Spotlight
Dish Cult Dines: Seasonality
06 Dec 2024
06 Dec 2024
Spotlight on Rico's in Edinburgh
Rico’s is Edinburgh’s newest destination city centre venue. This Italian restaurant, with a nod to its classic roots, offers classic Italian dishes in a spectacular modern day dining venue. And now it’s introducing a brand new stand-alone cicchetti and cocktail bar – Ciao.
Stay Updated
Get the latest updates on new restaurants, food guides, local events and more.
Heritage
At Rico’s you’ll find contemporary Italian cooking. Two generations ago the family behind the restaurant journeyed from their ancestral home, in the small village of Castelvecchio di Barga in Tuscany, to Scotland.
Opening Rico’s in Edinburgh is the fulfilment of a dream to bring their heritage of refined Italian cuisine to the Scottish dining scene. Here you’ll be reminded of all that is good about refined Italian cuisine. The dishes are made with the finest, locally sourced Scottish ingredients, including fresh pasta made onsite daily.
Fresh light, fresh pasta
From the moment you enter Rico’s you can tell you are about to experience something special. The high ceilings, the plush furnishings, the creative colour palette and the inspired use of light and space embrace you and prepare you for what is to follow.
And what follows is fresh pasta, made daily. The chefs are passionate about contemporary Italian cooking and dedicated to the craft of pasta making. That’s why Rico’s pastas are always made in-house from scratch and cooked to perfection by this amazing team. Nothing less will do.
Ciao
And now Rico’s has pulled an ace from its sleeve in Ciao – a new cicchetti and cocktail bar that will bring Tuscan flavours to Edinburgh’s New Town.
Ciao is a stand-alone bar within the chic Rico’s Ristorante on North Castle Street, and will look to celebrate Italy’s iconic cocktail – The Negroni – as well as Italy’s more informal dining style with cicchetti (small plates) served all day with an affordable lunch menu.
The Italian cocktail has seen a bit of a renaissance thanks to a recent Titok craze, with a new generation discovering it, and now the social media trend has translated to real life, with bartenders across the country making more negroni-based cocktails than ever before.
While you’re probably familiar with a classic negroni (equal parts gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth, with an orange slice or twist for garnish), other effervescent versions will be the perfect party starter to a sophisticated dinner or the perfect foil for generous Italian bar snacks. Ciao will provide guests with an assortment of Italian aperitivo style and crafted cocktails, including a full negroni list with a variety to choose from.
New opening
Set to open in November 2022, Ciao will breathe life into the capital’s food and cocktail scene by welcoming a new generation of drinkers. The 26-seat cocktail and cicchetti bar will be open five days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday to begin, aiming to attract city centre workers, the New Town community, and international visitors. The intimate and charming bar will be the ideal stop for lunch, pre-dinner drinks or a laid-back date night in the city.
Ciao’s lunch and light bites menu is more casual and affordable, with two courses for £15 and three courses for £20. There will also be a full bar menu available all day, giving diners more options while Rico’s serves more formal refined fine-dining Italian cuisine.
Ciao is part of young restaurant entrepreneur Stefano Pieraccini’s (27) Rocca Group, which includes Rico’s Ristorante, The Broughton on Edinburgh’s Broughton Street, and The Seafood Ristorante in St Andrews. The group has become known for its dedication to quality and long tradition of great cooking, award wins, and delivering great cuisine in a refined, relaxed but professional environment. All three of Rocca’s restaurants are included in this year’s Michelin Guide.
