Centotre Dining Review + Images, George Street Edinburgh Italian restaurant
Centotre Edinburgh Restaurant
Italian Restaurant Edinburgh on George Street, Scotland : Dining Reviews
Centotre
Centotre opened in 2004 at 103 George Street. Centotre is Italian for 103.
Edinburgh restaurant owned by Victor and Carina Contini
photograph © Adrian Welch
Centotre report 1 Sep 2009 that “Out of our 4000 customers last week we had just 4 complaints! That’s about 0.1% of our customers weren’t 100% satisfied with their experience.”
Our Centotre Restaurant Review online
Centotre Restaurant Review – 250808:
Visited here on Saturday for a late lunch and have to say it is the worst service I have ever received in any restaurant. 15 minutes after being seated I eventually asked a waitress if we could order some drinks….only to be rewarded with an extremely dirty look, how dare I have the audacity to request service! We ordered bread and olives which took 15 minutes to materialize and then a further lengthy wait for our main courses.
The food was decent enough but not that good to compensate for the abysmal service. We then ordered 2 espressos and a tia maria coffee, were delivered 2 cold espressos and a glass of tia maria, complained about this and was offered more coffee (how may espressos can you drink) and was eventually delivered the tia maria coffee.
The Manager was charming and didn’t charge us for the wine and coffees by way of compensation but this does not make up for the fact that the place is staffed by surly unhelpful staff who have poor service down to a fine art, the sooner they are issued their P45 the better. I would not eat at Centotre again nor would I recommend it to anyone.
Janice, Glasgow
Centotre Restaurant Review – 150808:
Just taking the time to write to you show how very disappointed I was to have tried to eat in this restaurant. We live in Germany and during a visit to Edinburgh we took some Friends for dinner. I cannot remember having ever had such bad quality Food and Service in my life… I can say, I have been in most of the Countries in this world, not even in the poorest ones, I have had such disgusting food and appalling Service!
I think it gives a very bad image to the very friendly Scottish People to have such Restaurant in the heart of a beautiful city like Edinburgh.
A.D.
Centotre Restaurant Review – 300608:
I dined at Centotre for lunch on Saturday 28th June.
To say I was disappointed would be a total understatement. We arrived and were ignored for about 10 mins before approaching a member of staff about getting a table. Should have seen this as a sign to walk straight out. Sat down and then despite actually asking for menus from 2 waitresses they both ignored us.
The waitress actually looked annoyed that I had the audacity to ask her the question in the first place as she was busy shining glasses. We then ordered 2 glasses of white wine that had clearly been sat for too long – warm and tasted corked. When we asked for these to be replaced the waitress was extremely rude and did not apologise. We simply got a very dirty look – if I am paying £6 for a glass then I think I am entitled to ask for another if I feel it is corked.
I would not recommend this place to anyone. The cooks clearly are doing a brilliant job because the food is very good – unfortunately the service from the waitress overshadows the whole experience. They actually seemed more interested in laying tables than tending to us. And then they had the audacity to charge us for 4 glasses of wine!
Outside I believe there is a sign which states something like service served with a smile etc.. trade description act comes to mind…
If anyone asks I will be letting them know about my experience – I just wish I had checked reviews myself before going. Please don’t do it to yourselves!
Fraser, unhappy Centotre customer, Edinburgh
Centotre Restaurant Review – 120508:
Food OK eventually but service terrible. Quiet Monday night. Arrived at 9pm and finally got my steak at 10pm. Had to send it back as they hadn’t cooked it properly (was still very rare). All in all, not impressed and would not go again.
Colin Truran
Centotre Restaurant Review – 140807:
I read the reviews posted on your site and felt I had to write one too, because the others were so untrue of my experience!
I recently took my family for a meal at Centotre and was absolutely thrilled – what a gorgeous setting! The staff really looked after us, which is a tough thing to do because I have three messy young children who are easily distracted and I’m a self confessed picky eater!
There are too many places nowadays which sacrifice good food for being trendy or stylish or whatever else people think restaurants should be like. Centotre is just not like that. Big Italian family portions and delicious flavours in every dish. I was sorry I didn’t have room for pudding!
I would highly recommend a visit to Centotre for everyone who enjoys their food. (Especially good when served with great wine and good company…)
Frank
Centotre Restaurant Review – 140807:
I have eaten twice at this restaurant and on both occasions the service was appalling.
