Bennitos Deli: Corstorphine couple transform public toilets into cosy new Italian and Mediterranean deli

The new store is a labour of love from Corstorphine couple Keira and Gordon Crawford who got the keys to the shabby old loos on St John’s Road in November last year.

The pair began renovating in January and are in the final stages of transforming the venue into what they hope will be a “cosy wee” spot known for its delicious, authentic food.

Keira, a social worker at the City of Edinburgh Council, told the Evening News: “The pandemic has been a very stressful time for everyone and opening up a deli is something my husband and I have always wanted to do, so we just thought we would go for it.

"We’ve put our heart and soul into the wee place and we’re really looking forward to putting some good authentic food on the map in another wee cosy place in Corstorphine.”

Being of Italian descent Keira, 36, felt an Italian style deli with a Mediterranean twist would be a great way to move forward while honouring her past.

She continued: "We wanted to open the menu up to be Mediterranean too because obviously you can get a lot more in there, and we’re going to have real Italian gelato which hopefully will be quite popular in the area because there’s nothing really like it in Corstorphine at the moment.

"We’ll have a deli counter which will have continental meats and cheeses, baked potatoes, pulled beef ciabatta and rolls, meatball subs and things, authentic Mediterranean and Italian soups, hopefully that will get us going”

Bennitos Deli: Corstorphine couple transform public toilets into cosy new Italian and Mediterranean deli

The space isn’t very large so while they will have seating and table service they are expecting to operate primarily for takeaway. They have also applied for and are awaiting their alcohol license – with Keira hoping not many people will be able to resist their gorgeous antipasti boards and a glass of red wine.

An official opening date has not been announced yet as the work inside hasn’t quite finished but they are hoping to be ready to go within four to five weeks.

Follow Bennitos Deli on Instagram and Facebook to keep track of their progress and hear when they are ready to open.

The new sign for Bennitos was put up on Tuesday.

Having only announced the new endeavour on social media on Monday Keira has been blown away by the support shown for the deli.

“It just seems like something a bit different for Corstorphine,” she said.

"The response we’ve had from the community has been absolutely amazing. Obviously for the last few months we’ve had a lot of people commenting on how it used to be the public toilets and we’re like ‘yes we know’.

"But we’re just glad we’ve been able to get into the building to strip it and spruce it up a bit because it was just lying there dormant and falling apart. So a lot of people are really happy that it has been transformed for good use.

“Let’s just hope everyone forgets it was once the public loos and they come in to buy the food once we’re open."

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