New lease of life injected into new Italian restaurant in Edinburgh with spectacular views of the Castle

A new restaurant has opened its doors in the former home of one of the Capital’s longest standing Italian restaurants in the shadow of the castle.

Terra Marique, the latest Italian restaurant to take over the site which was previously home to Il Castello, opened its doors earlier this month and has seen a surge of positive reviews from locals and visitors alike.

For owners Ilaria Torre, 30, and Fabrizio Babbucci, 35, it is a dream come true. Having spent decades between them working in hospitality both in Italy and in Edinburgh, they are now serving up authentic Italian food in a prime location.

Ilaria Torre and Fabrizio Babbucci are bringing a new lease of life to the former home of Il Castello

The business partners, both from Italy, have lived in Scotland for ten years each though they both originally came to the Capital to learn English and planned to stay for just six months but ended off falling in love with the city and stayed.

Ilaria said: “We’ve been working in hospitality for a long time and really wanted to step up to work for ourselves.

“Through word of mouth we heard that the previous owner wanted to give up this place and we came here to chat with him about our restaurant, we already had our idea we didn’t want to carry on with Il Castello and he said he would give it to us.”

Their new venture Terra Marique opened earlier this month

Fabrizio added: “It was my dream to open a restaurant when I was a teenager, it takes a while and we needed some experience and then once we were ready we went for it.”

Terra Marique offer a fairly priced a la carte and set menu full of traditional and authentic Italian dishes which change to suit what is in season.

Authentic and homemade cuisine on the menu

All the food on the menu is homemade from the seasonal soups, to the pasta, right through to the ice cream.

Pizza is off the menu but homemade pasta, fresh seafood and Tuscan meats are being served.

The charcuterie on their Tuscan cured meat board is sourced straight from the region from Fabrizio’s friend who is a butcher.

Their seafood and meats are from Scottish suppliers and all food is prepared by their Italian chef.

The one thing that the restaurant have struck off the menu is pizza.

Ilaria added: “People think of Italian restaurants and they think pizza and pasta, but we have so many nice foods in Italy aside from that.

“We wanted a few good pasta dishes, and meats and fish and to branch out people’s taste in Italian food.”

As well as a refreshed and small menu, the interior of the establishment has also been modernised.

Gone are the many hanging pictures and dated decors of Il Castello and although the iconic Italian leaves a hole in the city’s dining scene, Terra Marique are injecting a new lease of life and bringing authenticity and passion to the table.