Hidden Scotland
Sign in
The green shopfront of Mother India Cafe on Infirmary Street in Edinburgh, its name in gold letters above the door.
Edinburgh

Mother India's Cafe Edinburgh

The Edinburgh cafe of Glasgow's Mother India, on Infirmary Street by the Old Town, serving Indian dishes as small plates made for sharing.

Visit websiteCall
Welcome

Mother India's Cafe brings one of Glasgow's best-loved Indian kitchens to Infirmary Street, just off South Bridge and a few minutes from both the Royal Mile and the National Museum of Scotland.

Monir and Smeena Mohammed opened the first Mother India in Glasgow in 1990, and the cafe takes the same home cooking and serves it as small plates, Indian tapas made for tasting and sharing. Order three or four between two and you can wander the whole menu: a crisp masala dosa, aubergine fritters, saag paneer, tawa salmon, monkfish tikka, butter chicken and the railways lamb curry, with garlic nan and pilau rice on the side. There's plenty for vegetarians and vegans too. It's open every day from noon, with last orders at 9.30pm, so it works just as well for a quick lunch between museums as for a long dinner after a day in the Old Town.

Close byThe World’s End1 min by roadSee itThe World’s End
Before you go

Open every day from noon, with last orders at 9.30pm.

Book online through its own website; for a large group, call.

Where
3-5 Infirmary Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1LT, off South Bridge.
Open
Every day, 12pm to 9.30pm (last orders).
Booking
Online through its own website; call for large parties.
Children
Welcome.
Access
A wheelchair-accessible entrance and seating.
Phone
0131 524 9801

Opening hours

Their website
Monday
noon–9.30pm
Tuesday
noon–9.30pm
Wednesday
noon–9.30pm
Thursday
noon–9.30pm
Friday
noon–9.30pm
Saturday
noon–9.30pm
Sunday
noon–9.30pm

Eaten here? Tell others what to order and when to go, and the best go on this page with your name.

Add your tip
Where it is

On Infirmary Street, off South Bridge, between the Royal Mile and the National Museum of Scotland, EH1 1LT.

Close byThe Old Town and the Southside.
  1. Surgeons’ Hall MuseumsSurgeons’ Hall MuseumsThe Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh's museum on Nicolson Street, with a pathology gallery, a history of surgery and a dental collection.Under a mile 1 min by road
  2. Paper cup reading "The Black Medicine Coffee Co." under an espresso machine spoutBlack Medicine Coffee ShopA coffee house at the top of Nicolson Street, open every day since 1998 in the rooms below the old Nicolson's cafe.Under a mile 1 min by road
  3. Arched glass roof spans an open studio filled with art and weaving loomsDovecot StudiosA weaving studio founded in 1912, working today in the old Infirmary Street Baths, with a gallery, a shop, a cafe and a balcony over the looms.Under a mile 2 min by road
  4. Timber slabs laid along the wooden floor of a grand columned galleryTalbot Rice GalleryThe University of Edinburgh's public gallery of contemporary art in Old College, with a white gallery and Playfair's Georgian Gallery, free to enter.Under a mile 1 min by road
  5. Edinburgh Castle seen from a rooftop terrace with a stone drainage holeAndy Goldsworthy's 'Hutton Roof'Four blocks of Dumfriesshire sandstone by Andy Goldsworthy on the roof terrace of the National Museum of Scotland, set to the compass in honour of James Hutton.Under a mile 1 min by road
  6. Café interior with yellow chairs, wooden tables and a chalkboard menu on the wallEdinburgh LarderA cafe on Blackfriars Street off the Royal Mile since 2009, cooking seasonal local food, with the Scottish breakfast at its heart.Under a mile 1 min by road
  7. The Scottish Storytelling CentreThe Scottish Storytelling CentreThe world's first purpose-built centre for storytelling, opened in 2006 on the High Street beside John Knox House, with the Netherbow Theatre inside.Under a mile 1 min by road
  8. John Knox House on the Royal Mile with pedestrians below its timbered gablesJohn Knox HouseA townhouse of 1470 on the High Street, the oldest original medieval building on the Royal Mile, home to Mary Queen of Scots' goldsmith and linked to John Knox.Under a mile 1 min by road
Directions
Two bowls of ramen at Ikigai on South Bridge: a creamy tonkotsu with pork belly and a soft egg, and a dark mushroom broth, by glasses of water with lemon.RestaurantsIkigaiA step away
Union Brew Lab specialty coffee bar frontage on a quiet streetCafeOrigin Coffee, South College StreetA step away
Plaited cheese buns and topped bagels on a copper tray behind the glass of the counter at Kungfu Bakery on Nicolson Square.CafeKungfu BakeryA step away
Whisky barrels line the bar counter beneath shelves of bottles and a mezzanine levelRestaurantsStramash0.2 miles
Candelabra lighting a stone passageway in a dark underground vaultAttractionsThe Blair Street Vaults0.2 miles
A stone-walled passage in the Blair Street Underground Vaults, lit by wall lamps and running away into the dark.AttractionsBlair Street Underground Caverns0.2 miles
Edinburgh's Royal Mile and Hub spire framed through a stone archwayAttractionsThe Royal Mile0.2 miles
The painted 'No Half Measures' sign on the pale green wall inside Half-Cut Coffee, above a rack of prints and cards.CafeHalf-Cut Coffee0.2 miles
Red telephone box on a corner beneath a sandstone tenement terraceAttractionsGilbert the Phone Box0.3 miles

Recommend to a friend

The Daily for 22 October, from Scotland with love. An aerial view of the Kylesku Bridge curving across a sea loch at sunset, Sutherland

The Daily

Arrives at 5am every day.

A free morning email to see what’s on this week, catch up on what’s happening in Scotland and find somewhere new to go.

Stay nearby

Places to stay near the cafe, and when each is next free.

A hotel studio room with a beige fitted kitchen unit and stainless sink beside a bed dressed in white and teal cushions, a wall of black-framed pictures above a patterned headboard.Old Town Chambers
  • To stay
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Mother India's Cafe
Check datesA round table and chairs stand before tall curtained windows looking onto stone buildings, a sofa and mounted television to the right.Moment George IV Bridge
  • Sleeps 2
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Mother India's Cafe
Check datesA turreted sandstone building with conical spires catches the evening light above rooftops, a large pine tree standing beside it.The Scott Hotel
  • A hotel
  • In Edinburgh
  • Under a mile from Mother India's Cafe
Check datesWest End Muse
  • Sleeps 4
  • In Edinburgh
  • A mile from Mother India's Cafe
Check datesPlaces to stayEvery stay in EdinburghAll our places to stay nearby, to search by date and by who is coming.See them all
Hidden Scotland, the magazine

Scotland, in print.

We want to show you the best that Scotland has to offer. The makers and the creatives, the enduring experiences, the evocative tales, the concealed corners. The roads less travelled that take you to places that matter. The adventures that gather you up and sweep you away. The blend of the wild and the artistic that makes Scotland what it is. We’d love for you to join us.

Get Issue 13Read it here
Find out more

For further reading, before you go. The details on this page were checked on .