Gurkha Kitchen in Shetland Islands

A large friendly restaurant that also does takeaways. The food is delicious and there are plenty of options. This is a well established place with an excellent reputation that locals enjoy.

Where can I start? Food was fairly good, however the service was awful. Sunday is buffet night but I asked for full menus and we were left for nearly half an hour til I interrupted a waitress taking a drinks order from someone who had just been seated. We eventually got our drinks but then had to ask again for a food order to be taken. The girl who came with the popadoms didn’t know what all the dips were. They ran out of Bajais , which we didn’t get but we’re charged for before I complained. We waited over an hour for our mains and to be fair we got a free drink. But I would have much preferred decent service

Great food and portions absolutely right . Ordered a take out. We are oth vegetarians and food was really tasty. Top marks

Decent without being exceptional, this is a place to get a good meal - but not one you'll recall in years to come. It is quite pricey, but then again so is everything in Shetland.

Had the take away option and enjoyed the selection of dishes I don't normally see back in the US. Really good food and I thought the prices were on point as well.

take away ordered, collected at the given time , it was all ready to go, nothing wrong, just a little average

Usually go here and ordered a garlic chilli chicken, was tasty enough but prices have gone up drastically (understandable) but portion sizes have gone down. Three bits of chicken for £15. Better off walking the short distance to the saffron.

Great Asian food, the best Indian food in town. Nice ambience and great atmosphere. Staff is friendly and nice. amazing vegetarian options for non meat lovers.

The service was slow during the annual Shetland Wool Week; the restaurant was shorthanded like everyone else. But the wait was worth it. The food was outstanding! It's a small place, so be sure to make reservations. They also do carryout.

Chose here for a meal out while on holiday and it certainly didn't disappoint. Yes, it was a quiet Wednesday, but the meal and the service were excellent. We left as 2 happy, full visitors.

Had a lovely Friday evening meal with all the family. This is the first time we have been and the food was excellent and the staff were good. Will definitely recommend

When the 4 of us arrived outside 1/7/22 early evening, the smell was amazing. I was so excited about the forthcoming meal, having looked at the menu. However things deteriorated the minute we were seated. I won't go into every issue as it would take too long. I will however highlight, we ordered Gurkha's Geda - which says it it meatballs.... and served with a yogurt dip. This appeared without any dip and was 'CHICKEN' not meat, despite other menu items mentioning meat meaning 'BEEF'! Shocking! When we asked the uninterested waitress who couldn't understand us, despite 1 of us from Aberdeen, 2 from Aberdeenshire and one Irish, she really had no idea what we were highlighting and very obviously couldn't be bothered. There was a Nepali Tandoori Chicken for starters that was in the menu as 1/4 Marinated chicken!!! I have eaten Indian meals all over Scotland and have never seen such a small effort! It was embarrassing (like a sparrow's leg if that) and should never be portrayed as a 1/4 chicken!!! and was supposed to be served with sauce?? but that never appeared either!! Far too over priced for one mouthful, if that at £5.50. Sano Macha arrived without its dip too!! Again every time we asked the uninterested waitress, we got no where. I could go on and on, but will finish off with the rice issue. We ordered 1 x steamed rice, 1 x pilau rice and 1 x garlic rice. When the useless uninterested waitress appeared she asked who had ordered the lemon rice - honestly you can not make this up!!! Lemon rice is not even on the menu! Such a shame as was so very looking forward to a decent meal - not to be - avoid. I will attempt to upload the sparrow leg and the meat ball that was actually chicken. This place needs to be managed appropriately.

We enjoyed our dinner here! Very busy with locals and take out. I had the Chicken Korma with rice and plain Naan and my wife had a Aloo Gobi with coconut naan and pilaf rice. It was good! The service was great and the place nice and clean. Would go again!

