Top Indian Restaurants in Edinburgh - A Local's Guide

I have eaten my way through Edinburgh's Indian restaurants for over 20 years, and this list has changed since I last updated it - some places have moved, one address I used to send people to was simply wrong, and a couple of newer openings are worth your time. I checked every name and address below against current listings before writing this, and where I could not verify a detail, I have said so rather than guessed. No sponsored placements - these are the places I actually take my own family to.

Mother India's Cafe, 3-5 Infirmary Street (EH1 1LT), is consistently Edinburgh's best-known Indian restaurant and the one I send first-time visitors to. It opened in 2008 as the Edinburgh branch of the original Glasgow restaurant (1996), and the tapas-style format means a table of four can order 8-10 small plates and actually taste everything rather than committing to one curry each. The dal makhani and the lamb dishes are the standouts. It is about a 10-minute walk from Waverley Station, close to the Royal Mile. Book ahead for weekends through OpenTable or by calling 0131 524 9801, since tables go quickly.

Dishoom, 3a St Andrew Square, is the Edinburgh outpost of the Bombay-Irani cafe chain, set inside a beautiful Georgian building. Their black daal, simmered for 24 hours, and the bacon naan roll at breakfast are the dishes people specifically travel for. Dishoom does not take reservations for small groups, so expect a genuine 20-40 minute wait at peak times - check the live queue on their site or app before you set off rather than turning up blind.

If you have read an older guide - including an earlier version of this one - that sends you to the Royal Mile or Canongate for The Pakora Bar, that address is out of date. The business started as a festival food truck, moved to Hanover Street, then Canongate, and has now settled at 111 Holyrood Road (EH8 8AU), run by three brothers cooking their mother's recipes. The haggis pakora is the dish to order if you want a proper Scottish-Punjabi mashup, alongside the wider pakora and street food menu. Open Tuesday to Sunday, 12pm-9pm, closed Monday - phone 0131 202 5200 to check before a special trip.

Rustom Restaurant, 2 Grosvenor Street, Haymarket (EH12 5EG), is a newer addition to this list but earns its place - Pakistani and Indian food with halal meat throughout, a strong vegetarian selection, and a 4.4/5 rating across more than a thousand reviews. Butter chicken, lamb karahi, and lamb shank nehari are the dishes people come back for, with breads made fresh in-house. It is fully licensed and also allows BYOB. Phone 0131 337 7920 to check current hours.

Ronaq, 10-12 Craigleith Road, Comely Bank (EH4 2DP), is worth the trip north of the centre if you want refined North Indian cooking rather than a standard curry-house menu - lamb rogan josh, butter chicken, and prawn malai curry are the highlights. It is BYOB for wine and beer with no corkage fee (spirits are not permitted), which makes it noticeably cheaper for a group than a fully licensed restaurant. Phone 0131 332 3362 to book.

Kahani, 10/11 Antigua Street (EH1 3NH), in the Broughton/Calton area, does modern Indian street food rather than a full sit-down curry-house menu - a good option if your group wants to share several small plates. Phone 0131 558 1947.

10 to 10 in Delhi, 67 Nicolson Street (EH8 9BZ), is a small, unpretentious tea house near Newington and the university with cheap, generously portioned curry-and-rice deals - genuinely one of the better-value sit-down Indian meals in the city. Mosque Kitchen, 31-33 Nicolson Square (EH8 9BX), next door to Edinburgh Central Mosque, has served canteen-style curries and kebabs since 2003 - no table service, long shared tables, large portions for the price, open daily 11:30am-10pm. For late-night halal food after a study session, see Kebab Mahal on Nicolson Square - a five-minute walk from Mosque Kitchen and open until 2am on weekends.

An earlier version of this guide claimed Tuk Tuk had branches on Nicolson Street, Leith Walk, and Dalry Road - that was wrong, and I would rather correct it plainly than quietly fix it. Tuk Tuk actually has two Edinburgh locations: the original at 1 Leven Street, Tollcross (EH3 9LH, phone 0131 228 3322), and a second at 16 Drummond Street, Southside (EH8 9TX, phone 0131 563 9871), a short walk from the university. Running since 2012, it serves small-plate Indian street food, sweets, and lassis - good for a group that wants to share several dishes rather than one main each. No alcohol is served, but you can bring your own.

This guide covers general Indian dining, but if you want dosa and idli done properly, see our South Indian food guide for Tanjore, Chola Highlands, and Golden Ambal. If you need Jain or pure-vegetarian food, our vegetarian & Jain guide covers Annakut, which explicitly marks Jain dishes on the menu, and Kalpna, Edinburgh's vegetarian institution since 1975. For halal specifically, our halal food guide covers Rustom, Kebab Mahal, and Desi Pakwan in more depth, including a note on what 'halal' actually means in a UK restaurant context.

After your meal, Krishna Foods, 233 Gorgie Road (EH11 1TU), is the place to pick up gulab jamun and jalebi - open daily from 10am to 9:30pm. It is worth calling ahead (0131 313 1199) to ask what is fresh that day rather than assuming. We have a full guide to Indian grocery shopping in Edinburgh with more addresses, prices, and what each shop actually stocks.

The curry houses directly on the Royal Mile near the Castle Esplanade are generally overpriced for what you get. Walk five minutes down any side street and you will do better at a lower price. Treat an 'all you can eat Indian buffet' sign in a heavily touristed street as a warning, not a recommendation.

- Best overall / best for first-timers: Mother India's Cafe, Infirmary Street - book ahead
- Best ambiance: Dishoom, St Andrew Square
- Best halal sit-down: Rustom Restaurant, Haymarket
- Best BYOB / refined North Indian: Ronaq, Comely Bank
- Best Punjabi street food: The Pakora Bar, Holyrood Road (moved from the Royal Mile)
- Best value / student favourites: 10 to 10 in Delhi, Nicolson Street, and Mosque Kitchen, Nicolson Square
- Best for sharing small plates: Tuk Tuk Indian Street Food, Tollcross or Southside

For South Indian, Jain/vegetarian, and halal-specific picks, see the linked guides above. For airport pickup or a ride to any of these, WhatsApp us or see our taxi and tour services.