Zest pleasantly surprised me. I believe by this point in our trip everyone was a bit on edge so picking 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!!! read more

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Zest, is AMAZING! The food is out of this world, and if you want some good tasting India food, this place will satisfy your appetite! We had the Vindaloo, basmati rice and garlic Nann, and a Cobra beer! What a great find! read more

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Last night in Edinburgh and what a better way to do it then with Indian. We came in for dinner a little before 7pm and had no problem getting a table. We of course started checking out the menu which had a number of options. We started with appetizers which we get a number of. We went with the Lovely Garlic Mushrooms, Sabzi Samosa, Chicken Pakora, and the Himalayan Crushed Chilli Chicken which is an entrée but it sounded good so we got it for the table. All the appetizers were good but what really stuck out to me what the Chicken Pakora, and the Himalayan Crushed Chilli Chicken. I had never had Chicken Pakora but it was great. They were perfectly fried so crispy and the batter had so much flavor. Will for sure be getting me Chicken Pakora in the future. The Himalayan Crushed Chilli Chicken was also very good. I will say this is not like the fried Chilli Chicken I have had at other Indian restaurants but this was full of amazing flavor. It's also marked as a Hot dish but it wasn't over powering at all. For my entrée I will say I ended up going pretty basic and went with Chicken Tikka Massalam but it was just calling my name that night. I comes mild but asked if I could get it hot. Our server did look at me like I was crazy but he said they would give it a try. I will say the rest of our party was a little more adventurous. Once my Chicken Tikka Massalam came out I got into it and it was very good. My sister got the Korma with Chicken (at least that's what she ordered) but she was given Korma with Lamb. I tried hers and I liked it even more then my Tikka and she loved my Tikka she we traded. I'm glad I did too. The Lamb so so tender for sure will be doing this more too.I will say we were a little nervous at Zest when first ordering but after our meal everyone talked about how much we enjoyed everything. For sure a good spot for Indian! read more

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We stopped in here after not wanting to wait at Dishoom and were very pleased that we did. The service was fantastic and the food was excellent, coupled with a quiet atmosphere. Would definitely recommend. read more

Zest has a very nice ambiance, and I very much enjoyed our group dinner here; the staff are very friendly, accommodating, and helpful. More importantly, the food is wonderful! Not so wonderful are the food prices; even compared to the notoriously high prices in London, the costs here are astoundingly high; £12.50 for a vegetarian dish, and £19.95 for a prawn dish! That's almost double the average prices in London. That said, the food IS good, and the service is great - if you don't mind prices on the high side, Zest is worth an occasional visit. read more

Short version: crazy good korma, try the sir Walter Scott lamb, and if you leave room for dessert then 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. read more

Zest - Indian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The Sabzi Samosas were amazing. They came four to an order and I could eat an entire basket as a meal. I also had chicken Tikka massalam as my main, it was soooo good. The naan was nice and soooo big and fluffy. Will be back! read more

The food was delicious. The service was very efficient and personable. Can't wait to come back!

I ate here with a couple of friends after a long day of travel and exploring the city. The food was served quickly, and everything tasted superb. The staff was kind. I will be back. read more

While visiting St. Andrews Cathedral and Castle, hubby and I wanted a simple quick hot lunch (50s in June is still cold for Americans). Zest served that exact purpose. We ordered at the counter and was informed when the food was ready. Our lunch consisted of lentil soup and sandwiches. My curry sandwich was especially yummy without the overpowering taste of the curry spice. The big windows brought a lot of light into the restaurant which is somehow the perfect setting for a light lunch. I noticed the sign said Zest juicing & coffee bar, sadly I didn't have room left for any juice, but if you are visiting Zest, at least you know that option is available for you. read more

We just finished out dinner. We had a pleasant meal. I took one star down because it's a bit expensive. To start, the host offered some sort of cracker ( .95 pound) which I recommend because this giant cracker comes with 3 sauces. It was entertaining and yummy while we wait for the meal. (sweet, spicy and onions) Main dishes, we ordered Garlic king prawn. It was good! but there were only 5 medium size shrimps in it for 16.95 pounds which is really expensive. Then we ordered Sak paneer. We like the fact the spinach wasn't chopped up into little pieces, we could still see the spinach. The taste is really mild. The plain naan was great and puffy. Well, we went to Dishoom the other night and the bill came like 50 pounds. Maybe it's just pricey allover the town for restaurant with 2 pound signs. Overall, we had a good time! read more

Amazed this has no reviews on here already as it's been open for business for as long as I've been aware that Indian food exists I reckon. That said, for such a centrally located restaurant, my visit here a couple of months ago was the first time I've ever been in, although I did make a point of sending colleagues there earlier in the year and they liked it. There's nothing major about the place to set it aside from much of the competition - prices are what you'd expect (reasonable and not astronomical), service was efficient and good natured and the waiting time between ordering and the food making it onto the table was negligible. The staff were though more than happy to make us "the hottest thing going" when asked and so we ended up all giving our tastebuds a roasting with a very hot, though not unpleasant, dish which we may have christened "Satan's Ashes" although my memory's hazy on that point. The rest of the normally spiced dishes were very tasty and the wine list was of a decent size and price, considering most folk probably opt for lager anyway. read more

