Cutting Chaii in Edinburgh, City of

the starters were good, the main course was quite disappointing. The garlic naan didn’t taste fresh at all.

We came without knowing the place. Very nice surprise, fairly inexpensive but yet exquisite dishes! And with that, impeccable service. Bravo to the server for his kindness and friendliness. Hello from Lille, France. Be careful for those who don't like pepper too much, "one pepper" is already quite spicy.

Incredible food and atmosphere, very nice staff!

Really tasty (and spicy!) food. The naan was especially delicious. Very fresh and authentic flavours. The restaurant has a very cosy atmosphere and lovely staff! Also very good price for the quality

This is the second time we have eaten here and it did not disappoint! A warm welcome from Niro the owner and a personalised service from him and his staff. We got chatting with locals who eat here regularly and all agreed this is something special. Look forward to returning when we visit Leith again.

Fantastic meal with such diverse and tasty flavours. Service was excellent. We will be back!

Really enjoyed a leisurely and delicious meal with a good friend. Heartily recommend and will be back!

Authentic tastes; loved the chai

We had a lovely time at Cutting Chai! We went as a table of four and were celebrating a few things and it was the perfect place for this. All of the food was delicious and the portions were excellent and the staff were so kind and attentive. At the end, the staff were so kind and brought some birthday cake along for my boyfriend to celebrate with us. Will definitely be back - luckily we live next door!

Absolutely cannot fault the food, service and atmosphere of this place. You won’t find a better range of authentic dishes and the staff are amazing! Railway chicken is an absolute must for any order.

Very average food, cheap and cheerful atmosphere but pricey for what it is.

Cutting Chai is a gem of a place, with fresh, delicious, interesting Indian food. There are plenty great menu choices. Service is always excellent, warm and friendly, whether you dine in or order delivery.

No problems at all. Nice place and nice staff, food was very well balanced

Absolutely amazing meal! Food was delicious and delivery was very quick. 5 stars! :)

Super fast delivery and very tasty food 👌🏽

Really tasty veggie and meat options with great portion sizes. Highly recommended. The flat breads are also excellent so be sure to pick up some roti with your order! Friends has naan and chicken which looked excellent, where I had paneer which was also delicious.

My favourite Indian in Leith for both takeaway and sit in! The restaurant decor is lovely and food is always great.

Gran comida, servida informalmente en un ambiente de sensación de clase. Buena selección para vegetarianos y algunos entrantes inusuales y divertidos!

Been several times and it remains my favourite Indian in the city. Great range of curries and excellent vegetarian options too.

I loved the food here it was so authentic and homely, and the staff were so accommodating

The food is incredible! So tasty, always pipping hot and ready quickly for pick up. Would highly recommend 👌🏻

Best Indian food in Edinburgh. Never had Indian food with so much flavour even the poppadoms are better than any I’ve had. Happy laddy with a full tummy here.

Tuve una experiencia brillante con Ayusma. Es una camarera brillante. Me encantó la experiencia. La comida era increíble. Me encantó el menú.

We went for dinner at cutting chai during our weekend visit to Edinburgh. The food was delicious and very flavoursome. The staff were really friendly and attentive. We’d recommend the Ruby Murray curry and naan.

Great starters, naan and curries! Friendly service and what looks to be a good amount of variety for vegetarians/vegans too!

Fuimos por recomendación de un amigo y no nos decepcionó. El servicio era excelente, comida muy sabrosa y no muy caro. Sin duda volvería. Gracias.

One of the best restaurants in Edinburgh. Unbelievable flavour. We stayed in Leith 6 days and went out for dinner every night and this was by far our best meal.

Really good food and Amazing staff. Loved it.

Overall very happy with order time and food

Phenomenal restaurant, the food is outstanding, the staff are friendly, it's well-priced, portions are a good size, the atmosphere is lovely. Only issue is it's so popular it's often difficult to get a table, so do book in advance!

Got a delivery and was really good quality and arrived quickly. Dhaba lamb was great and so was biriany. Would definitely order it again.

