While exploring the Royal Mile, we stumbled upon a Kurdish eatery whose terrace overlooked Victoria…read moreStreet. What used to be called Hanam's is now Daika; same menu, same offerings, I don't know if they've changed ownership. We ordered: -- Mixed Grill (£24.95): three meat skewers that he said were middling. -- Halloumi Fries (£9.85): usually my favorite thing on a Mediterranean menu, but theirs was a bit tough, took chewy to the next level, & the pomegranate molasses did nothing to improve the flavor. -- Babaghanoush (£9.80): nice texture with the eggplant bits, properly smoky, & went well with the pita that stayed warm in its parchment bag. -- we also had lemonade in a bottle that was tart & refreshing. Rather than having lunch at Daika, we instead should have ordered a hookah; smoking shisha on their beautiful terrace with a view of Old Town around us would've been more enjoyable.

To be honest everything was fine, however I just thought it would be a little bit better. The…read morefattoush salad was not very flavorful. The best thing we had was the fried halloumi. It was actually excellent and I would give that dish five stars. The Falafel was a bit dry. The grilled prawns were served with the shell on so they had to be peeled which was a bit messy. I usually don't expect to peel my prawns at the dinner table. The meats on the mixed grill were average. The minced meat kabob was the most flavorful. The others were a bit overcooked. Also, they may have been a bit understaffed but they generally did not clear any dishes when we were finished with them unless we asked them to.

My family loved Baba's food so much that we ate here twice during our Edinburgh trip. Everything we…read morehad was delicious, so I feel like you can't go wrong here. The pita bread and hummus was something we ordered both times. The lamb shoulder is a must-order. And of course, the whole fish was a treat. Easily a five-star restaurant, and kid- friendly to boot. (There's even a separate kids menu!)

I was staying at the kimpton and this restaurant is part of the hotels dining options. Ambience is…read moreelegant and beautiful. Staff are all very friendly and helpful. Food is Mediterranean and offers a variety of mezze, snacks, and options from the grill. Prices are very reasonable and quality of food is amazing. That's why every night this place seems to be packed, even on weeknights. They also have a separate bar that adjoins the restaurant. I tried the mumaharra and smoked salmon roe dips which come with accompanying pita. I also tried the lamb sausages and a slow cooked lamb, both were delicious. The dessert was just ok and I think I will skip dessert next time.

Clearly, they don't get many vegan visitors. I was so excited to see numerous dishes marked as…read morehaving vegan options upon request, but I have to say that the shakshuka is not the move. To "veganize" it, they simply remove the eggs, cheese, and yogurt, leaving behind a bowl of tomato sauce with toast, for exactly the same price. The side of mushrooms I got saved the day, which were genuinely delicious; lightly charred and topped with chives, there was a variety of portobello, shiitake, oyster, and more. The cafe is cute, definitely dressed for Instagram, and there are colorful and/or glittery drinks to complete the picture. Just not exactly as vegan-friendly as advertised.

Cute brunch spot! Very kind staff. The pancakes were quite small but tasty. Definitely worth…read morestopping by for a bite.

This place was such a delight today!! My friends had been there before thrice so it came with high…read moreexpectations, and it did live up to those!! The waiter was excellent: friendly, attentive, courteous, helpful! The nan breads could be cooked a bit more, and their kitchen extractor fan was loud (we shouldn't have sit so close to the kitchen entrance) . The baklava was nothing special - just like the ones bought from shops. Apart from the above minor points, the food was Really Really good!! I was so jealous I couldn't try the lamb chops (trying a meat-free month for a while) but my friend assured me they were delicious and cooked perfectly, soft and proper charcoal cooked! The lamb dish with the vegetables and the tomato sauce was massive and well cooked too! I tried the spinach with chickpeas, herbs and rice as a side. Delicious! As a drink I chose the yoghurt drink: they add a bit of salt, helps digestion too :-) I even tried their mint tea: they do have fresh mint leaves which they add apart from the standard peppermint bag. You should definitely try it if you're into Kurdish / Middle Easter cuisine!

