Tanjore

Authentic South Indian food. Not your run of the mill curry house. Every dish is unique and flavorful. Spice level is perfect; it won’t burn your palette but leave you with lingering flavors. Unpretentious, evokes the feeling of a home cooked meal.

A Fantastic South Indian Dining Experience! We had the pleasure of dining at Tanjore South Indian Restaurant on Clerk Street in Edinburgh, and it was an unforgettable experience! From the moment we walked in, we were greeted with warm hospitality and a cozy atmosphere, perfect for enjoying a relaxed meal. We ordered a variety of dishes to explore the full range of their offerings. The Lamb Chettinad was a standout — beautifully spiced, tender, and rich in flavor. The Chicken Tanjore was equally impressive, with a unique mix of spices and perfectly cooked chicken that left us craving more. For sides, we had the Parotta and Bahtura, both of which were fresh, soft, and an excellent match for the curries. The veg curries were equally delightful, with a vibrant mix of vegetables cooked to perfection and perfectly balanced in flavor. Each dish was thoughtfully prepared, showcasing the authenticity and complexity of South Indian cuisine. The service was top-notch, with friendly and attentive staff who made us feel welcome throughout our meal. The restaurant itself has a comfortable and inviting atmosphere, making it a great choice for both casual dining or special occasions. We will definitely return to try more dishes and highly recommend Tanjore to anyone looking for authentic South Indian flavors in Edinburgh!

truly authentic, bringing a taste of Tamil Nadu to the city. Every dish is packed with rich, traditional spices, and the quick service makes the experience even better. Whether you're craving idiyappam,dosa, idli, or a hearty South Indian meal, this place delivers excellence. Highly recommended

Had friends visiting who really wanted to try some Indian food in Scotland and we thought we'd try this restaurant based on the reviews of it offering a more authentic South Indian culinary experience. Having never been to India I have no idea! but we can say it was simply delicious. Very impressed, will make a point of going here when up in town.

Came here since the vegan pub next door wasn’t serving food. Wasn’t disappointed. Tasty, fresh and good portions.

I would definitely eat here again. Place was packed. Service was quick. And staff was friendly.

Tanjore restaurant was recommended to me as a good example of authentic South Indian cuisine. Overall, we liked the service and food here. It was the first time I tried dosa and I found the combination of a crepe and sourdough very interesting, although I felt a dosa with paneer had too little substance to be a main meal.

The food is flavourful but after having spent 15£ on a curry and 9£ on two pieces of bread, you won't feel satiated. Very expensive (£4.5 for a single piece of a very common parotta bread!!) for no justifiable reason.

Best South Indian food in Edinburgh. Loved everything that I ordered here - Mini Idly dipped in Sambar, Rava Doda, Podi Dosa. Sambar is very authentic and delicious. Rava dosa could've been slightly less oily and more porous but tasted great anyway. Felt slightly on the pricier side when compared to the ambiance. The timings of the restaurant are very limited. Restrooms are located in the basement (just like with other Indian restaurants in Edinburgh) but the floor there is extremely slippery. They have enough signs to caution users but was a bit of a bummer.

First time here and not really familiar with Southern Indian Cuisine but this place rocked! It was a late bite at 2pm so we shared the Cauliflower appetizer. It was good and reminded me of some onion bajii of the past The Chenna equivalent of Chana Masala was TDF. Medium spicy, saucy and tender. We practically inhaled it with a Parota which is their version of naan. Truly delicious. Space was clean, excellent service and answered our questions regarding selections. We plan on returning soon!

Visiting Tanjore for the first time, I was pleasantly surprised to find an Indian restaurant with many dishes that I was unfamiliar with. Don't get me wrong - unfamiliar can be a very good thing! The food is very tasty and quite good. Ambiance-wise, Tanjore isn't the fanciest, but with food this good I'd unquestionably recommend it to anyone who enjoys excellent Indian food! An extra benefit: Tanjore is BYOB with no corkage fee :-)

A small South Indian restaurant in Edinburgh that didn't disappoint us. The dosa s are good. Tried their sambhar vada and tasted nice too. They don't have the drink menu but you can BYOD.

