Shezan Tandoori

Shezan was opened by Abdul Ghani in 1977 and is now run by his grandson Shahid — four decades of the same family, the same address at the top of Leith Walk, and the same commitment to Punjabi cooking. The restaurant sits directly opposite the Edinburgh Playhouse, making it a natural pre- and post-theatre destination for the theatre's 3,000-seat audience. "Shezan" translates as beautiful in Urdu.

The awards shelf is well stocked: Scottish Curry Awards in 2018 and 2019, SPICE Awards in 2015 and 2017, and a Curry Chef of the Year win. The kitchen runs to tandoori grills, biryani, vegetable dishes, two types of pakora, and a selection of breads. The vegetable pakora — "dense but fluffy with a crisp coating, not greasy at all" in one reviewer's words — and the lamb karahi are the dishes most often singled out. The homemade pickle selection draws its own praise. Vegetarians and vegans are well catered for. The dining room has a Bollywood-glam theme: portraits of Indian film stars, glittery walls. It seats parties of any size and is consistently described as welcoming and unhurried.