Dil Se in Orkney Islands

Hidden taste of India, up a wee cobbled street, you will find a small Indian restaurant, had high hopes as was heading to meet friends that live local. Service smooth and seamless. Starters were top drawer, and then the main meal came things only got better, great food in a relaxed setting

Cosy welcoming restaurant perfect for a cold and rainy night in Kirkwall. Food was good quality and reasonably priced.

My wife and I were here in Kirkwall on a tour of the Scottish Highlands and needed to find a nice place for dinner. Dil Se seemed like a good possibility for a couple of reasons: it was convenient to our hotel and we love Indian food. With its bright exterior, Dil Se was very easy to find. We were welcomed as soon as we stepped through the door. The atmosphere was authentic and relaxing. You have to admire the logical way in which their menu is organized. There are the usual sections categorized by Tandoori and Biryani dishes. Then, there is a section for special Balti dishes. Following are separate categories for mild dishes, medium dishes, hot dishes, and traditional curry dishes. The variety of choices was totally amazing and it was a challenge to come to a decision but we finally selected Lamb Tikka Chasni and Tandoori Mixed Shashleek as our choices accompanied by lemon rice and garlic naan. As soon as we tasted our entrees, we knew we had made the right decision in choosing Dil Se. Our food was perfectly prepared and the portions were just right. It was truly a memorable meal. Thanks so much for your outstanding customer service, Rikki!

First Indian meal in Orkney. Pleasant, welcoming, friendly, efficient staff. Nice, tasteful decoration. Tasty food. Certainly worth a visit.

A good Indian meal - but nothing special in this small restaurant in the centre of Kirkwall. Good value and nice service.

Another beautiful meal with warm, friendly service in delightful surroundings. Crisp poppadum with delicately flavoured accompaniments, followed swiftly by Pakora starters. We chose Chicken Honey Roast and Royal Chicken Korma from the Special Mild Dishes Page, both full of flavour and distinctly different. Empty plates were expertly whisked away and full dishes appeared unobtrusively. If you appreciate subtle flavours and spices, Dil Se will not disappoint. The attention to detail extends from the interesting pictures on the warm pink walls to a vase of fresh roses in the bathroom.

very nice.service staff very good and fast.100% satisfied .The chiken tk chili galic was very delicious .take nan bread and egg rice

Absolutely hopeless. There must have been a problem in the kitchen as waited over an hour and a half for food. The serving staff didn’t apologise until we left and there were multiple other dissatisfied customers . Second visit and there won’t be a third

Lovely food and amazing staff. This is an absolutely fantastic restaurant and we are regular customers.

Took my 17 year old son for a curry last night. We hadn’t sat in since October as the Indian Garden has been very good recently. However this was probably the best meal I’ve had at either Indian in Kirkwall. My son had a tikka masala, I had a chicken naga morris which was certainly worthy of being on the hot list, we both had pilau rice and we shared a garlic naan. Oh and poppadoms and dips too. Portions were very generous and I struggled to finish mine. Big chunks of tender chicken breast in both and we couldn’t fault a thing. And washed down with a couple of Cobras, a great experience overall. There was a table of 5 guys, one with 3 lads and another with 2 couples so there was a nice buzz about the place. I hadn’t seen the waiter before and he was very polite. Can’t wait to go back.

One of the best Indian meals I have had for a long time. Great service. Lovely waiter. Good portion size.

We should have known at the start. The popadums were crisp and fresh but the accompaniments were extremely bland. How you make lime pickle bland is a mystery to me, but they managed. The starters were no better. Prawn butterfly was a flat circle of something in what looked like paxo breadcrumbs with one of the bland popadum sauces to accompany and the vegetable pakora had virtually no spice. The ‘hot’ prawn jalfreizi was bland and sickly and the sizzling prawns had no sizzle or taste. The naan was reasonable but all in all the absolute worst Indian meal we have ever had. I have no idea who is leaving these brilliant reviews but clearly they don’t get out much.

I ate here before and remember it being very good and tonight’s meal was even better! I don’t remember the last Indian I had that came anywhere close and I love Indian food!! Delicious.

Our daughter had recommended the Dil Se, and we were not disappointed! The exterior is bright pink, so you really can't miss it. A very wide and varied selection, with some unusual dishes - I have never before seen duck on an Indian menu! The service was excellent: there was just one waiter, but he was very friendly and helpful. The food was delicious: I had the best lamb chasni I have ever tasted! The serving size was just ideal, and it was very reasonably priced. Well worth a visit.