Set the wayback machine to November of 2013. I am on a two-week journey in Edinburgh for reasons…read moreunrelated to food. However, being a food blogger, I made a point to have at least one restaurant experience each day for the purposes of my reviews. I figured that considering the amount of walking I'd been doing, I shouldn't have had any problem keeping my weight down. By the end of the two weeks, I had gained ten pounds. I blame restaurants like Nawroz for that. Is this a critical review? Not in the slightest. I'm only saying that with nearly every restaurant I've been in, I've never seen more generosity in service and portions than businesses specializing in Middle Eastern cuisine. Okay, perhaps I would put them on a tie with the Greeks, but I would much prefer large portions of Middle Eastern cuisine than of Greek. Yeah, I know, I'm going to get murdered for that one. I'm not saying that Middle Eastern cuisine is better than Greek cuisine. I'm saying that Middle Eastern cuisine is...clearly better, how can anyone argue with that? I've said that certain cuisines become gateways to other cuisines; they stimulate your culinary curiosity while others are gastronomic thunderdomes. Which would I put in the latter category? Obviously American and westernized Chinese. Even sushi is starting to fall into that category. But gateway cuisines? Indian definitely, French and maybe Dutch to lesser degrees, they all open our minds to new ideas, leading to other possibilities. From Indian, you may try Nepalese, Persian, or Moroccan. Of course, if one is talking technicalities, these countries are only lines on a map, and when addressing nutritional anthropology, what you get are hundreds of tribes migrating through history across Africa and Asia, sharing their ideas and techniques. Comprehending that, suddenly calling a certain cuisine Indian makes no sense, as what classifies as Indian food is actually several different culinary methods which happen to occupy that region. What classifies as Indian changes depending on where in India you are? In fact, naming a cuisine not after a country but a people should be more appropriate. Kurdish cuisine encompasses Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey. With that, there are quite a few foods which the average curioso will recognize. You'll find falafels, humus, flatbreads, baklava, and shawarma. So what should you do when given such variety? You order it all. Wait, what? Nawroz offers various dishes but one is a mixed collection of various starters. So the five of us ended up getting large mixed plates of starters with only two mains, allowing us to share in the traditional Middle Eastern fashion. You don't order a main and lift from it selfishly. You order a mountainous bowl of food and open the plates of the table to share. This is what you do. Nawroz should be experienced each time as a gathering of friends and family. Invent a celebration if you have to. Someone's birthday? A wedding? Christmas (which they celebrate at Nawroz ironically), or how about the traditional Iranian new year...which is actually called Nawroz. So the restaurant is named after one of the most boisterous events in all the Middle East; why wouldn't you take that opportunity? It's like a restaurant that celebrates Christmas all year round. The décor is perfect with what it attempts to convey: culture and tradition with mild compromises to operate as a functional restaurant. Red and black chairs over a tiled floor, raw brick on the walls with hanging rugs, tapestries, and paintings. Various regional iconographies rest upon the bar. I can feel the pride of the owners in their culture by the décor of the restaurant and the quality of their food. Even the hummus is molded into a fan, topped with olives. The flatbread is fried, a new first and favorite. The mixed starters ranged from contemporary to intimidating and I devoured each and every one. Even though we had ordered mixed starters for five with only two mains, we couldn't squeeze another plate of food onto our table. Everything was good and we still had dessert waiting for us--three types of baklava with Turkish delight. I'll reiterate my previous point. The various cultures of the Middle East know how to make people welcome and this is reflected in their restaurants. Their food is munificent, huge portions at reasonable prices. With Shezan and Nawroz being so close to each other (walking distance) I know that any future domiciles in Edinburgh would have to be in close proximity to this region so when I entertain visitors, I always have a place to go. I am happy that my small home town has a Persian restaurant--so at least my absence from this cuisine would be short. DECOR: 9 PLATING: 8 SERVICE: 8 FOOD: 9 VALUE: 10 OVERALL: 8.8 out of 10

First timer (Edinburgh, Scotland)…read more My dad lived in Marruecos and he always talked about the food. I finally got a chance to try it. I went with a friend from Mallorca and we had a wonderful dinner experience. We had: Maroccan (lamb) meatballs- 5 stars. Very well seasoned and balanced!!! Chicken tagine- 5 stars. This thing was so scrumptious and tasty. Well seasoned and flavorful!!!! Lamb tagine- I do not eat lamb but this dish deserves 5 stars for making me a believer!!!! Very well seasoned and tasteful! Bread- 5 stars. I had a wonderful dinner experience in terms of food tasting :). Service was good but it could have been better.

Souq makes entertaining look easy! - There were 19 of us and we had a private booking in the…read moredownstairs area and we felt very well looked after for the evening. Souq is inviting and exotic from the outside. I've passed by on the bus and been intrigued. And, finally, I got to visit this Moroccan delight. The restaurant just as beautiful on the inside with dazzling hanging lamps, giant rustic vases and bejewelled fabrics adorning the walls. We are welcomed warmly and our hosts entertain us, ensuring vegetarians are catered for and that drinks are flowing. - After all, we were celebrating! Everything is delicious. - Flatbreads and hummus, stuffed vine leaves, halloumi fries and crispy bread to start. Then vegetable tagine with couscous or rice. My carnivore friends had good things to say about the meat offerings and I really enjoyed the vegetable tagine. Finally, Turkish delight and baklava to finish. Mmm! The added surprise: a live belly dancer who entertained us and even gave us a short lesson. What an experience! And if you're intrigued, there's belly dancing in Souq every Saturday. This was a first for me; a unique and fun experience for the whole party. Oh, and belly-dancing isn't easy. But I definitely had fun trying!

