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    Mother India's Cafe

    4.3 (138 reviews)
    ModerateIndian
    Closed 12:00 pm - 11:00 PM

    Mother India's Cafe Photos

    MOTHER INDIA'S CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Dogs allowed
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - Mother India's Cafe

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    Rice and Dal
    Maria M.

    In search of Indian food our first night in Edinburgh. This restaurant was packed but somehow we waited 5 minutes for the server accommodated us with a table in the lower level. That level was amazing . Food was amazing too. Butter chicken, dahl and saag paneer was so delicious. Naan and rice were fresh and tasty. Masala tea was a nice accompaniment.

    Candace L.

    Enjoyed a wonderful dinner on Valentine's Day at Mother India's. I'd booked Dishoom and here and decided since I've been to Dishoom in London I'm coming here instead. I'm very happy that I did. The food was outstanding. The garlic chili chicken is to die for! This was my favorite dish. I also ordered veggie samosas, cheese naan, rice, and aloo gobi to pair with my kingfisher. I can't wait to return! Fantastic dinner choice, and everything is walking distance around here so it was lovely to stroll back to my hotel after a very satisfying meal. Make a booking here if you're looking for a casual yummy and fulfilling dinner.

    Spicy Keema Dosa
    Emily B.

    Have had two wonderful meals at Mother India's Cafe. Smaller plates, but decent portions for the price. I have gotten the Lamb Keema Mutter and Spicy Keema Dosa, as well as garlic naan, rice, and the Saag Paneer. All were absolutely wonderful and I wish I was eating them again right now, especially the Dosa. I will absolutely return to this place time and time again! Service is extremely quick and you get your food and drinks very soon after ordering. However, it's typically booked at busy times, so I would make a booking if you're planning to visit.

    Butter chicken and garlic naan
    Claire J.

    This restaurant was highly recommended by our driver from the airport who is East Indian and Scottish. I went there for lunch a little after opening and received a table. It filled up quickly. The service was friendly but a little slow and I had to wait for the check for a bit but the food was delicious. I had the butter chicken with tender pieces of meat and a smooth, savory sauce. I paired it with garlic naan. It was a great recommendation and also nice that it's off the Royal Mile and less busy.

    Butter Chicken, Basmati Rice, Garlic Spiced Potatoes, Garlic Pita
    Tiffany S.

    Definitely some of the best Indian food I have had! Ordered takeout to take back to our hotel after a long day exploring the city. The service was wonderful, very accommodating! The flavors of everything were amazing. Would highly recommend giving it a try!

    roti
    Eunice Y.

    probably the best option for indian cuisine in edinburgh (not that i've tried all the other places), a good competitor for the classic Dishoom. all the food was delicious and didn't take super long to come out. we went for a late lunch around 2 and was able to get seats right away.

    Breakfast during festival
    Natalie W.

    Mother India's were doing breakfast during the festival and we all enjoyed our very different options - eggs, bread or fruit-based. I personally love having a (mostly) savoury rather than sweet, American-style breakfast. Based on the quality of the breakfast I'd like to try lunch or dinner too.

    Natalie G.

    A guidebook recommended Mother India's and Dishoom, but after reading the menus for both, we opted for another India's. I'm so glad we did! We popped in right when they opened for dinner at 5 PM. The menu recommends 3-4 dishes for 2 and I would agree. We hadn't eaten since 7 am and we're pretty hungry from wandering around all day-- we cleared our dishes! Pricing was very reasonable: $22.50 for pitta/naan, basmati rice, butter chicken, saag paneer, and the chili garlic chicken for two. Ambiance is casual but very modern and clean, with a hint of richness to it (textured wallpapers, warm colors, 1920's-esque lighting). Service was great and quite quick (thought that may be due to the time of day we ate). I would definitely recommend!

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    2 years ago

    Fantastic service, the food was perfect! Couldn't ask for a better Indian meal. The atmosphere is neat and cozy. Very affordable as well.

