Ka Pao Edinburgh in Edinburgh, City of

Food was fantastic and staff very friendly. Would go back and recommend.

Another lovely meal here. We’ve visited before, including a celebration for my birthday, but tonight we were simply “walk in” customers and were made very welcome by Lucy and all the team. Favourite foods? The padron peppers and the corn ribs were excellent. Good vegetarian options, all washed down with a bottle of Syrah. We’ll be back soon.

I love Ka Pao, the service is really good and the food is incredibly tasty. I practically lick the dishes clean! It’s good value for money too. It’s just my favourite place.

Best restaurant in Edinburgh by a mile . The food is outstanding

Great restaurant, will definitely be back

Genuinely brilliant. Was stranded in Edinburgh coz of the storm, searched Thai food near my hotel and found this. Thought hmmm is this going to be some scammy small plates place where I leave broke and hungry? Nope it was banging! The arbroath smoked starter is delicious and unique, the padron peppers are seasoned unlike any I’ve ever had. For mains we had the hake curry which was so creamy and coconuty and the cauliflower curry which kind of reminded me of some south Asian flavours but also way different. Appreciated the variety of different Thai flavour profiles. For dessert we got the coconut pandan soft serve, mango calamansi soft serve and my absolute fave - some sort of chocolate cream with pandan custard on top and filo. I’ll be dreaming about that for a LONG time, inject me with that pandan custardp plz. 2 of us had allll of that plus two drinks, sides of fried chicken and stir fried greens + 2 jasmine rice bowls for like £85. Maybe it’s the London in me but I was expecting it to be WAY more than that. Amazing staff too super friendly. Would deffo come back to try more of the menu.

Food was not bad, but I'm astounded by the service. Meal came out at £30.50. I paid £35 in cash and he pocketed it all without saying anything. I had to ask for the change and I refused to tip at all because of his attitude and rudeness.

Possibly the best meal I’ve had in all of Edinburgh, even the UK. No, not possibly, definitely! The cripsy duck leg starter was amazing, but the star of the show was the brussels sprouts! Never in my life did I think I would say that. Everything else was delicious too! I’ll be back, probably this week 🫢🤩

First time to Ka Poa and would highly recommend. The food, wine, staff, service, ambience were all fabulous. The food was super tasty and staff were really helpful advising on gluten free choices.

We came back here for a birthday celebration (5 friends) as it’s one of my favourite places. We had a delicious dinner - highly recommend the corn ribs to everyone!! Love the creative twist on the dishes and flavours. Thoroughly enjoyed ourselves and service from the restaurant team was great. We will be back 👏👌

Went for dinner whilst visiting Edinburgh with my mum. It was the best Asian food we’ve ever had, the service was amazing and the staff were really chatty and friendly

I came here based on the fabulous write up by Jay Rayner. We were also conveniently staying at the W Hotel next door. Normally I avoid white people Asian restaurants, but this was surprisingly delicious and the menu featured lots of deeply flavorful and varied selections of southeast Asian cuisines. The shareable style of the dishes was a bonus for us, as we wanted to try so many of the dishes. For me, I was shocked that my favorite dish was the salt & pepper oyster mushroom. We also loved the tender coconut shrimp & the curries. The cocktails were a great accompaniment to this meal. The servers were very helpful & extremely cautious about customer allergens, which was very thoughtful.

You can eat exceptionally good Asian food here. The dishes are rather unusual and you get very good advice. Everything we tried was delicious.

I will recommend who likes Asian food taste spicy can add very good food first class service very friendly staff

Incredible food, lovely staff and are amazingly attentive to allergies without limiting choice

We've been regulars since you first opened and have always realled enjoyed the food and the quality of the service. But we've really seen a step change in quality of the food in our latest visit this year. Much better balance and all the dishes were excellent. Keep up the great work and all the best for 2025.

I've eaten all around the world but genuinely had one of the best meals of my life here on NYE. The corn ribs are unreal. Great service and ambience on the night too. Don't be put off by the fact it's situated in a shopping centre. Wish I had one closer to home..

Sono stata a pranzo. Servizio cortese e personale solare che non guasta. Abbiamo preso 3 piatti diversi a testa. Ottimo pollo fritto e anatra, come anche le pannocchie con salsa cocco e scampi. Buoni i curry ma nel menù segnerei quelli più piccanti.

