Baba — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Where to start?

We had some very nice meals during our 4 day stay in Edinburgh (Makans Mash pretty good, Heron good, Wedgwood very good) but Baba was our undisputed favourite.

A combination of fantastic flavours and genuine personalised service in an impressive vibrant setting at a very reasonable price point.

The food speaks for itself. Perfect spicing and high-quality fresh ingredients capturing the balance, fragrance and diversity of Middle Eastern cooking. The typical traditional dishes were delectable including the lamb adana (the best I have had) and baba ganoush, but there were also some adventurous novel dishes (eg pork neck in mojo verde, chargrilled lettuce, blackened sweet potato, Haggis merguez) that were equally sublime. Each dish was immaculately presented and brought to life with an explosion of colour and innovative accompaniments (eg salmorejo with the adana, roasted pineapple with the pork, sweet onion pearls with the lettuce) that complimented the main ingredient perfectly.

Our waiter McKinley could not have been a more genial host. He had our mouths salivating at his synopsis of the menu and his food/wine suggestions were all on point. We found him to be knowledgable, extremely attentive, diplomatic and endearing. He went the extra mile to give us the best experience he could and succeeded.

And finally hats off to the restaurant management. Dining in Edinburgh can be expensive but we were surprised at how reasonable the bill was given the unrivalled quality of your food, setting and service. We were also genuinely touched and surprised by your very kind goodwill gesture towards our special occasion. It speaks volumes about the way you cherish your customers and I have no doubt this ethos will see Baba go from strength...

Charged full amount for persons unable to attend. March 2025 I booked a table for ten colleagues (nurses, all on a very moderate income) and was advised we would have to follow a set menu at £32.50 per head. I was hesitant because I have been to Baba twice before and love the varied menu and the enthusiasm with which the staff describe the dishes. But I was informed this policy was to ensure the smooth running of the restaurant and agreed. There was no mention of a contract either on the website or when we discussed the booking. On the night four members of my team were sick. This is not uncommon in public-facing healthcare! But I was informed that the four unwanted meals had been prepared in advance, and would have to be paid for. I asked for leniency, as the restaurant was busy and most of our our menu was no different from the usual fare. The chef had the last word on the matter, and there was no compromise offered. Waiting staff were embarrassed and service was poor - we were not informed what the dishes were, and a pre-ordered lactose-free dish (lamb) and a chicken dish marinaded in yoghurt were served in the same pan. As the person who had recommended Baba, I was embarrassed and did not enjoy the occasion. My colleagues were worried about how we would resolve the final bill and it came up repeatedly in conversation. I could not ask nursing assistant colleagues on a minimum wage to pay extra, and with the final bill at £325.00 for six, I and a kind colleague paid for three meals apiece - £97.50! What did I learn? In hindsight we were not contractually obliged to pay for the extra meals and we could also have easily dined elsewhere that night (a Thursday). I wish we had. I have made my views known to...

If you’re looking for good middle eastern food with a bit of a twist on it, this is the perfect place. The interior is very nice and welcoming, feels cozy yet spacious at the same time. To start, the waiter was amazing at recommending the best dishes and was very kind (unfortunately didn’t get her name). To start, I ordered the hummus, venison, and labneh. What I liked about the hummus was the crunchy chick peas which added a very unique change to your regular hummus, as well as the pine nuts. The venison was also something very new which I had never tried, and the whipped feta was definitely something you must try. The labneh was average, as it didn’t have that slight sourness the middle eastern one has, it could have done with a touch of lemon to balance it. Moving on to the side, I got the blackened sweet potato, which was definitely very simple yet creative and enjoyable. For the main courses, the stand out one was the lamb. Extremely tender and very flavorful, just as it is supposed to be made, as well as the grain which was served with it (not sure what it was called. This dish definitely got 100/10. The adana kabab was good and a bit spicy if you like this, the only thing I didn’t like about that dish was the salad which came with it, which became very warm due to it being sat next to the meat, so I would definitely recommend to serve it cold in a small bowl. I also got the steak, which felt like it had a lot of extra fat in some parts of it, but the pieces which weren’t surrounded by fat were delicious and perfectly cooked, as tender as a steak should be. Overall I would say 4/5 is a suitable rating for this, and I will definitely be back to try the rest of the dishes which the...