Never smiled

El encabezado lo dice todo. La comida más sabrosa que he probado en Edimburgo. Me topé con él por accidente hace unos 2/3 años y no pasaría un mes sin ir a desayunar. Maravilloso personal, super íntimo, acogedor y cálido. El lugar suele estar lleno y he tenido que esperar un par de minutos en un par de ocasiones. Para un domingo por la mañana, una cola es testimonio de todo lo que he mencionado anteriormente. Y no se deje intimidar por la espera. La vuelta es muy rápida y te arrepentirías de ir a ningún otro lado.Si no ha estado, por favor, apoye este lugar cuando se levante el bloqueo. Un verdadero diamante en bruto.

Local gem. Italian fish suppers on Fridays and Saturdays are outstandingly good - authentic, fresh and always delicious. Practically perfect. It's byob btw.

Outstanding food. Excellent service. I'd say "go" but I want to keep this place to myself.. Really very, very well worth a visit for anyone who loves fish/seafood.

Perfect breakfast dining worth travelling to.

Go now before it gets a Michelin star and becomes too crowded. High quality ingredients, I've liked every dish I've tried so far.

Yummy food in this smallish cafe

Very friendly team and lovely ambiance. The food was outstanding, seafood cooked to perfection. Top drawer. If I go back to edingburgh visiting here will be a cert

Quite unacceptable I think. Went in this morning. Cold and wet with an elderly person I was supporting. As we took our jackets off we were told we can only sit if we order food. I mean really? The place was empty. It was clear we were wet and cold. we were told it's a restaurant thats why we can't just have drinks. I've been to mamy restaurants and was still allowed to order drinks only. And what restaurant opens as early as 9 am? Good luck to you guys. I wanted to have a feel for the place and then maybe try something to eat next time. Guess what? I shall not be returning. I used to own my own place and I wouldn't even dream about telling people they can't come in if they are only having food.

Quite unacceptable I think. Went in this morning. Cold and wet with an elderly person I was supporting. As we took our jackets off we were told we can only sit if we order food. I mean really? The place was empty. It was clear we were wet and cold. we were told it's a restaurant thats why we can't just have drinks. I've been to mamy restaurants and was still allowed to order drinks only. And what restaurant opens as early as 9 am? Good luck to you guys. I wanted to have a feel for the place and then maybe try something to eat next time. Guess what? I shall not be returning. I used to own my own place and I wouldn't even dream about telling people they can't come in if they are only having food.

Six of us ate here twice last w/e. Friday evening seafood festival is excellent Italian take on local seafood. Delicious, simple and presented well. Friendly staff and bring your own wine for £3 corkage. It was so good we came back int he morning for innovative cooked breakfast all with Italian focus. Really good coffees and fresh squeezed juices.

Went in this afternoon with a friend and our two little boys and was actually told that, as they were busy, they wouldn't serve coffee, but only lunch. Mind that, the place was half empty. I have asked the Chef if this was Italian hospitality and was treated badly, "let me work, I am busy!" , in an unbelievably rude way. Never going back again, trust me, I am Italian, and this is NOT how Italian restaurateurs treat their clients. Also, if you are not a child-friendly place just say it. Shame to be treated like this. Vergogna!

I was only here for a lazy brunch on a Saturday morning. The coffee was nice and so was the atmosphere. The breakfast menu was very short and, although the dishes sounded delicious, it was really lacking an option for the unadventurous. I love trying new foods and that was fine for me, but my partner was craving some relaxed comfort food and nothing on the menu matched that. The food arrived and, for the mix of ingredients, it was a bit bland and had a bit too much oil. Staff was friendly and helpful. All in all, I would return here for dinner some time, but it won't be my regular brunch spot any time soon.

A niche café. This Italian café is located near Calton Hill, 10-15 minute walk from Edinburgh Waverley station. I was very intrigued by this café as it was highly rated (4.8 stars) on google reviews and it was near where I was staying. The first thing to note is that the café does not allow customers who only want to drink because there is not much seating available. My table was a bit sticky when I arrived. The dishes are unique in that they are not typical Italian dishes, these dishes have a unique twist and is run by native Italians. The wild boar ragu gnocchi was not available on the day I went. Instead, I ordered the Arancini which was one of the special’s of the day and it costed £10. The Arancini was tasty. I also ordered the mocha (£2.50) which was a bit too sweet, I could even see the brown sugar granules at the bottom of the drink as I was finishing the drink. For me the prices are more towards the pricey side. Overall, a unique café with interesting food but the mocha was a bit of letdown and the prices are more on the pricey side.