Mother India's Cafe Edinburgh — Restaurant in City of Edinburgh

Please take this constructively and build on this. I have seen a couple of past reviews and I think nothing have been improved about it.

Ordered: Spinach Broccoli Almonds, Garlic Naan, Chapati

Spinach Broccoli Almonds: It was marinated with tomatoes and as the name suggests is completely misleading in terms of what you are served. Neither stir fried nor fried nor properly boiled. I had to struggle with a knife and fork to cut through the broccoli that was non uniformly cut. Dry almonds spilled over the dish like it was a mistake and there was hardly any trace of Spinach at all.

I never leave food but I was compelled to leave the gravy because it was the same tomato puree cooked over and again with spices that have lost its taste profile.

Garlic Naan: It was miserable. It felt as though they had pieces of it stacked before and served it with dry absolutely dry and garlic left over in the open air. And the butter was dripping on just one slice while the others remained dry. Terribly dry with pieces of dry, not fresh garlic falling out of it.

Chapati: I just ordered it to save the raw broccoli from going to waste. And it lacked salt. I took a bite and I knew I was never coming to this place ever again despite reconsidering my thoughts after taking the bite of Naan and raw broccoli.

The food was horrible at the very least. To make it worse the atmosphere was unprofessional-- probably the one's who had no sense of professionalism. Shouting, bad mouthing about customers in Hindi is completely unacceptable. Have some decency, please.

More than a fulfilling, welcoming atmosphere you have created a very hostile experience.

And the reason why I was not able to say anything about the food remains that I was asked how it was when I was chewing on raw broccoli with difficulty and when I was about to ask, the waiter probably had someone calling them in the middle. Overall I don't have any problem with the waiter who served me because in principle I could have asked them again but I chose not to because the time was around 21:49 and the kitchen closes at 22:00.

It's the food and the atmosphere the higher management has created that reflects and complements both of them. Horrible in their own ways.

There are far better places in Edinburgh with less prices and generous portions.

Mother India's Cafe would certainly not have coming back. An absolute disappointment when I was looking forward to something authentic. Who puts coriander on top of dry garlic butter soaked one slice of naan while leaving the others entirely dry?

Seriously disappointed. Sorry. Horrible. I respect food but please don't make this horrible that one feels awful going to dine...

We called in one evening back in January on the off chance we could get a table, and we were in luck!

What a banging concept of tapas-styled Indian cuisine, meaning you get to taste and share a number of different amazing small-sized dishes. Wow, we could have stuffed ourselves like little piggies. The food was really delicious, authentic, and of high quality.

Although the time of evening we dined was early and the restaurant was far from full, there was still a good atmosphere with traditional Indian music quietly playing in the background. That said, the restaurant does fill up quite quick and by the time we finished and came to leave, the place was buzzing with diners. With this in mind, it is likely that as the season progresses, more advanced bookings would be prudent - to ensure you get a table.

The decor has a retro style feel with the colours and the many old black and white photographs hanging on the walls. The tables don’t have table cloths on, which adds to the character. The small tables are quite smart actually, the 2-person table we sat at was made from a half cut-down panel door with a square glass top - the quirkiness works well.

We’ve known of a few great Indian restaurants over the years, but this one certainly ranks very highly. The service overall was very welcoming and professional. The restaurant was clean and with a great atmosphere. There is a great selection of tasty authentic food on offer and a half decent selection of drinks. We felt this place was certainly great value for money.

11-01-2024 Many...

I was quite excited to try this Indian restaurant, given it's strong reviews and mentions in travel guide books. Having since visited I am confused as to why the food is so highly rated.

Overall, we found the food here to be just OK. We were fairly underwhelmed with the taste of the dishes in general and found the curries lacking a depth of flavour. The 2 portions of lamb chops we ordered were very inconsistent in texture; some were very tender, others unacceptably tough, certainly not cooked simultaneously. The naan bread is quite thin and the garlic naan tasted and was textured more like a garlic flatbread.

There were some fairly tasty dishes, such as the railways lamb curry, the meat samosas and the kurkure chaat starter. The service was fine. The location is very convenient, which is likely why it was so busy on a Thursday lunchtime. Bill was on the high side, and service charge levied on our party of 6. Two of our party were toddlers.

With hindsight, I would not go out of my way to come here. We found there is better tasting Indian food to be had in the city centre...