Pizza Express

Had lunch at this Pizza Express with 2 others. It is located in a former church and listed building, but I thought the light fittings looked awful and it was feeezing inside (probably hard to heat with the high ceilings), so the venue did not add the experience. The food itself was fine, but nothing memorable. We shared a pizza, superfood salad and a bruschetta. It is extremely pricey for what it is and I wouldn’t go without using a voucher code, which Pizza Express always has in abundance. I don’t think I will be returning to this particular restaurant.

It’s not the cheapest pizzeria in the area but consistency is what I like most about Pizza Express.
My delicious favourite pizza tastes and looks exactly the same each time we go there.
Personally I have always found the well-​trained staff to be attentive and professional in every way. However the atmosphere is a bit sterile and it’s more of a lunchtime or teatime venue. I wouldn’t choose it for a special night out.

We were in the area for the cinema so decided to check out this branch of the chain. I booked a table online as we were a wee bit pushed for time & I wan’t sure how busy it would be.
We arrived early (pretty amazing for me!) & they had no record of my booking. I was even asked me if I had the right day! I showed the email confirmation & it was shrugged off. The place wasn’t that busy but we were left for 10 mins while someone went to sort out a table. We weren’t off to the best of starts…
The service was really slow when we were eventually seated. There only seemed to be 2 wait staff on & a big group had arrived a wee while before us but 45 mins to get a pizza & a salad — I felt it was an excessive wait given the order. The food itself was fine, typical Pizza Express fayre. I had wanted to try the Calzone which is a recent addition to the menu but I was told that the kitchen had run out of some of the ingredients.
The building itself was impressive & I especially like the quotes & pictures on the wall from «The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie».
I like that they kept the church organ. I don’t like that the tables are really squished together — so much so that we felt we having dinner with the couple next to us.
Then there was another 15 min wait to get the bill.
Loses a star for the poor service on arrival & the agonising wait. Oh & the fact that I had to run up the hill in heels afterwards to get to the cinema in time.

It is Pizza Express so no real surprises. The conversion of the building in Morningside is really lovely and it is pretty airy and has a slightly different feel from the Pizza Express I visited at The Shore a couple of weeks ago.
I did enjoy my visit but why a different rating from The Shore? I think the Morningside branch is definitely successful and this is part of the problem. Morningside doesn’t have a huge amount in it — a few bars, cafes and Indian restaurants but for kid friendly places then PE is a magnet. Combine this with the offer of take away then it is bloody busy. Good for a manager, not so good for a customer who is hungry.
We arrived (after booking) and got our table quickly. We did arrive at 6.15 so if you are not a fan of little people throwing tantrums then eat later. This didn’t bother us.
We had a voucher so 2 courses for £10. Starters we had were sweet potato risotto and a tomato and mozzarella salad were well received. Tasty and we were looking forward to our mains.
Now I like a break between my courses but we must have been around 45 mins between courses. I am still not unconvinced our two gluten free pizza’s were not given to another table. Anyway, it was a long wait and it did spoil our experience. My pizza was softer than The Shore version, not so much crisp which I very much enjoyed before. Still good but not as great as before. We were right beside the kitchen area and it was clear there needed to be more people on this section to cope with all the orders. People who arrived after us were out before us and 1hr 50 mins for 2 courses is not great. I was pleased I was heading home and not to the cinema.
Staff are really nice and friendly but my stomach isn’t that forgiving. I’ll probably come here again as it is local for work but I’ll probably eat more before, just in case I have a LONG wait…

Pizza express is Pizza Express. What I do like however is that the décor and use of space is always a bit different in each one (here we have quotes from the Prime of Mis Jean Brodie-​perfect for the location, and the food, whilst a chain restaurant is always tasty and satisfying. There are always deals available on the internet, and it is a good place to go with a crowd.
It’s great to have somewhere else to go locally, and I can see myself being a frequent visitor to this branch although I like the George IV Bridge one too. My doughballs, Giardiniera pizza and truffle ice cream were yummy and I managed to finish the whole lot in no time.
My highlight of this branch though were the young and extra enthusiastic staff, who were strutting their stuff to James Brown in between courses. Excellent entertainment, The interior works well with the fabric of the building (a former church) it doesn’t feel too corporate.
So yeah, Pizza Express, you always deliver and I am a fan. You should be too.

It’s the new Pizza Express in Morningside, what a complete dump! The tables are literally about ten centimetres apart which means you can’t have a conversation without the person beside you hearing. Seriously, it’s so close together, my elbow kept hitting of the strangers at the table beside us. It has mega bright lights shining in your eyes whilst you are trying to eat and the most arrogant, pretentious waiters ever who look down their noses at you!!! The place opened yesterday and already it is filthy! The staff are wearing ripped jeans and muddy trainers some with dirty laces dragging behind them. I witnessed a cook with a beard scratching it before touching food, he then coughed continuously over fresh plates (At that point we nearly walked out!) The floor was disgusting, so much so, I had to take pictures. The kitchen, which is open view, was also filthy (See the pictures attached).
The staff clearly can’t be bothered, the manager looks like he hates everyone and you are an inconvenience, the place is revoltingly disgusting, the staff have serious hygiene problems with regards to food handling, the tables are lit up like a football pitch (which only shows up the dirt even more!) and the food was mediocre and severely over priced. My biggest problem with this restaurant was that my shirt sleeves stuck to the table, how hard is it to wipe a table before customers sit at it? If they can’t clean the tables I seriously doubt that the food preparation surfaces will be clean either.
We will NEVER go back and I would strongly recommend that you stay well away from this dump.
Please see the photographs.

Great service, lovely building and fantastic attention to detail in all aspects. Definitely Edinburgh’s most exclusive restaurant at the moment. It’s also nice to have a well known place with good standards down my end of town.