This place is a gem! I stumbled upon it while looking for somewhere to eat lunch after touring the…read moreRoyal Mile. I'd popped in and out of a few other restaurants that were fully booked, and was pleasantly surprised to find open tables when I walked into Gurkha. The ambiance was cozy, and felt like I was eating inside a family's home. The food was delicious and plentiful for the price. I was so thirsty from sightseeing, I drank my mango lassi before I thought to capture a photo for this review. It was just the right consistency of thickness and sweetness. For appetizers, I had the king prawns. It was perfectly spiced and delicious. It was followed by chicken biryani and naan. There was a sauce provided for the biryani that took it up another notch. For me, the prawns were the star of the show. At the end of my meal, I got a chance to chat with the owner and learned they are from Nepal. It was a pleasant exchange and the service was great.

Great service, easy location, and delicious food! I do wish the rice came with the chicken tikka…read moredish, but we really enjoyed this meal. The star of the show was definitely the garlic naan! That was the best I've ever had.

Hands down, some of the best Indian food I've had…read more Ever I stopped in since they were the only restaurant open at 10:30 PM for dinner by my hotel... and I feel like I hit the jackpot. The service was very friendly, the food was outstanding and the prices were reasonable... Everything that a great restaurant should be .

This was a change of pace lunch from our usual pub fare. It's one of those places where the…read moreemployees are so native to their cuisine that they find it hard to explain some of the dishes to foreigners. However, the food quality was excellent and the lunch portions were adequate to fuel an afternoon of exploring. In particular, both chicken dishes were tender and flavorful.

I still don't really know what the difference is between specifically Nepalese food and regular…read moreIndian food... That's why I'm giving this place 4 stars and not 5. The food itself was extremely tasty (I had the Bengal King Prawns which were marinated in all sorts of spices and then cooked in the tandoori oven, they were gorgeous). But I went there feeling all excited about trying a new 'cuisine' that I'd never had before, and left feeling that there are a lot of Indian restaurants much closer to where I live that serve the vast majrity of the same dishes - almost as if they're just using it as a gimmick. Aside from that, there really isn't anything you can fault this place on. Despite my whingeing I still picked up a takeaway menu on my way out. Although the food might be very similar to a lot of other restaurants in the area, their prices are definitely the best.

I really couldn't fault Yak & Yeti as the food is delicious, the service is friendly and quick and…read morethe general ambiance of the place makes you feel relaxed and at home. I've been here a few times with some friends in my second year of uni and every time we've left stuffed with Nepalese food and content with the whole experience. The menu has a wide range of meat, poultry and vegetarian dishes, all of wich are authentic to Nepal and have their own unique blend of spices. The last time I was in I went for the lamb gurkhali khasi which is a traditional dish of the region and tasted amazing. With boiled rice, a naan bread and drink the whole meal came to tenner which we all throught was great value for money. I'll hopefully come here again soon as its service, food and atmosphere are all faultless.

Wow, another Nepalese restaurant in city, never seen so many Nepalese restaurants in a city…read moreSince we were staying nearby, we decided to try a local restaurant instead of heading to the usual prime locations like Princes Street or the Royal Mile. Coming from the same region myself, I naturally connect with Nepalese food and am always eager to try authentic dishes whenever I get the chance... Seems, it is very popular, and The Khukuri has been an Edinburgh favorite for almost twenty years Nepalese food is often considered a combination of ingredients, flavors and cooking styles of a variety of cultures, including India. We ordered- Momo Jhol: never leave a chance to have momo at an authentic Nepalese joint. And it did not disappoint after all - 4/5 * Chicken Sekuwa: but it did. I know what sekuwa is, and it was far from that. Ofcourse I asked the serverbut the response was the usual, that We've adapted it to suit local tastes.- 2/5 * Lamb Biryani: not the biryani you guys would expect, it's more of lamb curry with rice Ofcourse, I was expecting more in terms of food taste, but overall owner's warmth, quick service,and even every server is there to help you, doesn't matter that table belongs to him/her or not Feel like home Food - 3/5 Overall - 4/5

Very nice dinner and relaxing atmosphere. Food is spicy and tasty. Recommend trying the dumplings.read more

I think I've finally learned the difference between Nepalese and Indian food. Whenever I see a menu…read moreclaiming to be Nepalese I always feel a bit cheated to see familiar things like Biryani and Tikka Massala on there, but apparently the difference between the two is that traditional Indian dishes are much creamier and coconut-based, whereas Nepalese is based around tomatoes and lentils. That's one of the things that's so good about The Ghurka - you go for a curry but don't leave feeling like that girl in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory who swells up into a giant blueberry and has to be rolled out of the room. We went for lunch, where you have the choice of the á la carte or their £5.95 Set Menu. A main from the á la carte costs about £6-9 so we thought the set meal looked like great value for money. Also, you got a choice of at least 5 or 6 different things for each course, and it wasn't a buffet, which is always a bonus. With your main course, you had the choice of whether it came with rice, chipati or poori, and I have to say their poori are easily the best I've ever eaten in my life. When the waiter set the plate in front of me with 2 huge ones on it, I thought I was never even going to get close to finishing them both myself. I did. I can't review this place without mentioning this one thing though: on the lunch menu, although you have a choice of loads of different meats/fish/prawns, and you can choose the spice level, it's still just described as "chicken curry" or "lamb curry" etc. It doesn't exactly give off the most exciting impression of the food, although when it came we did all agree it was delicious. Also, this is an ideal place to go for a chilled out, relaxed meal. I wouldn't eat here if you're in any sort of rush, as the service wasn't the fastest. Definitely worth a visit though.

