The Best Places for Pizza in Edinburgh

Writing and maintaining this list will be quite the challenge, but we have to find the best places in Edinburgh for a pizza if we’re foolhardy enough to do the best places for a burger. And I do eat a lot of pizza!

So, in a rough order and lots of thoughtful debate, here’s the current top pizza list. It’s like pizza toppings but the other way around.

Origano

Leith Walk

Top spot goes to Origano, the sit-in restaurant that hides behind an ageing green front, rather than the takeaway specialist, which is the same family but one I’ve never tried.

Origano takes the top spot as a lovely Italian restaurant that always has a great vibe and even better pizzas. The food here is delicious, perfectly cooked, and for the pizzas, that means you can watch your food go into the big oven and then slide out on ye-old-style paddles.  Prizes are fair, service is quick and should you strangely not be a pizza fan then there are other options on the menu.

Razzo Pizza

Great Junction Street

If you were to pick a pizza place because of the number of Deliveroo drivers waiting outside to pick up a takeaway, then you’d come to Razzo. Each time I’ve seen a debate on Reddit about the best place to go for a pizza I’ve seen Razzo win or nearly win.

Needless to say; I’ve been and I rate the pizza here highly.

There’s more than Neapolitan-style pizza on offer, though; there’s antipasto and desserts. You don’t have to takeaway as there’s room for small groups. I think this is a local to take visiting friends, perhaps even dates, to lowkey impress.  Just don’t tell them about the Deliveroo queue judging technique.

Novapizza

Howe Street

There will be a lot of takeaways on this list, but Novapizza is not one. Novapizza is a charming little plant-based and dairy-free Italian restaurant that makes vegan pizzas work.

Novapizza’s high position on this list is not a token nod to food options; the pizzas here are that good. If you don’t think you can imagine liking a dairy-free pizza, then challenge yourself to a Novapizza, and the chef here will change your mind.

Just book in advance because, although walk-ins are technically possible, I’ve tried a half-dozen times without success.

Matto Pizza

Cadzow Place

There are several Matto Pizza restaurants in Edinburgh now, but the only one I’ve tried and the original Matto, as far as I’m concerned, is the takeaway and little sit-in venue on Cadzow.

Check to see if the chalkboard outside the restaurant is offering “The special one” or “The special two” for a rotating (if inconstant) selection of quirky pizza. If not, don’t worry, because you’ll still get quality wood-fired pizza.

Matto Pizza is a walk off the beaten track during the Fringe, but not so far that you can’t get back into the heart of the action. I often find myself here if I’ve finished a show near the bottom of the Royal Mile and have an hour and a half before the next one, because I know I can get a pizza in that time. It’s a handy hack.

Pierinos

Leith

Pierinos is the only chippy on this list. It’s an award-winning chippy, and if you’re visiting Edinburgh only for the weekend and want to try an authentic local experience, then pop in for the fish and chips. I, though, go for the pizza, and I must have been over a hundred times.

Pierinos lets you custom-build your pizza with whatever toppings they have, but I want to call out the Turkish-style pizzas, which are (yes really) bases with shaved doner meat on them and on which you can heap chilli sauce and salad.

Pizza Geeks

Leith

There are a few Pizza Geeks candidates, and I’m going to pick the Tardis in Leith. It’s not the original, it’s not the latest, but it’s the Pizza Geeks I tried first. It should also be clear by now as to which parts of Edinburgh I visit the most often. They once did chocolate pizza here.

Pizza Geeks are on this list not just because of their nerdy theme but because their pizzas are good enough to make the cut. That said, their pop-ups aren’t as good, especially not the Festival pop-ups, but those are still a cut above their immediate rivals.

Bonus points go to Pizza Geeks for their outside food deals with several nearby taprooms and venues.

Dough

Rose Street

I’ve mentioned the Festival several times already, and I’m going to do it again, but this time cautiously. Dough is both an oasis of escape during an event like Hogmanay or the Festival and a crowded trap. It all depends on the timing.

So, I admit it. I’ll pop in here between Fringe shows to escape the queues, but also because I’ve sampled pizza from across Edinburgh and there are few in the centre of town as good as Dough. The service here is quick and friendly, the menu is just about large enough, and the quality is always good.

Stone Fired Artisan Pizza

Newhaven

Out of the way and easy to miss, Stone Fired is a tiny little pizza takeaway with about room for you and your oldest kid to wait for the food. Fortunately, service is quick, the food is made right in front of you and always good. You won’t have to wait long, and kiddo will be happy.

Stone Fired Artisan Pizza does that boutique sourdough base, which means it gets to use ‘artisan’ in its name and I’m yet to have a bad pizza from  here. I go, though, because I want pizza and more. This clever little business also sells cakes and desserts of decadent joy. I can’t say it’s a good calorie decision but if you ever need to cheer up; order from here.

Fired Dough

Lothian Road

Fired Dough is a new discovery for me because I assumed it was a soulless chain with unremarkable pizza, simply because it was on Lothian Road.

I was wrong.

Yes, every time I’ve visited it’s felt a little impersonal and that the restaurant area needed a clean, but the busy staff were always quick and attentive. Importantly, the pizza here is way better than soulless franchises, the menu is interesting and the food is good.

Fired Dough is in a great location and absolutely worth knowing about.

Best pizzas?

That’s the list as it stands now. Places not on the list might be venues we’re yet to visit or might not have made the cut. Either way, if you have a suggestion, then leave it in the comments below.

Also, fair to say, I’ve not tried all the pizza in Edinburgh. I’m confident (just ask my belt buckle) that I’ve tried loads! Before I finish, let’s give an honourable mention to One Canon for being a pizza pub! That’s beer and pizza together throughout the week. A very handy location to know and not far from the centre of town.