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    4 years ago

    naan and butter chicken were both 10/10. Open later than 89.367% of the places here. Highly rec

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    3 years ago

    Fantastic food and great experience overall. Perfect for a taste of India. Location is central in city Allso

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    Mother India's Cafe Reviews in Other Languages

    Review Highlights - Mother India's Cafe

    Their menu says to order 3-4 of their "tapa style" dishes, but we would've exploded if we had had more than 3 (plus papadams).

    Mentioned in 20 reviews

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    Kama Sutra - Entrance!

    Kama Sutra

    4.3(23 reviews)
    0.1 miNewington
    ££

    A very pleasant meal, indeed. Our servers were wonderful, the food was delicious, and the sex theme…read moreof the whole place was hilarious to me. Worth a stop!

    I ordered a wee bit of carry out from Kama Sutra for a Friday night at home celebration. Overall,…read morethe quality of the food was quite good. The items purchased included KADAI PANEER, LAMB KORMA, and FISH PAKORA. As usual, I will itemise my reviews for each of these foods. In terms of food quality, the most important aspect of a restaurant review, the food was truly SUMPTUOUS, RICH, and TENDER-MEATED. The kadai paneer, which contained paneer with stewed vegetables, was adequately seasoned, flavourful, and succulent. I will say, the quantity of paneer included was MINIMAL, but that is how these restaurants SCAM you: they give you a hefty portion of the cheap stuff, but are overly restrained when it comes to the proteinous goodness. As for the lamb korma, it was RICH. Served in a thique spicy and sweet coconut sauce as yellow as the yolk of a quail's egg, with tender morsels of a lamb's meat, this dish was tantalising. And, finally, the fish pakora. It was flavourful and spiced with a reasonable level of flakiness, such that it was moist but not soggy on the interior and crisp on the exterior. It was served with a delicious yoghurt sauce and a tiny rubbish bag filled with 'salad'. Overall, the food warrants four (4) stars. I have deducted one (1) star due to the LACK OF CARBOHYDRATE in this meal. Little did we know, the saucy dishes are not served with rice or naan. Fortunately, this was carry out and I had some mediocre Co-op naans on hand to seep up the many unctions. So, beware: you must order RICE or NAAN or another INSTRUMENT with which to consume your food, unless you prefer to simply drink the thique and rich juices as you would a cup of tea. Because this food was carried out and consumed in the comfort of my home, I do not factor service, ambience, or other in-restaurant factors into this review. That includes the supposed sex theme of the restaurant. Perhaps one day I will venture in for the full experience.

    Photos
    Kama Sutra
    Kama Sutra - Cute dining area

    Cute dining area

    Kama Sutra - Menu

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    Menu

    Vinyasa - Vegetable Balti (vegan)

    Vinyasa

    3.9(22 reviews)
    0.2 miRoyal Mile, Old Town
    ££

    Very disappointing, extremely oily, overpriced Indian food that lacks depth, but has some vegan…read moreoptions. I found this place as rated one of the better Indian restaurants in Edinburgh that does vegan options. I don't get it. We arrived for dinner on a Monday, and their vegan menu online was not shown on the dine-in menu, so I asked the server about this, and they told me what could be made vegan -- at least they were familiar with the concept. We got a vegan Balti and vegan Rogan Josh (each about £10.50), plus some tandoor roti (£3.50 each) and papadams and dipping sauce (another ~£4). The Rogan Josh was the oiliest Indian dish I've ever tried had in my life. The dish was swimming in oil. Beyond that, there wasn't much complexity in flavour beyond high saltiness. The Balti had the same saltiness / lack of depth issue, but at least wasn't as oily. We were quite disappointed in the lack of flavour depth in both dishes, especially compared to the Indian food you can get in the UK in general. What's more, the portion sizes were not especially big, so we really relied on the roti to be full. Very disappointing Indian food overall. We would definitely not return.

    It was so yummy and delicious. My fiancé and I got the Vegetarian house special banquet ( to try a…read morefew things) and it was to die for. So yummy so excellent. The service was good, we went on a slower night and were seated very quickly. So good would go again!

    Photos
    Vinyasa - Vegetable Rogan Josh (vegan)

    Vegetable Rogan Josh (vegan)

    Vinyasa
    Vinyasa

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    Mother India's Cafe - indpak - Updated May 2026

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