Britannia Spice

I called the restaurant to book a table for me and the missus and was assured that it was ok to use my recently purchased nCrowd voucher. However, on arrival it was a different story. I was told that the voucher had to be printed, despite the fact I was showing him my confirmation code on the phone. After a lengthy discussion in which I refused to go home because we had paid for a taxi to get there, we were finally granted permission to dine, provided I could forward the email on to the manager for him to print.
The food finally arrived, and half way into our meal the grumpy manager came over wanting me to forward the email. So, interrupting my meal, I did so, but he couldn’t find it in his inbox so told me to resend it. While I was doing this he snatched my phone from me and attempted to do it himself, though it transpired he’s not great with technology. He then hovered over our table for the duration of our meal while attempting to find the email on his phone. When he finally retrieved it he couldn’t figure out how to send it to print.
Feeling by now, a bit disgruntled, I went to the toilet and when I came out the waiter was, well waiting, to tell me that the manager wanted me to go behind the bar to use their computer to log in to my email account so I could send my voucher to print.
The whole situation was farcical from start to finish, yet I still intended to tip the waiter who was very friendly despite the way his manager was behaving. However, when the manager thrust his chip n pin weapon at me I accidentally left the tip for him in haste! So, friendly waiter, if you’re reading this I’m sorry.
I should also add that the view is dominated by a Novotel hotel, NOT the Royal Yacht Brittania, as described online. The décor is a bit on the tacky side, and I can’t remember what the food tasted like!

Cool staff! I am not a lamb lover but the curried lamb chops here were AMAZING! Also had MURGH CHANDI TIKKA which is Cubes of chicken, marinated with spices and herbs, roasted and served with a special sauce. Very good!
This is worth a try! Very good food!

The food was lovely. We went on a Monday night and it was empty so felt a bit weird as the waiters were all just stood about looking bored and waiting to take our plates away. I highly recommend this restaurant to anyone, generous portions, friendly staff and reasonably priced dishes.

I’d like to recommend this outstanding Indian/​Bangladeshi restaurant Britannia Spice in Leith for atmosphere, taste, and customer service. Friendly and helpful staff, and advice on what drinks or side dishes to have with your main meal. You feel like you’re dining on a yacht tied to the harbour!

The lamb chop starter is the best tasting starter I have ever tried at an Indian restaurant!

«Consistently the best Indian in Edinburgh !»
If you are visiting Edinburgh Scotland and are looking for a best Indian restaurant, look no further that Britannia Spice. Situated right by Ocean Terminal Just near to Leith Holiday Inn Express it really does deliver every time! I have been to this restaurant many times over the years and the quality, value for money and service always delivers!
One tip, if you are to reserve a table, ask for a seat by the window or if there are 4 or less, ask for a Main Deck. Décor like a luxury Ship.

Britannia Spice is a great Indian restaurant and takeaway. As we live nearby we had previously been given a 15% discount card which is a great incentive to re-​visit.
We went for dinner on Saturday night before the cinema and the staff were polite and friendly as ever. Each time a waiter comes to your table it is a different person which can be a bit odd but they are always nice.
On this visit i had the Thai Sesame Chicken which was delicious, so full of flavour. We also shared a garlic naan, chipati and poppadums. All very tasty.
When we asked for our bill i showed our discount card and then a waiter (who appeared to be more senior) came over and offered us a free whisky each as we were local which i thought was a really nice touch. We politely declined and as he held the door open as we were leaving he told us to remind him next time and he will give us free whisky.

I’ve definitely got reservations about Britannia Spice. The food, while pleasant (more than pleasant)… I just don’t remember thinking I was blown away. I had the prawn puri, a nice touch in that you could see what ingredients were involved whereas in some restaurants it’s a smooth sauce with an odd colour to it (not that the colour detracts), and it was a generous portion of prawns inside the puri. The Silent Reviewer had the mixed kebabs, which he greatly enjoyed.
My main was a huge selection of tandoori vegetables — with a little kick at the end. I don’t usually pick the tandoori option, but I didn’t feel particularly overawed by the vegetables — grilled vegetables are lovely, but the marinade hadn’t infused the vegetables, just sort of slid into any nook or cranny available (bit hard on a tomato). We also shared a side of chana masala, it seems the Silent Reviewer is picking up my little love of chickpeas, as well as a garlic naan and some rice. We definitely had leftovers! I keep wanting to use the word pleasant, because it was and if it wasn’t for the service, I may have been more inclined to go back. The Silent Reviewer certainly wants to.
Now the problem I have is that from the moment we sat down, any question was directed to the Silent Reviewer. ‘Are you ready to order drinks, Sir’, ‘Are you ready to order now, Sir’. Apart from pulling out a chair for me to sit down, I felt like I had turned into the Silent Diner. When the check came, it was placed on the table then moved to a jaunty angle, in order to face ‘Sir’.
Too bad Madam was paying.
Now, I’m all for manners and being polite, but I didn’t feel it was polite, I felt slighted, as the only time I was acknowledged was at the end of the meal when I walked out and the door was opened for me (subsequently for the Silent Reviewer as well). Especially as I was actually paying for the meal, I would have preferred the service we had from the gentlemen at Britannia Spice to have checked rather than assume that the male of the party was paying. It left me fuming in all of my feminist glory. For that, I don’t want to go back and it will take some effort for the Silent Reviewer to persuade me otherwise. Am cool to be called a Madam and not own a brothel on the sly, but wouldn’t mind a little bit more equal rights thrown into the mix when I am out on the town.

