I ordered the wackiest thing on the menu at Scotland's first branch of Pizza Pilgrims

I don’t want to try the hot dog and chips one, said my other half, when we visited Scotland’s first branch of Pizza Pilgrims on Edinburgh’s Rose Street.

You have no choice, I told him.

It’d be like going to Edinburgh, and not seeing the castle, or avoiding that crazy The Big One rollercoaster if on holiday in Blackpool. When in Rome and all that. Or, in this case, Naples, as this 13-year-old chain offers pizzas in that Italian city’s style.

They’re distinctive as they have an airy inflated rim, like the wheel on a Chopper, and a slightly charred crust.

Also, the aforementioned topping combination is pretty authentic. Otherwise known as the Americana, it’s popular in Napoli, though mainly among younger folk.

It was a shoo-in, on our visit to this huge double-level box fresh branch - the brand’s second largest after London. It has lively decor including checked tablecloths, flowery and striped clothes hanging from washing lines that are strung across the ceiling, and posters of sports heroes Diego Maradona and Marco Pantani, as well as vintage Edinburgh Festival Fringe posters.

Along with the Americana (£13.50), we went for the most sophisticated-sounding number, the Fiorentina (£12.25).

Since we were both regarding the hot doggy one with trepidation, we focused on the classier creamed spinach, fior de latte mozzarella, Parmesan, egg yolk and crispy onions version first.

It was good - rich and iron-y, with a green halo of pulped spinach and a flurry of coppery crispy onions on top like cornflakes. I also enjoyed the thick mottled swamp of melted cheese and the puffy crust. This is a combo that I’ve never tried before, and I’m sold.

The Americana - another white base, sans sugo - was fun, with a few sliced discs of meat and stacks of skinny fries, all glued on with plenty of mozzarella.

Gaby Soutar

I saw a couple of teenagers at the table near us, eyes agog. They swiftly ordered the same. Definitely more of their bag.

If neither of those tickle your fancy, the menu also features 12 other pizzas including Smoky Aubergine (£12.95), the meat heavy You’ve Got Maiale (£15.95) and the double carb fest that is the Carbonara (£14.50) with guanciale, Pecorino Romano, spaghetti, egg yolk and mozzarella.

We had been quite close to also going for the Double Pepperoni and Hot Honey (£15.75).

Instead, we also tried a couple of sides, including the cacio e pepe balls (£9), which were surprisingly decent. I’m usually averse to any kind of breaded ball of stodge and even the finest arancini don’t set my heather alight, but this clutch of half a dozen bollards had pleasingly cheesy spaghetti centres with a hit of black pepper.

Even though our other side dish of schiaffo - i.e. smacked - pickled cucumber salad (£6) didn’t quite fit the whole Italian theme, this Asian-style dish was a pleasant foil to all the dough and cheese, with cucumbers that had been sprinkled with dried oregano, and a vinegary and hot dose of their La Bomba chilli oil.

Gaby Soutar

They also do dips, for your crust, at three for £5.50, so we went for pesto, nduja and truffle. I expected the usual weirdly claggy palate-oiling versions you might get in other chains, but these were really decent - fresh and punchy, especially the basil-y pesto and the terracotta coloured nduja.

There are six puddings to be had.

I went for the pistachio affogato (£5), with a lushly nutty ice-cream that transformed into a creamy green shake once my espresso had been dumped on its icy peak.

He went for the tiramisu (£8), which was an unsophisticated low-on-coffee version, with vast scoops of sticky Nutella among the more traditional cream and sponge. It was served in a Kilner jar, which seems like quite a Noughties retro throwback.

We dabbled in a bit of drinking too, with one of their cocktails - a cherry negroni (£9.50), served with an abacus of amarena cherries on a stick - and a frigid shot of their own not-too-sweet limoncello (£4).

Anyway, as far as chains go, I’m pretty impressed with the B Corp that is Pizza Pilgrims.

If I wasn’t in the vicinity of one of Edinburgh’s excellent independents, like Razzo, East Pizzas or Wanderers Kneaded, I could easily find myself falling on one of those Fiorentinas again.

However, I’ve already ticked off the hot dog and fries pizza. Don’t need to do it again.

Pizza Pilgrims, 7-15 Rose Street, Edinburgh (0131-287 7126, www.pizzapilgrims.co.uk)

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