Pizza was traditionally a low-cost street food enjoyed by the lower classes, the perfect medium to make a few ingredients go a long way. While not quite the dirt-cheap option they used to be, you can still get a very good pizza and a glass of wine for around £20, which by modern Edinburgh standards is a budget night out, and by my standards, sounds like heaven.
My expectations are high when it comes to pizza, and my favourite style is Neapolitan, though deep dish has its place. My Edinburgh favourites are Origano, Pizza Geeks and Froth & Flame, though I recently had the opportunity to try MATTO and they made the shortlist!Â
The restaurateurs opened their first site in Meadowbank in 2020, and have since added Morningside and the latest addition, Newington, to their growing empire. The new restaurant has a bright, sophisticated and fun interior, and features a striking gold mirrored pizza oven. The kitchen is open so diners can watch the chefs at work.
The ingredients are traditional. There are twelve signature pizzas on the main menu, mostly with a classic tomato base, but one has a truffle cream base with smoked scamorza and mushrooms and a couple with a white base. Reasonably priced, they range from £8.50 to £12.50. Then there are options described as ‘sides’ but could be ordered as starters, including olives, arancini and deep-fried courgette flowers, amongst others.
However, the pizza is the star here and it seems a shame to waste space on anything else. The crust is perfect, light but satisfying, with the right amount of charring around the edge. You can tell the restaurant uses naturally risen dough made with 00 flour, San Marzano tomatoes and Fior di Latte Mozzarella DOP as standard.
To get an idea of the range, we order one typically Italian option: tomato base, mozzarella, spinach, olives, semi-dry tomatoes, and one wild card from the specials: pea puree base, smoked scamorza, guanciale, fried spianata, rosemary potato crisps and black pepper (£14).
Both are delicious, while very different; the toppings are generous, and all the flavours come through. A bit of a purist, I’m not sure about a pea base, but it is excellent and has a freshness that balances the fat-rich meats on top.
We enjoy a glass each of Italian wine alongside our food (£6) – the options by the glass are limited but high quality – pack our leftover pizza into a takeaway box and finish with the classic dessert, tiramisu (£6).
MATTO Newington - 29-33 Newington Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1QR. Tel: 0131 668 4999 - https://mattopizza.co.uk
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OPENING HOURS
Sunday – Thursday 12 pm – 9.30 pm
Friday – Saturday – 12 pm – 10.00 pm
