Wow. What an adventure this place was! Thanks to Rocco G for suggesting an outing here! It wasn't…read morequite where I thought it was but if you walk along Union Street enough times you're sure to stumble across it (or look for Japanese Bull Leader, this place is next door). Head down the zebra striped stairs and you'll find yourself in a brightly light, casual basement restaurant which is well decorated and has a large TV on one of the walls. I'd had a brief look at the menu online but it was good to check it out properly and the staff were really helpful with any questions we had. I opted for veggie samosa followed by jerk chicken for main, and shared the mukimo (traditional Kenyan mash of potatoes, green peas, corn & greens sautéed with onions) with Graeme. There wasn't much of a wait for the food. Three samosas to a portion (reasonable for £3) which were jam packed with lovely vegetables and quite a bit of a spicy kick. There's mayo on the table as a condiment which might be useful for the more spicy dishes! For me, the real highlight was the jerk chicken. It was SO flavoursome and delicious with a lovely smoky charred flavour. I really enjoyed this dish and the rice that accompanied it (Caribbean rice and beans) was really tasted, packed full of veg as well as a lot of nice flavours. The mukimo was also really lovely and tasted better than it looked (green mash potato could be a little off putting) - I'm going to try to recreate this at home as I could happily scoff a whole bowl on it's own. I also tried the African Fanta - a less fizzy version of the Fanta we know, and I actually preferred it like that. It also comes in a pretty cool bottle which I forgot to take home with me - next time! Service was good, efficient and attentive and we never had to wait long for anything. It was a really fun place to dine in a large group and I'd definitely head back for another meal in the future. The prices are pretty reasonable as well so you don't need to spend much to eat here - starters around £3-£5 and mains around £10. As it is a basement restaurant they don't have any mobile reception (and seemingly no wifi). The other downside was that the music was really loud while we were there which made chat a little difficult!

I wouldn't be surprised if you walk down Union Street every day and had no idea that there is a…read moreAfrican restaurant located there. It is basically just a door with a small sign above it. Once through the door you descend down the zebra wallpaper lined staircase into the fairly large restaurant. Decor wise there are simple tables and chairs, with it being in the basement there is no natural light and the ceilings are pretty low. They also have the crackliest sound system in the world and the music was pretty loud which was annoying, bizarrely there was also TV's showing a music channels on silent mode? I would describe it as basic but comfortable enough. To start with I chose the Lamb Samosas these were fantastic deep-fried thin pastry parcels which were filled with seasoned lamb and came served with lemon wedges. It was a generous serving of 3 samosa of which I only managed to eat 2. The pastry was light, buttery and melted in the mouth and the meat was succulent and tasty - an excellent first dish. For my main I wanted to try the Samaki which is a grilled fresh water tilapia fish. However as soon as the lovely waiter told me it came as a whole fish eyeballs and all that was immediately changed to my second choice which was the jerk chicken. Yeah I am a chicken but eyeballs on a plate are a serious no-no to me. The Jerk Chicken was described on the menu as a ¼ Chicken portion lovingly marinated in jerk spices & grilled to perfection served with Caribbean rice & peas. What arrived was 2 pieces of gorgeously flavoured chicken which had a bit of a lemon taste. The rice portion can only be described as mammoth and was peppered full of beans, onions and peppers - it was so good and a meal in its self. A really fantastic dish which I didn't even come close to finishing. For sides we choice Cassava chips, this is a root vegetable which was slightly bitter but really delicious when you dipped it in the accompanying sauce. I was desperate to try the Plantain which is deep-fried African semi-ripe bananas, this was probably my favourite part of the meal cause it had this seriously lovely savoury/sweet thing going on which I adore. We also got a side of chips which impressively were hand-cut fresh chips when in all honesty I half expected frozen. I wasn't sure what to expect from African cuisine but all in all I was pretty happy with my choices and definitely think I choose wisely. If you are feeling adventurous I think a jaunt to Africa might be just the thing for you.

Closed. They need to take their advertising down. It's still live on Google maps and yelp. The…read morephone number and website need to be turned off