I don't know what astounds me more, the fact that Nepalese cuisine is an option for the culinarily…read morecurious or that there are so many of them that they fight over the same name. I tried to research my review for The Gurkha, a restaurant in Edinburgh, not to be confused with the Gurkha café. And not the Gurkha Brigade, which is...really, three Nepalese restaurants with the name "Gurkha" in the title all in the same city? Is that a condition for being a Nepalese restaurant? I would be happy to just have a Nepalese restaurant in my home town. The closest I could find was in Vancouver, and its name is...huh...Gurkha. I shouldn't be surprised about that. By the way, the Gurkha I'm at claims itself the first and "original" Nepalese restaurant in Scotland. I can read between the lines and that's effectively a giant middle finger to the other like-named restaurants. Oh and if you click the website link on TripAdvisor, it takes you to the WRONG Gurkha. That must sting. The Gurkha is an adorable sky blue-painted restaurant slotted between an acupuncturist and a Chinese take-out place, all three occupying less sidewalk space than a McDonalds and located on Morningside road (not to be confused with Morningside place or Morningside park--oh for the love of GOD, Edinburgh; you're not that big of a city!). Gurkha is considered large in that it occupies two storefronts, one door blocked off, yet it only takes about five seconds to cross on foot. What I'm saying is that the businesses in Morningside are tiny; it's like an economy of Lilliputians. The interior was a modest collection of white-draped tables, red shod chairs, and walls painted in an ill-advised choice of yellow promoted as amber but coming off as "corn via protein spill". The décor was simple, with few fixtures hanging from the walls. The staff was stone-faced but welcoming, wrapped in ties and vests, very posh considering the time of day. The effort was appreciated. I entered at lunch and noted the massive menu and listings with a very pronounced Indian inspiration. Biryani. Masala. Poppadom. Of course, there would be some carry-over--I've mentioned in other reviews that country lines mean effectively nothing and that true cuisine can only be graded by tribes and ethnicity, and even then one must acknowledge the sharing of trends between neighbors. I say all that to educate some and prevent my lynching from others. What distinguishes Nepalese from Indian (apparently) is the reduction in spice and the increase of sweeter ingredients like ginger. This was confirmed with the dishes I ordered. I say dishes for lunch because the Gurkha offered a lunch special, three courses for 6.95. The first was a trio of fried breads with huge buckets (BUCKETS) of various dips and curries, after...I'm sorry, did I lose you? You seem to be stuck on that price. That's right, it wasn't a numerical error. 6.95. Pounds or dollars, despite conversion, that's really cheap. The menu prices were a little higher on average, perhaps dauntingly so if you only wanted to stop in for a quick bite, but 6.95? That's the price for a starter in any other restaurant and here it's for three courses! I felt like I was robbing them. The courses were fixed but that's the brilliance. It's one thing to have a daily special a few dollars less but to have a three course combination meal, it becomes a given. Who would think of ordering off the main menu with a three course option for 6.95? And you still get to choose if you want chicken, lamb, beef, or pork. You still get a colossal slab of naan so large you can't see the plate it's served on. After that you still get dessert. This is beyond a good value. And thankfully the food was fantastic. It was my last day in Edinburgh and the Gurkha reminds me dramatically of one of the many things I will miss about this city. The value and possibilities cannot be quantified in the number of words remaining in this review. The Gurkha may be one of several Gurkha-named restaurants in Edinburgh, but it would be difficult for the others to measure up. There are many places to eat in Morningside and if you happen to be wandering along the road and come across Gurkha, THIS Gurkha, it's worth your time. Food: 5/5 Service: 3/5 Presentation: 3/5 Value: 6/5 Recommendation: 4.25/5

The food is excellent here. We were visiting from Atlanta and wanted some good spicy food. They fit…read morethe bill at a very reasonable price. I had the chicken Marsala with garlic naan. Very well prepared and delicious.

We were visiting during the Fringe Festival last summer and this was some of the best food I've…read moreever had. Nothing else compares to this place. We came multiple times during the course of our stay because we couldn't get enough. They recognized us and treated us so warmly every time. I still dream of coming back to here, nothing in my home country compares. Cozy and welcoming place with the best food.

Vegetable Momo was great. The sauce was the perfect amount of spicy. Saag paneer was good.read more

Delicious food! Ordered the chicken tikka masala, rogan josh, mushroom bhaji, and saag paneer…read more Aside from the paneer being a little too firm (had the texture of firm tofu rather than paneer), everything tasted like a home cooked meal.

