Jolly — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

My work colleagues and I visited this restaurant for a Christmas lunch recently. The place was absolutely packed, which, along with the décor, gave off a very authentic Italian vibe. The tables were quite close together, and the atmosphere was lively—great if you enjoy the buzz, but probably not ideal if you’re after a quiet meal. My guess for the restaurant’s popularity is the incredibly cheap lunch menu: £9.90 for three courses. At first, I thought it was a misprint, but no—it’s real. The lunch menu offers a small selection of starters, mains, and desserts, but there is also an extensive (almost overwhelming) main menu. Being indecisive, I opted for the lunch menu—plus, it’s hard to pass up such a bargain. I chose garlic bread for starters, half pizza (Pizza Jolly)/half pasta (carbonara) for mains, and the strawberry gateau for dessert.

The Food Starter: The garlic bread was mediocre two plain slices with garlic that lacked any flair. Basic and forgettable. Main: The carbonara was the highlight. Creamy sauce, perfectly cooked pasta, and genuinely delicious. I wish I’d ordered a full portion of this because the pizza was underwhelming. Despite having a proper pizza oven, the Pizza Jolly (a margarita with onions) felt underdone and too doughy in the centre for my liking. It lacked the crispness and charred spots I expect from good pizza. The flavor was okay, but nothing memorable. Dessert: The strawberry gateau was a small portion, which turned out to be a blessing since it was a bit dry. The accompanying ice cream saved it somewhat.

Value for Money At £9.90 for three courses, the value is undeniable, even if the quality isn’t top-tier. The pizzas on the main menu are £3-5 more than the entire lunch menu, which raises questions about how they maintain such low prices. However, the budget-friendly approach is evident. For example, my friend got minestrone soup for starters which came with bread. The bread was like, as my grandmother would say, “blotting paper”. Probably the cheapest bread they could find in the supermarket. Highly refined to a point that it’s not really bread. Perhaps if I had ordered from the main menu I would have received a product that is more reflective of the price. As they say, “you get what you pay for”.

Service Another reason why I am scoring this low was because of the poor service. Firstly, they didn’t have enough menus for the whole table so we had to share. This wasn’t a major issue but it is worth noting. The next thing was that they made mistakes with the order and brought food to us that we didn’t order. Also, my friend’s garlic bread arrived long after the rest of us had finished ours. The biggest blunder was made by one of the female waitresses who knocked my friend’s drink over another friends lap. She was apologetic but she didn’t rush away to grab napkins (we used our own) and she didn’t even offer to replace the drink. We had to ask for a top up. I would have expected a free drink since it was her mistake. The staff were pleasant enough but not their finest showing. Maybe just an off day and to their credit it was very busy so must be under a lot of pressure.

Overall Impression Despite the disappointing food and service, the incredible value somewhat redeemed the experience. Perhaps visiting during a quieter time and ordering from the main menu might lead to a better experience. For now, though, I can’t rate this...

A Hidden Gem in Edinburgh: Five Stars for Jolly

What started as a chance discovery through Google reviews turned into the highlight of our Edinburgh dining experience. For four consecutive nights, we found ourselves drawn back to Jolly, and each visit surpassed our expectations. This restaurant truly captures the authentic essence of Italian cuisine in the heart of Scotland.

The heart of Jolly lies in its exceptional staff, who transformed from servers to friends over our stay. By our final visits, they would warmly joke with us about our predictable orders of seafood and rum. Their attentiveness shone through even in small moments - when they ran out of tiramisu, they enthusiastically recommended their profiteroles, showing how invested they were in our dining experience. Such personalized attention culminated in a touching gesture - complimentary limoncello on our last night.

The culinary excellence here is remarkable. Their mussels are a revelation - sweet, succulent, and perfectly prepared. Each pizza emerges from the oven as a masterpiece, and the pasta dishes... oh, the pasta! While some chase Michelin stars, Jolly creates something more valuable: food cooked with genuine passion and heart. Every dish tells a story of dedication to the craft.

I've chosen not to post photos because they simply wouldn't do justice to the exceptional taste of the food - this is something you need to experience firsthand. A word of advice: the restaurant is consistently full, so booking in advance is recommended. Though we took our chances each night without a reservation, the staff's incredible hospitality meant they always found a way to accommodate us. Their willingness to welcome walk-in guests like us, even during peak hours, speaks volumes about their commitment to service.

As we bid farewell to Edinburgh tonight, we realize we're not just saying goodbye to a restaurant, but to a place that became our home away from home. The extraordinary level of hospitality we experienced here sets a new standard for customer service in Edinburgh. We shall miss you dearly.

With heartfelt gratitude to the entire team at Jolly, Vasu, Chithra, Kaveendra and Thevasshre Visiting...

Got there for a Monday evening meal (only 2 more tables occupied, the rest was empty) and order a pizza capricciosa and a Moretti bottled beer. It was my third visit in 20 years and unfortunately for its punters and me the overall quality is still very poor. The interior and deco look like a derelict picture of a tacky mid 80’s cheap food parlour in Staten Island, NYC. Soft drinks & sodas were half full big plastic bottles kept outside the fridge, only cooled “on demand” by adding a couple of ice cubes…zero CO2…satisfaction unguaranteed. Service wise….only includes taking your plate/drink from A to B and vice versa... The food: You cannot aim to make a first class pizza with second class ingredients (apart from the small slice and a half of Parma Ham that topped it). The tomato sauce topping was scarce and tasteless, the mozzarella was “serie B”, black olives were C class ones, the salami was the one sold pre-sliced & pre packed to be avoided at all costs, no after taste of yeast or basil from the dough & topping sauce (real and desirable stuff that you can get from a truly Neapolitan pizza) … the egg on top was true though… The result is a bland, insipid and truly unremarkable pizza. On the pro, the pizza was photogenic. In any case that stuff is not even acceptable after a binge drinking session at 3AM…but don’t worry they are close at that time of the night. The place is strategically located in the Elm Row area of Edinburgh/Top of Leith Walk and makes it’s living under the shadow of the Playhouse Theatre and its public…it could be a real knock out…but is...