Vegetarian, Jain & Pure Veg Food Guide to Edinburgh for Indian Travellers

Finding proper vegetarian - let alone Jain - food outside India is always a worry before you travel. I will tell you straight: Edinburgh's dedicated vegetarian Indian scene is small, but what exists is genuinely good, and one restaurant in particular does Jain requirements properly rather than as an afterthought. Here is exactly where to go, verified against current listings rather than guessed at.

Annakut, 13 Newington Road (EH9 1QR), is the restaurant to know about if you follow a Jain or Swaminarayan diet. Their menu explicitly marks vegan, gluten-free, and Jain dishes (no onion, no garlic) rather than leaving you to explain it from scratch, and they cater specifically for Swaminarayan and Jain diners. The menu spans South Indian, Gujarati, and Punjabi dishes, plus thalis, dal, and farali (fasting) items. It is rated well on Tripadvisor and OpenTable with recent reviews, though one older directory listed it as closed - call ahead on 0131 667 9897 to confirm before you make the trip, as with any smaller restaurant.

Kalpna, 2-3 St Patrick Square (EH8 9EZ), has been Edinburgh's best-known vegetarian Indian restaurant for 50 years and has won Gourmet British Vegetarian Restaurant awards. The kitchen draws on Punjabi, Gujarati, and South Indian cooking, with a lunchtime all-you-can-eat buffet running seven days a week (12-2:30pm and 5:30-10:30pm). It is not Jain-certified in the way Annakut is, but as an established pure-vegetarian kitchen, staff are used to onion-garlic-free requests - just ask clearly when you order.

If you have read an older guide that sends you to Henderson's on Hanover Street, that address is out of date - the original 1962 location closed during the pandemic in 2020. Henderson's now operates from Bruntsfield/Tollcross. It is the UK's longest-running vegetarian restaurant and worth knowing about, though it is Scottish vegetarian food rather than Indian, so it will not solve a specifically Jain or Indian-spice craving.

Most general Indian restaurants in Edinburgh, including Dishoom on St Andrew Square, have a solid vegetarian section on the menu but are not run as dedicated vegetarian kitchens - meat is cooked in the same kitchen, and staff will not automatically know what Jain means. They can usually accommodate a clearly stated onion-garlic-free request, but Annakut and Kalpna remain your safest, least-effort options if you do not want to explain your diet from scratch at every meal.

Jain food means no onion, no garlic, and no root vegetables (potato, carrot, radish, beetroot). Scottish waiters generally will not know the word 'Jain,' so say it plainly: "I'm vegetarian - no meat, no fish, no eggs, and also no onion, no garlic, no potato, no carrot, no radish. Could you check with the chef?" At Annakut you will not need to explain this at all, since it is already marked on the menu. Elsewhere, calling ahead rather than asking on arrival gives the kitchen time to actually prepare something rather than just removing a garnish.

Tesco and Sainsbury's stock plant-based ranges (Tesco's Plant Chef, Sainsbury's Plant Pioneers) alongside paneer, tofu, and fresh vegetables, which covers day-to-day cooking. For Indian-specific vegetables like bhindi, karela, and tinda, and for proper Indian spices and lentils, Krishna Foods on Gorgie Road is the better bet - see our Indian grocery shopping guide for the full picture.

- Best for Jain specifically: Annakut, Newington Road - menu marks Jain dishes directly, call ahead to confirm they're open
- Best all-round vegetarian Indian: Kalpna, St Patrick Square - 50 years running, lunch buffet daily
- Not Indian but relevant: Henderson's - now in Bruntsfield/Tollcross, not Hanover Street
- General Indian with good veg options: Dishoom, St Andrew Square - not pure veg, but a strong vegetarian menu section
- Groceries for home cooking: Krishna Foods, Gorgie Road

If you want a ride to any of these without wrestling with Edinburgh's bus routes, WhatsApp us or see our taxi and tour services. We can drop you at Annakut or Kalpna and pick you up after.