A little treat in an unexpected place. The food was very tasty and delivered fairly quickly, considering how understaffed they were at the time. Serving size was good, as was the wine.

Enjoyed a takeaway and sit-in meal at the Dil Se. The food and service on both occasions were excellent and we would thoroughly recommend a visit.

Arriving in Kirwall late it was hard to find somewhere to eat when we came across Dil Se. The restaurant was packed and the one waiter was working like crazy but with a short wait he managed to find us a table. The food was...

If you plan on visiting Orkney and enjoy Indian food, then I highly recommend you eat at Dil Se. Fantastic menu, staff and service 10 out if 10. Food absolutely fantastic on every occasion we have eaten there.

was told that the management had changed , this has made a great improvement in the quality of the overall experience . the food was very tasty ,pleasant evening with Cassie and Sophia, will go again 3 drinks,3 poppadoms 3 starters,3 mains just £80.00

We went out for a last minute girls night, warm welcome from Ricky, food was outstanding, service fantastic good atmosphere and good banter with Ricky, an amazing night had by all of us

The food was delicious, the atmosphere was cozy and welcoming. Good vegetarian options and very nice service and location.

We visited the Dil Se last week with a group of 19 and the staff and food was excellent. We had all sorts of difficult requirements moving the date of our booking, part of the group coming early, part late but the staff took this...

Nicely presented inside and good service. However I did not rate the raita nor the chicken tikka masala. Both sweet, unusually flavored and just not great. I eat alot of Indian and these were not the norm. But it would fill a gap. Rice and...

Very pleasant curry in one of the few restaurants in Kirkwall that you just walk in to and get a table. Reasonable price too.

We had a great takeaway from Dil Se. Tender chicken in an onion, pepper and spice sauce, light and fluffy naan and perfect rice. Amazing service and so friendly. Thank you... when we visit Orkney again, we will be back! ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Just super Indian food - no better anywhere. Small warm restaurant with very friendly service. A gem in Orkney

This is definitely one of the best Indian restaurants I have eaten at. Don’t let the cramped space put you off. The kitchen is upstairs and there is a dumb waiter at the back that the owner?/waiter shouts up the orders. He was very overworked...

Went midweek, early evening and it was still quite busy which was encouraging. Service was very good, we weren't waiting and was very friendly. The meal itself was lovely, very tasty and substantial portions. We enjoyed our meal and would definitely recommend to other visitors...

Excellent, authentic Indian food either dine in or take away. Good value for money, pleasant service and very clean.

Great food, and brilliant service. Lots of choices, and food delivery was quick. Would definitely come back and dine here

Had a great meal in Dil Se last week, the menu is so different from your average curry house, attentive & quick service, and really good value for money.

Fantastic food, great service and reasonable cost. Atmosphere was quite but had no problem with that.

Arrived last night, Wednesday 9th, table for one. Got a bottle of cobra. Ordered popadum with dips, veggie pakora and chicken shakoti .there was no nan bread due to a breakdown of oven so had other bread. The guy serving wasn't very attentive. Spent his...

After paying with a generous tip I asked the waiter if he could please make the receipt clearer as I needed an itemised receipt to claim expenses and was told dismissively that "everybody knows" what "N-" and "R-" means. Restaurant not as nice on the...

We were well looked after by the waiter. The meal was top quality. It is always a pleasure to eat here.

We had great Pickles with the poppadoms, King prawn puree, and chicken pakoras, dansak and prawn sizzler, rice naan, and beer cokes etc £60. Excellent generous portions, really tasty food, they use king prawns where they say so, not fobbing off with small ones. Quick...

Very nice lunch for only £7.95 will definitely be back. The restaurant was a bit cool, but that could be a requirement for Covid safety.

Fabulous service, a nice clean restaurant with excellent food. The meat came out sizzling hot and everything was cooked perfectly. Large portions and reasonably well priced. As good as any Indian I have had anywhere

The food was amazing ,and there was lots of selection on the menue. The staff were very friendly and went above and beyond to make us feel welcome. The restaurant was very clean and felt very COVID secure. Overall it was an amazing restaurant and...

Walked into a very noisy restaurant with intoxicated locals shouting at each other and falling about the place drunk. The food was tasteless and expensive. If I ever return to Orkney I will avoid at all cost.

Most expensive takeaway on the island. Half a container of curry arrived after a hour and was luke warm. Very disappointed!