Absolutely fantastic! I love Southern Indian cuisine, but it's somewhat difficult to find restaurants that specialize in it where we live in the states. We were super excited to happen upon Tanjore in Edinburgh and we were lucky we arrived when we did; it seems like you need a reservation after 5:30 or so on a weekend. Not only was the food incredible, there were quite a few dishes I hadn't seen before. Every dish we tried was delicious, but the karaikudi was out of this world. I also highly recommend the parotta.

Everything about this place makes me want to go back for another meal. I am originally from South India and found this restaurant during my recent trip to Edinburgh and immediately went in after looking at their menu. I had the Mysore Masala Dosa which is, hands down, the best I've had outside of India. I also had filter coffee with my meal which was pretty good as well. The best way to judge if I really liked an Indian restaurant abroad is asking myself if I would visit this place if it were in India. I think with Tanjore the answer to that is a resounding yes.

We had their South Indian dishes - mini idlis, veggie uttapam and tanjore special dosa. Everything was mouthwateringly tasty! Really good by global standards. Didn't expect to find such a good Indian restaurant in Edinburgh of all places! Pleasant surprise indeed. Note for vegans: everything we had was vegan/vegetarian!

Curry = good. Pancake = good. Curry + pancake = great. South Indian cuisine is becoming more popular these days and with good reason, as it always feels a bit lighter than the usual curry stodgefest. I think curry is much improved by the additional tastes and textures of dosas, idlis and other doughy delights, especially in combination with the various dips and sauces that always accompany them. Check out my photo to see how huge the dosa is. Everything is fairly cheap so it's easy to try a number of small things, and if you can't decide what to have for your main, just about everything comes in a mini starter size. I would be happy just dipping pieces of the light pancake in all the delicious dips and sauces, but when you also have some tasty curry inside, it's the gift that keeps on giving. If you're bored of the usual curry standards then this place is for you.

My friends and I were not planning to eat here, but the original restaurant we wanted to go to was full and we just wanted food. This was, however. A pleasant surprise! I didn't order any of their first course or sides, just got to the main. The majority of their mIns cost below or around £10 so it's totally affordable. They have various vegetarian dishes, seafood and meat curry, as well as Indian pancake and dosa. I wanted to try their soft shell crab curry but they ran out so I opted for their house special. Sorry, I forgot the name but it was basically an Indian take on fried rice. The dish came either with chicken, lamb, or prawns, which was mixed into basmati rice, various veg, cashew nuts sautéed I various spices reminiscent of what they would probably used in a curry. The dish had a nice spice, but it also came with 2 additional sauce to complement the dish. One of the sauce was a deep brownish red colour packed with spices and the other, a white sauce that had a yogurt based with cucumber to help cool the palette from the spices. The dish was delicious, the only problem I had was the serving size. While it was only £8.75, I was still hungry after I ate the whole thing! The other negative about this place is the slow service. While I didn't mind that we had to wait for awhile to get our food (20-25 minutes) after we placed our order since I was gossiping with my friends, I was starving by the time I got the food. That's why I probably devoured the whole dish within 10 minutes! The food was good, the staff were nice, and the prices are affordable. However, mind the small serving size and the long wait for your food.

Been wanting to come here since the place opened and finally got organised this weekend. The restaurant looked a bit tightly packed with tables, but once seated there seemed to be plenty of space. Modern Asian decorations with some interesting touches here and there. Nothing too out there and it did manage to conjure up a comfortable feeling to the place. The service was great from the minute we got in through to getting the bill. The menu is extensive with some really interesting bits and bobs I haven't seen elsewhere. The waiter discussed the specials with us and the orders were in. Papadam and dips were a highlight nothing too exciting about the dips but the pickle was different to any others I have tried. It seemed like it was homemade rather than from a jar. Thumbs up from me. We ordered 4 Papadams and it looked more like 6 or 7 we were given. :D The starters were met with mixed options the chicken and squid tanjores were excellent as were the accompanying salads. The Rasa Vadai seemed a little strange we hadn't had Vadai before but it didn't leave an experience that we wanted to repeat in a hurry. The Rasam it was severed in was lovely though. Just in case you haven't tried it, Rasam is Indian tomato soup and well worth a try. The mains were mixed and I forget what my dinner companions ordered but everything was excellent. Both veggies and carnivores alike loved there choices. I went for the special of the day which was rice with a mango/tamarind fish curry with Idli on the side. Lidls were new to me and were steamed rice and lentil cakes. They didn't really taste of much but they did go well with the curry. The curry had lots of fish but the tamarind was overpowering everything leaving the dish tasting a little bitter. It was really nice just not great. I will be heading back to try some more of the menu as I think the special didn't really work for me, but my companions loved their curries. If the fish curry had been a little more mango and a little less tamarind this would be a 5 star review, as all the other dishes were amazing.