Tomamos el menú de compartir y fue genial probar tantos platos. En general, pensé que la cocina había terminado, teniendo en cuenta la sal y las especias y se requiere más reflexión para obtener un mejor equilibrio en muchos de los platos y el menú para compartir no incluía suficiente arroz. Pensé que los pimientos padron y el plato con el humo de Arbroath eran buenos. Por otro lado, estaba tan decepcionado con el plato de apio que apenas podía probar el apio ya que la salsa era tan abrumadora y encontré el curry de la selva de bacalao tan salado que no podía comerlo. No me apresuraría a volver.

This place is super,the staff are top notch and the food is super.I highly recommend it, it could not be anymore coeliac friendly with knowledgeable staff and great chefs

Amazing flavours, cosy atmosphere, friendly staff. The crispy duck with red cabbage and chicken with caramel fish sauce on the starter menu were sensational. The main of short ribs in green curry just melted in the mouth, as did the hake in yellow curry. One of the tastiest meals I’ve had in a long time. Excellent for the price point.

La comida y el servicio era excepcional. Éramos una gran mesa en nuestra noche de personal de Navidad (el viernes más ocupado del año) que tenía sus desafíos, sin embargo, el equipo nos cuidó muy bien. Para algunas personas en la mesa fue su primera experiencia comiendo en el restaurante y quedaron enormemente impresionados por la comida. Gracias a todos en Ka Pao por una noche fabulosa!

Delicious food very reasonably priced. Friendly service and great atmosphere. We’ll be back!

Third visit to Ka pao and impressed yet again. The food is so tasty and 3xcellent value for money.Excellent service and wonderful staff.

Excellent food - every dish was fantastic and different. Would highly recommend!

Great menu. Super friendly staff. We had a great dining experience. Conveniently located in the shopping mall adjacent to the W Hotel

I’ve been to Kapaa twice. 1st time was in Glasgow and now second time in Edinburgh. Both times were absolutely fantastic! I’ve never made a review before but felt compelled to as I really love this place. The flavours are amazing and the staff are lovely. You HAVE to get the Mackerel as I got in the first time in Glasgow and have been craving it since (it’s been 5months). There is only one thing I can say to make the place better: more labels on the menus. They are confusing. Simple labels like ‘sides, mains, starters’ would be really helpful. Also the sharers menu is confusing. It says, “for 4 or more diners” we misread and thought it said, “for four or more dinners” meaning to order 4, not for 4 or more people. Today I made a mistake with my order, ordering the same thing twice (by accident) and the staff kindly removed it from my bill. When I notice a dicrenpency on my bill (caused by my own mistake that lead to another mistake) not only did staff remove it, they knocked our rice off the bill! The service was very kind and outstanding. Thank you for another lovely meal Kapao and can’t wait to visit again the next time I’m in Scotland !

Good good. Nice to see the menu changing. The location is a bit soulless - at the top of a shopping centre. Maybe the food and central location makes up for it??

Accessible location near St James. Very helpful for dietary requirements, super tasty food at a fare price for the city. Funky place.

Service was excellent, food was amazing, definitely will go back.

Service and atmosphere were great, I really didn’t like the food very much though, did the tasting menu and all the dishes tasted “confused” is the only way I can describe it, or experimental, there were really odd combinations of flavours, I went in without expectations though so if you know what you are getting into it might be nice, the dishes were VERY flavourful, but not my bag. Felt more like Asian combined with Jamaican? I wasn’t really sure!

Friendly, helpful staff. Lovely cocktails excellent food. The set lunch is very good value. Well thought out wine list at reasonable prices. Difficult to fault.

Excellent. Good food, reasonably priced.

Fantastic meal for a special occasion. Everyone left extremely impressed with the selection, service, and value. A must try.

A must! Delicious and creative menu.

I’ve loved Ka Pao since it opened and it’s up there on my “go to list” HOWEVER that opinion has changed after my last visit with friends for my birthday. Between the surly unenthusiastic waiter and downright aggressive shouting and serving of food by the manager nearly taking my friends fingers off (he was clearly stressed but hey it’s Saturday night in hospitality, get out the kitchen if you can’t stand the heat!!!) I’m not sure I’ll be back as there’s so much choice in Edinburgh you can’t get complacent Ka Pao management 😮‍💨

Absolutely fabulous food and so full of flavour, the spicy curry was delicious.