Really great food, spoiled by the £28 taxi fare paid directly to Orkney Taxis for delivery 7/8miles……..not ‘late’6.30pm !! Dil Se never mentioned anything about using outside taxi service or any approximate charges. ouch ouch…..

We chose this Indian as licensed and near hotel. We had an onion bhajee starter and it was overcooked a bit and not very oniony. My main was average, my wife had a Korma and thought it was too sweet and the chicken was overcooked....

Had a takeout and was very pleased the food was very tasty and I will be happy to be back for more another time

Dil se have improved a lot recently . We have had two really good takeaways recently. I am Indian and fussy about Indian food . We had two starters , three main and two sides between the five of us . We liked all the...

Ordered takeaway for my partner and I recently and was perplexed. I ordered the chicken manchurian which is an Indo-Chinese dish made from deep fried balls of minced chicken in a hot and sour, rich glossy sauce. What I got was nothing like that. The...

I wasn’t sure about this restaurant as of the reviews but was prepared to take a chance. There were many reviews saying that it was tasteless and not spiced well. Actually, it is - it just isn’t spiced in a very British way. It’s more...

As an Indian-origin family, we are very fussy about Indian food. Dil Se’s food was exquisite (fresh, not too much chilli, and not oily not salty) - hands-down the best that we’ve ever had. We would come back in a flash.

Visited with our 10yr old son. Very welcoming and friendly staff and good menu options. Service was fast and the atmosphere is really nice. Wonderful curries so tasty and good portion size. The coconut rice was stunning! Clean plates all round. 2 mains, 2 rice,...

Fantastic find. Great atmosphere and service. Food was really tasty and large portions. Welcoming and friendly service.

We've eaten here a couple of times, both good. The last time we came to Orkney it had closed. However it's now open again under new owners. We went on Monday. The meal was outstanding and service was excellent. Definitely worth a visit if you...

Visited for dinner, pre table online booking available for ease. Good food, service and price. Selection and options wide ranging.

I ate here three times over a ten day period - good range of vegan dishes. Wonderful service - so very friendly and welcoming. It's as popular with locals as visitors. The food was freshly prepared and very tasty. I highly recommend this choice.

Little positive to say about the meal we had here other than attentive service. Food well below par. Starters very small and uninspiring. Curries very bland, lacking in any real flavour. Nan didn’t taste as if cooked on premise. Drinks overpriced. Overall one to avoid...

For the price of this meal £50! we got dried up starters which might have been re heated? the curries didn't have any taste or flavour. usually a takeaway lasts us two nights but it's done! what a disappointment. Will NOT be going back!

This ranks as quite the worst curry either of us has ever eaten - overcooked and flavourless. We each had a starter and a biryani main and none of the food was enjoyable. Biryani sauce initially served had no curry taste at all so we...

We were staying in an apartment near this restaurant. We ordered food for a party of 5 and were not disappointed. The food was ready on time to take away and very reasonable at £68 for 4 curries, 3 rice, naans, poppadoms and side dishes....

Not much available if not already booked on last night of August in Orkney. Thank goodness this was, a great welcome, wonderful food , but we over ordered !

Nice and clean the onion bahjis disappointed as did the main course of balti chicken rogan, however the veg samosa and prawn jalafrazi were really good. With s couple of beers each 55 quid covered the meal.

The staff were very friendly and engaging. The food was fabulous, best tasting Indian food I have had in a long time. From Aberdeen I regularly eat Indian cuisine, this restaurant knocked them all out of the park.

My wife and I both had a delicious meals of Machli tikka shatkora with Bangladeshi fresh water fish and Special shahi vegetable with lychee, mushroom rice and a fantastic peshawari naan.After our poppadoms and dips, the waiter kindly gave us some tasty battered chicken tikka pieces FOC while we waited for our mains.Food was delicious and we were amazed by the flavour combinations.Very refreshing to see meats such as duck and fish rather than the usual chicken, prawn or lamb too and also to have dishes based around a particular meat rather than the punter having to choose their meat for the dish.Service was very attentive with friendly staff.I recommend and will hopefully be back very soon.

