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Bittersweet's neon sign glows above a window advertising wine and speciality coffee, a street sign for St Anthony Place mounted on the stone wall beside it.
Edinburgh

Bittersweet Leith

An Italian restaurant and cocktail bar on Henderson Street in Leith, run by two brothers: one cooks, the other distils and ferments in-house.

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Welcome

On a corner of Henderson Street in Leith, a black-painted front with a bright orange door and the name in gold letters is Bittersweet, an Italian restaurant and cocktail bar run by two brothers from Italy.

Each brother has his own craft. One is the chef, cooking traditional Italian dishes alongside the lively food of Italian streets, from burrata and fritti to plates made for sharing. The other runs a small distillery inside the bar, making his own fermented drinks and spirits, and they turn up in the cocktails: bitter aperitivi, dark espresso drinks and inventive house creations served in coupes on the counter.

Bittersweet opens in the evening from Tuesday to Saturday and is closed on Sundays and Mondays. It is a few minutes' walk from the Shore and the Water of Leith, and tables can be booked on its own site.

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Before you go

Open from Tuesday to Saturday in the evening, closed on Sundays and Mondays.

Where
24 Henderson Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 6BS.
Telephone
0131 531 1410.

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
Closed
Tuesday
5pm–midnight
Wednesday
5pm–midnight
Thursday
5pm–midnight
Friday
5pm–1am
Saturday
5pm–1am
Sunday
Closed

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Where it is

On Henderson Street in Leith, a few streets from the Shore.

Close byLeith.
  1. The bright dining room of the Sly Fox, with wooden tables, plants and portraits on the white panelled walls.The Sly FoxUnder a mile as the crow flies
  2. RazzoRazzoUnder a mile 1 min by road
  3. The Scotch Malt Whisky Society - The VaultsThe Scotch Malt Whisky Society - The VaultsUnder a mile 1 min by road
  4. Water of Leith winding through Dean Village's stone tenements and old mill buildingsWater of LeithEdinburgh's river, followed by a 12-mile walkway to the sea at Leith.Under a mile 2 min by road
  5. Friends chat round a candlelit table beneath a "Guest Keg" chalkboard menuTeuchters LandingA pub on the Shore at Leith, in an old ferry waiting room.Under a mile 4 min by road
  6. The Forth from Newhaven, the hills of Fife beyond.NewhavenThe old fishing harbour between Leith and Granton.1 mile 4 min by road
Directions
The dining room of The Little Chartroom on Bonnington Road by candlelight, with chefs at work in the open kitchen beyond the tables.RestaurantsThe Little ChartroomA step away
The room at Ardfern in Leith in afternoon light, with a wall of wine bottles behind the bar, leather banquettes and wooden tables.RestaurantsArdfernA step away
The dark painted front of DogStar on Portland Place in the evening, its name on the lit window.RestaurantsDogStarA step away
Prints, cards, textiles and gifts on shelves against a brick wall inside Logan Malloch.ShoppingLogan MallochA step away
The dark front of Argonaut Books at the foot of Leith Walk, with its café tables behind the big window and a neon Books sign by the door.ShoppingArgonaut BooksA step away
Buns and bakes on the window counter at Krema Bakehouse, looking out over Leith Walk with a bus passing on the far side.CafeKrema Bakehouse0.2 miles
Wooden tables and chairs beside large windows in a dark-panelled caféRestaurantsThe Lioness of Leith0.2 miles
Tartan and check wool scarves hang on a white shop railShoppingTBCo0.2 miles
Hand-painted "HERON" lettering on a shopfront window with reflected chimneysRestaurantsHeron0.2 miles

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Stay nearby

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Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
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Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
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