Gennaro’s, 64 Grassmarket, Edinburgh
A lively place to eat in Edinburgh’s Grassmarket! If ambience, fun and over zealous pepper mill twists are what you look for in a restaurant, you will never be disappointed with Ristorante Gennaro.

A little Italian eaterie found glimmering in the castle shadows of the studenty Grassmarket, Gennaro’s stands out as a popular choice around these parts. The choices along the way include a little French Bistro, a fun American Pizza diner promising cooked personally by the heartily named ‘Mama’, some pub grub, pastries and coffees and Mussels and Steaks. Gennaro’s seemed to cry ‘pick me’ as we pondered where to spend the next couple of hours of our lives.

We picked Gennaro’s for the lower lighting (it is preferable to have just enough light to make out they have sent over the wrong meal without having to taste it first but not too light that you burst a few red veins in the white of your eyes!). Additionally, the ambience at Gennaro’s was lively. The perfect crowd in ie people who are so interesting that they don’t stop chatting for one moment or lose eye contact for an instant to stare at new people as they enter the restaurant. This was a lively room of intelligent people, and we wanted in! This restaurant must be where people head after bursting out of silent libraries,letting tongues loose after hours of constraint!

We were shown to our table with eager professionalism as serviettes and menus were flapped into our hands. The choices we made included a fish and a bruschetta starter and then an oven cooked main course. We found our waiter to be good fun as he pursued me with many ample twists of his black pepper mill (reminiscent of Eric Morecombe and his bouncy maracas I thought). Luckily for me, the waiter with the lively wrist action was equally generous with the parmesan. Eventually, he left us to it and we scoffed away our meals till there was absolutely no room at the inn!

We were (bar one or two), the last to leave (always the stragglers). It was getting late but there was none of the awkwardness of many a restaurant come the approach of closing time. This is great and makes for a happier end to the meal and a heartier tip!