The first occasion was dinner for a friend’s birthday. We were put at a table just inside the door and had people who were queuing for tables crammed up against us for the majority of our meal. The service was slow. I asked for a well done steak and was told the chef didn’t like cooking well done steaks but they would see what they could do (I really dislike this kind of pretentiousness). I was eventually served a rare steak which was fatty accompanied by a wilting salad. The other diners at my table were equally unimpressed with their food.
The waitress brought our wine and couldn’t use the cork screw (not because she didn’t have the strength but, unbelievably, because she didn’t know how to use a cork screw). She then stood giggling next to our table while one of us opened the bottle for her. Well the chef may not like cooking well done steaks but perhaps the customers don’t like having to train their staff on the job!! We left and went to another restaurant for coffee.
On the next occasion we took a friend for lunch (Centotre was his choice). We waited so long for our meal to be served he had to go return to work before it arrived. The rest of us were treated to a decidedly average lunch.
I would not eat at Centotre again.
[name withheld]
Centotre Restaurant Review – 130607:
I have read the other reviews and had a different experience. I was invited to a business meeting at Centotre which is always a great way to experience where to eat in Edinburgh (i.e. the cost is not coming out of your own pocket so you are more likely to be relaxed about trying new places!). I loved the building, I thought the ‘bistro’ style of the tables and chairs let it down though. Also all the tables were packed in like sardines – I could have helped myself quite easily to the neighbouring tables condiments!.
There was little privacy therefore and felt a bit too much like a pub meal atmosphere. The Centotre prices were expensive but I though, perhaps it will live up to the cost with the food….it did not in my case I am afraid. I had chargrilled chicken on a salad with a garlic and lemon mayonnaise. The chicken was very dry and overcooked, the salad had been dressed too early and was wilting and there was far too much mayonnaise – it was over powering.
The Centotre service was good though, friendly, attentive without being over eager but swift enough. Unfortunately, when I left virtually all my dinner no-one asked me if it was OK which would have given me a opportunity to comment without the embarrassment of having to raise it separately. At this time I would not recommend it to anyone.
Lucy Wright
Centotre Restaurant Review – 130806:
“Writing to let you know how disappointed we were with our visit to Centotre. Food was good but 3 times I had to tell over keen waiting staff that we were not finished and could they please not remove our plates. Clearly when plates are half full, people are chatting and cutlery is not together on the plates – PEOPLE ARE NOT FINISHED. We were so cheesed off with this that we did not stay for dessert or even a coffee, what a shame as a table of 5 would spend quite a bit! Having looked at other comments, we are not the first to complain about the staff at this restuarant. It does not do George Street justice!”
Centotre Restaurant Review – 031005:
“Food not at all bad – but service appalling.
Ages before anyone took our order. Ages to arrive. No sign of the drinks. Waiters telling us it wasn’t their floor area. Empty plates (starters) in front of us for ages (a shift change was to blame apparently). Centotre manager not in the least bit interested when we took the trouble to explain our experience on the way out.”
K & J Doerr
Contact this George Street restaurant – Centotre: 0131 225 1550
Dining Review – ‘atrocious service’
Centrotre Restaurant Review – 191105:
“Been 3 times to Centotre. The first two times weren’t bad. The food was decent although can be pricey depending what you pick. The 3rd time was atrocious – mostly due to the service. We arrived at the same time as 3 other tables. Initially we were asked to wait at the bar.
Then another waitress came running over and told us no-one was allowed to sit at the bar on a Saturday. So they took us to a table downstairs where we waited 20 minutes for our order to be taken.
Our starters never arrived and we had to ask for our main courses which arrived 55 minutes after we ordered. They then put the wrong amount through on our card when paying, and so we were even further delayed. When we were leaving Centotre we found that the bar was full of people sitting at it!
Needless to say we haven’t been back since. The service was just so apalling”.
R Brown
Scottish Capital Building Designs
Italian Cafe Edinburgh : Zanzero Restaurant, also for Victor & Carina Contini
Architects: GLM
For Victor & Carina Contini
Grade B Listed redundant banking hall conversion
Centotre: Italian cafe bar + delicatessen counter + restaurant
Contemporary Scottish Capital Property Designs – recent architectural selection below:
George Street Restaurants, Edinburgh New Town
Have you dined at Centotre Restaurant Edinburgh? Reviews welcome at info(at)edinburgharchitecture.co.uk
Comments / photos for the Centotre Restaurant Edinburgh Architecture at 103 George Street, owned by Victor and Carina Contini page welcome.