Desi Pakwan in Edinburgh, City of

This has got to be the best Indian in Edinburgh. Hot fresh delicious and the new decor is lovely. We will definitely be back 😊

This was our second visit and we where disappointed service was rubbish we where a group of 7. We got our daughters chicken tikka which was 3 tiny inner fillets for 6.95 a bit steap. Lamb sag had no salt not fresh tomatoes just bland Garlic nan was doughy undercooked For my family of 4 110.00 for starter and main we drank water. They brought half of the food and made the other people at our table wait for there's won't be back sorry

Food was ok but the service was poor. I have had 3 small packets of sweets(Known as rosmali) which were packed and sealed. This was a gift but waiter made an assumption that we going eat our sweet there and we are not allowed to eat sweet there. It would have been better to ask us rather than making a comment based on assumption.

The food is amazing, proper Indian and very tasty. This is one of the few restaurants that has been consistent through the years, good food at affordable prices. Went again, the food is always great and is one of the few restaurants left where eating out is still convenient

i have no idea where to start, there's so much to say about this Desi pakwan not the one in leith but the one on slateford road area the new one i guess, what a mess they have append so i visited with my staff it was a staff night out only 4 tables were booked place was pretty empty no staff at all just one girl who looked completely exhausted she was taking orders greeting customers cleaning the tables making the tables delivering the food taking payment making juice almost everything and it was a saturday night which they should know its a busy night but no there was no staff at all, we went around 6.30pm the girl came around 7.15pm to take order and the food arrived around 8.30pm absolutely shocking we didn't even felt hungary when the food arrived, when we complained to the only girl who was there she started crying and started playing the blame game you should be able to work under pressure. She went away, had a good cry and came back 15 minutes later. I felt bad for that girl. this place needs some serious management as it's falling apart, more than 3 customers from different tables left without eating and paying. I would never ever go there again, sort your restaurant out please and give that girl a break.

Incredible food - cash only though so be ready for that!

Best place to have desi breakfast.

Very worse experience Desi Pakwan I ordered baryani when I start to eat I find hair in baryani than bin food . Very worse experience

Malik and his team are FANTASTIC best in Edinburgh

Great Pakistani food, if you like that sort of thing. Smallish, so not good if you have group larger than 3 or 4. Also, they don't serve beer or alcohol, but you can bring your own in. (There is a little shop 3 doors down) Service is a little slow, but very friendly.

Food and service fantastic as usual.

I have visited this place a few times, a good place to enjoy traditional Pakistani food like karahi, kebabs, haleem nihari etc

Food pure Desi like back home, and service was spot on .

Brilliant Food was fresh hot n yummy

Awful customer service! We were the only customers in the restaurant and despite the fact there were three members of staff available, we were ignored for 10 minutes, told the advertised ( throughout the restaurant - inside and outside) Lunch Specials deal 7 days a week was a mistake and didn't apply. Staff on the whole were dismissive, impolite making the dinning experience sadly poor. Would not recommend going there.

The meat was raw and food was really bad. Not going again.

Worst place I have seen ever The staff also not good and hygiene The chef who is work in front is not even have the sense to use gloves while cooking .. nasty place

Exellent food as always, great service 😁 Back for what is something of a annual visit. Still the same high quality food, great staff. I will be back in December for a pre Christmas treat.

I don’t want to give him a single star as well because they are very misbehave rude attitude

The food was so delicious., we tried Nihari, Daal Tarka, Chicken Handi and Qeema Aaloo. Extraordinary service and atmosphere. Thank you

Scrumptious food every time. A must for anyone who loves authentic Indian food.

Freshly cooked and tasty food. Lots of vegetarian options. I park in Tesco car park then a minute walk to the restaurant. Cash payment only.

The actual food was great and authentic tasting. The issues were poor service, lack of cutlery (I ate my omelette with a teaspoon) having to ask for a serviette, having to remind staff they had forgotten our drinks, not having all the items on a limited menu available and worst of all having to drink out of chipped cups. It’s a shame as it has great potential. Cash only!

Too pricey food ok nothing too special,

ONE OF THE BEST PLACES FOR DESI PAKISTANI CURRY ITS DEFINITELY AUTHENTIC OWNER IS POLITE AND KIND FOOD IS FRESH AND TASTY STAFF ARE WELL TRAINED AND ALWAYS HAPPY TO HELP ALWAYS MY GO TO PLACE FOR A CURRY TASTING LIKE YOUR IN PAKISTAN LOVE THIS PLACE THANK YOU GUYS KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK

As Indians we thought this would be our best bet to try Pakistani cuisine (can't really go to Pakistan!) and we weren't disappointed. All items made fresh in their peep through kitchen. The waitress recommended Dal Gosht and the taste blew our mind! Eating here made our trip to Edinburgh memorable. Pro tips: 1. Go for lamb on the bone 🦴 2. Dal tadka was excellent but matar paneer was passable. There are many other places to go if you are vegetarian.

