Cafe Bellina

Small Italian café offering soup, panini and cake to take away or eat in.

The 2017 edition of The List's Eating & Drinking Guide is out now – only £5.95 (+p&p).

Recently opened, Natalie and Nadia bring a taste of Italy to Elm Row. Café Bellina is small and the décor not obviously Italian. But the menu tells a different story: a selection of panini, pasta, and a weekly changing specials menu together with cakes and milkshakes. Even the dreichest Edinburgh lunchtime won’t deter customers when warm and welcoming Italian sausage and creamy mashed potato hits the spot like this. There are ten panini to choose from as well as a (not immediately obvious) range of cakes including tiramisu and cheesecake. Café Bellina opens early enough to catch both the breakfast and lunch-time trade – whether that’s cake and a coffee or a meat platter to share with a friend. They cater for both take-away and eat-in – come early to bag one of only 16 seats.

• High point: The Mason jar milkshakes
• Low point: Table menus don't mention the delicious cakes
• Notable dish: Succulent Italian sausages served with creamy mash potato