Fresco

Wow — this place can fair pull in the punters, and it’s now wonder why. Fresco is an absolute goldmine for cheap stodgy food.
Located on the bottom half of the Royal Mile, they are situated perfectly to capitalise on the tourists that conga up and down the length of the busy street, as well as the student, office and building site crowds that queue out the door come lunchtime.
All the usual lunch fare is on offer: pre-​made subs and soups, hot paninis and burgers to order, all of which hold the classic fillings as well as a few more exotic varieties (Mexican chicken anyone?). On top these hand-​held bites, Fresco also offer an array of classic meals to take away or sit in (wouldn’t advise the latter… seen bigger shoe boxes!). Chicken Curry and Macaroni Cheese are two examples of the stodgy goodness that can be had for as little as £2.50.
Furthermore Fresco aim to entice the masses with a nifty array of special meal deals to help all the penny-​pinchers out there. I opted for the cheeseburger, chips and a bottle of juice for £2.99 and was not disappointed. All the burgers and paninis are cooked to order by Mike the chef (it’s an impressive feat to see during the lunch hour rush!) using fresh ingredients and cooked up to a mouth-​watering level.
A very does-​what-​it-​says-​on-​the-​tin takeaway at impressively competitive prices. Well worth a look when hunger strikes.

Fresco is more of a take-​away than a café. There are a couple of stools by the window, but the shop is small and feels cramped when it’s busy so it’s really not the sort of place you’d want to hang out.
Having said that however, Fresco is a breath of fresh air in comparison to other eateries in the area. This is a no-​fuss, unpretentious, reasonably-​priced take-​away. They have a good selection of decent-​sized filled rolls for £1.80 (much cheaper than rival places), tempting tray bakes, sweets, crisps and fruit. They also sell their very popular bacon rolls for £2. I walk past Fresco every day and its always busy– that’s definitely a good sign!