Enjoyed an evening dinner at the restaurant during our Edinburgh trip in 2024 summer. The flavours are authentic north Indian felt good to taste after a long time! Their tandoori rotis and chapatis are quite big and better to order fresh as per requirements. We tried the butter paneer and tandoori roti and enjoyed it.

Food taste is good it’s recommended to have a meal. I tried north east food and it’s highly recommended out of 10 I can give 9. Thanks 😀😊

First of all, this restaurant should not be allowed to be opened with this low level of hygiene. You won't be welcomed if you enter, but you will be seen as an extra burden for them. The woman taking the orders is the rudest I have encountered. You feel like you're not welcomed. I tried to order, ignoring all of these factors. I ordered a lot (60£) then I asked her to add samosa. She stated that only served as takeaway, which doesn't make any sense. I'm here to eat and choose not to be forced. I told her I'd leave. I'm afraid, she said okay leave. Now you can imagine how rude her attitude was. I don't recommend coming here, I didn't even sit for 10 minutes until I realised it was a mistake and went away

Very very very very bad service, they don’t welcome you and ignore you even. You go take your chair and sit, no body is busy, empty restaurant but still you go take your menu yourself, sit for a good 10 minutes, telling them you want to order, still 5 minutes later a rude and lazy woman come to take your orders just to tell you some orders you can only take away! You say okay i can pay and receive it in a take away box but just bring it to the table, she says no, rudely! The worst attitude in a really below available restaurant

Horrible food!! Roti was oversized and uncooked. Bhindi had extra oil and dal was extremely bad in taste. Total disappointment!!

Always best service, best food and nice atmosphere at desi pakwan leith walk

Great food and wonderful service

Food and the vibe is 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻 Karahi was amazing

Ordered a takeaway and have done a few times before, the food is always delicious!! It was this time too however I've dropped a star simply because my palak paneer was swwwiiiimmmming, drowning even, in oil. I felt a bit sick eating it, so I poured as much out into a container as I could. (I didn't see until I got back to my flat.) Also the service is always fine 👌🏽 I happened to pass by 20 minutes earlier than my pickup time so thought I'd just wait inside and was told my food was already ready and had been sitting on the side. If it was ready earlier, a call would have been nice as if I haven't have been passing anyway, it would have been cold by the time I picked it up 🤷🏽‍♀️

Amazing food as always.!! Service very quick.!! Chicken Kadhai on the bone must try .! My all time fav 😍😍

Heartburn ,upset stomach in the whole family. Mean they dont follow hygiene and put too many spices to bring taste But useless in this restaurant case

The best Indian food in Edinburgh. The menu is incredibly extensive.

Worst take away curry I have had in a long time and vey expensive for the food we received. I noted we were also charged 60p for two carrier bags and a 50p service charge. The popadoms were also missing. I will no be using this restaurant again.

Tasty, Pakistani food. I like how they keep all their dishes quite homely and tasty unlike many other restaurants who are more focused on plating and presentation and many a times the taste and quality gets overlooked. .

Best food I Edinburgh Indian style top notch

Ordered by phone a veg pakora. Picked up myself and charged 75p service charge!! 4 pieces of burnt panoramic £6.70. Won't be back.

Slateford carry out overcharged. Ordered 2 meals with rice and naan plus popadoms and dips. No issue with the meal and delivery time, asked delivery driver what I owed he said £46 (and a few pence). I did think that was a bit high but paid it. About an hour later I got text notification to pay the bill online and the full amount was £36. So my first time using the establishment will be the last. I am known to always tip a driver and use takeaways regularly and tend to be loyal. The use of this takeaway was since Jashans closed and this took over, I wanted to try it. The curry was great - wasn’t as good as Jashans but was great. I will be searching for another. This was a huge overcharge - yep this would sit with the driver. I do plan to call them to highlight this. Im not sure if it was a genuine mistake either as I clearly asked him what I owed. He even got a tip of a couple of pound!! Moral of this, always ask how much when u place the order (I called), and check the receipt when the driver comes. I did neither and tbh never really had to as I know when I order generally from the menu. I didn’t have a paper one as only online which I hadn’t wrote down cost.

