Britannia Spice in Edinburgh, City of

Until now, I thought we had the best Indian restaurant in our city… until I had the pleasure of having dinner at this restaurant.

Stopped in on the way back to the hotel after doing the gin tasting and tour. Food was good Food was hot Service was good Atmosphere..... quiet which was the only thing letting it down. Would I go back? Yep!

Truly delicious food, with generous portions, and at a reasonable price. Excellent service, and a very accommodating owner.

Initially rang to enquire about some of the items on the menu. Was told very bluntly to come into the restaurant to look at the menu. Wasn't a great start. Not another Indian close enough so proceeded to order. Totally over priced. Portion sizes were hilariously small. The best thing we bought was a side dish of saag, pretty difficult to mess up so that was a plus. Butter chicken was watery and bland. Paratha was a joke, undercooked. Chapati was the only saving grace. Absolutely shocking. No wonder its empty on a Saturday night.

Nice atmosphere but such a worst service, food seems good but no taste at all taste like microwave food even chicken was smelling and lamb chop was full pink … we try to call them but guy on the bar was busy on call..

Ordered tandoori mixed grill and vegetable pakora it was terrible the pakoras were like bullets could not even pull them apart and the mixed grill was as if it had been reheated it was disgusting. What a waste of money. I had to go get my partner something else to eat as he is diabetic and has to eat after taking his insulin. One thing for sure is we definitely won't be back.

My Lamb dish was swimming in fat. My partner's was also a lamb dish and a lot better. Wouldn't go again.

The Indian chef was amazing but the waiter was not that interested in talking and was a little rude

We were there for dinner - unfortunately there were ants everywhere at the table and the food wasn't particularly tasty - the waiter was friendly but we always had to wait a long time (not just for the food)

Visited on 12/5/24 and it was not a good experience. Service was very poor,we arrived at 6.30, didn't get our very small starters until 8.00..followed very quickly by our main course. Again, the portions were very small, I think I had 8 small pieces of lamb in my main course...Also the place wasn't very clean, I noticed dust on most surfaces and large cobwebs hanging from the ceiling....the gents toilets were disgusting. There were 5 of us and I dont think anyone really enjoyed the experience, its a great shame, as this used to be 1 of Edinburghs best indian restaurants. I certainly won't be eating here again.

Terrible customer service. Ordered a takeaway last night and tracked the driver waiting for delivery. All of a sudden it said delivered. We called the restaurant to ask what was happening and they told us the driver couldn't find the address so just left the order at the front door of a block of flats. No phone call to ask for directions, he just left it there. The restaurant couldn't have cared less and wasn't interested in resolving the issue. Definitely one to avoid

Midweek meal in February with a quiet restaurant and so lacked the usual atmosphere. The restaurant has lovely decor although toilets do need upgrade. OK not the biggest portion sizes for the price with small portion starters and main course consisted of mainly peppers and onions with a total of 6 pieces of chicken, It was however the tastiest jalfrezi I have had in a long time and almost licked my plate clean. Quality over quantity was reason enough to return for a second night and will happily return on our next visit.

Eat this restaurant a second time, and it is really good food !! The owner is help and nice man! It is not expensive and there is lots of room for family dinner! Or friends for a couple of beers and food! Definitely recommend it, and I will definitely be back!

Rude, money-oriented staff!! We went to this restaurant because it was the only one still open, when placing an order (1 main course, 1 rice, 1 starter for 2) he told us that we did not have enough and that we could not order if little !!! So we give in and add a Cheese Naan but he makes us feel that he is not satisfied with our order. Once served, the manager starts vacuuming next to our table while we eat... The prices are so excessive, 1 cheese Naan for 5 pounds and there's not even any cheese in it Same for the main course that we ordered, certainly good but too little served for the price! The Playlist is limited to three songs played in a loop We can at least acknowledge that their food is good but that doesn't make up for the terrible service and excessive prices. I would have done well without this experience.

Great food, expensive popadoms. No atmosphere to the extent everything was going to start floating around the room.

Great food, great staff, but very quiet on a wet Sunday night.

Dont go.. indians Money focused people

This was a delightful surprise! The food was excellent with good portion sizes. It was so good, we ate there 3 times during our stay in Leith. The atmosphere is inviting and clean and the service is prompt and welcoming. Highly recommended!