Lovely meal as always at Gurkha last night staff couldn’t Be more friendly and helpful the chef went out of his way To make us different tasty bites to try

I hate to give a bad review and don't do it lightly but unfortunately I wasn't actually able to eat anything besides the poppadoms and some naan bread here due to lack of understanding about allergies. I came in with my family after a trip out on a seabird trip and was looking forward to something nice to eat. The menu had a key at the bottom with the usual (v)=veggie (n)=nuts etc, but the Tikka Masala - which is described as having cashew nuts, didn't have that (n) next to it, which called into question the whole menu for me since I can't take any risks (if something had cashew nuts and didn't happen to mention it in the description and also missed the (n), I'd probably be in hospital). We asked our waitress with some assistance but she seemed to have a lot of trouble understanding us/anything to do with allergies and left us none the wiser. I'm sure the food would have been lovely but unfortunatley with no one to ask and no faith in the menu, I wasn't able to order anything properly. To the restaurant, I'd really recommend brushing up on your policy and training around allergies/general communication with customers. The food looked lovely so it was quite a shame I couldn't have any!

had 2 takeaways when there, both were excellent, and all eaten. Just had 1 meal between 2 and that was enough as portions very generous. Really well cooked and fresh.

I have been eating at the Gurkha Kitchen for over 15 years. They are really friendly and helpful. Great vegetarian dishes on offer, as well as some meat dishes that I have never seen anywhere else which makes it interesting. As a family we go there a lot, as they can cope with peanut allergies. The Sunday buffets were great and I hope they are able to return one day. The restaurant is handling the covid situation very well and we all feel very safe going there. The takeaways are always good too.

Gurkha Kitchen had been recommended to us and we weren’t disappointed.We weren’t very hungry and ordered a poppadum each, a main course each and a rice each. Portions were quite big with lots of meat.The food was delicious and the staff very friendly.COVID precautions were good with hand sanitiser on each table and plastic screens.Would not hesitate to recommend.

We had 2 mains from the specials - chicken with chilli and honey; and lamb Mooi- both were excellent. Accompanied by potatoes/spinach and peshwari Nan bread. Portions were generous!!

Came here as there were limited Sunday options, but one of the best meals we had on the Islands.Flavoursome, fragrant great cooking. Had the legalities chicken- cooked on the bone and was really, really good. Home made roti were amazing too.Prices were Berry reasonable and the service very good and friendly. Highly recommend

Restaurant is not in the centre of Lerwick but popular. Lovely authentic meals offered but there was so much demand for carry outs between 6 and 7 it impinged on the service we received. Other than the long wait it was worth the money.

Ate hear whilst working away, restaurant was quiet but it was a Monday evening, food was awesome and staff were attentive.

Gurkha Kitchen lives to its name - the restaurant offers a totally authentic Nepalese / Indian food as good, if not better, than some of the finest Indian restaurants in London.On a recent week-long visit to the Shetlands from London, coming across an authentic Nepalese / Indian restaurant was something this reviewer was not expecting, given the islands are fairly remote and off the usual tourist tracks. Yet, upon receiving a local recommendation, I decided to give it a try. Dinner for two one evening turned out to be an unexpectedly delightful experience! The chicken curry dish and tarka dal (mixed lentils) were cooked to perfection and were on par with what some excellent traditional Indian Punjabi restaurants in London have to offer. The accompanying chappatis (traditional flat breads) were fluffy and light, and made for a perfect match with the curry dishes. Basically, an authentic and wholesome dinner fare.But what really makes Gurkha Kitchen a go-to restaurant in Lerwick is not only the quality and freshness of the food, but the level of professionalism in the service. Attentive without the unnecessary fuss you can get in some places.In summary, a brilliant restaurant - The Gurkha Kitchen.

It was so nice to be back, if anything the food was better than ever, the mooli lamb was just perfect.

Before going I read many of the reviews on here. I’d say don’t be concerned about the poor comments. Sticky carpet gone. Now let’s get serious. Visit - make it a must - go out of your way - you will not be disappointed. The food was full of flavour, layers of flavour that complimented each other without masking each other. Services was excellent, staff were warm, inviting and attentive without being over the top. Service was speedy but not hurried. The place is like a full on trip to Nepal - full of Ghurka memorabilia and prayer flags, wheels, singing bowls etc. It’s not just great food it’s a great experience. They support Nepalese charities and Ghurkas too.

Always great value for money never disappointed really tasty and plenty of it lovely friendly staff also

We eat here quite a lot because the food is so good. Great choice, freshly prepared and nice staff. Decor a bit dated but all adds to the charm. It’s my friends favourite place to eat when she is up visiting.

We got a takeaway on Friday night. The staff were friendly and helpful. The food was ready quickly and was delicious.