Great decor and nice bar n Indian restaurant…read more We were staying right across in VRBO.. and this was a great location .

Cool staff! I am not a lamb lover but the curried lamb chops here were AMAZING! Also had MURGH…read moreCHANDI TIKKA which is Cubes of chicken, marinated with spices and herbs, roasted and served with a special sauce. Very good! This is worth a try! Very good food!

I am so pleased to have a decent Indian Takaway so close to my house…read more They are really great with me (fussy vegetarian who doesn't like spicy things) and they let me order off menu. The chef made me an incredibly delicious Paneer Pasanda. It was delicately full of flavour and fruity and mild which was exactly what I was after. My husband goes for the total opposite with spicy green herb chicken and the hotter the better! The garlic nan bread is great, but beware it is very very garlicy indeed that you will keep vampires at bay the next day too!

Let's start with deliver. Quoted at 45 minutes (not unreasonable). To have to wait a total of 1h…read more15m is unreasonable however, particularly when it is not accompanied by any explanation, apology or useful estimated ToA. The phonecall made TO the restaurant at 15 minutes after the quoted deliver time was met with confusion and the stock, "it's on its way. Be there in 5 minutes". When it arrived most of it was way too cold (unsurprising given the length of time it was probably in transit). The starters were odd. The Chicken Pakora was unlike any I've had before or wish to have again. It consisted of thin, flat strips of tough, overcooked, deepfried chicken, coated in what appeared to be breadcrumbs, certainly NOT what was described on the menu. Tasteless, cold and unpleasant. The Onion Bhajis were cold, soggy & greasy rather than warm and crisp. Our main dish was Chicken Tikka Dupiaza which was reasonable if unexceptional. Side dishes were Mushroom Bhaji and Aloo & Pea Bhaji. They were actually quite good on their own. The Basmati Pilau Rice was decent enough. Breads were Plain Nan (doughy, damp, stodgy & cold) and Parata (their spelling) was greasier than most. Why do some restaurants insist on packaging breads in those foil-lined bags though? They ruin the texture of Indian breads! Nan should be light, dry and fluffy. Paratha should be flaky and buttery but not greasy. I think both are best served and eaten hot but where that's not possible, at the very least they should retain their correct texture. I'd rather them cold than getting lukewarm soggy breads delivered in these daft foil-lined bags. All in all, not very enjoyable. Not expensive but who cares when it's this bad. I wouldn't consider it good value even if it had been free. I can see I'm in the minority in this opinion but my experience from start to finish was so bad, I won't be giving this establishment a second try.

Zest pleasantly surprised me. I believe by this point in our trip everyone was a bit on edge so…read morepicking a place to eat was extremely exhausting. We had finally narrowed it down to Indian food but we still couldn't choose a restaurant. I'll be honest my vote was for a different restaurant so I wasn't too excited about going to the place I didn't choose. I know I was being a brat but this review gets better. Because I came in wanted to prove that my choice would have been better (again so bratty). When we walked in everyone working was so nice and friendly they immediately melted my anger away. I ordered the mango lassi to drink and for my entree I got the paneer marsala. Both items were delicious. I do wish I could have controlled the spice a bit more but that could have been on me and I may have misunderstood. This restaurant wasn't the cleanest, it wasn't gross by any means it just seemed like they were short on staff and didn't have time to clean the bathrooms that day. All in all I really came around and had to eat my own words Zest was delicious and I am very glad I lost!!!

Last night in Edinburgh and what a better way to do it then with Indian. We came in for dinner a…read morelittle before 7pm and had no problem getting a table. We of course started checking out the menu which had a number of options. We started with appetizers which we get a number of. We went with the Lovely Garlic Mushrooms, Sabzi Samosa, Chicken Pakora, and the Himalayan Crushed Chilli Chicken which is an entrée but it sounded good so we got it for the table. All the appetizers were good but what really stuck out to me what the Chicken Pakora, and the Himalayan Crushed Chilli Chicken. I had never had Chicken Pakora but it was great. They were perfectly fried so crispy and the batter had so much flavor. Will for sure be getting me Chicken Pakora in the future. The Himalayan Crushed Chilli Chicken was also very good. I will say this is not like the fried Chilli Chicken I have had at other Indian restaurants but this was full of amazing flavor. It's also marked as a Hot dish but it wasn't over powering at all. For my entrée I will say I ended up going pretty basic and went with Chicken Tikka Massalam but it was just calling my name that night. I comes mild but asked if I could get it hot. Our server did look at me like I was crazy but he said they would give it a try. I will say the rest of our party was a little more adventurous. Once my Chicken Tikka Massalam came out I got into it and it was very good. My sister got the Korma with Chicken (at least that's what she ordered) but she was given Korma with Lamb. I tried hers and I liked it even more then my Tikka and she loved my Tikka she we traded. I'm glad I did too. The Lamb so so tender for sure will be doing this more too.I will say we were a little nervous at Zest when first ordering but after our meal everyone talked about how much we enjoyed everything. For sure a good spot for Indian!