About

L’Alba D’Oro first opened in 1975 on 5 Henderson Row, in Edinburgh’s affluent New Town. The Golden Dawn was a new venture for newly-weds Filippo and Maria-Celeste Crolla, and the name (and later, logo) was inspired from the Apennine mountains surrounding their beloved hometown of Picinisco, Italy.

L’Alba D’Oro then expanded into the unit next door (7) in 1978. In 1987, they bought the adjacent unit (9) and created a pizza and pasta house, which later extended into a further unit (11) in 1995. In this year, the entire business premises were renovated and separated to become an upmarket fish & chip shop, and pizzeria. The Pizzeria also operated at lunchtime for the bustling office trade, offering soup, focaccia and coffee alongside their very popular pizza and pasta.

Adding a further product line to its portfolio in 2001, L’Alba D’Oro then began selling wine at affordable prices, from everyday bottles to global icons. Customers were encouraged to request favourite wines, which could then be bought by the case. L’Alba D’Oro was probably the only fast-food takeaway in the world to sell Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, Cristal Champagne and Louis XIII Cognac alongside fish suppers. Both customers and the media loved this unique offering.

L’Alba D’Oro has often been referred to as an Edinburgh institution, praised and awarded throughout its history by word of mouth, television and both national and international media. It achieved its ultimate accolade in February 2002, when it became the first take-away in the world to receive a four-star award from a national tourism body; The Scottish Tourist Board. Recently, it was named the No.1 Fish and Chip Shop in the UK, by The Times newspaper (Weekend Supplement, August 2014).

On Sunday 26th April 2015, L’Alba D’Oro celebrated 40 years of award-winning fish & chips, offering 40% discount instore, in support of The Edinburgh Sick Kids Friends Foundation.

L’Alba D’Oro is still a family-run business, operated by Filippo and Celeste, their son Gino and his wife Emanuela.