Book Ahead. Bring Cash. Buy a bottle. Get a Dosa. Be happy. We popped in here as soon as it opened at 5pm on a Friday evening for a pre-theatre bite to eat. Our neighbours actually recommended this restaurant from their many trips up for the Edinburgh Fringe and we were chuffed we found it. All the tables were reserved ready for a busy eve, but there was one little table near the entrance of the door they could sit us at. It's a BYOB and only takes cash, but there is a cash point and a newsagent/offie across the road. We opted for the Mango lasse in the end which was scrumptious. The young chap waiting on our table was absolutely lovely and happy to make recommendations. We decided to share an onion dosa as a starter and it was really yummy and a good alternative to the normal starters on offer. We had two veggie curries, rice and bread and had change from £30. Big groups started arriving and I would say it's a great place for groups to bring their own tipples and enjoy a reasonable and very tasty curry.

For South Indian style cuisine, Tanjore is the best we've found in Edinburgh, so far. Their dosas have considerable wow factor, and made me a convert to their cause. The place is very welcoming, keeps things nicely informal, and you have a good opportunity to see the chefs at work. Dishes are high on flavour, and represent excellent value. Overall, we said: "I was highly impressed by Tanjore. For this style of South Indian food, it was as good as I've experienced in the city. This is definitely a place that I'll be visiting again, in the future, so if you like the sound of it, do give me a shout when you're planning to go, as I'd be happy to join you!"

As a curry lover it is always nice to find somewhere which has a slightly unique spin on (probably) one of this nations favourite things... Tanjore is a real South Indian restaurant, no standard chicken tikka masala or vindaloo here. Instead what is served is a selection of rich curries (I think most contain yoghurt or coconut milk) cooked well, with an emphasis on vegetarian options and fish. Ok, that is the good, the bad is that the service is just uneven, never unpleasant but perhaps not that interested or simply not aware of where people are in their meals. Others have noted this too, so I don't feel I need to push the issue, however it is a shame. All in All Tanjore offers good and different curry and it is BYOB establishment, so I will be back, they just need to sort the service out a little.

Awesome home made taste, spicy and fresh. Can't beat it. Very authentic. They could be a bit slow, that's probably because its fresh. I won't complain but the food is 100% like home made and not afraid of the spice!

Fantastic South Indian food from the Tanjore region. It's a small establishment, possibly family-owned. Very authentic food, polite service, clean basic decor. Loved that the curries were delicately flavoured, unlike so many Indian restaurants that serve greasy, heavily spiced food. Highly recommend the vegetable korma and lemon rice. Mind though, they take their time to make the meals fresh, so be prepared to wait a bit for your food.

We had a hankering for some South Indian cuisine so we thought we'd check out Tanjore... Our meal was incredible. We had the crab curry and a masala dosa. The masala dosa is a South Indian classic and these guys really do it justice. The soft-shell crab curry with coconut rice was pretty mind-blowing too; Full of interesting textures and flavours! Everything seemed to be prepared fresh using fresh ingredients and herbs. The restaurant was clean and the service was prompt and friendly!