Los reyes del curry decidieron volver a la pista de batir después de sentirse complacidos con las comodidades del hogar. Después de muchas discusiones acaloradas decidimos optar por un establecimiento poco desconocido conocido como Cut Chai. Las críticas y el menú tenían nuestras papilas gustativas de rey curry salivando. Elegir una casa de curry diferente no es tarea fácil y conlleva riesgos muy altos. Si te vale la pena arrodillarte si falla podrías parecer Eric diez hag. Todo un aprieto. La espera fue agónica con todos en vilo. Pulsos corazones acelerados mejillas sudorosas y estómagos retumbando. El pedido llegó muy bien empaquetado. La orden 2 pilau arroz Samosa de cordero crujiente Pollo 69 Pollo chaats Pollo con mantequilla Maas Karahi lamb Pollo al ají El saat de pollo estaba muy empapado y no era lo que uno esperaba. La samosa de cordero era muy agobiante e instantáneamente olvidable. Pollo 69 (tenía mucho mejor). Los platos - la carne estaba muy bien cocinado y tierno los platos en sí tenían casi ningún sabor y carecía de sabor. Podríamos distinguir uno del otro. Creo que hay potencial aquí solo necesita un poco de TLC. Saludos amables Los reyes del curry

Great little hidden away gem in leith, impeccable food and fantastic service, never had a bad experience and there’s a fabulous amount of options from mild to very spicy, can’t recommend enough

Always the best food, staff are friendly and efficient. Myself and my family eats here all the time.

Good food and good vibes. The waiter was really friendly and suggested really good food from the menu. One of the best paneer and prawn dish in Edinburgh, even made tea which was not on the menu. Went above and beyond to make our experience great at the restaurant. If you like Indian dishes this is the best place in Edinburgh.

We had Indian food at 3-4 Indian restaurants in Edinburgh on our trip to UK and this was the best one for both my husband and I. 😊 The best mango lassi I have ever had! It was so fresh and the saffron flavor was a cherry on top. We ordered saag paneer and Chana and both were really delicious and authentic. Highly recommend this place.

Outstanding food and service. Highly recommended!

The lamb chops were sublime and cooked to perfection! so render and juicy. Biryani was excellent as usual and lamb samosas were delicious and crispy. Can always count on Cutting Chai for a nice dinner. Food always arrives within 40 minutes and they never mess up my order. Great service and even better food! I was having a terrible day but your food made me feel like myself again. Thank you!

Anyone coming to Edinburgh and not trying this delicious Indian eatery would be a grave mistake!! The menu offers a delightful array of traditional Indian dishes, each bursting with authentic flavors and spices. Every dish we tried was a masterpiece, but the Lamb was the star of the evening—rich, flavorful, and cooked to perfection. The naan was fresh and soft, and paired beautifully with the aromatic curries.

the lamb dhaba curry was delicious, tender lamb and not too spicy.

Fantastic meal, superb atmosphere and staff were amazing, had a lovely meal, thanks for making it special!

I don't if it's because I've not ordered from here in a while but the lamb samosas and lamb biryani was so good. Biryani had a smokeyness to it and the lamb had some fat on it like how mum makes it. I'd say the chutney that comes with the samosas could be a smaller portion as I always find myself throwing more than half of it away. But overall a really lovely dinner. Thank you.

Fantastic banter❤️ really engaging and interested! Food was superb! Delicious flavours! Exceptional value for money! Delicious Beers to finish up! Highly recommend🍺🍺🍺

Absolutely amazing meal. The personal were so friendly and a great laugh. We had a great night out in Edinburgh.

Este lugar es tan bueno que fuimos dos veces en una semana! Los platos son familiares, pero les dan un giro único. Nos encantó que hubiera un montón de opciones veganas y vegetarianas que no se sintieron como una idea de posguerra. Los garbanzos chaii - remojados son increíbles y un gran giro en channa masala. También recomiendo encarecidamente el malai murgh - pasamos siglos debatiendo lo que lo hace tan fabuloso. Hazte un favor y reserva una cena aquí.

This is just a copycat restaurant of Dishooms and Mowgli. Try their food instead. Restaurant is too small and seating uncomfortable.

What first attracted us to Cutting Chai was the fabulous smells of curry that you experience when walking past. The food did not disappoint! The dishes are varied, authentic and full of flavour. We were very well taken care of and will definitely be back to work our way through the menu.