Food was pretty good, no real complaints there apart from an overcooked Tandoori platter. Staff were very welcoming initially and attentive.However, service half way through was nonexistent. Tried to grab some attention for around 15 mins for additional drinks to no avail. 2 front of house staff were on duty although 1 of them was only seen when he was told to actually do something. The manager (or who seemed like the manager) took what looked like a phone order of some kind for 10-15 mins (one order). In the end we had more or less finished the meal without the additional drinks. We decided at that point regardless of how thirsty we were the service didn't warrant any further additional cost to us and we asked for the bill. The manager then tried to clear our table on 2 separate occasions but failed to do so as they were running around between 4 tables unable to focus upon the simplest of tasks. Again the same thing happened while paying the bill by card. Due to covid etc the restaurant was only half full understandably but going on the organisation and very evident disarray of the front of house staff, I wouldn't have liked to have seen it with a full booking. You guys started off well but then as soon as the food started coming out it all fell apart. Shame.

Excellent restaurant. Easy to book online with email reminder. All Covid and social distancing measures undertaken. Good service and excellent food. Would definitely recommend.

Had a great evening here and a superb meal. Very satisfied. Would recommend this lovely restaurant! Thanks Dil Se!

Visited on Valentines Night - without a prior booking, so lucky to get in. Tasteful, traditional Indian restaurant with uncrowded seating and attractive, fresh decor. The food was really excellent. All of it. Our 12 year old didn't order a starter, but the waiter brought him something anyway, so he wouldn't feel left out. Everything was absolutely delicious, served promptly, and very well presented. The portions were generous and the quality was outstanding. Best Indian food I've had in years. The staff were friendly and cheerful and pleasant. Best Pashwari nan ever, by a mile. We will definitely be going back.

Food was simply amazing and fresh. Loved the chicken biryani. And very quick service and reasonable prices. Highly recommended!

What a fantastic meal we had tonight. So full of flavour and perfectly cooked. Service was excellent and the restaurant was lovely and clean and obviously recently done up. Not been here for while and so glad we went. Will be back very soon.

Family meal for seven, waited 15 minutes for menus to arrive then an hour and a half later when still no food when all the people in after us for takeaways had been served the waiter still couldn’t tell us how long our food would be we walked out and went to another local restaurant. We won’t be going back there!!!

We waited for one and half hours and still no food arrived. Meanwhile the takeaway orders where flying out. Fourteen people walked out with very empty tummies. No apologies or explanation. We will never go back. Shocking way to treat customers.

Fantastic food and lovely attentive but not intrusive restaurant staff, lovely night out, highly recommend

Out for a meal with friends who have just moved up to Orkney. Great food, lovely mixed starters. Made my dhansak specially as I like it! Friends very impressed by both the food and service. All just great.

We went here twice and were planning to go three times but they were closed the last night we had. The food was very good. The first time we had a medium flavoured meal so we took a more spicier the second time. We should have discussed that with the waiter because those meals were too spicy for us. The waiters took our food to the kitchen to adjust it and after that we could enjoy it again. If we come to Kirkwall again we definitely come back here

Place was empty, had a sit down meal, was ok, average enough. Had a saag aloo which had little spinach or garlic and was basically just potatoes. Was all round ok. If this place was in glasgow or aberdeen it wouldn't last but due to the lack of competition must just tick along I guess.Service was very attentive.

We had planned to eat here however the weather meant the long walk to restaurant was not very appealing so we rang to enquire if they offered delivery of take aways which they did. The food was delivered by taxi were told approx. 30 mins and it was! cost of taxi is added to total bill we felt that was fine. The food was superb very authentic tasty can recommend the chicken tika masala, mushroom rice which was particularly good.

Looked at their website and was attracted by the Early Bird deal.

The attentive staff ensured a table was ready for us immediately on entering, despite not having pre-booked. Service was swift and courteous and with good humour. They were understanding of dietary needs and explained menu options clearly. The dishes were delivered quickly and efficiently and were extremely tasty. A very enjoyable evening.

Delicious food, plenty of choice. Friendly staff happy to advise on menu choices. Small restaurant, so be sure to book ahead

Honestly, we had not been here long and it was raining and cold and I did not expect much from a small restaurant in a small town, but we were amazed at how good the food was. The food and service was great and very reasonably priced. The food did not overwhelm us with spices but was surely not bland! It was escellent. If I lived here I would go all the time.

We enjoyed a delicious meal in a terrific atmosphere. Everything from the start to the sweet dessert ending was perfect. The service was efficient and considerate. This was definitely one of my favorite restaurants in Kirkwall.

Arrivati per cenare a Kirkwall questo e' stato l'unico ristorante della zona che accettava bambini dopo una certa ora. Il cibo e' buono e il servizio cortese, nulla da eccepire.

