Quite happy with my visit here! I'm quite curious about the story of the two Mosque Kitchens in the same vicinity... seems to be a bit of a duel gong on. There is some seating outside but plenty more within. Food came quickly, service was friendly. Prices, as noted in other reviews, are very low... something on the order of £5 for a heaping bowl of rice and chicken. The food was delicious- I was quite hungry and it was gone in minutes. It filled me up completely and I was very satisfied. Embarrassing moment when we found out they are cash only... but they let us duck out to a very near cash machine and come back. Thanks! I'll be back for sure to try some of the other items on the menu. read more

The Original Mosque Kitchen - Delicious chicken and lamb :) - Pakistani Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Taken by my University of Edinburgh student son to this, his favourite place to eat in Edinburgh. He compares all other food options to The Mosque Kitchen, and they all fall short. The food was wonderful, and such great value! He told me that I should choose what I thought was best, and by the time I got to the front of the line they would be out of it, and they would apologize, and they would suggest something else wonderful. He was right, that is exactly what happened, I and got a fabulous meal. Friendly staff, great food. A bit hard to find (behind the Mosque on Potterrow, and then around the back of the Aroma Cafe), but well worth the search. Do not expect starched white table cloths, but the staff is super friendly and we loved it. We will certainly be back the next time we are in Edinburgh. read more

Okay so here is the thing, there are two mosque kitchens. The story is that the owners of the one that opened years ago by the mosque decided to move it and is today called the same 'Mosque kitchen' and is by the corner of Nicholsen Square. Then the mosque decided to open the kitchen of theirs under the name 'The original mosque kitchen' Since I've always gone to the mosque I know that the brain behind the menu and the kitchen staff moved along to the Mosque Kitchen. So out of curtsy to the first kitchen I have since they moved gone to eat there. I went once and tried the food here at The Original Mosque Kitchen and didn't really enjoy it and continued to go to the first one. Then yesterday when I saw that people was reviewing the two kitchens under the same name I felt this had to be sorted but more important for me I decided to take off my curtsy jacket and try it again with open heart and free mind. So here is my review. One thing is for sure that the terrace here is very charming and I love the feeling of sitting sheltered from the rain and enjoy food outside. They might not me the original kitchen but it is a very original place. The staff is so welcoming and nice and I get happy just entering the kitchen to order food. The menu is just the same with option of lamb curry, chicken curry, barbecue chicken, grilled lamb shish, spinach mix, lentil sauce, chickpea sauce, vegetable stew and rice for all dishes. The price is amazing, I had lamb curry with rice and lentil sauce and paid £5.50 including a tropical juice. WOW! The portions are massive and one has to ask to get less if not to hungry and wish to respect food. The lamb was a bit dry, but the flavours of the sauce, lentil and rice was absolutely delicious and I loved it. I have to say that if I add the over all experience it is a clear 4 star. If the meat wasn't dry it would have been a 5 star. So next will be to try the Mosque Kitchen and decide with a fresh mind where I will go from now on. read more

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Maybe I am spoiled --- but living in Canada I am fortunate to have exceptional Pakistani restaurant choices. This was so-so for me. Masalas needed jazzing up. Meh. Where was the chili hiding? read more

As a student at the University of Edinburgh, with a tight budget to boot, this is definitely the place to go to refuel for very little cash, and is extremely convenient and cosy for an afternoon lunch after class! The prices are very good, especially since the portions are huge! (Don't worry though, this is a place where you CAN get the food to go if you don't finish!) The veggie curries are excellent, and when you can get 2 for £4.50, there is literally no losing. Unlike the other Mosque Kitchen on Nicholson St, this one feels a bit more like a cafe. It's a bit tucked away, but there are signs for it outside the mosque. My friends and I would have lecture until 1 on Fridays, in a building right across the street from the mosque, and we now have a weekly ritual of going every week--even now when classres are over! It's become one of our favourite aces and I know I look forward to it every week! read more

The Original Mosque Kitchen - A picture of half spinach and potato curry, half chickpea masala. 2 veggie curries for £4.50--and yes, there's always this much! - Pakistani Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Visited the Mosque Kitchen earlier today. Ordered the Chicken Curry & Rice with a Naan. Although the cost has gone up quite significantly from the 3 pounds quoted in earlier reviews, it's still well priced. The setting itself is pleasant enough and what you should expect for the kitchen of a mosque. Staff were friendly and polite. I think, however, I've been spoiled by visits to many "Curry Cafes" in London, Birmingham, Stoke and Manchester. In those places, often with very humble surroundings, I've experienced food that is comparatively priced or cheaper and far more flavoursome. I generally prefer visiting establishments like this to à la carte restaurants as I like to imagine the experience is more authentic for an everyday man like me. The search will continue for me, however, for a comparable Curry Cafe in Edinburgh / Scotland to that which I've experienced before. read more

