Short version: crazy good korma, try the sir Walter Scott lamb, and if you leave room for dessert…read morethen they'll fill a citrus with sorbet for you. Longer version: my date and I were having trouble finding a place that would seat us without reservations in St Andrew's Square in a Friday night (hour long waits everywhere), and we finally just went to opentable to look for anything nearby. That might have happened to you. That might be the sort of situation that leads you to read something like this. We've done Dishoom. It was good. It's not an everyday place, but Zest is. It was empty when we walked in, which is something we usually find worrisome. Looks like it is being run by a family, and each of them takes special pride in every dish, every plate, and certainly both of their guests. Get the pickles. They're excellent to start with. Get the sir Walter Scott lamb. It's not something you've have, most likely, but it's what you're going to replace you takeaway tikka masala with starting the day after you try it. Get the chicken Korma. Get the korma because you deserve to give yourself something nice and rich and golden. Get it because you have something you always get and maybe trying something new is better than waiting in a queue for an hour one the square. Also, they will fill a lemon with sorbet for you. That's really considerate, don't you think? Here, I've taken a picture and attached it to the review. Look, if you're local, you've probably been everywhere else. Give it a shot. These are nice people who make good food. If you're a tourist, do the haggis the first night, then try this on the second night because you hadn't planned for what you would eat before hitting the pubs. Finally, they have vegetarian and celiac options. See, good people making good food.

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!!!

Food was sooo good…read more I will be coming back. Service is as friendly and fast and food was so fresh and flavorful. Couldn't ask for anything more

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.

The biryani and Chana were delicious, and service was excellent. The place is just a bit dim for me.read more

Hostile, disrespectful, and completely unacceptable behaviour…read moreOn 29 January 2026 at 13:06, while collecting a delivery order, a staff member shouted at me inside the restaurant in front of customers, then forced me outside and continued speaking aggressively. I asked a basic clarification question and was treated with open hostility and public humiliation. There was no justification for this behaviour. This was not a misunderstanding -- it was purely unprofessional conduct and abuse of power toward a delivery driver. Using "policy" or "council rules" as an excuse does not justify shouting at someone or treating them with disrespect. This restaurant clearly lacks basic standards of professionalism and respect. Delivery drivers should be extremely cautious, and management urgently needs to address how staff speak to people who are simply doing their job. This experience was unacceptable.

I wasn't expecting too much from Saiyems when I first went there- the bright yellow exterior…read moreshouted - tacky- to me, but my friend who lives locally to the area insisted that their curries are great, and he was right. We ordered on a Wednesday night just before a Champions League game and so it was quite busy with other people having the same idea of watching the match over a curry. We waited inside the restaurant and it is a lot more quaint and respectable than the exterior, although that isn't hard. I ordered a chicken bhuna with 2 papadums and a garlic naan bread, the prices here are pretty decent and for the quality and portions of food, it offers good value. The naan bread was one of the freshest I have had and not at all greasy, whilst the chicken bhuna was flavoursome and the chicken very fresh and tender.

This shop is ugly, it has dated (one from 2011) magazines sitting on a coffee table and had I not…read morebeen on a mission to try different Indians I would likely have walked past. However on a mission, I was and one part of the shop front actually stands up - "For curry lovers". I have tried my usual selection of dishes (biryani, madras, chilli garlic) and have to say the food was of good standard, rich spice flavours came through as they should and the meat has always been tender and flavoursome. Part of that flavour though comes from the fact that they use chicken thigh and breast, this does mean you may get the odd tough bit, but overall it is worth it. While the portions of curry and rice are roughly standard for an Indian takeaway (probably enough to feed you for two nights, if you compared the portion to a ready-meal) you get a big portion of pakora, served in a polystyrene box. The pakora, curry and rice was around £10 so not expensive either, given the quantity of food. All in all I would recommend Saiyem's if you stay in the area.

Our family of four were finishing up a long day of seeing shows and enjoying Fringe. We happened…read moreupon Mother India and are so happy we did! I worried we might not get a table, as from the outside it looks smallish, but we were seated immediately and the place kind of goes on and on once you venture downstairs. The menu is extensive and we wished to try many, many plates. Our server patiently waited while we listed all the things. We were promptly served a generous pile of papadum. And the naan! All of our food was delicious - saag paneer, butter chicken, vegetable pakora, chilli chicken dosa, along with mango chutney & coriander chutney. Service efficient and friendly. I highly recommend Mother India's!

Very nice authentic Indian food at casual prices. The chicken tikka masala was good and the Chana…read morewas very delicious. Service is efficient.

Stayed at the Marriott across the street and saw this place crowded, so my family of 3 walked in…read more They asked if we had reservations (which we did not) and he asked us to wait for a minute. He came back and said we can stay but they need the table in an hour, which was perfectly fine to us since we just wanted to eat and go home. Food 5/5: One of the best Indian cuisine I have had. And that's saying a lot since I've eaten Indian cuisine all over the world. I had the lamb biryani which was fantastic. Medium spice was the perfect heat. My mother got the chicken curry and the chicken was perfectly cooked - very tender. We had regular and garlic naan, which we two massive pieces of naan. Great tasting and textured naan. One piece is good for 2 people, so we were very happy. Note - if the dish doesn't say it comes with rice, I recommend ordering a side of rice. The side is a small bowl of rice. Service 5/5: The staff is very friendly and come to ask you if everything is okay. The food comes out quickly and fresh too. Overall 5/5: One of the best Indian cuisines I've had. Glad I stopped in and they took us!

It was ok. Solo traveler in Edinburgh on a Friday evening in mid February, I walked in just after…read more5pm and they seated me right away. Standard British Indian cuisine. Not the greatest curry you'll ever have but it filled a hole. I did have to chase a server to get my bill, despite it being not very busy. Prices as you'd expect for a fairly centrally located restaurant in a European capital city.

Amazing. Just amazing! This place is so good, whenever we can't be bothered making a meal, our…read morefirst thought is The grace of india. Everyone who I've met who has been there says it is the best indian they have ever had! Love it so much, I would definitely recommend.

Late meal after long country drive, and popped into The Ducks. But due to their kitchen closure at…read more10pm, (though some websites do state 10.30), was recommended by staff the local Indian cuisine. Grace of India, just a block away has pleasant surroundings, chatty staff from this family run business, is quiet and with sea views all provided to make your meal a better experience. Food came in the form of chicken korma (mild) for others in our party and starter was a potato nan type chicken dish. But as they have no licence for alcohol you BYOB, which we could have bought in The Golf or can order fizzy pop. Grace have been in the town for a few years now, had redesigned the local chippy and are well established. Are usually busy, when there isn't a wedding on in the nearby. All in all we would definitely come again.

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

Ate here last night because it was close to my hotel. But, wow, am I glad it did! It was so…read moredelicious. The momos and the namche curry was amazing. The service was great too. Can't wait to try this place again.