We ate here on September 1, 2019. We each had a starter and a main. The menu is well laid out and contains an impressive number of dishes. You can get dishes that range from relatively mild to scorching hot and then menu clearly points out the heat level for you. There are plenty of vegetarian options. The services is friendly and efficient. The food is well presented, plentiful and has outstanding flavor. Prices are quite reasonable. We highly recommend this eatery.

Our first night in Shetland and we chanced upon this place, checked it out on TA and decided to give it a try. We were tired out after the ferry crossing and an exciting first day so we were a bit “delicate and needy”. They couldn’t have been nicer to us, helping us come up with choices that would suit us and bearing with us since we’re not experienced at this type of food. We had a fabulous meal which was clearly prepared freshly for us, tasted amazing and served by really genuine people. It was a wonderful introduction to the islands and we recommend this place wholeheartedly!

On our recent visit to Lerwick, we had the opportunity to try and appreciate some of the tastiest asian food at the Gurkha Kitchen. The staff are really friendly and the waiting time for the meals is very good. They recommended some curries for us which was amazing and they also cooked a couple of their own recommendations which wasnt even in the menu!! You are spoilt for choice on what you can have and the service is fantastic and we couldnt ask for more. Such class and amazing taste this far up north of the UK was a pleasant surprise. Highly recommended and we will definitely be back!

After a busy afternoon tidying up the garden and dumping the cut grass, weeds etc at the local Waste Management depot. We were hungry, it was Sunday teatime and we had not had our Weekend Shop. So, we decided to have a Chinese Takeaway, but, when we went to order at The New Place In Town, we discovered that they did not take plastic, so, we went next door to the Gurkha Kitchen. And what a great decision. They do a Buffet Service on Sundays (if you want). Lots of choice, I cannot remember everything we had, but it was very good and there was plenty of choice. The Main Course Choices were great. To make matters more pleasant two people came to our table to speak to me, people I had not seen or spoken to for years. It was very pleasant.

On holiday we decided to try one of the local Indian restaurants and after looking on TripAdvisor decided on the Gurkha Kitchen. Arriving early evening with our 3 children , 12, 6 and 3 weeks, we were greeted by the very friendly staff who showed us to the table. Our new arrival was in his pram and these were never designed to go into restaurants due to the size and the usual space restrictions in most eating establishments. But the staff moved the table behind back a bit so we could get the pram behind our chairs, couldn't ask for more. We didn't have to wait long before our drinks order was taken and closely followed by or food order. The meal arrived after a short wait and it was excellent the quality was amazing and the portion size was very good, more than we get back home in Oxfordshire! Highly recommend this place and will certainly be back on or next visit! Thank you Gurkha Kitchen!

Went for dinner and had the buffet and vegetarian sides. Buffet was well stocked and well run, sides came quickly. All the food was well prepared and tasty with a variety of textures, flavours and colours. Staff were attentive and enthusiastic. Great place to eat and enjoyed it immensely. Ayo Gorkhali!

I have not tried the other indian resturants on this island, but after reading the reviews, Gurkha seemed like the better option.

Went for a lazy lunch on Sunday afternoon and was pleasantly surprised to find out they had a buffet on sundays. The selection was great and the food was tasty. Worth a visit.

We stopped in to get takeaway, and the restaurant did not disappoint. The service was fast and the food was hot and delicious. Many options for vegetarians and vegans.

We enjoyed an early evening dinner here. The staff were attentive, the prices reasonable and the food was tasty and plentiful.

We went here as second choice and happy that we did. The food was excellent and good value for money. Staff were helpful and friendly. The best evening meal we had whilst working in Shetland

I’ve been to this restaurant many times and they never fail to provide high quality, succulent food. I’ve always found the chicken to be perfectly marinated and the sauces are delicious! There’s is good service, I always feel like they are genuine with their customers and will want you to come for food again! There is also always soft music playing in the background leaving for a pleasant atmosphere that’s quiet compared to some restaurants that play overwhelming music.

We ate here early on a Saturday evening and had a great meal. Booking is recommended as it was busy at that time. There is a wide selection on the menu and the food was amazing. My curry was rich and beautifully spiced and the naan was superb. The service was friendly and efficient. Highly recommended.