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In my opinion, this restaurant is better than the Mosque Kitchen on Nicolson Square. I have no idea what the backstory is here. Are they owned by the same person, are they competitors? I have honestly no idea. However, since this kitchen is actually beside the mosque, I tend to support the idea that it's the "original". The main guy who I see working here is very friendly and welcoming. He always comes to the table to take my order, and the service is generally quite quick. The menu has a large selection of meat and vegetable curries for excellent prices- really hard to beat anywhere else. There is also baklava available for dessert, which is great. Definitely worth a stop, if you enjoy curry and good bargains! read more

Excellent food and super cheap! It's very much cheap and cheerful. You'll be sitting outside under a tarp, on a plastic chair eating off a paper plate with a plastic fork but the curry is so good that you won't care. You get huge portions and they do take away tubs too if you want to eat half now and take half for the next day. Very casual and super friendly. It's cash only so remember to pop to the cashpoint round the corner on the way. read more

Serving delicious authentic halal curries in massive portions for less than a fiver, it is no surprise that the Mosque Kitchen is very popular with students and in-the-know locals in addition to actual mosque-goers. The entrance is on an alley off West Nicholson Street and you have to put up with sitting in less than comfortable surroundings. However the speed of the service, the size of the portions and the bargainous price make this an excellent place to grab a quick and hearty lunch or early dinner. Curries come with vegetables, chicken or lamb with rice, naan and salads available in addition to a selection of pakoras. Make sure you avoid prayer times as there's no service but this rarely lasts more than 20 minutes, and why not pop into the mosque to check out the exhibition on Islam that is often hosted here? read more

The Mosque kitchen is quite a treat - a very cheap and extremely cheerful buffet style middle eastern food haunt right in the student central of West Nicholson Street. Well worth a visit for some quality nosh at pocket friendly prices! read more

This place is a real find. Good, honest curries to be had at a ridiculously cheap price. As pointed out previously the seating is basic at best, but at these prices who really cares!! read more

The Edinburgh Mosque is well worth a visit in its own right, a surprisingly modern building tucked in close to the university. However, the reason why so many students flock there of an evening are the tasty, cheap and filling meals from the Mosque Kitchen. My flatmate has been telling me for weeks how wonderful it is, so last night I went along with him and checked it out. He was so right - its possible to get a large plate of meaty curry and rice (although the kitchen also specialises in vegetarian fare) for only three quid. Take some friends along, hang out at the outdoor tables and tuck in to the best value meals in the city. read more

This place is excellent! I took my dad for Father's day last year and he loved it. Beware the plastic seats in the summer though, as people have been known to stick to them! Also, beware of being ripped off if they are running the food in the Pleasance Dome in Bristo Square during the Fringe again this year though. They more than doubled their prices, and got away with it, as people didn't know the actual MK was just across the road! read more

Great no-nonsense curry for a great price (less than £5 for a curry washed down with a can of Rubicon). It's not the place to take that special someone for a special meal, but if you want good food for a rock bottom price in Edinburgh this is a great choice. read more

This is actually some of the tastiest food I've had in Edinburgh so far. I'm SURE that I am being swayed by the amazing price- 3 quid for a full meal??? I agree with the above comment about the plastic dishware. I know it's cheap, but I think they can do better! I'm sure I will be frequenting this establishment (especially as I just had to drop a bundle on housing!) I also agree with the above comment that this is not where you take people out. Nope, this is where you tuck-in for lunch or dinner, and perhaps eat one too many kababs, and it's cheap, easy and tasty. read more

Well, its been about three or four years now that i've been going to the mosque at least once a week, and i just can't get enough. I've spent a total of almost two solid years living or travelling around India, and just love all sorts of curry. This place has it down to a tee. Even if the prices have started creeping up, it's still cheap, and still large enough to share between two of us for a lunch. You can understand the dissapearance of the Freedom cola too, when you see that they now sell little pots of perfume - to go with your meal? or for afterwards, maybe. Its just great though - i can't wait for lunch tomorrow so i can go back! read more

This is an absoluet gem of a restaurant and a must eat for anyone who likes Indian food. The menu is extensive and all very well priced and as its not somewhere everyone has heard of it is still relatively quiet but we sure to book a table just in case. The service we received when we ate here was second to none and the staff could not do enough for you. A must for anyone visiting the city and looking for a good meal! read more

I found it to be excellent value with big enough portions and not overpriced. The food is delicious and I will definitely go back again. The only problem I had with it was the cold, it can be quite breezy sitting there but, needless to say, a curry always heats you up. Irene http://www.negotiatenow.co.uk read more

