7 great places for African food in Edinburgh
From spice mixes to injera, there are plenty of African delicacies around Edinburgh
Kuba
1 Dundee Street
Edinburgh Printmakers’ striking red-brick building is home to galleries, workshops and a spacious café. Kuba’s brunch/lunch menu of colourful, freshly cooked options seem conventional enough but deeper exploration reveals a number of African touches such as Ghanian shakshuka or ful medames stew. Keep an eye on their extra-curricular events including a monthly jollof Sunday roast.
MaRobert’s
7 Dublin Street
After many years selling Tanzanian spice mixes and sauces, MaRobert's opened a permanent café on Dublin Street. There are just a handful of tables and high stools inside to enjoy intensely spiced chickpea curries and blackened chicken thighs (and the hope of nyama choma on the daily-changing menu).
Muna’s Ethiopian Cuisine
8 Gillespie Place
A little slice of Ethiopia in the Southside, where meals are based around injera: a sour, yeasty and delicious pancake-like bread which serves as an edible plate to tear, dip and dunk into deeply flavoured wots (spicy stews). Order a combo platter to try as many as you can;
eating with your hands recommended.
Phriends Food
16 Morrison Street
It’s not about aesthetics at Phriends; it’s 100% about flavour. If you’ve got cravings that only jollof rice or waakye will satisfy, this is the spot for you. Rich and creamy peanut soup has a chilli kick, softened by a dense ball of fufu. The menu is a lesson in Ghanaian cuisine and a steady stream of delivery drivers is testament to this spot’s popularity.
Uwagboe’s Kitchen & Grill
250–252 Leith Walk
This restaurant hosts a steady stream of hungry people picking up evening takeaways as well as filling up its comfy seating area, proving its popularity with the Nigerian community. App-based table ordering is a tall order for the uninitiated, so ask the friendly staff for help before tucking into spicy soup or smoky jollof rice.
Also try... for a quick lunch or takeaway, head to Chapel Street for two options (and an alleged Sharks v Jets ancient rivalry). The unassuming Africano Wrap Place is home to one of the city’s best bargains: a fiver will get you a chonky toasted wrap that will keep you going for ages. Two doors down is The Nile Valley Café, a touchstone for generations of Edinburgh uni students who rely on its wraps, salads and BYOB options for a filling feast
This TipList is taken from Eat & Drink 365, our sister mag recommending the best in restaurants, bars, cafés and more across Edinburgh. Want a copy? It’s available online or across all good stockists in Scotland’s capital.