Restaurants, Far East within 5 miles of Edinburgh

Bonsai Bar Bistro provides a clear rebuttal to the notion that Japanese cuisine in the UK is expensive and exclusive. The small but perfectly formed restaurant is known for its welcoming atmosphere and has a wide-ranging menu that offers something for…

Kampong Ah Lee Malaysian Delight is a compact, canteen-style restaurant serving authentic Malaysian food in basic but comfortable surroundings. Its small shop front may be easy to miss, but it remains well known and popular with students seeking an…

Slap bang in the middle of busy South Bridge, noodle bar Yocoko has developed a knack for packing 'em in. The location is one factor, bringing in a steady stream from tourists at lunchtime to late-night revellers taking advantage of the 11.30pm closing…

The takeaway arm of London Road’s Thai Pad, the same kitchen and chefs are responsible for a menu with mains helpfully broken down into Thailand’s culinary regions. Mixed starters are very generous in quantity, and include a beautifully flavoured, if…

Quicker than you can say 'tablet computer', there's a grimly punning new restaurant, Thai Pad, on the scene. It is, in fact, a new incarnation of the fairly short-lived Love You Long Thai restaurant in the basement of the Richmond House Hotel on London…

Lying just far enough outside the city centre to be considered off the beaten track, Causewayside is never the less blessed with some decent dining options, of which Celadon is one of the best. The atmosphere is casual but homely thanks to some rustic…

Owner Jing Si promises real Chinese cooking at Hong Fu Noodle Bar. The recently revamped menu has some genuinely unusual dishes, with Szechuan and Northern Chinese influences predominating. Gone are the ubiquitous prawn toast and chow mein, to be…

Veteran restaurateur Bill Parkinson has been in the business for 46 years and it shows. Service is a speciality: he wants people to relax while they eat. If you’re enjoying his pre-theatre menu before heading across the road to the Playhouse you might…

Yo! Sushi shares a fourth floor location with Harvey Nichols’ up-market brasserie and food market. Diners gather round to watch industrious sushi chefs conjure up miniature plates of magic for the revolving conveyor belt. The eight colour-coded plates…

Situated just a quick sidestep off of the Royal Mile, Thai Orchid could be forgiven for trading on its tourist friendly site. However, aside from its unassuming decor, the laughing Buddhas and bamboo screens that seem rather kitsch, everything else…

Centrally located Yes Sushi attracts a mix of city folk and visitors. The pleasant red and black interior is generic Japanese (paper lanterns, drawings of geishas etc.) and yet the place has a decidedly Chinese undertone. The hotpot and sushi…

Bar Soba on Hanover Street is the Edinburgh outpost of a successful Glasgow chain, born of the unusual idea that a pan-Asian noodle kitchen might fit nicely in a busy pre-club venue. Upstairs is the bar, with graffitied walls, trendy DJs and omnipresent…

A perennial player in the mix of Edinburgh's top Thai restaurants, Dusit proves that consistency needn’t be dull, dishing up the same brand of polished, Thai fine dining in the heart of city for over a decade. Nestled on Thistle Street away from the…

An inconspicuous door and narrow staircase lead you down to the four small, connected stone–walled rooms that form Shilla, which is clearly popular with Edinburgh’s Eastern Asian community who seem to take precedence with the serving staff. You’ll…

Run by the gregarious Stephanie Lo, Wok and Wine occupies a particular niche at the more elaborate end of Edinburgh’s Chinese dining scene. Beige walls, potted plants and long tablecloths give an upper-crust air that disguises its basement location, and…

Small and staunchly independent, Tollcross gem Passorn is now approaching its fourth birthday. Owner Cindy Sritsotorn has carved out a niche among larger and longer-established haunts by holding true to her passion for good cooking and uncompromising…

Entering from the grey Georgian slope of North Castle Street, the immediate impression fostered by the distractingly named Time 4 Thai is that of a well-turned-out place. The designers pursued a purple theme, with folded plum napkins, mauve chairs and a…