The restaurant under review is on Nicolson Street. NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE ORIGINAL MOSQUE KITCHEN which has recently re-opened in the basement of the mosque. Adequate cheap'n'cheerful option. Self-service. Large portions of spicy food served in plastic dishes. Limited choice. Basic furniture. Friendly staff. The Mosque Kitchin is fiine for filling up fast but if you want a meal nicely served with proper plates and cutlery, there are quite a few other restaurants in the area that offer that for only a pound or so more. read more

Maybe not Edinburgh's best kept secret like it used to be (it can be tough getting a seat on sunny summer days) but that doesn't detract from the fact the the Mosque Kitchen serves up a very tasty curry a rock-bottom prices (£3.50 for a big plate of chicken curry and rice). The outdoor courtyard and its resident pigeons may not be the most alluring of settings but it's impossible to argue with the quality and quantity of the food being served up. Long may it continue! read more

The Mosque kitchen can be reached either from an alleyway off West Nicholson Street or through the mosque car park from Hunter Square - a real hidden gem! This wonderfully friendly kitchen serves some of the most mouth-watering curries I have ever had, and certainly the cheapest: £3 for rice or naan and a generous helping of curry. It's also vegetarian friendly. Salad and pakora are available, and the curries are generally a choice of veg, lamb (my favourite!) or chicken. There is also a wonderfully exotic selection of fruit drinks - last time I was there I had a can of sugarcane juice! Despite the wonderful food, the Mosque Kitchen has no airs of grandeur: the crockerry is disposable and everyone sits outside under awnings at picnic benches. There's a real community feel about it, with a wide range of age groups and backgrounds, children welcomed! read more

I LOVE this place! We went in recently with our 15month old, and the attention we got from staff was great, even getting a free bottle of juice for the baby. Even if the food wasn't tasty, cheap and going to a better cause than some rich guys pocket, I would go back purely for the care and attention shown towards us. read more

This place was recommended by a friend who knows his curries so I was very keen to give it a go. It's a very simple menu of a few curries (chicken, lamb or vegie) with rice, seekh kebabs, naan bread and a few other basic options. It's all served with disposable plates and spoons too so you can see it's not 'fine dining' but that's not the reason you'd come here. The food is great and comes in very generous portions especially considering the prices are so cheap. I can normally eat quite a lot but a chicken curry with rice, naan and a seekh kebab was more than i could handle (with a bottle of pepsi - all for £7!!). read more

Loved it. A whole curry dish for just £3.50, and it was a lot tastier than same of the Indian takeaways in Edinburgh. The seating area is a bit rough but the best food always comes not from restaurants but hole in the wall places like this. Will definitely be going back. read more

The Mosque Kitchen is one the best kept secrets of the Edinburgh food seine. Literally run out of the back of the Mosque, the kitchens are big on value and small on style and comfort. The food is cheap and delicious, in fact for the £3 that meals start at, you would be hard pressed to find anything else in Edinburgh that comes even close in regards to size and quality. They serve a great range of vegetarian dishes and meat curries with rice or naan bread on the side. The tables and chairs proved are outside under a large canopy, all of which you will have to share with the resident pigeons. While not the classiest décor, it serves it's function, and for £3, who would complain? read more

The Mosque Kitchen is one of those places that people 'in the know' tend to frequent. Hidden behind the mosque (west of Nicholson Street), it has great tasting curries of all varieties and serves large portions for your money (less than £5). Although the seating area is outside on picnic style seats, and can be dingy on the typical edinburgh winters day, there has always been a friendly and chatty atmosphere when I have visited. Not to mention the ambient aroma of halal curry! read more

They don't have a sophisticated menu, but hey it's cheap. They have (as it appears to me) the same two meat and veggie curry on offer each day. If you come early, you can get some tikka chicken, as well. Be warned that you have to sit outside amongst the pigeons and in the cold (unless its one of those rare summer days). read more

I often eat at the mosque kitchen and have always been treated to excellent curries, mixed grills and naan breads. The standard of cooking is high and very consistent, especially for the small amount of money you pay for everything Plenty of seating outside under the plastic roof. Take away option available. read more

This place has great tasting, authentic food at a very cheap price. The guys are always really nice and explain what all the dishes are. The seating area is pretty basic but the food totally makes up for it. There are also no toilets but are lots of pubs nearby! read more

Really dont understand why anyone would eat anywhere else.