This place is open on Monday nights when many other places in Lerwick are closed. There are plenty of tables though we noted there is busy take-out activity as well. The portions are generous and both my dining companion and I were pleased with our choices. I wanted to try more items, but we will have to return!

Called in on the off chance and it was fabulous. Lovely atmosphere, friendly helpful staff and v generous portions.

A favourite of ours and a must of every visit. The fòod is always well presented and very tasty. Never too spicy as that would take away all the other flavours. The restaurant has changed the flavours of the chutney since our last visit. Staff are always friendly.

Cannot fault it. Extensive menu, all curries are gluten free, such a treat! Food was delicious, I had the Himalayan curry which was beautiful: too rich and creamy for my personal taste but flavour was divine and the chicken was so tender. I had poppadums to start, with divinely sour dip, mango chutney etc. Music is so calming and lovely, the staff are really friendly and it's clean. Service quick and efficient. Will go back in a heartbeat.

A really nice relaxed meal in pleasant surroundings with attentive and friendly staff. Can’t fault it. It’s the real deal. Nepalese food from the people who should know. And one of the best rotis I’ve had for a long time! Wonderful.

Solo traveller and I wanted a place to eat before catching the ferry to Aberdeen - this was nearby and what an excellent choice. Service was great, staff attentive and the food was excellent. I had chicken meal which came with plenty of tandoori chicken, light curry, rice; also had naan and a beer. It was all great and set me up for the ferry. Cost - £19

We managed to miss lunch and arrived ravenous at 1730hrs. We also forgot it was Sunday and along with many places it was a buffet (although we could order from the menu). Looking at the choice available we both chose the buffet which was brilliant, good choices but not too much, plentiful portions and incredibly tasty. Would definitely visit again. Highly recommended.

Wonderful staff, great service, tasty food - you won't be disappointed! Highly recommend the Gurkha Kitchen!

No faults with this place at all. I will definitely recommend to eat here The food was tasty hot and freshly made The menu selection was huge

we went there on a Sunday afternoon and enjoyed their delicious menu! Around six main dishes, from slighty spiced to hot spiced. Really nice, very good service. Enjoy!

Always a treat to eat here, nothing is too much trouble and dishes can be adapted to your requirements, whether personal taste or dietary! Staff are always very polite and helpful and you are well looked after!

We visited couple of time during our 4 day stay

There was a kid called Antonio that smelled like dog piss and curry it was the place smelled like compleat shiiiit

Wonderful food and very friendly service. Highly recommend. Great menu choice with helpful suggestions from staff.

This Indian restaurant is the best restaurant of its type in Shetland the food is second to none and the staff is friendly,,,.

Thanks to other trip advisor reviews we opted for this place on a Wednesday night. Everything pretty much as everyone described- attentive service, great food, and good value. Loved the fact that the ingredients in the menu were familiar-ish to anyone who frequents Indian restaurants but definitely differently put together dishes which made for an evening of trying new things. Only warning is we were defeated by the size of portions (or maybe our eyes were bigger than our stomachs!) but if you’re local or self catering then they will pack up your leftovers to take home

We didn’t expect to be eating curry when we came to Shetland, but, you know, it was snowing hard and we needed warming from the inside! The Gurkha Kitchen was an absolute treat. The staff were delightful. The food was delicious. I don’t have much of an appetite normally, but I had double helpings of everything. Heartily recommend.

My husband and I dined here on a Sunday evening while visiting for a few days in Lerwick. The previous restaurants we had tried to get reservations at were all booked, and we were glad when Gurkha Kitchen had availability. It also turned out to be the one day of the week they offered the buffet. The food we had was delicious. The only thing we wished however is that the buffet procedure was better explained by the server. We told her we wanted to order the buffet and then she just left us at the table. We were a little confused about what we were supposed to do, as we had not been given any plates and there were no plates stacked at the buffet either. In the Indian buffets we had dined in in the past, there were always plates next to the buffet and you just went up and served yourself. After a little while she returned with 2 small plates and some unleavened crisp bread, we presumed as an appetizer, and told us we could go up to the buffet. I was a little surprised at the small plate and was really hoping we would be able to go back for seconds since it was so small. We filled up our plates with as much as we could fit on there, since we were unfamiliar with the restaurant and unsure if we would be able to return to the buffet. There was an appetizer section and a main course section on the buffet, and we just skipped over the appetizer area since the plate was so small. A little while later the server returned with two large, normal sized dinner plates and told us we could go back up to the buffet. At that point we realized the first small plates were supposed to be for the appetizers, and the large plate for the main course. The server did not explain any of this, however, so we had no idea until later in the meal. After we got the big plates we went back for more main course and also some of the appetizer selections. We felt a bit awkward, feeling we had committed a faux pas. We regretted that the server had not explained how the buffet system worked there, but the food was delicious. In retrospect we figured they probably operated this way to make sure the buffet was well stocked before summoning someone up to the buffet. If we were in the area again we would definitely return to this restaurant.