Honestly the Best kurma ever and perfect service

Der Eingang täuscht - Essen war sehr gut, Bedienung freundlich, Ambiente nett

We had a lovely family evening here and the quality of the food was outstanding. I hadn't been for about 20 years but it was just as good as I remembered it. Don't be put off by the somewhat tired exterior as the inside remains convivial and the service was extremely friendly. I would highly recommend and will definitely not be leaving it 20 years until I return the next time!

Essen war lecker aber recht teuer. Service sehr nett.

We went late on a quiet night but everything was spot on. The service was excellent and so was the food. I would strongly recommend this place

The restaurant itself is very quiet not busy, near Ocean Terminal for parking but has parking outside, food was ok didn't have a dessert menu, service was ok, the atmosphere was very quiet not much going on, cheapest dinner i have ever had.

Not good.all round.went downhill from years back

Food and hospitality very good, extremely attentive staff who made us feel very welcome. Would absolutely come back when in the are again.

Quality good service food was excellent 5 stars

Very tasty food and good service

Only 4 of us, nice warm surroundings time 2100

Very nice dishes to choose from well cooked and presented. Juice was out an opened bottle and was flat. It would be better to offer caned juice rather than cheep out the bottle savers virrioty.

Poster in the window shows opening time of 4pm, still not open at 5pm. Very unreliable

Food was delicious, price was modest and service was quick and friendly!

Excellent food and service. Friendly and welcoming staff. Would highly recommend. One of the nicest indian meals we have had 👍

I moved into an apartment over the road in October 2022 and have been to eat there about a dozen times. Not the cheapest place but very convenient and I am happy to go there Pity that roadworks nearby have reduced patronage but I am sure it will pick up in 2023.

Vry regular solo visitor for 2 years....food and service always excellent. Have eaten Indian food in the far East, London, Manchester curry mile (once lived there) and very many places as Indian is my favourite food. Now I live in Edinburgh this is my preferred go to Indian restaurant and where I bring friends and family visiting. Don't often leave reviews but the recent bull (people taking liberties) needs a little honest compensation as this is a lovely restaurant

We ordered through deliveroo 2 rice and 1 aloo chicken and this came. Apart from all, the potatoes in the aloo chicken were raw and not even eatable so i can imagine how the chicken was. Didn't even risk to try it!!! I would not recommend it. When we phoned them all the guy on the phone tried to do is speak over us and not let us explain. Terrible currently sitting with mcdonalds!!! Better choice!!!!

Loved this place. We wanted a proper curry before going back to sad curry land (Sweden) and we got exactly that. The gentleman who helped us knew his food and made amazing recommendations. We will definitely be back when we visit again in August.

Please avoid at all costs. Firstly, I am giving this review purely on the basis of hospitality. The moment we entered the restaurant and looked around for someone, the person at the reception (probably the manager/owner) called out to my husband in a very bad tone (I wish I could have infused sound into this writing to let everyone know how that person behaved). He did not have the minimum decency to talk to a customer. That was very rude and that was the moment we should have exited the place. However, we ignored it as it was quite late at night and we were hungry. We were made to sit down at a table by that same person. And when we tried to order a dish, which we felt was enough for 2 of us, the manager said we will have to mandatorily order 2 main dishes, as it is their policy. Never in my life have I seen such a rubbish policy, as it was not a thali-kind-of restaurant, where I can expect such things. He bluntly refused to take our order. That was all of it, but if you want to end your day well, avoid this restaurant at all costs. We have visited so many restaurants in quite a few countries, but this was the first time that we encountered such a rude behaviour. Utterly disappointing!!!

Booked Britannia Spice, Commercial Street, Edinburgh for 6 people at 4 pm today Saturday 10th Dec 22 online. The restaurant supposedly opens at 4 pm according to the website & notices on the door. Booking was confirmed but the restaurant was closed when we turned up, no answer to the door, and no answer to the phone as we stood in the rain. What a total waste of time booking. Won't ever be back or use ChefOnline again. Jumped into the cars & went on spec to Rishi's on Lindsay Road, where we had a lovely meal served by friendly team.