Wow, this is authentic. I've never been to India but dined with people who had and even they were very much impressed by Tanjore! From the minute I stepped in the door, I felt like I was in India, at least how I'd imagined a restaurant in India would look. The decor is great with Indian wall hangings on the walls and ceiling, giving a cosey, decorative feel. I had a masala dosai, something I'd never heard of before but which was recommend to me. So tasty! I love Indian food and I'd say I'm a curry girl through and through. But I couldn't help but get excited when I caught sight of the giant curry filled crepe presented before me with a range of sauces and dips, most of which were to my tastes! (Although I wasn't too keen on the mint dip!) They're a generous size but light and just as filling as a main course should be. I had a mango lassis which is a thick mango flavoured drink, almost like a milkshake. It was so delicious that I struggled not to finish it before my meal arrived! We had a range of desserts to share which were incredible too. Everything I had to eat in Tanjore blew my tastebuds away. The service seemed a little slow but perhaps we only noticed since we were in a bit of a rush. They don't accept cards so remember to bring cash, we had to pop out to get some! All in all, a taste of India in Edinburgh. I'll happily return!

This was a rather surreal experience - I wasn't blown away at the time, but the more I thought about my dosa, the more I liked it, and the more I wanted to go back. So perhaps this is a 3.5 star really rather than a 4. Anyway, buyer beware - it's cash only and BYOB. Next! LOADS of vegetarian options - and lots of interesting and exciting sounding things that really got the mouth watering. I couldn't decide between the augergine curry, or a dosa, and I plumped for the latter. Lucky for me, my friend ordered the aubergine curry - perfect! I like a 2 for 1 deal (OK so maybe she got to eat a *little* bit). We also checked out the parotta bread, mainly because we didn't know what it was, and had a couple of starters (spinach and paneer dumping for me - not as exciting as I thought they would be, and chicken pakora). When the dosa appeared, I had the customary reaction of holy moly, it's HUGE - and full of potato, and herbs, not strong flavours, but grew on it as I munched away. It came with some soupy thing, which was pleasant, and some dips to support the dosa, some better than others. The parotta was a novelty and felt deliciously unhealthy. The most strange part was the service, which was all over the place - slow to take orders, and then we were pretty much told to hurry up eating our starter, as our main was ready. After rushing through the starter, we abandoned our remaining poppadum, which was then shook at us to keep eating. It felt all rather... odd. It is definitely not a romantic, nor the most luxurious meal, but a week later, I'm missing my dose-a dosa, and I'd be happy to go back. Looking at other Indian restaurant menus just makes me think, hmm, I'd rather go back to Tanjore. That must be good, right?

Decent place, in fact if I hadn't lived with someone from India for a year, I would probably rank it much higher (but you know, getting a constant supply of home-cooked amazing Indian food makes it hard to trump). Perhaps the best feature to this place is the family nature of it. Its not pushy, its not fake, it doesn't do chili eating contests that end up costing the NHS thousands of pounds, nor hidden gratitude charges. Its fine food. Plain and simple. Clean, well-lit, service could be a bit better with time and practice. Prices should also probably be re-adjusted as some things are simply too expensive. It is improvement on Newington, more than Palmyra ever was. Give it a go!

I recently joined Blythe R here for lunch with the purpose of reviewing and we were both pretty well impressed with the place but I'll try to stick to my own opinion here as you can see his below. First up, I wandered in on my own and made a pig's ear of communicating my booking arrangement to the staff and somehow got sat at the wrong table, only to realise that another large table was being quickly set up because I had sat at the wrong one. When realised my booking was for two and not six and, embarrassed, communicated this (I'm sure they had already realised) they didn't show the slightest irritation and happily moved my to another table. Service was exemplary, friendly and efficient. Once our orders of dosa, idli and utthapam were taken, there was a bit of a wait, but this was deemed well worth it when it emerged that our food had been made fresh to our order, and was frankly delicious. We wanted for nothing throughout the meal as service remained attentive but not at all intrusive. Another great part of the experience was that advice we received regarding the menu was honest and we weren't up-sold or overly full by the end. The value is as great the South Indian food and I will be going here again, soon.

I was turned down by this place despite mutiple open tables. Not sure what their deal is. Not recommended. Places like The Olive Garden provide the kind of consistent service required of a restaurant.