We enjoyed a take away from the Gurkha kitchen and thought it was good value. However, having been to Nepal we didn't think the dishes were especially Nepalese, but they tasted good anyway!

Große Auswahl an verschiedenen Gerichten. Personal freundlich und zuvorkommend. Parkmöglichkeiten in der Umgebung des Restaurants.

My partner and I were absolutely blown away tonight by the incredible service, food and atmosphere in Ghurka Kitchen. The menu has so much to offer, which makes such a difference when you want to try a range of different things.

Nous l'avons testé lors de notre voyage, les plats sont très bons et l'équipe au comptoir est agréable.

It was a Thursday evening when my husband and I ate here. Very friendly welcome, polite and smiling staff. We had eaten here 3 years ago and were pleased to see the standard hadn’t changed.

My wife and I went to the Gurkha at the beginning and end of the recent Wool Week. Great service, great food and well worth a short walk up along the Esplanade

A good tip when in a new place and wondering which restaurant to eat at is to as a local; in this case we asked a lady serving in a coffee shop which was the best (of several on offer) Indian restaurant in Lerwick, and she recommended the Ghurka Kitchen. Well, top marks to her!

Came across the Gurkha Kitchen by chance, walking past. Glad I did. The food is excellent. I went back for more!

Our last visit was to eat in. This time we tried the takeaway and it was as good as ever. This is delicious food in very generous quantities. Dee-licious! Recommended!

My first Nepalese restaurant, in a kind of shed interior with a low ceiling and religious objects such as prayer flags on the walls. Lovely waiters and delicious Indian food. Packed! A favourite with local people which says a lot.

Totally delicious authentic food. Great service. Drink not as expensive as other restaurants on the islands.

I spent an extended stay in Shetland/ Lerwick and this was my absolute favourite place for dinner. The quality of the food and the friendliness of the service would make this place stand out anywhere. The fact that it's nestled in an unassuming place in the middle of a Scottish Island in the North Sea make it even better. The food is of exceptional quality - other Lerwick eateries can be a little 'tame'. I don't eat meat and was disappointed that they didn't make more of the local fish (although what they do have is delicious) - although have been reassured by carnivorous friends that the use of Shetland lamb in some dishes in exquisite.

Don’t be put off by the bland looking exterior. Once inside the food is excellent, good value, and the service efficient and friendly. Nepalese rather than Indian, they serve all the dishes you would expect to find and some more unusual ones. Four of us ate their and all dishes were tasty and enjoyable. There is also a good choice of drinks available.

We were actually going to eat somewhere else, but it was closed to we stopped in at Gurkha and we're not disappointed.

5日の夜に訪れました。日曜日は一日中ブュッフェ（バイキング）をやってるので特に繁盛しています。確かに食欲旺盛な人にとっては大変お得なお値段です。我々は少食なので単品のカレーと野菜の揚げ物を頼みました。それでも量はたっぷりでした。日本の方がもう少し辛味があるように思えました。食べ残しのお持ち帰りを頼んだら間違え捨てられたのが残念でした。

As vegetarians in Shetland, we ate here three nights. We did try another Indian restaurant in town, but quickly ran back to Gurkha because their food and service were both highly superior. Thanks, Gurkha Kitchen, for making our vacation great!

This is a restaurant with good food and a great welcome. A modest venue with good atmosphere and attentive staff. Food is varied and with good flavours, A great find.

8 of us visited this restaurant. It is quite basic inside, but the service and food were both brilliant.