A fairly average experience unfortunately. We ordered some small plates to share. The food started arriving before we got our drinks. I had ordered a cocktail which I expected to drink before eating. The squid dish was good, but the others were unremarkable and the use of spice/chilli was a bit heavy handed in some dishes. Watch out if you're sensitive to spicy food. One fish dish had a number of small bones, so it hadn't been prepared properly. They have an odd seating set up in the middle of the room. There's a moving partition on the bench seats to allow for different party sizes. On the other side of ours was a group of 4. It makes for an unpleasant environment if there's just two of you on one side. Best to get a window seat instead. Final point is that it's pretty expensive for what it is. The cocktails look to be reasonable value though.

Ka Pao is a fantastic spot in Edinburgh for anyone craving vibrant and creative Southeast Asian flavors. From the moment you step inside, the ambiance is buzzing with energy and excitement, making it a perfect place for a memorable dining experience. The menu is inventive, with a variety of small and large plates that are perfect for sharing, allowing you to try a bit of everything. The food is outstanding—each dish is packed with bold flavors, fresh ingredients, and a beautiful balance of spice and zest. The staff are friendly, attentive, and always happy to help with recommendations if you’re not sure where to start. Don’t miss their cocktails, which are as creative as the food and pair perfectly with the dishes. Ka Pao is a wonderful choice for a night out with friends or a special dinner. It brings a unique, exciting twist to Edinburgh’s food scene that’s sure to leave you wanting to come back for more! Highly recommended for anyone looking to try something a little different!

Very nice food, different from anything I've had experienced before.

Nice looking restaurant and staff helpful. The Spanish drinks waiter was someone who's happy to help and have a laugh. The food is OK but nothing to get excited about. AVOID the £12.50 squid. A disappointment. Worked on about £4 a mouthful with the tiniest squid coming in the center of the plate. Atmosphere was loud with a lot of chattering and tables close so no real privacy when people are so close. On the whole, I've tried it but won't be back anytime soon.

Amazing food, great service, the staff were very knowledgeable about allergens and flexible around the dishes we wanted and the allergies we had.

Absolutely fantastic food, great staff, quick service and selection to suit all taste buds.

Absolutely incredible!! Every dish was fantastic. Great atmosphere, excellent staff, and even better food! Highly recommend the Szechuan mushrooms, corn ribs, and spare ribs curry 😊

Fantastic food - the cabbage with nut butter was a surprising highlight. Staff were lovely, bit slow with taking our order though but attentive otherwise. Only downside was being seated in a booth - rather claustrophobic and feels a bit beneath the otherwise relaxed feel of this restaurant. It was our first time there, we now know to ask for a different table in future and I'm sure the experience will then be 5 stars.

Food was amazing lots of choice.

Este restaurante tiene algunos platos buenos, aunque nada super especial y con poca cantidad. Vamos para quedarse con hambre. Comes en una mesa de madera, sin mantel y con servilleta de papel y con los mismos cubiertos. No me disgusta pero no me parece nada especial. También hay que decir que a mí la comida oriental no me gusta demasiado por lo que lo que yo pido es lo menos oriental y poco o nada picante.

Visité Ka Pao con mi madre mientras estábamos en Edimburgo para el festival marginal. El personal era amable y servicial. La comida era deliciosa! Compartimos algunos platos diferentes. Recomendar el pollo frito en salsa de pescado caramelo.

Fascinating food, great service.

Great place, with lovely food and wonderful staff.

Good. Menu slightly limited but what we had was really nice. Cosy and popular.

Nice spot. Some really delicious dishes such as the szichuan mushrooms and the hispi cabage but we were disappointed by the squid. Great service.

Tenía el menú de compartir para cuatro personas con uno o dos platos adicionales todos parecían y sonaban muy prometedores. Desafortunadamente, el uso de mano dura de los chiles dominó muchos de los platos, lo que no fue agradable. Entra para servir platos múltiples que pueden terminar en una comida muy cara fuera de ensalada de pepino El personal era muy amable. ¿Volveré no ese tonto

Not cheap Not thai chefs, but ok.

It was the most delicious and perfect meal I have ever eaten in my 25 years of life. If I lived there, it was a place I would go every night. The staff was friendly and very fast. The ambiance was great. Everything was great!!!!

Went on recommendation and it was delicious!! Had dinner on Friday evening and lunch the next day. Highly recommended!!

Just amazing dishes and great value for money. Highly recommend a visit the spiced lemonade is a must try 😋

We were a group of seven and we shared a mixture of dishes so we could sample more of a variety. The meat was so tender and the flavours were amazing. I would 100% recommend this restaurant. Also thank you Tom!

