We went here on a whim after being turned away from booked restaurants nearby. Wow!! The best service we have encountered yet while traveling overseas. The food was stellar- we had the soft shell crab, veggie spring rolls, salty chicken wings, and the Singapore noodles. They got us in quickly and the staff was so pleasant. Would 100% come back if we were staying longer. Also- incredible prices!! read more

Reviewing a Chinese Restaurant is normally a bit same ol' same ol' - especially when it comes to many different dishes that are on offer and you are left wondering how they can cook all that with the same quality or without tasting similar - however Karen's Unicorn changed that notion for me. Their menu is not extensive but has enough variety to warrant an extra few minutes to choose. There are 4 Set meal options available. And the a la carte has some nice twists on the usual Chinese Regional dishes. I started with the hot & sour soup - very clearly home made and with good taste and fillings - in my opinion could have been hotter. My main course was a Beef Udon (I normally associate this with Japanese food but as a North China dish it was very well made, tasty and not too sweet - however it did lack a bit on chili - which they very kindly provided on the side. My wife and my friend went for the shredded Peking Duck pancakes between them and it was expertly shredded at the table by our waitress. I normally don't do dessert, but I didn't want this visit to be over so I ordered the fried banana in batter.. yum yum! finished with a coffee and brandy. The place has managed one thing - I actually managed a conversation without having to comment on, service, draft or meal mishaps. All was done with a sense grace and minimalist invisible perfection. Recommended read more

It's been a few years since I've been to Karen's Unicorn but I'm pleased to report that it was still a 5 star experience for me. Best Chinese food I have eaten in Edinburgh. This time round I had the 'War Tip' for starters, which is pan fried pork and vegetable dumplings. They were amazing, three little morsels of deliciousness accompanied by a vinegar dip. For main course I chose battered monk fish in ginger and spring onion sauce. When the food arrived, I thought the portion looked a bit on the small side but it was actually just perfect - not too much food (like often happens especially in Chinese restaurants) and not too little food. Everything was delicious. There were plenty of staff hanging around and they were very attentive. Expensive but good! read more

Very good taste Chinese resturant I recommend the fried noodle with soybean，felt as I was back at home read more

Karen's Unicorn - Chinese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Good not great - service is fast and efficient- they are wildly inconsistent from one dish to the next

This restaurant is a new addition to my neighbourhood, the original branch in Stockbridge is a bit of an institution, so I thought I should check it out. It occupies the ground floor of a lovely new town building and the decorators have made it look clean and modern - there are no twee Chinoiserie fripperies here. I was greeted as soon as I entered by a lovely, friendly young waiter (although I sound like one, I am not actually an OAP...) who gave me a take-away menu to look at and left me in peace whilst I made my choices. The food was ready pretty quickly and handed over with a smile and some free prawn crackers (nice one). My starter of Salty and Spicy Squid was brilliant; the batter was crispy and light, the squid wasn't chewy or rubbery, and the balance of saltiness and spiciness was just right. For a main course I chose Kung Po Beef, it was a pretty average dish and not nearly as good as the squid (damn, that squid was tasty), I thought it would've been better if cooked with slightly less oil. Although it's not a particularly cheap Chinese, it's not massively more expensive than your average take-away. I felt that £15 was a reasonable price for a starter, main, rice and prawn crackers and I'm sure I'll be back again soon. read more

Karen's Unicorn - Chinese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Now this is good Chinese food. I've been waiting for a long time to find a place that compares to the quality I was used to in the SF bay area and this place delivered. Its definitely a bit more upscale and there were customs I have never experienced before in a Chinese restaurant (such as: warm towels between courses, tea candle food warmers) but I liked them. Its been a long time since I had had a decent crispy chow mein dish so when I saw it on the menu I ordered it without thinking twice. The vegetable spring rolls were very light and fresh, not the standard oil drenched rolls you usually get. Overall very tasty food. The place is a bit pricey but you get what you pay for. I do miss the wee hole in the walls with amazing Hong Kong style chow mein but this place certainly fills the void. Yes for a bit more cash but I would prefer that over the MSG coated noodles I'd be getting elsewhere. read more

Pricy but OHO! The place has a "modern" Chinese feel with dim lights. Best is to book a table. It fills up quickly during an evening. I can understand why this place is so popular. Hot and Sour soup is a must for me in every Chinese shop, such I know lots of variations. I can honestly say that the Hot and Sour Soup was delightful. Not to spicy and not too lame. You can always spice it up a bit if you like it HOT HOT HOT! Main course: Peking Duck - Yummi. All fresh and tender. It melts in your mouth. Dessert: Honey Pot - my goodness, Heaven! Not more to say....... Presentation of food: Excellent Service: Excellent Friendliness: Excellent (They even open you the door when you go to the toilet) Food choice: Efficient Definitely worth a visit. read more

Karen's Unicorn has a brilliant name, is very stylishly appointed, and serves you good Chinese dishes. Overall, we said: "As an express, business lunch it ticked all the boxes, very nicely. If you're looking for something that will wow you, I'd advise an evening visit, when their more extensive menu swings in to action. The lunchtime service offers you well-executed Chinese classics, served quickly by the excellent staff, at a very reasonable price. The surroundings are extremely stylish, too." read more

