This retro ice cream parlour has to be an absolute staple on your Edinburgh itinerary. Located on the Edinburgh castle end of the Royal Mile. You actually get an awesome view of the castle from the shop. Even though it’s takeaway only right now, there are perfect wide sitting steps on the side of the shop where you can sit and enjoy your ice cream as well as the view. This place had a long queue, but service was good so we were served in about 5 minutes or so.
Their story:
Mary is a gelato and chocolate expert – and this isn’t a light claim. She actually trained at a gelato university in Bologna, Italy! She makes fresh gelato every morning before she opens her store at 11am. It is open Wed-Sun, but do check their Instagram page for updates. Her flavours change every single day and sometimes even throughout the day. A glimpse at their Instagram page will showcase their creativity. You’ll find some of the most unique flavour gelato combinations here. Some that we’ve seen on their page include chilli avocado and lime, tea and biscuits, saffron and nutmeg, bergamot and honey, walnut and cinnamon, lychee and banana, strawberry and black pepper and I’m sure there are many more wonderful creations she’s come up with.
Our thoughts:
We opted for the Gorgonzola and honey gelato as it was between that and saffron and nutmeg for the most unique flavours on the day we were there. Unfortunately, it was not to my taste at all. I could not fathom a cheesy gelato/ice cream. It just didn’t work for me. It felt and tasted weird. My wife liked it at first, but after a few licks she also gave up. Now, this isn’t a knock against Mary, as I feel we went for one of the more braver options and instead should’ve stuck safe. Or at least gone for one safe and one adventurous. That way we could’ve sampled their gelato properly. Anyway, lesson learnt. Judging by the queue and their creativity though, I feel the quality is definitely there. Just need to pick the right flavour for you I guess.