Nice curry and great parotta! My friend ordered Tanjore lamb curry, which was quite spicy but tasty. I had Ambur lamb curry that didn't show on the menu but on the blackboard, and it was good and merely spicy. I didn't try the coconut rice chose, but we all agree the parotta (like a nann bread but more crispy on the surface) goes well with any kind of curry. Price is acceptable.

The food was excellent. I agree with the other reviews on this. My concern is cleanliness - the waiter dropped utensils on the floor, then picked them up and continued setting tables. He sneezed on the dishes [not ours - I would have sent it back]. He noticed a piece of gunge on my wife's plate and scraped it off with his fingernail [we did get a clean plate]. The toilets were very clean and neither of us got sick but we probably would not go back until the health inspector does a thorough review of this place. Too bad - as I stated, the food was excellent.

I've only been once, but I'll certainly be returning. A smaller, unassuming Indian family restaurant serving South Indian food. We went off the beaten track and ordered food I'd never seen anywhere else before - battered mashed potato (stunning), chili Idli (stunning), and lamb Tanjore (very nice). We also had a paneer dosa that was fantastic. Their home made lemonade was lovely, certainly worth trying. The food was very fresh, the service was fairly quick considering that the meals were being prepared fresh - we saw the dosa being made (very much like a fresh pizza). Marked down from 5 because of it being a cash only establishment, leading to some pocket searching between us. They really do need to get card payments sorted out.

Probably the best korma and Indian bread I've ever had!!! I'm American and was introducers to Indian/curries in the U.K. 20+ yrs ago. Since then I've favored most curry houses in the U.K. over most I've tried in the USA and always try and eat it during my near-yearly visits, despite where exactly I'm traveling to in the U.K. For this trip, I spent nearly a month in London and then a full month in Edinburgh for festival month. As such, I was able to try several places in both cities. Unfortunately, most of it wasn't particularly memorable. Then, on my last week, I stumbled upon Tanjore. I am so happy I did; it was not only my favorite on my lengthy trip, but also the best I've had in many years, most likely the best I've ever had! I nearly always stick to korma, it's my favorite for the creamy, rich flavors. But as I also like very spicy, I ask for it as such, despite the questions I always receive, telling me korma is not typically served spicy. Unfortunately, some restaurants do a poor switch in making it spicy, either not enough, occasionally too spicy, or sometimes just odd, not blending the spices properly. Not only did proprietor, Boon Ganeshram, understand my request, the dish was made so perfectly, it was heavenly. Their prawn kurma (as they spell it) was so delectable, perhaps it may be was the best sauce I've ever had. Truly perfect. And fantastic with nice giant shrimp/prawns too (much bigger than typically served in the U.K.)! Coupled with their amazing, delicate parotta and Veechu parotta breads, it was easily the best meal of my time in the U.K. (I tried both breads, and while similar and fantastic, I probably preferred Veechu parotta more for its layers). Thankfully, I was able to get back to Tanjore one more time on our last night in Scotland. The only problem is now I crave it so much and don't have anything even close to comparable in my west coast US cities. Not even my fav San Francisco Indian restaurant is even half as good. I'll probably make a trip back to Edinburgh before too long just to eat there again.

For a fairly impromptu mid-price meal in honour of my friend's new flat and job, Tanjore did the trick nicely. The clean and compact interior feels welcoming enough and fuses East and West nicely with elephant embroidery on the ceiling around a classic chandelier. We both boggled at the sheer range on offer within the menu's numerous pages - which include an entire page devoted solely to vegetarian starters - before eventually selecting our meals. She plumped for Chennai fish curry with mint rice, and I decided on Chicken Tanjore with lemon rice. We were both happy with the delicate balance of flavours in our curries, and my friend's mint rice was pretty special too. The sweetness of the parotta was also a great accompaniment to the spicy flavours of the other food. The service, though, was a little laboured and perfunctory from most quarters (we had three different waiters over the course of the evening; a special mention goes out to the young chap who served us last, though, with a smile that lit the room). I was waiting for my friend to arrive for a good ten minutes and was not asked if I wanted a drink. Similarly, nobody checked on us during our meal to see if everything was ok. Our bill came to just under £35, which is really rather good for what we got, but I can't help feeling that the experience would have left a warmer glow in my memory if the staff had been a little more attentive and personable. I wouldn't object to another trip here but it's not somewhere I'd specifically recommend.