I never expected to be eating South African grill in Scotland, but that's where I found myself on a…read morecold winter night in Edinburgh. We had found this place after asking an unsuspecting passerby on the street on recommendations for dinner, perhaps thinking that the local patrons will take us to stories untold. Or perhaps my fingers would have froze if I had taken them out to Yelp. Upon waddling up to the second floor of the building where Shebeen is located, the strong savory smells of hearty slabs of meat enveloped and ensnared us. My dad was dead set upon eating here. The only problem was that the restaurant was entirely booked! (Go make reservations if you don't want to wait!) The waitress told us that we would have to wait about 30 minutes for a table to clear. And so we waited. Thank goodness the locals showed us mercy and a table cleared up a bit earlier than expected. I was starving at this point. But nothing could have prepared me for the onslaught that would come ahead. I didn't particularly feel like digging into a piece of steak, so I ended up ordering a burger. My parents got steak, although they were disappointed that the place didn't serve cheetah and lion meat. (Those were the names of the different sizes of the steaks.) Then came more waiting. It felt like almost an eternity as we watched everyone else vigorously tear into their entrees like a pride of lions feasting on a kill. My burger was enormous! And so were their steaks. The smallest size would definitely be enough for any normal person's appetite. I could end up only consuming half of my burger in the end, not that it wasn't absolutely delicious. The sheer amount of pulled pork on top of the patty seemed excessive, but hey I guess this place is a meat lover's haven. It also came with some potato wedges and a giant portobello mushroom! The mushroom was the perfect texture. However, it was smothered with a mountain of garlic. Good thing I wasn't on a date.

My husband and I discovered this "Wonderful Gem of a Restaurant" when staying at The Albany Hotel…read morearound the corner. Noticed sign said Turbo Burrito. Right up our alley. Honestly, I have eaten Burrito and spicy food all over the US but the flavor of this food was Just Right and you build ur own Burrito. Large portion with great desserts to try. Really liked the plantains. Meet owners Afo and Olu who were so very nice and hospitable to us. Highly recommend to eat after 5 or for a midnight Snack. Wish we had one of these Fantastic Food place in the US. Keep up the great cooking Afo and Olu.

The best jerk chicken I have ever had (and I've had it in Jamaica!)…read more The meals were huge and delicious!

Hidden gem alert!…read more Sadly I am just discovering Spoilt for Choice. This place is a delicious mix of African and Caribbean food. I ordered for delivery and I am happy to say the food was hot and tasty. It is great that they have a wide delivery range and even though I live pretty far from their restaurant I still had my food 20 minutes before the estimated delivery time, in under an hour! The range of food here is huge, so you really have to look over their menu well. I found everything to have quality ingredients, perfect amount of spice and tang, and nothing greasy or oily. Happy to say that when you order something 'hot' it is truly hot! No wimpy heat here. The yassa and fried plantains are a dream and perfect with the jollof rice. Also a huge fan of the corn fritters, which are like perfect balls of cornbread, and the amazing banana bread. We just found our new go-to delivery place!

Jerk chicken and coconut rice were both really good. Only let down was the hour and a half wait…read more I'd order again but do it further in advance next time!

Nice owner/chef and server. I'm a regular. Can't beat this price. Never ate anything I didn't like…read morethere. I especially love the Damoda, the Jerk, and the Trinidad. Chicken is always succulent and the Lamb is always tender. They also have ginger beer, mango lassi, and tropical rubicon drinks. I plan to come here at least twice a month. Only critique: Maybe a little too greasy, and wish they had more vegetables.

Wulmamen Cafe is simply a gem. The food is delicious and made with care, the restaurant is clean…read moreand welcoming, the chef and hostess are both very friendly, and the service is prompt. Everything I have had there has been top notch, and all dishes have been offered at very reasonable prices and in good portion sizes. I highly recommend the spicy honeyed chicken with plantain and rice for £5.75. Yes, it is every bit as amazing as it sounds.

Not sure how to describe this place accurately. Little hole in the wall that just happens to have a…read moreline out the door because their wraps are so good and affordable that it's hard to believe! Don't be deterred if there are a dozen in line, I braved it, figured out the ordering on the fly and loved it so much. I had a falafel with hummus and avocado with lettuce and tomato rolled and heated like panini. It's simple , but so good. Garlic sauce or spicy sauce can be added. Reasonably priced. Friendly workers blow through customers!

When we arrived there was a steady line of people ordering to eat in as well as takeaway. We…read moreordered saram salad and thri best wraps. Service was quick & friendly, price was super affordable, and food was fabulous! What a fun find! Highly recommend!

Om. Nom nom. Om nom nom nom…read more This was basically the sound 'round the table of a dozen Yelpers one Monday evening, chowing down gleefully on a vast assortment of small plates. Lest the concept of 'small plates' puts in your mind a vision of a miniscule apertif consisting mostly of two bites, fear not - Indaba's tapas (say that ten times fast) are large enough that you can pass your plate around the table and still have enough mouthfuls to fully appreciate the beauty of the food. I ordered the gambas mixtas (garlic and chili prawns, enormous, juicy and butterflied beautifully) and courgette-wrapped feta, delicately flavored. I also snuck bites of the haggis (truly incredible, and in a Spanish restaurant of all places), the steak, pork ribs and baked goats cheese. They were all spot-on. Wonderfully enough, the food didn't come out all at once, but in well-paced succession so that you never had to fear - the next tasty bite was just around the corner and nothing had time to get cold. The service was friendly and perfectly accommodating to a large party. All that, and reasonably priced (and good) house wine makes Indaba a favorite.

