The Magnum

You're walking up Albany Street towards Broughton—that stretch where Edinburgh's New Town starts to feel properly lived-in—and The Magnum sits right there, unpretentious and reliable. Inside, it's the kind of place where regulars know the staff and the menu hasn't been mucked about with unnecessarily. They do proper Italian cooking here: pasta dishes that taste like someone actually knows what they're doing, mains that don't try too hard, and a wine list that makes sense. The 4.6 rating from 731 reviews tells you everything—people keep coming back because the food's good and the prices won't break the bank. It's become the sort of restaurant you'd recommend to a mate visiting from down south, or somewhere you'd take someone when you can't be bothered with the fuss of Stockbridge or Leith but still want something decent.