Empires

This restaurant provides very poor value for money. On the weekend the only thing on the menu, a mezze 'platter', costs a whopping £16. However, all you get is a normal dinner plate of food. This is compared to other restaurants on the same street where a plate of food is around £10-12. Add on the £5 corkage they charge for BYOB and you've spent quite a lot of money for an unsatisfying experience.

Overall, I'd avoid. There are much better Turkish/ Middle Eastern places in Edinburgh that give you tastier, and more, food at a better price (e.g. Hanedan, Beirut).

Visited during the Festival are were charged £15 a head for mezze "platters", which were the smallest platters I have ever seen. Hot mezzes were stone cold, everything was tasteless and there was not nearly enough of it. Really disappointed as I have heard of others having a great experience here.

Nice staff, cosy place, very hard uncomfortable cushions. The meze platers are a good idea, but nothing on them was particularly inspiring, so at £16 they are too expensive. The feta stuffed peppers were lovely though. All in all a bit insipid - rather go to Hanedan.

Not sure about Lulu's experience. This was a good wee place. Food is homely and substantial. We went for the meze and at 15 choices between three of us we found it hard to eat it all.

The BYO policy is good though I personally believe the cost of corkage is a little steep. But that is just me.

We sat upstairs which is what i would recommend and the downstairs is tight on space.

Overall though a great restaurant for a relaxed meal with good staff who are pleasant but not over bearing.

The most awful eating experience in Edinburgh. The owner is rude to staff and customers alike and actually assaulted one of our party. Although the décor is nice the food is overpriced and bland and there was very little of it for the cost. Plates and cutlery were dirty and the quite horrible owner couldn’t have cared less. Do not recommend this terrible terrible eatery.

Took some close friends here and absolutely loved it. I was slightly dubious to start with as it was the Festival and they were only offering four fixed plates of mezze. We ordered one of each and shared them - the food really was fantastic, tasty pitta was in constant re-supply and we had loads of choice. The baklava and coffee to finish were also fantastic. lovely intimate atmosphere and the owner - a lovely, gentle, laid-back Turkish guy - was utterly charming and simply couldn't do enough for us. The decor is wonderfully exotic oriental and BYOB (and we brought a good few!) corkage prices extremely reasonable at £3 a bottle. We had a terrific, memorable great value experience during which we felt genuinely valued and cared for even though it was the height of the Festival. We will certainly be back - again and again.

What a find!

This is a very intimate and atmospheric restaurant which is backed up by good, tasty food. The meze were all very distinctive, well prepared and there was an excellent collection.

This would be a great venue for small groups and the atmosphere and menu lends itself to sharing dishes. We were made to feel welcome and the service was friendly, not rushed and helpful.

The evening was rounded off nicely with baclava and a proper Turkish coffee that you could stand you spoon up in!

The food here is amazing, really tasty and wholesome, but I would agree that the service leaves a lot to be desired. It is byob but the staff always seem to be in a hurry to get rid of you so you don't always get the opportunity to finish your drinks - I can see their point when people are queing to get in but we've been turfed out quick smart on a really quiet night. I think the staff, who are usually friendly, are a bit scared of the boss. All in all it is a shame as it is a fab, kitsch, cosy environment but the service spoils what should be a better experience. Still give it a go though as the food is delicious.

One of my favourite restaurants in Edinburgh! I live near by and it feels like my second home. Not too expensive so you can go again and again, I'm still not bored! Always cheery service and a great change from the usual overly polite waiters you get. Don't expect silver service, this is a place to relax and the staff are relaxed accordingly. Especially great at the weekends if you fancy some music and a busy atmosphere!

What a rare pleasure to find both good food and friendly service in the same location in Edinburgh. The staff couldn't have done more to make us welcome, and the food, even though choice is a bit limited, was authentic and high quality. I'm sold on mint tea! We'll be back.

What this restaurant lacks in space it makes up for in atmosphere. It can be a little cosy, especially as there's no clear area for the waiters to stand. But the food was great, decor kitsch and the music good fun. I wouldn't go there if you're expecting a posh meal, but if you're up for a cosy cultural experience with down to earth food then it's you're thing. I'd particularly recommend the baklava.