For being one of the smaller cities in the UK, Edinburgh has more than its fair share of great places to eat, so we thought we would give you a run-down of our top five takeaways, all wallet-friendly and all able to deliver to your door when you fancy a night in.
Kebab Mahal
This award-winning, Indian restaurant and takeaway, specialises in traditional tandoori, curries and shish kebabs. The combination of mouth-watering curries and kebabs as well as their Nicolson Square location (five minutes from the University of Edinburgh’s central campus) means that Kebab Mahal is a firm favourite with students.
The guys at Kebab Mahal certainly have the experience, having set up in 1979 and use fresh vegetables, traditional herbs, spices and Halal meat. Open 12:00 to 12:00 every day (and until 0200 on Fridays and Saturdays), it is also the perfect place to visit after a night out.
If you like high-quality Indian food at a great price, Kebab Mahal will be your new favourite takeaway.
Café Picante
If you are looking for traditional fish and chips, look no further than Café Picante. Located on Broughton Street, near the top of Leith Walk, this chippy is an Edinburgh institution.
Serving fish and chips, pizzas, kebabs and wraps, Café Picante has a great range of food made fresh daily. You can even try the famed ‘Battered Mars Bar’, all washed down with an ice-cold Irn Bru for that true Scottish experience.
Situated among nightclubs, bars and pubs, this chippy is a popular part of Leith nightlife, open until 02:00 most mornings (03:00 at weekends). Make sure to bring your dancing shoes, they have been known to host local DJs to keep you partying as you order your fish supper and be sure to order ‘chippy brown sauce’ with your fish and chips, a delicacy Edinburgh chip shops are famed for.
Los Cardos
Why not spice things up with the best Mexican takeaway in Leith, Los Cardos. Take your pick from nachos, burritos, fajitas, quesadillas and soft tacos and let the Los Cardos team take you from Tijuana to Acapulco in the comfort of your own home (you provide the tequila).
With a relatively early closing time of 20:30 (21:30 at weekends), make sure you get your order in on time, you won’t regret it. It gets rave reviews on TripAdvisor with many commenting on the tasty food, the friendly staff and the speediness of the delivery. If Mexican’s your thing, Los Cardos is a winner.
Hot Kung Fu
Sitting on the corner of South Clerk Street, not far from Pollock Halls, and quite a few other University of Edinburgh accommodation buildings is Hot Kung Fu, for those craving a tasty Chinese. This student favourite scores a high 4.91 out of 6 stars on Just Eat, most citing brilliant food, big portions and fast delivery.
Hot Kung Fu covers every dish you would expect on a Chinese menu with tempting starters and soups, pork, beef, chicken, duck, foo yung, seafood and a plentiful vegetarian offering, all at great prices. To make it even easier on the wallet, they offer set dinners for two to four people, perfect for sharing with your flatmates. This place is a serious contender for the best Chinese takeaway in Edinburgh, so place that order and enjoy!
Civerinos Slice
No list of takeaways is complete without the perfect place to order a pizza. For a slice of stone-baked doughy, cheesy goodness, look no further than Civerinos Slice. They have a couple of ‘pizza bars’ around town, one on Forest Road (across the road from the University of Edinburgh’s central campus) and another just off the Royal Mile, with more popping up across town soon.
They have plenty of variety to choose from, with some great names - The Grandma, Return of the Mac as well as their vegan Plant Pie or Die. Depending on how hungry you are you can either order a full pizza or just a slice on their app (or via Deliveroo). They even have a ‘Dough it Yourself’ kit that they can deliver, allowing you to make your very own masterpiece. The DIY kit includes Civerinos proven dough balls, homemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella and basil.
Civerinos Slice will fill that pizza-shaped hole in your heart and it’s also a pretty cool place to swing past and grab a slice if you are in town.