Hidden Gem on Salamander street. Great service and amazing quality food. A must try on Edinburgh foodie list.

The revamp is beautiful and the food is as amazing as ever with some delicious additions to the menu. One of, if not, the best Indian in Edinburgh

Cutting Chaii is brilliant and if you know someone who lives nearby then it is a duty to recommend the restaurant to them. After all, it's on the corner of a road hardly anyone walks down and surrounded by construction. How would anyone find Cutting Chaii by chance? Of course, don't take my word for it; check the cosy Indian tapas place out for yourself. By "Indian tapas" I mean you'll order two to three dishes per person rather than one big meal. I've been many times, try and have something different each time and am yet to find something I didn't like. The food is fresh and fun. I really like the chance to sample broadly from the menu. Cutting Chaii helps me answer questions that begin with, "Do I like?" However, while it would be wrong to rate the food as anything less than excellent, I have to point out the atmosphere of the cosy corner too! Tip: Book in advance! Cutting Chaii is great for couples, small parties and even solo diners. I don't think it's the place to take 10 office co-workers too! The doorway (which is not wheelchair friendly) is an archway of flowers and decorations. You'll step into a romantically lit, warm, delicious smelling murmur of quiet conversations. It's lovely! It's also a dramatic contrast to windy winter nights! Staff are friendly, not particularly numerous but since Chaii isn't huge, this is never a problem. I've never had a wait at Cutting Chaii. The worst thing that's happened to me is forgetting to book, trying my luck anyway, walking down and finding no tables free. Tip: The toilets (customers only) are nice and clean here. I think they were put in a few years ago when the location was the Elbe Room, have been maintained well and are a huge improvement to what was there before. Cutting Chaii is also on Deliveroo but I'm yet to test that option. I'd much rather turn up for COVID safe (masks, table cleaning, etc) and friendly in person. Overall? Delighted to recommend this treasure to you. [April 2022: update - still great] [January 2023: update - busy for an impromptu midweek first. Still great and worth booking for] [April 2023 update - guess what? Still great] [July 2024] update -- already a five star recommendation and now, after a refurbishment, Cutting Chaii is even better. Recommend the Ruby Murray.

Always wanted to try this restaurant and finally I did tonight. I cannot believe I’ve not before but I will definitely be back. Tapas options to try lots of different foods and honestly can say it’s the best I’ve tasted. 5 stars is not enough for this place. Staff very friendly and cosy wee place to relax and enjoy your food.

After a long and exhausting walk from Portobello to Leith, I found myself both tired and hungry. Luckily, I stumbled upon a delightful Indian restaurant that turned out to be a perfect spot to satisfy my hunger and rest. This experience has become a cherished memory for me. The restaurant's service was exceptionally friendly, which made the meal even more enjoyable. As for the food, it was probably the best Indian cuisine I have ever tasted. Highly recommended!!

Tiene que ser el mejor indio de Edimburgo. He comido aquí dos veces en 2 semanas es así de bueno! Recomiendo encarecidamente ambos tipos de alitas de pollo. Tan grande y extremadamente agradable! Otros aspectos destacados son las gambas, el cordero dhaba y el pollo karahi. Muy auténtico, sin aceite / grasa y absolutamente delicioso! ¡Por fin un indio decente!

Delivery times are really good and the food is delicious. I wish they did smaller portions of the curries because sometimes I want a tiny amount of dal to have alongside my main. Please consider making an option to select a curry as a main or side. I have a lot of leftovers and no one to share them with.

Lamb biryani is the best I've tasted, so much flavour and very generous with the meat portion. I also tried the Railway lamb with rice and it reminded me of home. So glad to have this restaurant! Definitely ordering here again and might even visit soon.

Great natural ingredients. Very friendly delivery person!

17:35 collection. Restaurant was closed with renovation signs. Seeking refund

Este restaurante fue recomendado por una camarera en un bar en el que estábamos a la hora del almuerzo y no decepcionó. La comida era excelente y el servicio muy eficiente y amable. He comido en muchos restaurantes indios a lo largo de los años, pero me encantó el estilo de comida Tapas. Las porciones eran muy generosas también.

Really good spice level, quality lamb and great service! 10/10 would recommend for someone looking for a nice local Indian place!

Great menu and service. Will be going back!!!

