The best Pakistani restaurants in Edinburgh

Be transported to the streets of Lahore, with the dishes on offer at Rustom Restaurant. Everything on the menu is halal and the chefs bring a collected 50 years of experience to the kitchen. There’s a BYOB policy for those eating from the main menu, and some super budget-friendly options, such as a three-course business lunch for just. £10.95.

This may offer value, but the surroundings — styled on a Pakistani palace — provide a formality conducive to a special occasion or more official lunch with your employees. Take a comfy seat beneath the chandelier and feast on masali fish, crispy bhindi, gol gapa, namak mandi, haleem and even maghaz (sheep’s brain). Kids have their own menu, with some Western options too. Rustom Restaurant recently received the Trip Advisor Travellers Choice 2023 and was visited by girls’ education activist and Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai.

Family-run, this restaurant is owned by Mohammed Din, who had former careers as a bus driver, kitchen porter and tandoori chef, before setting up his culinary empire. Din came to live in the UK from Pakistan in 1967 and opened this, his third restaurant, at the very start of 2017. Roti’s hala menu offers unique tawa hot platters, chaats, tandoori dishes, biryanis and curries, including plenty of vegan and gluten-free options. Visit for a special Sunday brunch served from 11:30 am till 3:00 pm (the restaurant opens from 3 pm the rest of the week). Or for a lunch consisting of thali and tapas. Or dine from the full menu of an evening, with some mocktails and a falooda for pud.

A relative newcomer to the dining scene, Mera Lahore launched in 2022 just off Leith Walk, serving food from the Punjabi region of Pakistan. The grill and desi was opened by Malik and Mohammed Aziz, with the shared intention of serving dishes that taste and look amazing. Its open kitchen (which employs traditional cooking methods) adds to this sense of spectacle, and patrons are seated on leather banquettes, beside mirrored walls. Do try the unlimited desi breakfast buffet on a Sunday; for just £9.95 (£6.95 for kids) you can indulge in as much Lahori channa, halwa, murg channay, nihari, aloo bhujia, paye, puris and nan as you can manage. Mera Lahore also puts on special spreads for Eid and an Iftar menu for Ramadan. Famous Pakistani actor Iftikhar Thakur was spotted dining here just a few months ago.

With two decades of heritage, this is one of the best-loved food haunts in the city. The Mosque Kitchen (so named as it’s right next door to the landmark Central Mosque on the southside of the city centre) can cater to up to 180 people at a time. And its casual, canteen feel means you can pile in with a large group, or pop by solo and feel right at home. Fresh kebabs, wraps, curries, daal and chips are all available on the menu. Mosque Kitchen is especially buzzing during the Fringe, religious holidays and freshers week.

Although not exclusively Pakistani, Tuk Tuk’s menu incorporates tastes and favourites from across the Indian subcontinent. It’s been in business for a little over a decade now, founded by Rizvi Khaleque, and was one of the first establishments in Edinburgh to offer this kind of street food dining concept (it’s since been named the best place for Scottish Street Food at the Food Awards). You can eat at the flagship restaurant in Tollcross or the southside establishment on Drummond Street.

Either way, you’ll be tucking into a range of small plates, with a bright and cheery backdrop of the brand’s signature orange decor and vintage posters. Recipes take their cues from food hawkers’ wares, rustic roadside food and railway station dishes, following a long and loved culinary tradition that connects Scottish foodies with earthy traditions from the other side of the world. Tuk Tuk is BYOB on beer and wine, but you can buy softies onsite, like the Masala Thumsup.