Absolute garbage of a restaurant with waitresses geared up like cringey Halloween police outfits, wearing earpieces for walkie talkies in a restaurant that's barely 1500sq foot. Explains why the staff have so much attitude, made a visit with my family for dinner- waitress taking the order was rude, brash and inconsiderate as anything huffing and scoffing because 3 people were discussing the orders based on her input- I sat and watched patiently. Then comes the food- mixed grill which took 35 mins to present, the naan followed 10 mins after. Ordered puri and naan- below average quality of food even worse is the service - Puri came stacked on top of garlic naan. Then comes the rest of the order- asked for chicken korma, got chicken karahi and told it would be sweet- dish was spammed with spice and ginger. Lastly the rice, asked for pilau rice - got served zeera rice that took wasn't even made fresh after all the time they took, blocks of rice in the bowl it was unappetising as anything. When the mixed grill arrived in the beginning my mother had to asked for dinner plates 2x and we were still left with starter plates 20 mins later. Hungry and with the food growing cold we had to eat on the starter plates, staff were nowhere in site until I had to walk around the place and knock on the kitchen door to ask for dinner plates. Spoke to the manager regarding this who came out with some baseless apologies. As the food was nearly finished the staff finally came around to ask how our dining experience is going, fed up of the appalling service I asked for the bill. I was astonished to find a 10% service charge after the experience my family just had and refused to pay- to which the initial waitress who took our order raised her voice to say "don't pay the service charge, just pay for the food then!". Speaking down to us as if we turned up to eat at a charity event, when asked to speak to the manager he apologised, explained "these are brand new staff and usually the boss 'deals' with them", then assured us he would take the service charge off and apply some discount for our experience. Moments later he returned with the same receipt having scored the service charge with a pen and asking for payment with no discount when I pointed it out he returned to the bar and came back minutes later to say his "boss said the best we can do is take off the service charge" going back on his word within a matter of minutes. Disgusting old food, average at best on a good day, incompetent waitresses with a ton of attitude but no attention to patrons and even worse is the spineless and inconsiderate management of this establishment. This was the worst dining experience in all my travels and time spent eating out, this place should be out of business and I will ensure everyone I know hears of this experience to save them a dining nightmare in the hands of these clowns.

Best curry we have all had! Staff were lovely! Very authentic and good value. Alcoholic drinks are not served but you can bring your own with no corkage fee. We will certainly return.

service is excellent, but tasteless, oily and expensive food, will never go there again.

Nice and halal. DesiTea could have been better.

Best lamb chops in scotland, however service is slow and atmosphere isn't the best

This review is for the new Slateford Road Resturant . Ok well that was simply a brilliant night out , the food was amazing and there was plenty of it . That was a huge menu and it took us ages to decide what to have , once we did though and the food arrived we were surprised by the portion sizes which were big , piping hot and cooked to perfection it was excellent . We hadn’t seen our friends in a while and the niether had the kids so we were not rushed or pushed out and spent over 4 hrs in the restaurant . The Desi tea & desserts were great too , a lovely atmosphere , clean but the food is the reason we are here and it was amazing , we even had to put some in boxes to takeaway there was so much left . Well done all at Desi Pakwan excellent … we will be back .

Extremely Bad Management and Service.

Very Bad Management and bad Service.

Perfect Review, Best Ambience and Good Hospitality , One of the best Desi Restaurants in Edinburg Must try Deserts Great Staff

We went for my birthday meal tonight after hearing so many good reviews on the food however we were warned the service was not that great. We got to the resturant for 8.45pm, we were greated by a very pleasant young boy called Hamid, he took us to our table and told us someone will come shortly to take our order. We waited for a good 20 mins, no one came, we had to ask 2 different waiters to take our order, we waited nearly 1hr 40 mins for our food. Some people sitting there had been waiting longer than 2 hrs for their food. The waiters were so stressed and under pressure as people were getting angry and frustrated, a table of 8 walked out after waiting for 2 hrs. Eventually our food arrived, at 10.30. I cant fault the food, it was very delicious , however as we were siting their observing everything around us, the feedback we would give u is the waiters did the best they can, it wasnt their fault if the kitchen staff could not get the food out on time. As i was leaving i could see one waitress breakdown in tears. I could see she tried her best. When i asked to speak to a manager to give my feedback, i was told the manager was too busy to see me, which was disappointing as she was in the next room talking to a waiter. I blame management for the shocking service not the poor staff who dont get paid enuf to deal with the abuse from customers. Not sure if we will go back. Especially where management treat their staff poorly!!!

On calling the Slateford Road restaurant to order food I was answered by a discourteous idiot who hung up on me because they were busy. This used to be the amazing Jashans. Shame they closed down.

