Kebab Mahal

Kebab Mahal has been run by the Khan family on Nicolson Square since 1979, making it one of Edinburgh's oldest continuously operating curry and kebab restaurants. The room is deliberately no-frills — formica tables, lino flooring — but the cooking is what draws the consistent praise: Punjabi and Pakistani curries, halal karahi dishes, biryani and kebabs prepared to recipes that have not changed materially in four decades. The lamb madras draws particularly strong reviews for its depth of flavour and the balance between heat and body in the sauce. Keema matar and the seekh kebab have their own admirers. The Khan family's front-of-house welcome has been cited in reviews as warmly hospitable. Kebab Mahal sits on Nicolson Square, a quiet Georgian square a minute's walk from the main Nicolson Street strip, just south of the old University of Edinburgh Library. The restaurant is fully halal, unlicensed, and does not charge corkage.