Indian
Western
Non-veg

Serves meat, vegan options available. Cafe which is part of the Himalayan Centre, in Edinburgh's Southside. Has soya milk for coffee and tea. Serves thali lunch, a vegetable curry of the day, as well as options like wraps, soup, pancakes. Shop downstairs sells things to raise money for Green Tara, a Tibetan charity helping disadvantaged people in the Himalayas. Open Mon-Wed 11:00-17:00, Thu-Sat 11:00-15:00, 17:00-20:00. Closed Sun.


Venue map for Himalaya Cafe
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14 Reviews

First Review by christopherjboyce

Anna_dyd

Points +333

Vegan
18 Jul 2023

Good options, friendly place

Can always get a solid meal for a solid price here

Phoenjx

Points +360

Vegetarian
17 Jul 2023

Tasty and good prices

The vegan chai was delicious and everything was very well seasoned

craigmc

Points +35456

Vegan
04 May 2023

Great value

I also remember when Himalaya was a veggie cafe. It was removed for a. Short while and I asked Eric why. The vegetarian status just wasn't working for them which is a shame.
I was in before a gig on a saurtday evening and it was pretty busy with about a 50/50 split with veg and neat customers. It does have a veggie menu and there are several vegan options.
It was a little chaotic, in a nice way. I had a thali which had a chickpea curry, a veg curry and a dhal. A side saldnwith olives was a little off. The tahli was great, the veg curry a little oily but still all three were good. It was great value for the portion size and they have a good lunch deal with ten thali.
There are better Indian options close by, but if you want a chilled cafe rather than a restaurant this is a good choice.
Good options for lunch.

Updated from previous review on 2019-10-19

Pros: Staff, Plenty vegan

linji

Points +46

Vegetarian
04 Nov 2022

Great spot and amazing people

The food was delicious, but it was the kindness of the owner that really made my day. I can’t wait to go back and I highly recommend you stop in and give it a try.

MariannBB

Points +3554

Vegan
13 Sep 2022

Lovely café with amazing food

This café/restaurant has plenty of vegetarian/vegan Tibetan food options. I tried the chickpea curry with chapatti, which was delicious but spicy. The chai latte (with plant mylk) was heartwarming.

The decoration is very welcoming and the staff is friendly.

I highly recommend this restaurant.

Pros: Delicious vegan options, Friendly staff, Charitable activities

JamesW76

Points +1355

Vegetarian
13 Aug 2022

🥟🥟🥟

cute place with a friendly vibe. big selection of veg offerings including delicious Tibetan momos. also has a meditation space

DavidRichards

Points +406

Vegan
09 Sep 2021

🌿

Would give 5 stars if the app allowed me to! Really cosy space, friendly staff. Really nice tea!:)

LouisaWarn

Points +18

Vegan
05 Nov 2020

Always amazing

So much choice and all of it is delicious! I love their vegan lunch thali

EmmaFaeEdinburgh

Points +1399

Vegan
13 Oct 2019

Cosy venue with great food

This is a great wee cosy venue in Newington. There's a real community feel to it, and its got a really relaxed vibe. I tried the vegan thali plate which was really tasty and really good value for money. The fried veg momos are also really delicious, as is their famous masala chai which can be made with soya milk. So warm and comforting on a cold day!

treaz

Points +216

Vegetarian
27 Apr 2019

Tasty veg food

Tasty veg food, friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere

MairiMunn

Points +18

Vegan
19 Apr 2018

Best Chai in Edinburgh

A fabulous little family run restaurant where good food and compassion for all go hand in hand. Although not a vegetarian/ vegan restaurant, there is an excellent selection of both on the menu. Warm and cosy, welcoming and caring. Lovely!

Pros: lots of vegan options, lots of vegetarian options, child friendly

Cons: parking may be an in issue during the day.

DorothyTerhune

Points +18

Vegan
08 Nov 2017

Cozy and warm

It seems as though many of the negative reviews beforehand were because of the shock from the restaurant's transition from being veg to now omni. I understand the disappointment- however, The Himalaya Cafe is incredibly warm, hospitable and a family-oriented environment I love going to. The masala chai can be made vegan, much of the food menu is vegan, and I keep pestering about cakes, so hopefully a vegan cake option will also be available soon! Perhaps if we keep requesting more vegan options, they will be inclined to nick the meat off the menu.

Overall, lovely vibes, especially on a cold Edinburgh day!

Pros: Atmosphere , Chai, Curries

Cons: Meat options , Wool products sold

imogenmichel

Points +2693

Vegan
19 Aug 2016

Disappointing change

I used to come here now and again when they were 100% vegetarian but I won't be bothering any more. They don't even label vegan on the menu and any vegan options which you ask about seem more like an accident or afterthought than intended. I'm not convinced that this venue deserves a listing on HappyCow any more. Such a shame.

Cons: No longer vegetarian, Don't label vegan, Seem uninterested in vegan options

christopherjboyce

Points +984

Vegan
16 Jul 2016

This place used to be vegetarian, then it started serving meat

I used to eat here quite a lot as it was vegetarian and the food was pretty good. Then for some reason they started serving meat. I felt betrayed as I thought the place had principles around food that I shared. I inquired as to why the addition of meat and they told me that was what customers wanted. I didn't want meat on the menu and still don't. It's not like I don't eat at meat based restaurants when I have to but I had always thought the place was something different than it turned out to be - plenty of other places. It used to be a nice little vegetarian cafe. Sad.




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