Delicious home made and traditional food . . .cooked in view of guests that adds to the experience. I've 2 fussy teenagers, and I didn't manage to get a before photo due to us all being dangerously close to hangry!!! But it was a delight served with additional sides ( salad and dips) Starters were perfect portions and staff on hand even during a very busy hogmanay holiday. My only negative would be the toilet facilities need upgrading and separate male and family cubicle's - just cause my teenage daughter felt uncomfortable. Definitely worth every penny and more 👌 🙌 ❤️ X

We went in for dinner after reading positive reviews about this restaurant. We ordered daal makhni and chicken biryani. Food tasted decent. Naan was fresh and service wasn’t exceptional. The cook was also the waiter and I had to call him Over few times before he came to our table. At the end there was a mistake in the bill too which they changed after I pointed it out to them. All in all very basic food and service. I can recommend going there if there is no other halal option available.

Visited many times and each time the food is perfect. Always nice and fresh. We tried the Lamb Karahi which is freshly made and requires around 30-45 mins prep time. Also had some seekh kebabs and keema karela. Everything was perfect the nan bread and roti were very fresh indeed. I would definitely recommend the service is awseome too. It is a very busy place so sometimes getting a table is difficult.

Today I visit there with my friends it was great experience. Recommend

Food and service was really nice. Really enjoyed it.

Desi Pakwan deserves 5 stars! Amazing Indian, Hakka cuisine, and great ambiance.

Amazing saag. Best saag I have had in a long long time . Pind style ghotya hoyea . Highly recommended.

Possibly the best curries in town and *very* reasonably priced. We had a collection of small plates and all were delicious.

3rd time I've ordered from desi pakwan... I asked for delivery.. it didn't come.. I had to go and get my food... I had to wait an hour before they sorted my order.. they said that it was collection... Customer service is absolutely diabolical... Had an argument with the chef.. showed him my order I.D... then he flew into a rage.. telling me it was my fault.. food was cold by the time I got it home.. wasn't even the correct order.. £40 put in the bin... Never ordering from Desi Pakwan ever again.. unless I get an apology..

Food was absoulty disgusting, the rice was mush and tiny pieces of chicken that didn't look fresh. Ordered a bhuna and it looked nothing like it, so tasteless. Garlic nan was awful. We were recommend and it was our first time there to buy a take away, we won't be back.

As always.. amazing food. Amazing service.

I have been a fan of the Tikki Masala you can get in a jar at the store for years. I decided I wanted to finally try a legit go of it when I saw it on their menu. I'm not joking when I say it was so much better it was as though it was something entirely different. We had that with some garlic naan bread and couldn't stop eating until there was no more. Highly recommend checking this place out if you're in the area!

Great Desi food for Indians and Pakistani. We had been to Edinburgh on holidays and were looking for desi Indian food. came across this restaurant and we were happy to find this. We enjoyed the food and the garlic naan was amazing. Parking is not available and difficult to find.

Very delicious daisy food and the taste is authentic in my opinion. Although the place is small, inside is nice, clean, and cozy. I recommend this restaurant if you’re in the area. They only accept cash, but there is a cash machine beside the restaurant.

The best lamb dansak I've ever had in my life. It has sullied future curries because I'll be chasing that unattainable meal from now on.

Authentic Pakistani cuisine. The menu offers a great selection.I had the chicken tikka jalfrezi with chana rice. Just the right balance of flavour and spice for me. Unfortunately I was too full to try a dessert. The premises is not licensed, but you can bring your own alcohol. I opted for a delicious mango lassi.

It is the worst restaurant. The food was really bad.i ordered aloo tikki chat it was just served with two aloo pakora. It was literally so bad experience. The dal makani also doesn't taste like a dal makani. I was really disappointed with the food. Service was also not really great.

Very bad food today like 🐕 dog food ...and late delivery also .

The best curry chef in Edinburgh

Delicious authentic home cooked punjab food

Muy buena comida y servicio , para repetir , gracias iii 😌

Hi, This was the best Indian Meal we've had for ages. The cooking was ace, as was the service and relaxed ambience in the restaurant. We have never had better Indian meals anywhere in the UK and the menu offered was truly extensive and inspired. Two of our family chose the curried lamb shanks. If you fancy trying these you need to pre-order them two days beforehand. Another good find on the menu was the two person sharing mixed grill platter. We had a child with us and the Chef will make items for customers less spicy if requested. The restaurant sells soft drinks and operates a BYOB - this enabled everyone to have the beer they wanted. We enjoyed meeting the creators of this splendid food and they couldn't have been more hospitable as it felt like we were dining in someone's home who offered great hospitality and the best of home cooking. Three days after our great experience we are already planning our next visit. Cheers from Annie and her boys.