Quite a lot to take in. Place was not clean to walk in with that musty / mouldy smell. The waiter argued saying every person should order a main even if they don’t want to have much as feeling unwell. Kept saying people come to restaurant to eat so everyone should order a main. The portions itself is so little and the prices so beefed up. Very bad. Also it says so many different taste including indian , bangladeshi, nepali, thai. It does not even have a single nepali dish. The food itself is a disgrace as well. Would not recommend to anyone at all

This was really quite disappointing. Decor is quite dated and almost empty at 8 on a Saturday night which tells its own story. Took ages to be served even though the place was nigh empty.The food was not good. I had lentil pancake for starter . Decent sized pair of pancakes but with a thimble full of lentil inside. When asked my opinion the waiter/barman/ receptionist he just laughed and said it would not cook inside if there was too much!! Wife had butterfly prawn which was the size of the side plate. We literally could not find anything resembling a prawn in amongst the stodgy batter.everything served with an 80,s style side salad of lettuce and tomato top class . The mains were bland and indescribable and pretty taste numbing. £20 bottle of red that I could use as anti freeze and guy half poured my beer into the glass from a height leaving me with a glass of froth . Felt all a bit smug which I think shows in the number of diners . I would avoid unless u want to time travel back to the eighties…. I’m sure if u asked from chicken in a basket they would rustle one up

Best choice for me to dine in Britannia Spice. Many times I visited the place but still I like to come back. Foods are fabulous.

We thoroughly enjoyed our meal here. The starters were very tasty and my lamb kebab was lean and tender. Our mains were so flavoursome you couldn't help but enjoy them. A huge plus was that the food came very hot (temperature). The Peshwari naan was one of the best I've had. Abu, our server, was brilliant and it was obvious he enjoys his job. Other reviews say the décor is a bit jaded, so what, the food more than compensates for any shortcomings there. We'll certainly go back on our next visit to Edinburgh.

Deux dîners dans ce restaurant durant notre séjour d’une semaine sur Édimbourg. Excellent accueil et plats délicieux , je recommande !

Good Food . Near holiday inn Hotel.

Food superb, not run of the mill curries, pakora to die for, with delightful naan bread. This restaurant is well worth a visit.

We had a great family dinner with our kids. Everybody was really friendly and the food was delicious!!

I visited this place for 4-5 days as I love Indian food and one day we ran out of menu however to my surprise the staff prepared special spicy aloo for me which is what I remember even after such a long time.

Food was exceptional good choice of menu available reasonably priced

Too bad there's not more customers going here. We found the taste of the food excellent, as we did 5 years ago. Covid wiped out a lot of it's customers, but it deserves to survive. I'd suggest the owner thinks about replacing the maritime theme they have going on inside with a more Indian cultural one.

Great service from a long-standing local favourite, the curries were on point as always. Thanks to the manager, will see you again soon.

Food is not up to standard of Indian cuisine overpriced do not recommend it serviceis very very poor will not even give 1. Star avoid at any cost have McDonald

Went late on a Friday night and it was great not to busy

The worst restaurant and staff I have seen till date. Extremely ill mannered and rude. There was no one inside so we asked if they were open. They called us in, made us sit and then refused to serve us because we didn't order one main per person and then he told us I'm not going to serve you unless you order one main per person if you don't want to do that please leave. I will never recommend this to anyone. Please avoid at all costs.

For the first time in my life - a restaurant straight up refused to serve us after letting us sit and decide. Staff was absolutely very rude and the empty tables spoke of it. We arrived at 10:00pm, an hour before closing time after a long drive from Manchester - 5 of us, decided to order 2 portions of biryani as only 2 of us wanted to eat and the rest would sit at the bar only to drink. The restaurant was completely empty. The waiter and manager both refused to accept our order and we were asked to leave in a very rude manner. We explained that we'd check the portion size first and would then order more food - the manager did not listen once again, snatched the menu cards from our hands and asked us to leave. Couldn't pick his name as he wanted us out, clearly poor hospitality which echoed with the empty tables in the restaurant. Hope they learn. Wouldn't recommend at all for poor hospitality.

Was here on holidays and can’t fault it. Service was attentive, food was great and lovely kingfisher pints! Would happily return.

We just came across this spot as it was close to our accommodation and would recommend it to anyone! Very great service (waiter was very attentive and helpful) and the food was so delicious! Lovely decor. Will be back next time we are in Leith!!

Excellent food, great service and the best Gaelic coffee I’ve had in a restaurant for a long while. Real cream 😋

I went here the day it opened in 1999. We have been on and off over the years. However, it's now past its prime, in looks. The menu, which used to come in bound form, is now a laminated effort, with some items sored out with a Sharpie. Food was passable - but the decor has aged, and there is a rather musty smell about the place. Perhaps it just needs a good airing and a refresh on the decor. Go, it's ok, and the staff are friendly.