Had takeaway at weekend. Delicious curries from this restaurant will definitely be back for sitting in, food took a little longer than expected but waitress allowed us to sit in restaurant to wait for it which was great.

Great food. Great staff. Wonderfully authentic.

The best place to eat in Leith. Dixa gives great service front of house.

Fantastic food! Can't recommend enough. Dixa is great she can't do enough for you.

The best Indian food I've ever eaten! The dishes are really delicious, prices average even if portions are slightly smaller than usual. Varied menu, not too long, but complete. I recommend the aubergines and the gunpowder chicken. Good lassi but too expensive.

My girlfriend lives above this wonderful curry house and we started ordering food from here (they do sit in meals and takaway) during the Covid lockdown of spring 2020. The food is amazing and the staff are lovely. I can highly recommend Cutting Chaii for all curry lovers. Dhaba chicken is probably my favourite but the prawn dopiaza runs it pretty close!

Get take away from here every weekend. Best Indian food I've had in a long time. Can recommend the veg and non veg options. Channa Mushrooms and Palak Paneer are amazing as are the Prawn Dopiaza, Saagwala Lamb and Dhaba Lamb. So happy to live near this fantastic wee local spot!

This place permanently changed my expectations of butter chicken, in a good way! We've only ever got their food delivered, so I can't comment on the restaurant itself, but their curries are to die for. The menu is small compared to most other Indian restaurants, and I think that's a positive because they can really put effort into each individual dish. If you want high quality, non-generic curry, definitely try this place!

The only thing authentic about this restaurant was the music, the aroma from the kitchen promised much but sadly fell short on taste. Having decided what we wished to eat,the waitress refused to take our food order, insisting we must order drinks first, it was then a frustrating 15 minutes waiting for someone to take our food order, in a virtual empty restaurant!! Oh what a disappointment, the food was bland , one dimensional with no depth or subtlety of flavour. Having worked in the hospitality industry for many years, I found the staff completely disinterested in their customers, overall a completely unsatisfactory experience, to the extent that this was the first time I have not left a tip in a restaurant, I think it is obvious why. On exit the staff could not even be bothered to acknowledge our departure with thanks for our custom.

Biryani was tasty and samosas nice and crispy. I had a craving and it hit the spot. Not to mention how quickly it was delivered so thank you.

Good location, and a nice ambiance depending on where in the restaurant you are seated. We were placed on a table next to an oversized(for the establishment) bar. Next to us stood a revolving array of delivery drivers. It wasn’t a great place to put a table. We asked the server if we could order after around 15 mins upon entering to which we were told “in a few minutes”. We ended up waiting for 35 mins as we had been forgotten about, we were served food after around 60/70 mins of entering. It was a busy night but there seemed to be a lack of organisation behind the bar. I feel like the servers could have been more attentive and punctual toward our empty glasses. The food is ‘nice’. One of the dishes we had. Was a fish curry-which was let down by there being more fish skin than actual fish meat in the dish. This was disappointing as the sauce was nice and buttery. The naan bread tasted like it came from the supermarket, and was over-cooked. The bathroom was in a bit of a sorry state also. Soap hand been filled up so a massive bottle of blue soap sat on the sink. A hole, now covered up by a square of wood and a screw to hold in place.. These points above would have been greatly less important if it wasn’t for the fact of the slow and largely in-special service. I will not rush to go back to this establishment, nor strongly recommend based on my recent visit

I visited the establishment with the expectation of enjoying chai and pakoda, but unfortunately, the experience left much to be desired. Despite a low number of occupied tables at 5:30 in the evening, the waitress insisted on a main course order, displaying outright rudeness and inflexibility. This unwelcome attitude and refusal to serve only chai and pakoda cast a shadow on what could have been a pleasant visit

Samosa size is very small, not worth for 7.5 pounds

Very, very tasty. Great service and atmosphere. Definitely will do again next time in Edinburgh.

The food here was so amazing. I could really feel the flavour's as back in home. This is the best indian restaurant by far in edinburgh the atmosphere food service everything is 10 out 10.

Very welcoming atmosphere with fantastic food and service, everything we ordered for the table was very tasty. I will definitely be back and would highly recommend a visit to Cutting Chaii.