Generally, there are two (mutually exclusive) indications that a restaurant’s food is not going to be that great: an over-​the-​top theme, and location within walking distance of a major tourist attraction. However, I am happy to note that Britannia Spice is the exception to the stereotype. The food here is really good: flavorful, fresh, and not compromised for Western palates. I also love that dishes can be ordered in both side-​dish and entrée portions, which lets individual diners have some variety if dining alone or in a group that’s not eating family-​style (shared dishes).
My partner and I especially liked the Mushroom Bhajee and Mughlai Vegetables. Service was a little formal and stiff for my tastes, but the servers are very kind and try extra hard to ensure a nice dining experience. I would have liked to see more exotic offerings for dessert (not being able to finish off an Indian meal without gulab jamun for dessert is practically heresy!), but outside of that, our dinner at Britannia Spice was practically perfect.

bland food, unhappy waiters, ad a manager full of excuses ad no apology!

On the corner of leith drive this indian curry resturant is quite predictably themed around the yacht Britannia. It’s quite cheesy with waiters dresses as if on s cruise ship and the interior tries to imitate a yacht. It’s poorly done and rather dated but the service is friendly and for a mid week night it seemed quite popular and busy. The menu was varied but the taste didn’t live up to the strong descriptions. It lacked flavour and had no sharpness that a good curry should have. The wine by the glass on offer was only house wine and wasn’t the best.
There’s better indian restaurants around and more that have moved with the times more than this one.

Britannia Spice is the place to come for Indian food that is definitely a cut above your average curry house, at above average prices as well. When I came with some friends we were well impressed by our meals, and found that although the menu boasted a bewildering array of different dishes, of the selection we tried everything was extremely tasty, indicating that they’ve not been over-​ambitious in offering food from such varied geographical areas, from Nepal to Thailand.
However, somehow I can’t recommend the atmosphere of this large restaurant, perhaps because, with its nautical theme, it’s so overtly aimed at tourists who’ve just visited the nearby Royal Yacht Britannia. I kind of felt sorry for the waiters for having to wear absurd sailor costumes, while the overall vibe is of an astute money-​making franchise rather than of a friendly family-​run business.
The quality of food just about makes up for this defect though.

This classy Indian restaurant has a great reputation throughout Edinburgh for better than average cuisine of a spicy nature, so after a strenuous (!) afternoon of shopping at the nearby Ocean Terminal shopping centre, my mother and I decided this was definitely the moment for a curry with matching, tasty nan bread.
As my mother and I are both pretty indecisive people when it comes to choosing anything from a menu that has more than one thing on it, the helpful waiter chap recommended quite a few dishes for us. We went for the Murgh Masallam and actually, I think the other dish was a good old Tikka Masala, which I know is a pretty unadventurous dish to go for, but it tasted so good. Add some garlic nan bread and pilau rice, and you have yourself one awesome meal.
Aptly, being near the water and the Royal Yacht Britania, the restaurant’s interior is very nautical, with a lot of blue and sail decoration on the go, so you do feel like you could be eating in someone’s large yacht. I should also add that not only does Britannia Spice offer Indian food, it also has a range of Bangladeshi, Nepali and Thai cuisine on the menu.

After going for a family meal here recently, I would certainly go back. The food and service was brilliant!
The Britannia Spice Restaurant is situated just on the corner of Commercial Street. When inside, the restaurant is quite spacious and its interior certainly is influenced by the nautical history of Leith, with ships galore, memorabilia on the walls and it even has a ship’s wheel!
So, you’re satisfied by the décor, but what about the food? Well, the food certainly beats the décor am afraid. The portions are generous and we did not have to wait long to get our starters and then our main courses. The starters were tasty with the pakora and samosas going down a treat! The tikka masala and jaipuri were bursting full of flavours, while the nan bread was ideal.
The service was top notch even though the restaurant was quite busy, not full, but still busy enough to keep the staff on their toes.
A great place to eat in Leith!

This is quite easily the worst indian restaurant I have ever eaten at. The quality of the food is extremely poor. I had a lamb curry and I swear it was all the offcuts they used as virtually every bite was full of fat and gristle. The sauces were pretty bland as well. The prices are high and this tends to be very busy as it has quite a reputation. I’m just not sure how it was earned!

Lovely Indian Restaurant just by Ocean Terminal. Great variety of Indian Dishes, with some more unusual items mixed in with all the old favourites. Friendly staff, and willing to accommodate requests if you want something more or less spicy than it would normally be! Well prepared food, in a nice atmosphere, and plenty of buses/​parking nearby.

This is an excellent Indian restaurant. I was very impressed by the range and quality of food. The service was fast and reliable with the waiters being friendly and helping me pick out something I would like. The atmosphere was warm and friendly with several other diners.
The value for money is good throughout the day but there are great deals on business lunches. This really is a good place to go for a meal as an individual, a couple or as a family.