The food was amazing and staff brilliant. We arrived and the restaurant was full but we were asked to return in half an hour which we did.( lesson book in advance !) mora then worth the wait. Our friend visiting from Australia was greatly impressed with food and we all can’t speak highly enough of this place 👍👍

This is my favourite Indian restaurant in Edinburgh. Chef Malik is a culinary genius and the service is always friendly. You can bring your own beer and if ordering to your house, it's worth noting that they still have old-school delivery drivers rather than subcontracting it to one of those awful companies The veggie options are really good. Worth noting, is that you can't pay by card when ordering in but there is an ATM next door. Also, the website for ordering delivery can be a bit difficult to navigate, but you can phone in your order too.

I admit to being a regular customer of Desi Pakwan (I try and go at least 4 times a year). In this reviewer's opinion, this is Edinburgh's best curry restaurant! Having visited with friends, colleagues and family, everyone has unanimously returned the same delighted verdict: we will be coming here again! The slow cooked specialities available only at the weekend are a must-try (Nihari being the favourite). Remember to BYOB if you wish to enjoy some alcohol with your meal, but there is a good selection of soft drinks on offer.

I love a good Indian food and can really appreciate it. Visited many places, also the best ones in Glasgow or Newcastle. When comes to Edinburgh, Desi Pakwan remains the best, always delicious. Have been there dozen of times and they have never failed me. Yesterday we ordered lamb Nihari, lamb Karahi and lamb Korma, and it was great again. I do recommend it to everyone as the best Indian restaurant in Edinburgh. For me. For my friends, and my family I took there :) The price in not extorsion as well

Food is excellent Especially lamb nihari & haleem I loved it❤️😋

The amazing food i ever had belongs to desi pakwan i really really enjoyed the food thank you so much for the amazing ambiance ❤️❤️❤️

Fantastic food fantastic service

Excellent service and scrumptious food.

Best restaurant in Edinburgh for Indian food. Make fresh in front of you using the finest ingredients. If you haven't dined here yet, you are missing out. All served by the lovely Bali.

très bonne cuisine indienne, grand choix de plats sur la carte, et le service était impeccable ! c’est une très bonne adresse!

Really good food, but expensive

Good place with a tasty and varied menu. Liked the open kitchen. Just misses the 5 stars.

Best Indian food In Edinburgh the closest thing to homemade Indian food lovely experience. Staff were amazing

Amazing food and amazing service!! Lovely spicy food as we like it, cooked with perfection. Such a nice atmosphere with a very authentic feel to it. Would recommend 100% will definitely be visiting again!

It was an amazing experience!!! From the starter to the dessert the quality and taste of the food was really delicious . The service was delightful especially one of the waitress 'Bali ' She was really friendly and Cheerful, her service was really outstanding. Finally Desi pakwan is a great place to have a Delicious food and friendly service!!! Finally we enjoyed it very well!!!

A beautiful place with delicious food and amazing service

This is the best place to eat good authentic food. Everything is delicious frm starter to dessert. This is our 8 visit may be to that restaurant. Bali and chefs are very friendly. We can get good selection of dishes with her recommendations.

We had a lamb preparation with butter naan bread. It's the best I had in Edinburgh in the past 4 years. Thanks to the Chef.

Got food delivered by them. Food was good as we ordered Chicken karahi and naan.

Lovely and warm place with tasty food

Very poor service Won't go back Sitting on table for over 15 min no bother to take any orders Very rude

Really nice people, amazing food

We put an order in for takeaway on Saturday and called to cancel immediately after being sent an email saying the wait time was over 90 minutes (this wasn't the case when we ordered). The manager on the phone told us she couldn't cancel the order over the phone and we needed to do it online. After going back to the site, we realised there wasn't a way to do it online, so we called back. The woman was then incredibly rude and unhelpful, saying she couldn't do anything about it, and that we had to call FoodHub support who manage their online orders. After 30 minutes on the phone with the support team, it turns out she could have cancelled it all along, so I'm not sure what the issue was (other than she didn't want to part with the cash). Really made what should have been a nice night stressful for no reason. Food Hub support were really helpful, but it shouldn't take over an hour of grief to cancel an order! I'm sure it's a different process dining in, but I wouldn't give them any money after the treatment we received on the phone. Far better places to spend your cash & get treated like a human (Sabzi, Golden Ambal, & Kahani to name a few).

Always amazing, consistent and affordable. The staff are lovely and it’s just gotten a redo! Do yourself a favour and go!