Edinburgh Pizza Express to reopen in Stockbridge's Raeburn Place after riverside restaurant closure

A popular pizza chain is making a return to Stockbridge more than a year after abandoning an “iconic” riverside building in the area. Pizza Express has been granted a premises licence for a unit in Raeburn Place previously used as a chocolate factory and café.

A council meeting heard the company was keen to re-open a restaurant in Stockbridge following the closure of its Deanhugh Street eatery. Pizza Express said in February 2022 that it was “sadly” moving out of the building on the banks of the Water of Leith after over a decade there. The former bank has long been a popular choice for diners with its outdoor terrace overlooking the river and has since been taken over by another pizzeria chain, Franco Manca.

However, plans for Pizza Express to move in round the corner were revealed at the council’s licensing board meeting on Monday, April 24. The new premises will be located at 122-124 Raeburn Place, which was home to Ocelot Chocolate until its shock closure in July, just four months after opening.

Pizza Express is returning to Edinburgh's Stockbridge a year after leaving its site in Deanhaugh Street (Google Streetview)

A licensing lawyer told councillors Pizza Express has “an interesting relationship with the community in Stockbridge”. She said: “They were in quite an iconic building on the Water of Leith which is now Franco Manca.” They moved out last March but “want to stay in Stockbridge,” the meeting heard. The board unanimously granted a variation to the premises licence to amend the layout plan and increase on sales capacity. Pizza Express was contacted for comment.

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