Itihaas — Restaurant in Scotland

Itihaas, is an award-winning Indian and Bangladeshi restaurant nestled in the heart of Dalkeith, near Edinburgh. Their name, means ‘history’ in Hindi, reflecting their commitment to traditional flavours while embracing modern culinary techniques.

Their menu is a carefully curated symphony of flavours, showcasing the best of Indian and Bangladeshi cuisine. From aromatic biryanis to succulent kebabs, each dish is a testament to the rich culinary heritage of these regions. They pride themselves on using the freshest ingredients, ensuring every meal is not only flavourful but also nourishing. The staff are friendly, welcoming, attentive, and eager to serve.

Our meal begins with crispy poppadoms (£1.10) accompanied by mint and yogurt sauce (£1.10), mango chutney (£1.10), sweet chili sauce (£1.10), and a refreshing onion salad (£1.10). These flavours are so irresistible that our hands remain glued to the plates.

The menu at Itihaas boasts an array of delectable dishes, ranging from succulent beef and chicken to tender lamb and flavourful fish. Vegetarians also have plenty of options to choose from. Highlights include the Itihaas Kebabs—charcoal-grilled and served with mint sauce—Tandoori dishes marinated in mildly spiced yogurt, aromatic Biryani cooked in ghee, and an abundance of delightful sides, rice, and bread options.

Samosa (£5.95) - These golden, crisp pastry parcels are filled with spiced lamb, fresh coriander, and a hint of chili. The lamb mince adds rich flavour and juiciness to the filling, creating a satisfying bite in every samosa. A delightful blend of savoury, aromatic spices wrapped in a crispy pastry shell—utterly irresistible!

Onion Bhaji (£5.95) - These fritters are made from thinly sliced onions coated in a spiced flour batter and deep-fried until golden and crispy. We enjoyed them as a starter but they’d also be wonderful alongside your favourite curry!

Lamb Pasanda (£15.95) - This North Indian dish offers a luxurious blend of flavours. Tender lamb pieces that have been marinated in a mix of yogurt, ground almonds, onion, ginger, and garlic. The creamy sauce is mildly spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, and other aromatic spices. It’s not very hot, making it family-friendly. It’s rich, nutty gravy enveloping succulent lamb pieces—pure comfort on a plate! As the meal progressed, the sauce thickened due to the hot plate. Personally, I would have preferred a thinner sauce.

Sag Gosht (£14.95) - Sometimes this dish is known as Lamb Palak; a delightful curry that combines tender pieces of lamb with creamy spinach. The lamb imparts a meaty richness, while the spinach adds a vibrant green freshness. The curry is seasoned with aromatic spices like cumin, coriander, fenugreek, and garam masala. These spices create layers of flavour without overpowering the dish. Fragrant and flavourfull!

Alo Gobi Massala (£9.55) - Essentially a spicy Cauliflower Potato Curry. It’s packed full of spices such as turmeric, cumin, coriander, and garam masala, adding warmth and depth. While the spices in this dish were quite pronounced, unfortunately, it didn’t suit my taste. Our meal was a carb-filled adventure with these three breads. The Peshwari nan, generously adorned with almond paste, won my heart. However, the paratha felt a bit weighty. I’d pick either nan or paratha to pair with my curries. While the paratha bursts with flavour, it does hold onto some oil—unlike the drier texture of nan.

Whether you’re craving sweetness, simplicity, or layers of flavour, these Indian breads have something for everyone!

We had an absolutely delightful experience dining at Itihaas Indian restaurant. The food was scrumptious and left us feeling wonderfully satisfied. The drive to Dalkeith is definitely worth it for this authentic...

We normally go to the other Indian restaurant in Dalkeith but thought we would go here for a change. It was a midweek evening so we got a table no problem. My husband ordered chicken pakora starter which can only be described as weird, it was like minced chicken and came in 3 large burger looking blocks. I had a itahaas jingha which the king prawns were a bit over cooked however the sauce was delightful. Chicken Chilli massala and chicken bhuna for mains which were very nice served with garlic naan and rice. We had a look at deserts however settled for a sweet liquor and although we got doubles the restaurant kindly only charged us for singles. The service was a bit shambolic that evening in terms of we must have been asked about 15 times plus if everything was OK, I hadn't finished my wine or main and one of the waiters was checking if the wine bottle was empty. Felt like perhaps the staff wanted us to leave, maybe it was close to closing time? I'm not quite sure as there was another table still seated as we left. This made us feel a bit uncomfortable and normally we would sit and have a few drinks too but we left. The staff kindly boxed our dishes as we hadn't really had much of our mains. I would recommend that when serving a bottle of white wine perhaps some ice in the bottle of the chiller would be helpful. We have visited this place many times since its opened but unfortunately didn't really enjoy this evening...

We travelled 19 miles to try this restaurant, as we were impressed by google rating, but it was noting but abysmal. Tiny pretentious portions, massively over priced food as well as confusion among the staff about the food being halal or not. We ordered chicken Karahi and specifically asked for it to be mild-moderate spicy, but it turned out to be the most spiciest dish we had ever tried. Needless to say that we couldn't finish it. Tikka biryani was good but the sauce that came with it was way below average. The food being below the optimum was one thing, but the price was unimaginably high. We paid 46 pounds for one serving each of tikka biryani and chicken karahi, and two garlic nan along with a tiny glass of lemonade. Additionally upon asking to get the remaining food packed, (as understandably we couldn't finish even the tiny portions of worthless food), we were provided with disposable boxes, for us to pack the food ourselves on the table. We were charged for these boxes separately. Ladies toilet was unsanitary, dirty and simply hopless. Wasted 2 hours of my life (including the time driving to and from) , 46 pounds of my hard earned money and an evening, that could have been memorable one, if I had been wise in chosing some better place to eat. Will definitely never...