Lovely food served by a lovely host. Been a while since we visited but we will definitely return soon. Thank you for a lovely evening.

The worst service, very unpleasant experience, very bad attitude and behaviour by the waiter. Please avoid.

Plz avoid !! Can relate to all the negative reviews given earlier here. Extremely bad experience, the person managing the restaurant and taking orders is extreme rude and not well behaved. The food is below average and cold. It's a Bangladeshi food joint disguised as an Indian restaurant. Would suggest to avoid this place if you happen to be around the Holiday Inn restaurant.

Worst restaurant ever visited. The person who is at the reception doing all the duties, one man show. Over priced, not tasty aswell. What a wastage of time

Horrible restaurant. Horrible service. Rude staff. Unhygienic ambience. We were left stranded. Avoid at all cost.

Excellent food. Food came out quick and was fresh. Starters were exciting and my curry was delightful. Entire family happy. Lovely building and happy staff. :)

Curry, just the way you like it. However, we were disappointed at the portion sizes. I think 2 humans sharing curry with all the accessories and 1 alcoholic drink came to ~£40incl. Tip.

Lovely food and I really like the decor the restaurant is clean ignore the 1 star reviews staff are friendly and helpful my only criticism is the portion size is very small need a bag of chips on the way home after

Great food. Should be busier but that's the damned pandemic for you. I'll be back when in Edinburgh again.

Went here last night has to be the worst Indian meal I have ever had ,after reading some of the reviews I was expecting a great night's eating how wrong I was and to cap it of it was totally overpriced needless to say I won't be back

tic food i acnnot believe this resturaunt isnt packed . best indian food for ages. well worh a visit

Fabulous curry at Britannia spice Flavors so nice, with numerous plant based options Aubergine best ever taste as was my wife s Samba. Service so efficient and with a smile in lovely surroundings. Thank you to the establishment.

Lovely clean restaurant, owner very welcoming and food excellent for our taste. If you're in Edinburgh give this place a visit. Don and Jan Aldershot

A most enjoyable experience. Food was an absolute delight. As far as I am concerned restaurant was spotless. Service was perfect. Ignore the majority of these 1 star reviews, go and try and be amazed. And oh, the value was excellent!!!! Will most certainly be back.

Can't believe this hasn't got more stars in the reviews, The 3 off us that went all had starters and a main each, we had Nan bread and the 2 dishes of rice was enough for the 3 of us. The chicken in the dishes we had in the mains was very tender and was like it was done in a slow cooker was so easy to cut. The food quality was outstanding and left the 3 of us absolutely stuffed 😂 would definitely go back and can 100% recommend

I absolutely love the food The place it's very nice with a enjoyable climate. The staff it's adorable and the food doesn't take too long. I loved

Me and the local scholars went here to get some comestibles. Our first of many mistakes. We were initially greeted with confidence and gusto which gave us a highly misplaced confidence in the establishment. The place was a little tired and the reviews mixed but the other seemingly happy customers gave us confidence to continue investigating the menu. The menu was a little confusing but it did not matter. 30 minutes passed and nobody even tried to take our order - cleaning tables and ferrying bread was higher on their agenda. All in all a disappointing sojourn. Avoid.

Where do I begin… the fetid smell, dubious face mask practices or more pertinently, the 90 minutes it took to serve us 8 ‘cubettes’ of chicken with some tired looking salad. And all for the pleasure of an exorbitant £45 for two meals and the pangs of a hungry stomach afterwards. Do yourself a favour and go to m&s food next door in ocean terminal and buy yourself four meals for two and couple of beers instead. I guarantee you will be be far more satisfied than this sorry experience. Dear reader we went through this so you don’t have to - pay heed!

Lovely food. Very friendly staff. Would definitely recommend

***I SHOULD HAVE CHECKED THE REVIEW'S BEFORE GOING!****......Place has a hygiene issue, looks like it could do with a deep clean the foyer is disgusting we should have just turned around and walked back out to be honest, overpriced to say the least. Questionable meerkats 2-1 offers as some starters such as popadoms are excluded. Also nan bread excluded, 3 cokes (small size) £8.80. Don't have the Kathmandu Murga as its a strange blend of lentil dal and 6 tiny chunks of chicken for £11.95. Saga paneer was ok. Definitely will not be going again although Waiter was friendly and accommodating.

