Hanam's

Dear Anon Diner,

In answer to your question, I guess we are hitlisted (for the third year running by the way!) because so many people believe we deserve to be!

We are a unique restaurant in atmosphere and cuisine and make no excuses for this. This of course means we are that we cannot and would not expect to be to everyone's liking. We are certainly not there for people who'd prefer a bag of chips over a good meal made with fresh, wholesome ingredients in a tradition, authentic manner!

Thankfully, the vast majority of people who come to us time and time again do not agree with your view point, hence why our Fridays and Saturdays are generally booked up well in advance.

Thanks!
Jamal

Can someone please explain why Hanam's is 'hitlisted'?

We dined at this restaurant a few years ago based on the reviews but was unfortunatey quite disappointed by the whole experience.

The starters were okay, depending on what you ordered, and the mains not great. We found the food bland and watery, and lacking in depth of flavour, and the portions were completely out of proportion; way too much rice and naan bread per person - enough to feed two or three people - and too little actual vegetable or main dish.

We have not been back since but reluctantly returned as we were dining with a group of firends who were keen to try it out. We have to say nothing had really changed and were left disappointed for a second time.

Will not go back again. We would not recommend this place, however, if you are looking for something slightly novel and want quantity over quality to fill the stomache.with carbohydrates, then this might tick the box. On the other hand, a bag of chips would serve just as well.

Ate here on recent visit to the festival and it was excellent. Fantastic hummus and great naan bread which is very moreish. I had the chilli lamb kebab served kurdish style with naan, salad and yougurt and a dip with I think apricaots in it, which actually went very well with the lamb imo.

A great meal and not too expensive at all. Would definately go again when I'm next in Edinburgh

Apologies, forgot the rating!

I have found Hanam's restaurant always delights both our guests and ourselves. The Kebab's are out of this world and for people who have started to lose sensation in their taste buds (one to many curry perhaps?) I would recommend the chilli kebab. Just the right level of heat for your medium spice connoisseur and doesn't leave you running for the fire extinguisher! The non-alcoholic wines actually have some substance and don't taste just like grape juice, which is a pleasant surprise! Bread is heavenly, nothing like it an any Scottish restaurant I've ever patronised.

We are so sorry you did not enjoy your meal at Hanam's. We pride ourselves on our excellent reputation and are disappointed we did not meet with your expectations. Our vegetarian dishes are always extremely popular, and Kurdish food is not overly seasoned so as to allow the natural flavours of the ingredients to come out, we are sorry if you thought this then meant the dishes were bland. Our food is prepared only using fresh ingredients. Again our Dolma are hugely popular, and fresh vine leaves do tend to be a litter bitter by their very nature, unless you use already prepared ones, which we do not. The kulicha, though I understand is not for everyone, is plain fried naan dough, nothing more, nothing less. We also realise that Kurdish & Middle Eastern music may not suit everyone, but we are committed to offering a unique and authentic middle eastern dining experience, and it is just that our customers come for. We do take your comments seriously regarding the mop, this is not an accepted action and we will deal with this matter with the staff involved.
We appreciate your input and will take onboard your comments.
Kind regards
Jamal

Ate at Hanam's because of good review in the List and we are vegetarians so looked like there would be options. Found the food bland and under-seasoned. Our main courses (Bamya, Qaysi) consisted of large bowls of rice with small bowls of stew. The Ocra dish was OK but lacked any real depth of flavour, the apricot dish was just that apricots - no sign of sultanas and a few split peas floating about. It was sweet - no sour at all. Pretty awful and dull. The starters (Kulicha and Dolma) were poor - the Dolma consisted of tough, bitter vine leaves wrapped around a tasteless mush and the Kulicha tasted of pineapple fritter but without the pineapple - plain weird. The staff were very nice, the music an appalling squall of piercing violins. Behind the counter a floor mop rested on top of bottles of mineral water. I don't think we'll bother again Edinburgh has far, far better to offer.

Hanam's ranks among my favourite restaurants in Edinburgh. Not only is the food delicious (and manages to please both my vegetarian mother and my junk food addicted brother) but prices are fantastic and the staff are attentive without being intrusive. The only problem is that you have to wear loose-fitting clothing or you'll be rolling down the hill after dinner!

BYOB is the icing on the cake, but the non-alcoholic wines are great too.

Now I just want to go for dinner...

This is the perfect place to come with a group of friends - it's BYOB, the food is brilliant (for both vegetarians & meat-eaters alike!) & the staff & owners are really friendly.

It's really, really lovely. Can't recommend it enough.