The wraps are incredible so crispy on the outside but soft on the inside the chips were under…read moresalted but that doesn't matter. The starters are good especially the lamb rolls. The place looks amazing very posh but I liked it. The servers were very nice. Just as you thought it couldn't get any better... They give the ice separate to the drink

Came here on a weekday for lunch on a friend's recommendation. Sat outside although there were…read moreplenty of tables inside. Got the halloumi and falafel as starters, both were tasty. I love halloumi, and it came with an awesome sauce too. Falafel was a bit hard but the flavor was good. For my main, I got the lamb shish kebab, and I asked for the rice to be replaced with salad. What came was great, exactly what I wanted: a tomato soup and a tomato / bell pepper / cucumber salad. It was awesome. And of course the meat and some tahini sauce; we were given some thin pita bread as well. The lamb had good flavor although the flavor could've been stronger, and the soup was a tad oily. Good amount of food but it came at a very high price at around £60 total (my friend got a lamb dish as well). Non-existent service, very difficult to ask for more water.

Highly recommend getting the Rojava King Mixed Grill platter for 2 people. The sauces are delicious…read morewith a balance of a light spicy kick and a creamy, cooling sauce that works well with all the meats. Especially impressed by the crispy chicken wings, well seasoned lamb Schwarma and lamb kebabs. Great service but be patient as food is freshly prepared to order.

Great food and accommodated our late arrival. Appetizers and bread were perfect starters and mixed…read moregrill meats were perfectly cooked.

Came in last minute for dinner while in Edinburgh. They were busy but friendly and made room for…read moreus. We had the whole sea bass, which was tasty, and a few mezze dishes, which were a mix of good and just okay. I've definitely had better middle eastern food, but this is a place I'd give a second chance. Wine is BYO.

Gosh, the food here was amazing. Could be my new favourite place. Tonnes of grub for a really good…read moreprice, bring your own bottle, great location and buzzing atmosphere. I ordered the qozy lamb - two pieces of lamb falling off the bone, heaps of rice, naan bread and an aubergine, tomato and potato side that was beyond yummy. A huge amount of food that I just about managed to polish off. Dessert was baklawa - couldn't fault it and it came with a scoop of ice cream. Delicious. I'd have given this place five stars if it weren't for our seating location right next to the waiters' station. We had to endure an evening's worth of cutlery clanging and banging right next to our ears and waitresses bumping into our seats as they whizzed between tables and the station. If it weren't for that, I'd have given this place a five star. Will definitely be back, just not sitting next to the waiters' station!

If ever I am in doubt over what to cook for my dinner, I ALWAYS go Elfalafel. Living just around…read morethe corner from the shop, I am in it an embarrassing amount but it is so worth it as the food is amazing. The food is mostly ethnic inspired as they serve chicken shawarma's, kebabs and have a great selection of different falafel flavours, including spinach and chili, but there is also more traditional food like burgers and fish and chips. There is an open salad bar so you are able to choose which sauces and salad bits you want on your wrap or kebab. Elfalafel is situated in the ideal spot - just across the road from George Square, the University students playground. The food is inexpensive - it is £4 for a burger, chips and drink, and a student discount is available. The staff are incredibly friendly and chatty and there is a decent sized seating area in Elfalafel so you are able to eat your meal inside. I cannot recommend this place any higher - GO!!!

Chicken shawarma wrap and chips are good…read more Good value for healthy food Owner works fast pays attention to every customer Would come back Inside is well worn seats are worn out and its somewhat dark. But go here for some good take away

Yum Yum probably makes my favorite shawarma. But it's also the priciest of the late night kebab…read moreplaces I venture to and also kind of out of the way (for me at least) so I rarely ever go here. The staff are friendly and the ingredients taste fresh. Can't go wrong with Yum Yum, especially after a night of drinking.

SOLID Doner kebab with a lot of vegetables and yummy sauce. This place is hidden around a corner…read morebut was such a nice find. We got the chicken and lamb kebab as well as a classic Doner kebab. Both were nice but the mixed meat was better. The sauces were really good too and I wish they had feta, but.... I think it's what I'm used to. Really great and fast snack and so happy we stopped here.