Seriously delicious flavors, excellent balance between spicy, sweet, salty, acid. Crispy chicken the standout.

My favourite place by far to eat and sip cocktails.

Wow, great value for money, delicious food, very courteous service. Gluten-free, no problem at all and every waiter knew what was meant by gluten-free (completely different than in Germany). I was pleasantly surprised when I received the bill. Really recommended

Ridiculously delicious food, large portions. The corn ribs are a MUST.

We have visited Ka Pao about ten times since they opened the Edinburgh branch and it never disappoints. Their food is delicious, but to me, what makes this place so successful is the attention that they have to their customers. Last time we visited there was a mixup with one of our plates, so we got a different curry to the one we had ordered. As soon as we explained what had happened they sorted it out immediately. After that, there was a slight delay with our dessert, so when they served it they told us they would take it off the bill. To me, this is excellent service, not because they did not charge us, but because we felt valued as patrons of the restaurant. Thanks Ka Pao!

I was celebrating my birthday and all the team was fantastic! I had a couple of additional guests last minute and they accommodated us all in the space. Food and drinks were delicious as always, and despite the restaurant was super busy it all came out quick enough. Especial shout out to Aoife and Guillermo for making it a lovely experience!

Wonderful experience with friends. Very reasonable.

I’m looking forward to going to this restaurant, but I was so disappointed. All the food was salty.🤮 I suggest you do not to waste your money😡

As an Asian, this is almost the most salty I have ever taste all over the world. Otherwise the food, the way they cook, the sauce is up to standard. The level of salt can be describe as over dosed for all the dishes.

This place is like culinary heaven I've been here 7 times and it's always top notch . If I could eat there every day I would . The peanut corn ribs are out of this world delicious . If I ever had the misfortune to be on death row and they asked me my last meal on earth . Those corn ribs would be it . Everything here is perfect . I really need to take a photo of the corn but I eat it 🤩

Had a beef tartare which was out of this world. The service was phenomenal especially Ivana who was also stunning. Duncan made us amazing cocktails will be back for sure!

Great, full on umamy food, the service is spot on, and it's excellent value for money.

Some of the best asian food I've had. Desserts only ok.

We come here every time we go to Edinburgh. It’s so delicious - I’m convinced they don’t have a bad thing on the menu. For the serving sizes and how much we accidentally over-order the price point is always a pleasant surprise.

Ate corn ribs and fried chicken both of which were excellent. Salt and Szechuan pepper oyster mushrooms were ok. Tried both desserts and there were average. Cocktails were a bit hit and miss, charred grape didn’t taste charred or like grape.

We had a wonderful time celebrating my 30th Birthday at Ka Pao. There were 22 of us and everyone loved it. Great food, drinks, service and ambiance!

We had a group of 20 people with a couple of food allergies and we could not have been looked after better! The food was delicious, the service impeccable and cocktails fantastic! I recommend you to everyone!

We went as a group of 8 and it was refreshingly simple to book. Service was well paced and did feel slick like a chain. However, drinks and food selection and quality was so surprisingly impressive. We have varied tastes and dietary preferences. All loved it!

Lovely friendly professional service.

What a sensation We had read a newspapper review and this inspired us to visit The decor is interesting, we were there for an early lunch and it was empty, but soon filled up We ordered a number of dishes to share It was a real mix, some were sensational, the punch of sour, salty, chilly were amazing. Unfortunately that rather put some of the other dishes to shame However the great dishes were sensational and really made this a memorable lunch Please try it out

Although the restaurant espouses a tapas-style experience, we ordered in typical starter-mains fashion. Starters were good. Once they were cleared, the mains arrived in a scatter-gun fashion. We had all ordered main dishes with rice, and we were brought, I think, a couple of the mains and all of the rice. I took a mouthful of the rice while I waited, and it was lukewarm at best. It took another 10 mins or so for the mains to arrive, and by this time the rice was stone cold. I asked for another, and it was magicked up from behind the pass in an instant, so clearly the rice isn't being made fresh to order. There would appear to be a batch of them waiting at the pass to be picked up every so often. Maybe if you get one soon after the batch is made, you get a hot one, otherwise it seems they go off the boil at the pass. Food quality was good, but not exceptional; pork and bone marrow sausage was spicy, but I felt the dish needed something to balance it. It was simply a large whole sausage, sliced, with a green garnish. Needed something else for different texture on the plate, with maybe a half sausage. Fish curry was well cooked, not particularly spicy. Attempts to catch a waiter's eye for drink refills and such were troublesome, as they most all passed by with a "head down, eyes straight ahead, I've got places to go and things to do" attitude. Didn't seem to be watching the tables to see what the customers wanted. In terms of atmosphere, it's a rectangular shell of a room within a new-build shopping centre - a unit, in other words, that has had furniture and a few plants thrown into it. The ceiling is a black nest of utility pipes, conduits and rails, and no attempt has been made to disguise them, other than black paint. Reminiscent of Alien, and the Nostromo. Didn't find it particularly inviting, nor atmospheric.

