Walking in is like visiting that one mate who has impeccable taste, a knack for lighting, and a secret stash of retro furniture. The marble tables, the old-school fans, the chai urns—it’s all very Insta-worthy, but it doesn’t feel pretentious. It feels like a place where you could spill your chai and someone would just bring you another one with a wink.
The lighting is so flattering that even if you’ve been trudging through Edinburgh’s rain for three hours, you’ll look like you’ve just returned from a spa. Seriously, the glow is that good. It’s the kind of ambiance that makes you want to lean over the table and say something profound, but you’ll probably just mutter, “God, this garlic naan is life,” and that’s fine too.
The Food: A Symphony of “Shut Up and Eat This”
Let’s talk about the Chicken Ruby. This dish doesn’t just sit on the plate; it communes with you. The sauce is so rich and silky that you’ll find yourself using the naan to wipe the bowl like you’re cleaning a precious artifact. And the naan itself? Puffy, charred in all the right places, and so good you might forget you’re in Scotland and briefly hallucinate that you’re in a Bombay alleyway at midnight.
Do not, under any circumstances, skip the Chai. It arrives in a little metal pot, and it tastes like someone took a spiced blanket and turned it into a beverage. You’ll sip it, nod slowly, and suddenly understand why people write poetry about warm drinks. It’s the emotional support beverage you didn’t know you needed after a day of climbing those absolute murderous Edinburgh hills.
Dishoom Edinburgh: Indian Restaurant on St Andrew Square
Also, the Okra Fries are a thing. Yes, okra—the vegetable your grandma used to boil into submission. Here, it’s transformed into crispy, salty, addictive little soldiers that you will fight your dining companion over. They’re the underdog that wins the championship, and you’ll spend the rest of the week trying to describe them to people who will just never get it.
