The best curry restaurants in Edinburgh
The city has a long history of excellent establishments fit for any occasion
Slow-cooked, spice-infused and filling; sometimes all you want is a really good curry. Edinburgh’s curry offerings have got a little more intrepid of late, with regional restaurants going far beyond the expected tikka masala and rogan josh. However, if butter chicken is exactly what you’re craving, there are still plenty of spots that have refined the classics too.
Gautam’s has a couple of sister restaurants (Thamel and Solti) in the city centre, but head to the self-titled branch at Meadowbank for tangy, spice-laden Himalyan-style curries and naan so garlicky it feels medicinal. If you’re in the West End and fancy Nepalese momos or rich Kathmandu curries, The Khukuri has you covered with dining beneath a rainbow of prayer flags.
For Indian cuisine, Mother India has been around for years on Infirmary Street and is always busy. Paneer dosa is light and crisp, spiced haddock oven baked and tender, and chana dhal beautifully aromatic. Sharing plates make it a great spot for groups. Similarly, Mowgli, housed in a former city centre bank, has oodles of space. Here, the flavour-explosions from yoghurt chat bombs prove it’s not just Nisha Katona’s trademark fairy-lit aesthetic drawing in the punters. Dishoom is another solid choice for groups and it’s popular for brunch; from their full menu, the Britannia biryani and ruby chicken are worth travelling (or waiting) for. Edinburgh’s original curry house, Khushi’s, made a comeback in 2025 with a colourful new venue near the university and lovingly cooked dishes such as monkfish moilee and mutton bhuna.
Wholesome, hearty Punjabi street food can be found at Sabzi on Ferry Road, where the menu changes weekly. Keep your fingers crossed that the rich and delicious dhal makhani is on offer. In Leith, Cutting Chaii has vegan and vegetarian offerings in abundance. Jackfruit, okra and paneer are all cooked into inventive and incredibly tasty street-food style curries. On Leith Walk, Cilantro is subtly doing curries right with a tender and compelling chicken tikka masala and addictive saag paneer alongside a wallet-friendly BYOB policy.
For those craving a more coconut-based south-east Asian curry, Nok’s Kitchen in Stockbridge (with branches now also on Johnston Terrace and Morrison Street) does a fabulously filling Thai massaman. Small but mighty Thai restaurant Dusit on Thistle Street has a namesake curry incorporating rose-pink sirloin steak with a deep red sauce that lingers on the tastebuds. Finally, a shout-out to stylish Vietnamese restaurant, Sen, whose lantern confit duck curry with thick wheels of lotus root carries a lingering spice and sweet aniseed kick in one bowl.