Karen's Unicorn - first off, it's a brilliant name! One that you're not likely to forget - and we've been meaning to go there for ages. So, last night we toddled along after a couple of pints and had - a perfectly nice meal. Lovely staff, nice decor, everything very nice and ... you know, fine. It's basically a poshed up version of your bog standard British Chinese restaurant - sweet and sour, lemon chicken, spring rolls. All of them done to a higher standard than usual, but I'd have liked a few more interesting options. So - I don't want to be negative because everything was very pleasant, but a little unexciting. read more

I had wanted to go here for ages as I'd heard it was good so I finally had a chance the other night. In general appearance and ambience it's considerably more upmarket than your usual Chinese restaurant, and the prices reflect that. Mains are mostly around £10 (more for seafood), plus rice/noodles, and starters are around £5. I was a bit disappointed that the menu isn't very different from the typical Chinese offerings, but the quality was good. Not amazing, but noticeably different from the chopped mixed veg covered in radioactive goop that passes for Chinese food in too many UK eateries. I think the simplest description of this place is an upmarket Chinese restaurant. I wouldn't say the food was particularly special, but it was all nice, well presented by attentive staff in pleasant surroundings. So if you like Chinese food but want more of a restaurant experience than your local takeaway, this is a good bet. But I feel that for these prices I would like something a little more interesting on the menu. read more

For a start, Karen's Unicorn is a pretty good name for a restaurant, and it definitely grabs the attention as you walk along the road. It was back in April that I went here for lunch, and I think it was a new arrival on the scene because the place was heaving and the staff were only too eager to please. I'd be interested to see if it was like this a few months on. I have no real complaints about the place, but it wasn't the best Chinese I have ever had. Lunch was £7.95 or £8.95 for 2 or 3 courses, pretty good value for money. My chicken noodle soup was nice, plenty of noodles and the broth was really tasty, if perhaps a little bit salty. We waited a while on our next course, maybe because the place was just finding its feet, but the staff apologised profusely for our wait so we didn't mind. I had a mixed veg chow mien which was fine, like I said, nothing outstanding, but I was absolutely starving by this point so I ate the lot. We left full and satisfied but not particularly blown away, and we haven't felt the need to go back since. The name suggests something extra special but on this occasion, it didn't really deliver the goods. read more

Karen's Unicorn - Chinese Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

If you're using Google Maps, beware: the default Karen's Unicorn it shows you is in Stockbridge, not Abercromby Street! After a slight mishap I made it along to this well loved Chinese restaurant for a Lunch Quest. I thought the food was nice, but nothing special. It was standard Chinese takeaway fare served in surroundings that looked like a George Street cocktail bar instead of the usual waving cat tat you find in a lot of sit in establishments. I probably won't go back of my own volition, but I'm glad that I've been once. I mean, it wasn't awful. It was just ok. read more

I went there mostly because it's ranked #2 on TripAdvisor's Edinburgh Restaurant list. It's hard to believe for a Chinese restaurant to be that popular. First, the ambiance with purple recess lighting is excellent. It's definitely different from the red and gold decoration typical of a Chinese restaurant. For starter, I had the delicious salty and spicy soft shell crab. This is better than the usual salt and pepper prawns. Its crunchiness is just right and the scallions complement the chilli nicely. For the main course, I chose the beef filet cantonese style. I prefer it drier, but the flavor is just right... not too sweet, not too tangy. One star less for being on the pricey side. I still can't consider it being fine dining even with the great ambiance and all. And the service feels just average. All and all, it's definitely on my list of favorites. read more

Perhaps it's the cool interior and location that inflates expectations. It's not worth a go for dinner. I got beancurd in blackbean sauce. It was so average. These noodle soups were bland and boring- I hate adding soy sauce to soups, but had to do so here. The bbq pork was very fatty and not even the right color! (blasphemous) It also tasted a little weird - like it was old. Sweet and sour chicken with rice was fluorescent red and terrifying greasy!!! Nothing tasted fresh. But it always feels like you're paying as much for the decor as the food, and the whole place is trying a bit too hard to tell you how cool and urban and happening you are.I suppose I would give them another try, but only if I were really really hungry . read more

Karen's Unicorn is expensive, but the service was great and the food was excellent. The staff were very friendly and always there to help. A nice place for a fancy dinner. read more

Best Chinese food I've had all year. I recommend the sweet and sour chicken. Absolutely delicious.

Karen's Unicorn is a good restaurant where a man can eat alone with dignity. The servers were very respectful of me. I would recommend Karen's unicorn to any man looking for a place to eat alone. The wanton soup was excellent. read more

I've only had K. Unicorn as takeaway but as a native of the SF Bay Area I was highly impressed with their flavoring of the Kung Pao Chicken I ordered, which we ordered with a Satay Chicken main and paid about 15 or 16 pounds together - not too bad for a large main dish that could be split into dinner and a lunch portion the next day! The chicken was very spicy, chilis everywhere but I really liked it. Would recommend this place to anyone who likes a flavorful meat dish, the ambience inside the place also looked really nice and the takeaway time was 20 minutes for pickup at the restaurant which was very decent. Overall, I was very happy with Karen's Unicorn and would go there again. read more

One star for service, one star for me. Good service but to be honest, I can't say it's a good restaurant for those people who is starving of Chinese food read more

This was a terrific find. Our concierge recommended this to us and it was a great call. After a little too much heavy English/Scottish food we were ready for something else. This was one of the best Chinese meals I have had in a very long time. Highly recommend the Szechuan Chicken. That was excellent. A real highlight of our trip from a food perspective. read more

There are much better Chinese restaurants available in the Stockbridge area i.e Ping On, that have quicker service, cost a lot less and doesn't arrive cold..won't be going back! read more