We eat a LOT of Indian/Bangladeshi food as we come from a part of the country where there are many such restaurants to choose from. We don't normally eat such food on holiday, as it has never met our expectations. This place, however, did. The service was good and the food very tasty. Although a little more pricey than we are used to paying, we still thought it was good value overall.

We had to main dishes and to starters and every single dish was plain and lacking spices, which is surprising for an Indian restaurant.

There is a reliable set of permanent staff who engage with customers pleasantly. The menu is fairly extensive and provides something for every palate, as well as dietary requirements. Food is served attractively and is reasonably priced. It is advisable to book in advance as sometimes space is at a premium. They also provide a takeaway facility.

Popped in here for tea when in Kirkwall. Good friendly service and big portions. Recommended - would go back.

This place has table service if you feel like celebrating. It's cosy and spotlessly clean. The menu has so many options for vegetarians and is a quiet spot with a great window for people watching. Then staff are friendly and the tip is suggested which makes it easier for those who are foreign and wondering what's polite. They have a nice wine selection and even stock appletiser. Was really affordable and made us feel welcome.

Good table service and decent enough food, but not the best tasting or presented food I’ve enjoyed. However, in Kirkwall, the choices are rather limited.

Reservations were for 7:30, but our ferry was late and we arrived at 7:35, to much grumbling by the host. Hmm! The lamb vindaloo was very good, and VERY spicy (consider yourself warned! -- I liked it!). The chicken tikka masala, however, was an unnatural shade of red, which I can forgive, but the flavor was sweet, not savory. Almost like a dessert. We simply couldn't enjoy that sauce. The naan was perfect, but couldn't make up for a disappointing tikka masala sauce.

The Dil Se is typical of an ethnic restaurant in an area where there is little or no competition.

Excellent varied menu with lots of vegetarian options. Lovely curries and one of the best peshwari naans I've ever had! Service was fast and the staff very helpful. Would definitely return.

God indisk mat, rikelige porsjoner. Godt krydret, lite sting uten å brenne. Mix grill var deilig. Solid sted.

Zelden zo heerlijk gegeten. Laat je niet misleiden door de wat vervallen buitenkant maar ga dar eten!

We had a nice meal. More than enough food. Tasty dishes with a good asian beer. Would recommend it for everyone who enjoyes indian food.

Always sure of getting a great meal at the Dil Se. Good food, lovely service, friendly people. Great range on their menu too.

Love a good Indian meal and this was definitely one. Our first night on holiday and treated ourselves to a delicious takeaway from the Dil Se. The staff were very friendly, the prices were reasonable and the food was fab. Definitely go back.

One of the best restaurant in the Orkney island. The level of customer service we receive at a restaurant can be the deciding factor on whether or not we will return, even when the food is excellent. However, Dil Se didn't disappoint us on customer service along with the delicious food.

Great service, no problems about phoning back to change order. Good range of Indian Cuisine on menu at reasonable prices. Order waiting for me at the arranged time. Easy to see why I keep returning to the Dil Se on my visits to Orkney.

On returning from a trip to Aberdeen, we decided to drop in for a curry.

Tolles indisches Essen zu verhältnismäßig günstigem Preis.

Ordered a takeaway around 10.30 this evening, got back to the hotel to discover the Chicken Korma was basically hot water which had been threatened with the prospect of been subjected to flavouring. The restaurant being less than 30 seconds from my hotel I decided to take it back. On asking both the owner and the waiter to taste it, they both agreed it was not good! Excuse was and I quote " Its because it is late, the chef will have been fasting so he will have forgotten some ingredients as he will be hungry". Owner (nice guy) promptly arranged a fresh dish to be made. He appeared with not just a new fresh dish but fresh Egg Fried Rice" which I had already said was fine! Back to the hotel I go and prepared my mind for the gastronomical delight it was about to experience! Opened the lid and you have guessed it, nothing changed, still hot water but this time with a hint of added sugar and the new Egg Fried Rice was in fact Pilau Rice. On both occasions the dish was watery! Really shocking on various levels, despite the time of day when an order is taken, the food produced should be of the highest level. Being told your order was wrong because the chef was hungry is probably the worst excuse I have heard to date! I would recommend you call ahead to see if the chef is hungry or go for a dish which is not reliant on flavouring.

Ordered a takeaway from Dil Se and wasn’t impressed. The mixed pakora tasted strange and wasn’t very good value for money. The dips included weren’t great either. The tandoori chicken would’ve been nice had there been more than half a bite of meat in the bone.