I was at Scotland for a business trip, and ordered some take away from here. Although I was somewhat secluded, the food arrived on time, and was really good. My personal favourite was the lamb chops, which my whole family enjoyed. If the in store service is just as good as the food, I would highly recommend going.

Food was excellent love the small portions of curry so we can try more items. All are so good! Great prices and service- will return and recommend ♥

Food as excellent as ever however, minimum staffing levels coupled with a continuous takeaway demand put a strain on service times (an hour plus for main course). Last time we visited, there were 3 front of house. Last night, one. Pulling staff from the kitchen to expedite drinks orders isn’t perhaps the most efficient use of staff. To that end, no puds or after dinner drinks/ chai were ordered….meals were divine though….

Had cutting chai and chaat which are as Tapas style, would say chai was brilliant, reminded me of the ones in India. Definitely would recommend. For the chaat, portion size was small as for the price, but delicious!

Tremendous for a sit in or a takeaway

Strange experience average food cheap and cheerful atmosphere but pricey

Food lacked flavour - very bland and disappointing. Also arrived 2 hours after ordering... Will not be ordering for there again.

Maybe the food here was good but unfortunately I couldn't not find that out as I placed an order online which was never delivered even after calling the restaurant multiple times, noone was picking up the phone.

Excellent and delivery was exactly when quoted

Food was perfect service was good and very well priced.

Okra fries were inedible and the butter chicken was not like the recipe we had in the street food menu in the restaurant. Starters were good. Too expensive!!!

Hands down the best Indian Restaurant in Edinburgh. All of the food is exceptional, have always enjoyed every single thing I've ordered. Plus the value for money is fantastic. Cannot recommend enough. 10/10

I have tried 3 different Indian restaurants while in Edinburgh and this was definitely my favourite one. The restaurant is not very big but very cosy and lovely. They offer a lot of different dishes to choose from and the ones I have tested were all delicious. We tried to go a second time without reservation and it was full which would also tell a lot of other people enjoy it as well. I would definitely come back to try another meal.

Cutting Chaii is not the cheapest but does nice flavourful dishes. The restaurant is only 10 mins walk from my house but food took about an hour and a half to deliver with the expected delivery time being pushed back multiple times. I ordered at 7.30pm but received the food after 9pm and the starters weren't hot. This was on a Thursday evening, not a weekend night. I requested a partial refund and this was declined. Think I'll try a different local place next time.

Great selection of dishes, hard not to over order as they're all so good!

We ordered take away for collection a couple of weeks ago. When we arrived to collect, we still had to wait for about 20 minutes outside in the cold before the food was ready. Sadly the food was not good either. Everything tasted spicy but not spiced. there was no depth to it and it all felt quite bland. It’s a shame because we’d heard good things about this place and we were quite disappointed.

Yet another wonderful meal at Cutting Chaii last week - and with a changed menu! The classic dishes remain with a few additions, including the delicious potato chop chaat - would recommend in a heart beat! Service always super friendly and prices reasonable. Thanks again!!

Highly recommend the Gunpowder Chicken and Spicy Chips.

Visited here on a Thursday night after a recommendation from my son. Food was so good. In fact I would go as far as to say that it’s the best Indian food I’ve had in the UK. So tasty. We had 3 curries, samosas, a rice and a nan. The staff were lovely, very friendly and welcoming. Will definitely be back 😀

Had my birthday dinner here, it was amazing. The service and food was great. Couldn’t recommend it more

I’ve been here many times over the last couple of years and frequently recommend it as the best Indian restaurant in Edinburgh. But recently my favourite dish (the lamb biryani) isn’t as good as it used to be. Before the lamb and potato were layered, providing lots of perfect bites, now it seems they chuck lots of lamb in and less spice and flavour. Most recently this was in a take away. Additionally the service the last couple of times I visited has been quite rude. I’m not sure what’s going on but I hope things go back. So I’m taking off one star, but hoping for the best and not rating too low. I still love the appetisers like the chaats and the secret bomb. But sad my favourite dish is not as great as it used to be and that it’s not been as pleasant to visit.

Excellent meal.. delicious food, and quality service. Highly recommended

Great selection of tasty vegan/vegetarian food. Quick delivery. Superb.

Fabulous food and great delivery