Small Restaurants in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Why come to Edinburgh and eat at a chain restaurant?

Here are some good independents in West Edinburgh easily accessible by bus.

Cafe Presko serves Filipino and Scottish food which has twice won them the Best Asian Restaurant in Scotland award.

Ask for the Filipino Menu for a fantastic new experience. The Ginaatang Manok (chicken in coconut milk, with vegetables), Lechon Kawali (deep fried pork belly) and Sisig (chopped pork belly with spices and herbs) are good places to start. They also do a vegetable curry and other non-meat options.

Spotlessly clean and friendly.

An award winning Indian restaurant in Slateford Road. Jashans has been there some 10 years in a building that was previously a wine bar and before that a pub called the Moat Bar.

Uniformed waiters and white tablecloths, a menu with few surprises but excellently cooked food. Vegetarians and vegans will have no problems and you can be sure the wine has been properly looked after. They sell Indian beers mainly but also serve Crabbies Alcoholic Ginger Beer, which seems hard to find even in its home town of Edinburgh.

Last time I was there we enjoyed a curry with Peshwari Naan Bread and rice, leaving comfortably full. The service was professional, fast and accurate.

About 5 minutes walk from Jashans, on the Slateford road this restaurant, popular with the Chinese community, has been there for decades. The food is excellent, and portion sizes larger than usual in Chinese Restaurants. We have found the service quick and professional.

The duck dishes and soft noodles are the best item on the menu as far as I am concerned. Unlike many other places the duck I had came without bones and was not a thin layer of duck over a pile of vegetables.

Situated in Causewayside, slightly to the south of the city centre, the restaurant is small (maybe 15 tables), brightly lit and friendly. I had Green Curry with prawn and my partner had Panang Curry with tofu. We finished by sharing a Banana Fritter and left feeling full. I have eatne a lot of Green Curry and this ranks with the best.

Situated in Dalry Road this tiny restaurant serves French Caribbean food cooked as you order: so you may have to wait a while before the food lands on your table. Every time we ate there the food has been excellent and the owners very welcoming.

Again in Dalry road this is basically a cafe but it serves Spanish snacks, including Iberico ham, possibly the most expensive ham in the world, ham that comes from pampered pigs in heated pens.

We dined at the Causewayside branch. I had the Bibimbap and my parner had Bulgogi. Both were perfectly cooked. The restaurant itself is small – maybe four tables, but service was fast and professional. We intend to go back there sometime