Mmmm...crepe wrapped curries. Family owned, super friendly, B.Y.O.B...Too!

Excellent and authentic South Indian food. Lovely ambience and gracious servers. Beautiful decor. Place was fully packed but the server was able to secure a table for me. Loved the idli and sambar and masala dosa.

Gorgeous food - vast tablecloth-sized dosa pancakes wrapped around spicy potato fillings, with a selection of dips and sauces alongside. The chennai fish curry was delicious, and the crab curry just amazing .. once we worked out how to eat whole little crabs! It's a bit of a bare wee room, and noisy when lots of people are in, but it's worth it for the food.

I've eaten here at least four times since the original visit - we always stop here when we're in Edinburgh - and I just wanted to pop back in and say how reliably good the food is here. The curries are so flavorful and they aren't greasy at all. I find this is quite hard to accomplish at a curry restaurant, and I usually leave feeling like I've had a big heavy meal, but not at Tanjore. The lamb karaikudi was absolutely delicious. We asked for it to be made very spicy, and it wasn't that spicy at all, but this isn't uncommon at Indian restaurants. It's like they don't believe you when you say you can handle it! Our curries went great with saffron rice and parotta, a South Indian bread I haven't had anywhere else. It's flaky and pull-aparty and delicious. I do wish that they gave more chutneys with the poppadoms besides the sweet mango one and the sharp, tangy, pickle (yogurt sauce pleeeeease) but those are minor complaints. The mango lassis are yummy too. I feel like for the sheer reliability, and the fresh, delicious, non-greasiness of the curries, it's only fair to give it 5 stars. We stop here literally every time we are in town for a reason!

I love this place, it is so authentic, it reminds me of being in India. The staff are wonderful, the space is clean and bright, the menu is overwhelming. It is cheaper than the vegetarian restaurant kalpna which is just a few doors down, though I can't decide which is best. I have to say that the dosas at Kalpna are the best I have tried in Edinburgh, but tanjore does a good job. There are so many options, including uttapam, idli, dosas and thalis. I usually go for the addictive masala dosa, which comes accompanied with various chutneys and sambar. If you want to try really authentic Indian food, do come here! Expect great service in a casual setting and really lovely food.

This place is fantastic! I was not expecting to find delicious Indian food...a BYO at that, while on vacation in Scotland, but I'm so happy we did. The food was delicious and unlike any other Indian food I've had in the states, as we mostly have northern Indian cuisine. I love the intricate use of spices and coconut milk as opposed to heavy creams as is common with northern Indian cuisine. The prices were very reasonable and the service was absolutely lovely. If this place were near me in the states I'd be bringing all my friends there!

The best South Indian food I've ever had. Everything is flavorful. I've never had better sambar nor a better dosa. I want to give it 5 stars but the service was a little off. We put our order in at the same time and my friends' dosa came out literally 5 minutes after mine. There was no explanation or anything. So tasty, though. So tasty.

I was craving Indian food in this cold weather and decided to try this place as it was on the way back to my B&B. I also didn't want to visit Scotland without first having Indian food here. Had one of their biryani dishes with a mango lassi. I went in when it was slower so as far as service, they were attentive. I liked how they made the lassi..more fruity than yogurt-y. The biryani could have used more spice, but the flavors were there. The rice was soft and moist even without the sides of curry sauce and raita. Good experience here overall.

I've been going to tanjore ever since it opened I've been to and ordered from many a Indian restaurant in Edinburgh and I have to say no other Indian restaurant comes close to beating tanjore in price or taste. I've tried quite a few dishes on the menu and a few of the new dishes as well and I've never had anything to say other than amazing for all of them. I can't name any favourites as I love all of them! Go and try for yourself! Highly recommended.

Very good food. Great flavors. Excellent, friendly service. Bring your own alcohol. No corking charge. Will be back.