Ka Pao Edinburgh

We went in recently because we didn’t have anywhere else booked for a Sunday lunch and didn’t have any high expectations. Definitely was blown away by the food here. This is the type of asian food that you get in Asia! Kudos to the chef! The service was also great and they were so helpful with allergies.

This was honestly fantastic, the food is so good! First, service. Our server was so lovely, gave us time to decide and had some great recommendations. Really friendly & nice. We got the booth at the back, which was perfect for 5 of us. Second, the drinks. We shared a couple of bottles of wine, the Italian red is definitely serviceable, not wow but pretty good! The food, however, is so good! We shared veggie and meat options. For starters, we shared the sezchuan oyster mushrooms (vg), corn on the cob, & pork belly salad (all very good), but the fried chicken was definitely the highlight. Mains we tried a range of curries: the lamb shoulder curry, cauliflower (vg), chicken leg, and the scallop & pork belly special. All were very good, the chicken being a particular highlight. We had 3 x steamed rice & the cucumber salad, which was lovely & fresh. I'd definitely recommend for sharing with a group and recommend the booth at the back of you can! Would love to go again. 2 bottles of wine, about 10 sharing plates & 2 desserts was £170-ish

I recently had the pleasure of dining at Ka Pao by chance when looking for a bite to eat within St James Quarter. This charming restaurant offers a delightful journey through the flavours of South East Asia, blending traditional recipes with modern twists. The highlight of the evening was, of course, the food Ka Pao offers a diverse menu with options for everyone with a selection of Fish, Chicken, Red Meats and Vegetarian options. The stand out dish was fried chicken, fish sauce caramel and had to quickly order a 2nd portion as the dish soon disappeared too quickly. All food that was ordered tasted amazing and the portions were generous, and the presentation was top-notch. The staff was attentive, friendly, and knowledgeable about the menu. They were quick to recommend dishes based on my preferences and were prompt in attending to our needs throughout the meal. While the food was excellent, the drink menu was a bit limited. My first 2 drink choices from the menu were not available and had to settle for a fruit beer, which was ok but not exceptional. I would have loved to see a more extensive selection of South East Asian alcoholic beverages as I do like to try new drinks from other parts of the world. So, if you're in the mood for an authentic South East Asian dining experience with a modern twist, make a reservation at Ka Pao You won't be disappointed!

First dinner in Edinburgh and it was fantastic! Really loved that you could share different dishes and the spice was actually there. The lamb and ox tongue were soooo tender! I'd recommend getting the cucumber salad as a refreshing component to the hot dishes. Our server Charlie was friendly and quick! Nice location too

Just as stunning as the Glasgow original. We came in for a really quick lunch and it was excellent. Quick service, all of the plates were delicious, and it’s not too pricey. The surroundings are lovely too - bright, clean, tidy and enough space between tables that there’s atmosphere, without you having to shout. Highlight is - no surprises here - the caramel fried chicken. We ordered a first portion, then thought better of it and ordered a follow up. It’s superlative.

Lovely meal, cocktail was nice too! Some of the items were a touch too spicy for me (no handy chillis ratings on the menu!) While I understand that the food comes out when it's ready... our side of rice came out last. It would have been better if it came out early so that we could eat it with some of the sauces from the other dishes.

Fantastic choice of food and spice level. New additions to menu are great. King prawns were perfectly cooked as was the courgette curry. The scallop jungle curry on the specials was amazing. Just the right spice level for me. So full couldn't have a dessert but had a southeast meets west cocktail and it rounded off the night and a great meal perfectly

Everything about this meal was 10/10. It was my first time going, but a friend recommended it, and I'm so glad I decided to give it a try! I will say it is tucked away on the top floor in St James Quarter so you could quite easily walk past, but inside, it's lovely, and the staff were super helpful and friendly! My friends and I decided to order a few dishes to share so we could try more, and I would really recommend doing this because there are so many delicious sounding things! We ordered corn ribs, mushrooms, cucumber salad, cabbage, and a cauliflower curry. I genuinely cannot fault a single thing! Everything was delicious and arrived at the table piping hot! My favourites personally were the mushrooms. They were so hot and fresh and crispy, and the sauce they came with was amazing! I also loved the cauliflower curry with the crispy potatoes on top! Absolutely life changing 😍 The cocktails were tasty too and not too sweet, so they went great with the meal. I was also super surprised when the bill arrived as it wasn't as expensive as I'd anticipated. We all had a cocktail each and shared 5 dishes plus 2 portions of rice, and it was less than £24 per person. We were all suitably stuffed after as well. It was the perfect amount of food for 3 of us! Overall, I would (and already have) recommend this to anyone who enjoys Asian style food with plenty of flavour! If you are picky, I would have a look at the menu first as some things sound a bit adventurous! I look forward to going again and trying some new things!