Friendly staff and a nice refreshing spin on Tapas. I had mixed meat balls and a Haggis, pine nuts…read moreand spinach creation served with bread and olive oil & balsamic. The meat balls were a little under seasoned to my taste, but easily fixed, the Haggis was very nice. Recommended, I'd come again but consider booking because I was quite early and there were a lot of apparently reserved tables.

I had a bit of a nightmare trying to get a table here - an experience I can't remember having…read moreanywhere else, ever! I'd recently purchased a voucher for dinner, and tried to book a week ago for dinner on the weekend. They said they took email bookings, but the lack of response to my email suggests they don't. I called on Thursday to book for Saturday night, and it went to answering machine. I left a message, only for them to call back at 10pm that night. Now, I know that I go to bed relatively early, but phone calls at 10pm tend to panic me and think "family emergency!" which is not a pleasant feeling as you're drifting off to sleep. On Friday I called again, to return to the answering machine of doom. This time they called back at a more reasonable time, and I booked in for 6pm on Saturday. When we arrived the restaurant was pretty busy (3/4 full) with just one waitress. We were seated and enjoyed the atmosphere - this place is well decorated without being tacky. The service was friendly but I could see how rushed off their feet they were - a few more waitresses started around the time we arrived so I thought things would run smoothly. After we'd ordered, we sat chatting and having a pleasant time, until that moment that you look at your watch and ask "just how long have we been waiting now?" That, added to the fact that I was starving made the wait feel like an age (which it wasn't, but it was definitely more than 30 minutes from ordering til we got our starters). At one point, a waitress came to apologise which was nice - but perhaps some breads would have been more appreciated. Our starters arrived. Starters weren't part of the deal we'd got, but I always like to get something extra to see what the food is really like. I ordered basterma & egg - this was a rich, buttery dish of eggs (scrambled) with some really flavoursome cured meat through it, and some unknown spice. I really enjoyed it, although about 1/2 way through it was really too rich to eat any more of, so I just picked out the meat. It was also a little odd having scrambled eggs as a starter for dinner. Priced at £4.95 I also felt this was a little steep for the actual dish. Graeme H had the kofta (£5.95) which I enjoyed trying - not too dry as kofta can be, and with two delicious sauces to accompany. Quickly after we'd finished our starters, our mains arrived. The voucher was for one tagine per person, with flat breads and rice to share. The rice came in an impressive pyramid shape which I loved, and was cooked with vermicilli through it. Very tasty! I'd chosen the chicken and spinach tagine, only to be told that it wasn't ready yet. So I switched and ordered the chicken and potato. In hindsight, I should have asked to wait for the chicken and spinach as I'm sure it would have been ready by the time we came to eat anyway! Graeme had the curried beef tagine, which was the nicer of the two. I liked my tagine but there was a simplicity to it that didn't impress me. The flavours were ok, and the sauce was a little watery. I think if it had a punchier flavour I'd have enjoyed it more. Graeme's was a really nice rich flavour that meant I was dipping my bread and rice in his sauce although I didn't think it tasted right with mushroom through it. We had a quick look over the dessert menu, but decided it wasn't for us. I really wanted to love this place, as it's convenient for us and I like unusual cuisines. Unfortunately, the booking experience as well as the long wait for our food really tarnished my excitement. While I liked the food, I'm not sure that would tempt me back on its own.

A warm, welcoming restaurant in a bleak part of Glasgow. We visited early on a Wednesday so there…read morewere few other people and none of the big groups and belly-dancers that might make the place a little less pleasant. The space is very dimly lit, which likely disguises some rather ancient upholstery, and is decorated with giant shisha pipes and that sort of thing. But we didn't come for the decor! The food was delicious and arrived in generous portions. Garlicky hummus, intriguing smoked beef, and fat olives to start with. We followed this with succulent chicken from the grill with flatbread and pasta in a spicy tomato sauce (the menu asserts that pasta was a favourite of the Pharoahs). Nur doesn't sell alcohol but permits BYOB, which meant we could drink a particularly lovely Gewürztraminer that we'd been saving for a night out.

The food was absolutely delicious, staff were friendly, and the ambiance and decor was very…read morepleasant and beautiful. Would come here all the time if I lived nearby.

Super friendly cafe with some of the most fresh and tasty wraps. Good lunch deal including soup and…read morewon't leave you feeling unhealthy or poor! Would return just to chat to the owner! Places like this that make you happy to support local businesses, and will return when I'm back in Edinburgh!