Lovely food and drinks and great service. Great vegan food options too. Would recommend!

Best food I've had that doesn't cost a fortune. Everything I've tried has been out of this world on flavour. Been 5 times worth travelling up to Edinburgh for. Also amazing cocktails unreal flavour combinations had four yesterday. Been spreading the word hope it stays forever as I'm planning next trip to Edinburgh soon.

Absolutely fantastic food all served by an exceptional waitress who really made our experience a 10 out of 10, thank you Ivana, you you rock!

Really great restaurant. Been a few times now and the food is always amazing. Each time I get my favourites and try a new one and it quickly becomes a favourite. Soon I'll be ordering the whole menu! Particularly love the cucumber salad, just so fresh. The corn ribs are super tasty. And those mushrooms..... Delicious! Service has always been on point too. Well done..... In a time when so many restaurants aren't quite getting it right......this one is great!

Excellent food and a very nice staff. We enjoyed each and every dish we received here as it was served hot and with great flavor. Both staff members were very nice and conversational. I'd most certainly recommend this place!

We did the chef tasting menu for our party and every dish was a delight. Flavors were incredible and the meat was tender. Staff took great care of asking about allergies, my son is allergic to nuts.

Typical expensive but not tasty and small portion restaurant

Great service and great food, what more to ask for!

Fresh, authentic and full flavour Just a good diverse menu cooked really well Good, professional and discreet service Minus is I couldn’t try more dishes as I was full

Fabulous, flavorful food, great service and a wonderful atmosphere. Highly recommend!

The menu is interestingly unusual, the food is tasty, the pricing fair... and the wine on the specials list was genuinely good. But the 5 stars are a shout out for the really fantastic staff. Friendly, fun, super-efficient... thank you!

I loved the beef pao with noodles. Delicious.

A phenomenal lunch. The restaurant is nice with big windows for great natural light. The menu is well laid out and has something for everyone. The pork belly, watercress and cashew salad is an absolute must. Incredibly savoury, soft pork belly, fragrant dressing and crunchy cashews. The Szechuan oyster mushrooms were a surprise and I highly recommend. Even if you don't like mushrooms, this will convert you. Flavourful coating, a dipping sauce with savoury, salty, sour chilli heat paired with pickled Mooli for a clean finish. The fried chicken is light and crispy with a sweet sticky glaze, very tasty. The roast cauliflower curry is deep, flavourful and very satisfying with the jasmine rice. Superb dishes that will leave you very satisfied at a reasonable price.

Amazing food and service! We love the deep fried mushrooms. Been here twice and i’ll be back for sure! The cauliflower curry is so delicious and my friend loves the crispy Chicken with chilli sauce.

Bingo! It all comes together. ✌️

We asked for rice twice to be served in the beginning with starters. But they refused to do so and said to us the rice will be ready with the main. However, this is not how we Asian eat. I felt full already when the main came. The experience was a bit frustrating and not very authentic. But the staff were friendly and welcoming and overall the food was tasty.

Great service from Rianna. All the dishes she selected were yum.

Staff are so accommodating and lovely! They take absolute pride and joy in helping you with the menu. Food is incredible, so flavourful and delicious with an amazing range of dishes.

Best restaurant in Edinburgh. The food is the highest quality I've ever tasted. Really happy both times that I've been and very reasonably priced. Will likely keep going back.

Everything here was wonderful - food was flavorful and delicious (fried chicken was my favorite), service was friendly and attentive, and the atmosphere was lovely. I would recommend to anyone and will go back again for the fried chicken!

The food here is absolutely incredible - the meal my boyfriend and I had was the tastiest thing ever. The Arbroath smokies, corn ribs and cod cheeks were to die for. The service was all great timing too - had time to enjoy each course. Highly recommend!