Edinburgh Restaurant Awards: Nominate your favourite restaurant now

HAVE you voted for or nominated your favourite restaurant yet? The Edinburgh Restaurant Awards are now well underway, giving Evening News readers the chance to champion their favourite restaurant in one of a number of categories.Now's your chance to let your local cafe, bistro or eatery know just what they mean to you. Just go to www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/restaurantawards/nominate/ to nominate.As we continue our look at the different categories in the run up to the winners being revealed, this week we focus on the Value For Money, Newcomer and Family Friendly categories.
Vito Alongo of The JollyVito Alongo of The Jolly
Vito Alongo of The Jolly

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY

Already nominated for Best Value For Money are Bar Italia, The Jolly, Roti of Edinburgh and Toni Macaroni.

Family run Bar Italia, on Lothian Road, have been nominated for ‘Great service from great staff and management.’

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The nomination continues, ‘I have been going here for years and they always remember me and my family - event my grandchildren who we now take, as Bar Italia is such great value for money.’

Another family run restaurant, The Jolly, on Elm Row, has been nominated by a regular who writes: ‘Whenever I have people visiting I take them there as it is such a reasonable place and the atmosphere is great.’

Roti of Edinburgh on South Bridge serves Indian street food and tapas. Their nomination reads, ‘Other restaurants I have tried are nowhere near as good in terms of quality, pricing and taste. Roti was also a finalist in the curry awards.’

The Queensferry Road branch of Toni Macaroni also gets a nod. Their website declares ‘Tony Macaroni restaurant on Queensferry road is one stop that you definitely won’t want to miss’ and it seems the nominator would agree.

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They write that the restaurant is a ‘friendly local Italian’ with ‘excellent service, good food and is great value for money.’

BEST NEWCOMER

THE Waterside Bistro, Clark And Lake, and Aurora Modern Eatery all feature in the Best Newcomer category.

The Waterside Bistro next to the beautiful River Tyne in Haddington, has been nominated as being a ‘destination restaurant’ that is ‘almost always packed full and has a buzzing atmosphere.’

Also in the running, Clark and Lake, a new charcuterie and bar in Tollcross, is described as having ‘a great atmosphere and friendly staff, including the owner who was interesting to chat to.’

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Next, Aurora Modern Eatery, Great Junction Street, boasts ‘more than a hundred 5 star reviews on social media, tremendous tasting menus every month and a dinner menu that changes every week.

‘One of the most interesting chefs in Edinburgh.’

FAMILY FRIENDLY

SERRANO and Manchego, The Scran and Scallie, Reds and the Scottish Storytelling Centre Cafe are just four of the venues in the running for the Family Friendly Award.

Leith Walk tapas restaurant Serrano and Manchego’s nomination states: ‘It’s really hard to find somewhere that’s family friendly but great for parents who like food to eat too - usually there has to be some form of compromise. We’ve never had to do so here and that’s very rare with a young child in tow.’

The Scran and Scallie, Comely Bank Road, meanwhile, gets this praise: ‘Loved the cosy atmosphere, the clientele (lots of lovely families and groups dining), the menu and the bonus of the small children’s play area which was discreet and didn’t distract from the main dining atmosphere.

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‘Staff were also great with the kids which is unusual in a place like this.’

At Reds, on Portobello High Street, the nomination reads: ‘We have visited Reds for a number of years with friends, family and as a couple. Never ever been disappointed. Lovely food, very well cooked. A family run business and it shows. You really feel they care.’

Finally, the Scottish Storytelling Centre Cafe on the Royal Mile is hailed as a ‘great place to stop off for a light snack, on the tables are jars of stones for visitors to make their own stories. It’s a family friendly cafe with good food.’

Nominations for all Awards can be made at www.edinburghnews.scotsman.com/restaurantawards/nominate/