Food was awful had 1 mouthfull couldn't eat the rest , was put off by the smell of the dirt and dust in the restaurant you can literally see the dust everywhere not a nice environment to eat In at all

We asked asked for a hot curry Wednesday night. They made too much hot we couldn’t handle and portion was so small and king prawn dishes you can hardly find any king prawn as well. A guy came to take order said he don’t know about speciality here because he came to help someone. In the middle one group of people pop in restaurant heard confrontation and some reason we were forgotten for sometime. End of dinner was placed bill without any hot towels and chocolate or any kind hand wiper. asBill was 2 adults and 1 child £76.66. I didn’t mind but was told they stopped providing any kind of hand wiper or towels 15 years back. If it is not a tourist city people shouldn’t never back second time. STAY ALART from this restaurant no mater they git award 7 years back.

Totally Delicious food, (what a wonderful chef) and a pint or two of Kingfisher who could ask more oh yes and fantastic attentive and friendly staff. A must to dine at when in Leith !

Place had a weird smell to it, sat at the table, carpets dirty. Tables not cleaned properly, massive cobwebs at the table got back up and left. Myself and my wife used to enjoy eating here. A shame to see it not getting looked after, and to state this was just opened. if the restaurant is that dirty I would hate to see what the kitchen looks like. Definitely won’t be back.

Really good food!! Lovely staff!! And stuck to Corona rules very well!!

Great food ,service Welcoming atmosphere

The food is of quite a low quality in contrast to other restaurants in the city. Prices are inadequately high and much higher than in other places in the city.

An awuful restaurant. Very small portions, everything is cooked as if the cook worked earlier only in cheap eateries. Durty toilets. I did not liked it.

Not really sure where to start, we ordered drinks when we were seated, one of which was delivered incorrectly (Vodka and Coke ordered Glass of Coke delivered), then to the food order, Starters, Mains and accompanying rice and Naans ordered, the waitress scuttled away into the kitchen too late for us to request popadoms, when she reappeared we ordered the popadoms which were brought to the table along with the accompanying condiments, no sooner had they been delivered than the Main Course arrived!! For those keeping up we had ordered starters. I asked about the starter and was told “Oh I’ll go and get them” to which I promptly replied “please take away the Main then and bring out the starter” a very blank look ensued!! This was now against a backdrop of a couple speaking to the manager regarding how many flies they had killed and another couple in the corner who also volunteered that they had in fact ordered starters which never appeared. Long story relatively short we negotiated what we would pay for (Main Courses, Rice, Naans and drinks) after being presented with a bill for the full order (including the elusive starters), I would absolutely not recommend this restaurant on the basis of service (even the Manager would not come out and offer any form of apology or reasoning for the appalling service in a very quiet restaurant) give it a wide berth.

Best Indian food in the neighbourhood! Biriyani was delicious and the service was excellent. Spacious restaurant makes social distancing easy but still had a great atmosphere.

Great meal great service . Will definitely be back .

Curry was beautiful, service was fantastic, very small chapatis, and raita was nothing more than plain yogurt with herbs and paprika sprinkled on the top

Really great food and waitstaff - fully recommend for some lovely well-cooked Indian food (especially for vegetarians)

We order king prawns and in the sauce was little pieces of chicken..... very bad.

Been going here off and on for 5 years because its close to the holiday inn, I'm as loyal as they come but the last 6 times I've been in its been dreadful - tonight was the last time. Looks very classy inside and although pricey the food was ok a few years back. Don't brother get a taxi far better food in the city or have a pot noodle instead just as watery as the food

Visited first time...and did not find the food very interesting n exceptional...very generic in taste. Nice ambience and people

Went On Sunday the 16/8 /20 and was also their 2 weeks before , they said their was a new chef the food was poor standard the second time I don’t know if it’s down to the pandemic but only 4 people in at 7/30 pm also feel the tables and mats very sticky I won’t be back .

Good food, friendly staff, good price. Nice atmosphere despite covid rules. Will go again

Had my first curry (Lamb Rogan Josh, pilau rice and garlic nan bread) since lockdown and it was fabulous!!! The staff were very conscientious in complying with the Covid-19 health guidelines and very attentive with their customer service. Nice surprise to see that they are also taking part in the Govt Discount scheme :-) Could see myself down there again soon.

Excellent food and was really tasty. Service was good and would definitely eat here again

Great food at a great price with the eat out to help out deal on as well 👍