Shamoli Thai and Indian Cuisine

Shamoli occupies the first floor of a Royal Mile tenement midway along the High Street, roughly equidistant between Edinburgh Castle at the top and Holyrood Palace at the foot. From the dining room windows the Old Town rooftops and the hubbub below are constant company. The restaurant has been here long enough to build a genuine following: it holds a 4.3 out of 5 rating across more than 1,100 TripAdvisor reviews, earned Tripadvisor's 2025 Travellers' Choice award, and ranks in the top 60 of Edinburgh's 2,000-plus restaurants.

The kitchen combines North Indian and Thai cooking under one menu — practical for groups whose tastes divide between the two. Thai regulars include chicken Panang (coconut milk with flares of red chilli), pad Thai, and stir-fried duck; from the Indian side, the butter chicken, Punjabi lamb korai, and pakora draw consistent praise. Set lunches run at £7.95; evening meals average around £19. The restaurant is halal-friendly, BYOB (there is an off-licence below), and caters to vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free diners. Just five minutes' walk from Waverley station.