Had a wonderful time at this restaurant and had a marvellous late afternoon there! The food is magnificent and the service was second to none! Very pleasant people indeed! Don't tour Shetland without trying this restaurant out! Very impressed indeed! 😁

A bit out of the way, and not much to look at from the outside, but once you get in - oh my!

Complete refurbishment warm and friendly excellent food and service would recommend the Gurkha to anyone

Good food and nice people. The food is tasty, but not too spicy perhaps the locals don’t like spicy food.

Me and the Mrs had a lovely bite to eat in this Nepalese gem. A gentle but efficent service was experienced at very good prices...good value for money. We had some starters and a main, sampling dishes listed as nepalese specials which were all tasty and beautifully presented, thumbs up to the cooks. There are some lovely Gurkha bits of memorabilia and just a bit of positive critique...guys and irls, give the old place a lick of paint and a new carpet...what you are serving deserves a fresher look, the food and service deserves it, and so does the Nepalese and Gurkha knick knacks.

We collected the food due to being 15 minutes out of Lerwick. The food was lovely and the staff friendly would definitely recommend this restaurant.

Excellent take out curry's, Go every time we are up in Shetland. Very reasonably priced as well. Friendly staff, there is a restaurant attached but cannot comment as we have never eaten in.

Great place to go food excellent friendly staff and very clean,suitable for disabled person. Easy to find and within walking distance from town center good opening hours, catering for small to large groups.

Sometimes have to wait a while but it’s always worth the wait! Our favourite Indian restaurant in Lerwick, friendly staff!

I visited the Gurkha Kitchen with a friend and was impressed with the quality of the food and the prices weren't too steep either. The menu has an extensive choice including Indian and other options besides Nepalese cuisine.

We never imagined that Nepalese/Indian food could be so deliciously prepared in this far flung outpost in the North Sea--but it was truly wonderful. Chicken dishes were fresh and tender, breads were tasty, rice dishes were terrific, and the home made paneer was excellent. Gurkha is a great choice if you are in the mood for a change of pace from the delicious local Scottish/Shetland cuisine.

Fantastic meal tonight. It’s the best Indian-type meal I’ve had for years (and I’ve been to India 3 times in...

My first visit to highly recommended Restaurant. Most disappointed. The carpet was filthy. The whole place needs cleaning and redecorating....

We always like to try Nepalese food where we can, and finding this place on Shetland came as a bit of a surprise. Nice friendly welcome, and we were offered the buffet, or a la carte.

Had the buffet, it looked like all the meat was precooked and just had a sauce added to it , sticky carpet in restaurant decor faded chairs and tables too stains down the gents toilet door, who knows what that was . Lighting stark and too bright , service not great, only bother if its the last place in town

Very tasty, good quality food with wide selection. Excellent service by knowledgable staff. Very reasonable prices.

Great food in lovely friendly restaurant. Spacious dining area and extensive menu with drinks.Elizabeth WilsonEdinburgh

We had at least 2 meals in the gurkha kitchen the last time we were in Shetland which were excellent. This was the same. The meal was faultless and delicious. We had the chicken pokhara, chicken Kathmandu, peas with curd cheese and spinach with cheese. The chicken Kathmandu was the best tasting curry I might ever have had. Attentive service and meal arrived piping hot. Can't ask for more.

Very properly cooking with a true taste from carefully preparing you can rely onReliable cook and kitchen

We enjoyed the Sunday buffet at Gurkha's. the food was tasty and the staff friendly though a bit reserved. The decoration looks old and could be refreshed.

Von außen eher der Eindruck eines etwas "siffigen" Take-away Shops, bestätigt sich das innen überhaupt nicht! Freundlichea, fixes Personal, preislich normal, sehr gute Auswahl und ein hammer leckeres Essen!Sehr zu empfehlen!!

I went in for a take away as I was intrigued to be able to try Nepalese cuisine. I chose a dish that was aromatic rather than spicy and really enjoyed it. The naan bread is different to Indian naan bread and was also very nice.The young lady who served me was pleasant and helpful.On the minus side the waiting area was grubby and run down. It was rather off putting which is a shame as the meal was good.

Trasandato ed assolutamente bisognoso di una radicale pulizia e restauro. Cucina un po' scialba: da periferia Brittanica anni '70. Prezzi e servizio nella media. Gradevole la raccolta di cimeli militari.