If you're looking for a lunchtime curry, Zest may fit your requirements quite nicely. Their lunchtime deal is pretty good value, and their food quite tasty. I didn't find it particularly "zesty" though, so one for the long list, rather than a must-visit essential. Overall, we said: "I enjoyed the food in Zest very much. For £7.95, this was a well-executed and filling lunch. Even the filter coffee to round things off was pretty decent. The whole place could use a big squeeze of the zesty goodness that the name of the place implies, though, as it's slightly in the "solid and reliable" mould, at the moment, rather than offering something bold and fresh." read more

I love the idea of Zest, take some of the East's finest flavours and combine them with old Scottish Favourites. The restaurant itself is a decent size, you only really feel cramped when it fills up (which seems to be alot). Last time I was here I had the Salmon Tikka, which was made with freshly caught fish from that day. To say I was blown away is an understatement, the flavours explode in your mouth. Staff made sure I had what I needed and prices overall were ok. Don't eat breakfast and go at lunchtime and get the group special. You'll be there for hours. read more

Zest - Indian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I came here in mid February, shortly after the restuarant had had its makeover under new ownership. The interior feels light, spacious and the creamy decor helps to give a nice, relaxed atmosphere. It tries to give a fine dining impression, but the spindly metal chairs and tables kind of let this look down. The waiters are pleasant, and the service is about what you would expect in any restaurant. The food is by far this place's key feature. The menu has a good range of authentic Indian dishes with plenty of meat and vegetarian starters and main courses to choose from. Further, it tries to incorporate local history with its Indian cuisine. For example, I had the Sir Walter Scott curry which was lamb in a really rich, tasty mustard sauce. I'm not sure what the link between this dish and the author is precisely, but you can see what they're trying to do. Zest is also reasonably priced, making it a great option for lunch of dinner if you're in the area. read more

Zest - Indian Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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The people working there were so nice, I feel badly giving it only 3 stars - but the wine was undrinkable (gewurztraminer) and our vegetarian dishes were not the best I've had. We ordered the aubergines, which were differently prepared than I've eaten before but pretty good, and the lentils that had the consistency of split pea soup & lacked flavor. I almost fell out of my chair at how expensive our meal was, but I'm not from around here & am not accustomed to UK prices yet. I appreciated that they were open late, otherwise we would have gone hungry! read more

Fantastic curry and the staff were super friendly!! We were starving in Edinburgh and suddenly Zest caught our sight, so we went in. The staff greeted us with warm welcome and let us sit in the window area, which surprised us, but it was perfect. The curry was absolutely a delicacy. read more

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A very outgoing and great restaurant.Staffs are very friendly and polite.Food are very good especially the dessert.Really nice place to go.Like it so much read more

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For a christmas meal out with friends I booked Zest due to location really rather than any form of recommendation. I am glad to say it was a great choice - the interior had been recently freshened up with the slight smell of paint still lingering. It was pleasant atmosphere and the food was even better. We had a selection of dishes and mixed them between us. Great flavours, service and price really respectable at about £25 pp for 2 courses and couple of drinks each. Would easily recommend and will be returning again. read more

Wonderful meal. Service was pleasantly attentive. We ordered too much - the servings are generous.

I was staying in a flat around the corner from Zest and ordered some excellent takeout. The chicken tikka masala was perfect and it was ready in 5 minutes. Though I didn't dine there I could see it is an intimate spot a far cry from the three level hub bub at Dashoom a block away which we also enjoyed on another occasion. So you have two great choices for Indian food in Newtown and St Andrew's Square! read more

After a beautifull sunday in the town we dropped in at Zest. The service was good, the food from mild to really hot: great. We had a starter, two main courses and only one desert because then we were full. The bill was not as high as we feared after all the high prices we saw in the city. read more

Just happened to run across this gem which is two blocks aways from Andrew Square. Took one of the two table overlooking the street. Really prompt service especially since we were very hungry after a walking tour of the town. Entrees came super quick so as to not let us starving. The curry base in every dish was great. Loved the food so much we ended up eating every meal for 2 days we stayed in Edinburgh read more

Very friendly staff and superb food! We booked a table at the window with very nice view, owner used to be a taxi driver and his special very tasty curry P297 on the menu was named after his taxi car number, overall very good dinner read more

Absolutely one of the best Indian restaurants I have eaten at. We are from San Francisco and I have yet to find a restaurant that compares in quality of food! Service is excellent as well. Highly recommend! read more

Good that they have a delivery service to george street with min speed of £15. However the chicken biryani is tasteless but the garlic naan is good. read more

BEST. CURRY. EVER. I Love the food here, it's all prepared wonderfully, and delicious. The staff is kind and quick too, always with a smile on there face! Definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a nice and affordable place to eat with great food! Try the Tikka Masala with Nan bread! read more

We came across this restaurant towards the end of our stay in Edinburgh, and I am very happy we did. For a very reasonable price, we got a fantastic meal with some of the best service I have ever encountered. On a prior day, we went to a crowded fancy restaurant, where I left just as hungry as I arrived. This was not the case tonight. My wife and highly recommend it. read more

First day at Edinburgh, reached at around 7:00 PM. Was hungry and went to Zest and it was the biggest mistake of my life. The worst Indian food I have ever tasted. Ordered palak paneer, naan and rotis. Palak paneer was almost boiled without any salt and spices. Rotis were undercooked and had to ask them to cook properly. The staff was paying more attention to the locals. Pathetic people, pathetic food, highly overpriced and tasteless. Total waste of money and time. read more