Well done Peter S, that explains my confusion about two mosque kitchens. I don't know if, when you reviewed the Original Mosque Kitchen, the cafe upstairs was open but it is certainly open now and very good it is too. It also is a very nice place to sit if the weather is a bit 'iffy'. It even has a website http://www.aroma-cafe.net/. I think it is great. Try it and I am confident that you will like it. IanE read more

Basically you are served from a buffet steam table, and it tastes like that. Mediocre portions, staff not terribly friendly, chicken curry not that great, chicken tikka masala slightly better. Rice was sub-standard. Prices reasonable for what you get. Atmosphere rates 2 stars. I wouldn't recommend, nor return. read more

The Mosque Kitchen saved my life. While not literally. But this summer when I was dead broke and had no cooking facilities at my apartment it saved me from a life of tedium and a raw-food diet. The Mosque Kitchen is hidden away on Potterrow. It is as it says: a kitchen and a cafeteria style set-up. You pick from one of a few menu choices which all come to under a fiver. There's kebabs, and vegetarian as well as omnivorous curry options. Naan bread and rice. All. For. Under. A. Fiver. This makes the Mosque Kitchen extremely popular amongst students- for good reason. Demographic-wise, I would wager that if you did a marketing survey of the people seated under the circus like tent in the pavillion, utilitarian 'dining room', you'd find it wasn't just students that the Kitchen is popular with. And this comes down to three equally important reasons: 1) The food is good. It is. It's yum. 2) The food is plentiful- which is as important as #1, really, isn't it- when you're hungry? 3) The price. Did I mention the price? The funds go towards the mosque which also feels quite fulfilling- instead of to a corporation. There is also, and I debated putting this as a bullet point in and of itself- the privilege, I see it (caffeine-fiend) of getting your Coca Cola in a glass bottle- yum! And that too is also cheap- cheaper than buying a can at a corner shop- but this, I remind you, is an eatery where its de rigeur to jack up the prices. None of that here. There are multiple leftist political posters as well as community event listings that hang on a bulletin board and the atmosphere seems to be wholly one of pacifism- except for the attitude towards the pigeons. Do not, under any circumstances feed the pigeons. There are signs. Obey them. read more

The Mosque Kitchen is a real gem hidden away and not nearly enough people know about it. The food is delicious and so so cheap. As long as you don't mind the plastic cutlery, paper plates and plastic chairs (which you shouldnt because the food and cost far outweigh any negatives) then it is just brilliant. The lamb curry is especially good and you can get whatever combination of meat and veg curries you choose with rice, naan or both! It has a lovely atmosphere and is so worth a visit. read more

best value spicy food to be had in Edinburgh, the end.

The Mosque Kitchen is great in the summer for curry at rock bottom prices (c.£3.50 for a selection of veggie curries and rice the last time I was there). Don't expect stylish surroundings (think paper plates and plastic seats) but the curries are tasty, authentic and the service friendly. This is a great place to visit during the festival for a quick, no frills meal between shows. It will be busy during the festival though so expect to wait. I think last year they also had a stall on Castle St during part of the festival - a sign that they are growing more and more popular. read more

The Mosque Kitchen makes very delicious food and is very good value! I don't normally go for vegetarian dishes when I eat out but I like their vegetarian selection so much that I'd order no meat (don't get me wrong, their meats are great). My only complaint is that they keep using plastic plates and bowls even after moving indoor! It's not very environment-friendly and I hope that they'd change to biodegradable paper plate/bowls if they want to stick with disposable cutlery. UPDATED: I would have given the Mosque Kitchen four stars if the doner kabab sold in the take-away section wasn't that aweful. Like I said, the restaurant is really good. But I'm SO disappointed of their take-away service. First, the customer service was very poor. The man who served was quite impolite to say the least. Second, the quality of the doner kabab sold in the take-away section was extremely poor comparing to the restaurant food. The meat was cold and the salad was not fresh. Forget about the take-away and go straight to the restaurant. I am a loyal customer of the Mosque but to be honest I am very disappointed of their take-away food. read more

the best meal for under a fiver. spicy.

all i can say is yum!!! wasnt sure what we all had but there was all clean plates!!!

I have had some happy moments here at the Mosque Kitchen. I do enjoy the relatively slack prices, the coppers in my battered leather wallet more than making up the cost for most of this venue's suppers. HOWEVER, when my compadre and I purchased a doner kebab each here (two desired might I add), and were asked to wait 15 minutes for said kebabs' deliverance, we were mightily disappointed to get home to one kebab that was CHICKEN and only one constituted of the meat of the DONER. Furthermore, the doner kebab was riddled with olives that looked somewhat like rusty screws, and snow-capped with a vile green chilli. Also, the doner meat was not often thinly sliced as a connoisseur such as myself desires, instead coming in weighty chunks of seasoned lamb flesh which I did not enjoy particularly. Conclusively, I'm afraid this unfortunate misservice has acted to the detriment of my overall assessment. I cannot however much fault the quality of the naan, which was a pleasure and will remain so 'til the last days of this world. Yours, Algernon Wilhale (Connoisseur of Kebabs) xox read more