Edinburgh/ mezze/ Middle Eastern/ restaurant/ review

Review: Pomegranate – Make sure you get the “mezze” of this place…

Pomegranate restaurant's mezze.
Photo of mezze courtesy of Pomegranate’s website

I paid a second visit to Pomegranate in March 2013, having previously been there with friends at the end of 2012, and the experience was once again joyous. If you are a fan of middle-eastern cuisine – or even if you have never tried it before, but like good food, well served – I would recommend you dine at this restaurant.

Located at the top of Leith Walk, Pomegranate serves an excellent range of authentic Turkish and Arabian dishes with a contemporary twist. The menu includes kebabs, bamya (meat and okra stew) , and shawarma (grilled meat or vegetables, often served in a naan bread) . But the real star of their show is the selection of mezze – a sort of middle-eastern tapas, for those not in the know. My partner and I went for the set mezze for two people, which allows for a choice of six dishes from their extensive mezze menu, including two that are meat based – vegetarians will be delighted to hear the majority of their mezze dishes are meat free, and mouth-wateringly good.

Service was friendly and efficient, and the dishes arrived within 10 minutes of our order being taken, all at the same time and accompanied by a large naan bread that was fresh out the oven. All our mezze were delicious, but my particular favourite was soujuk – spicy Lebanese sausage sautéed in tomato, green pepper, garlic and chilli. As well as being delectable, the set mezze menu provides excellent value for money at £27 for two people. Combined with the fact that Pomegranate is BYOB and charges no corkage, a fantastic meal can be had without lightening one’s wallet to any great extent.


Anyone looking for a quiet dining experience should be aware that the restaurant is constantly busy, with décor to match. But if you hanker after an authentic middle-eastern meal that won’t cost a packet, make a bee-line for Pomegranate – you will not be disappointed.

Food – 7/10
Atmosphere – 6/10
Service -8/10
Value – 8/10

Ambience – Expect a venue with a café-esque ambience.

Pomegranate on UrbanspoonSquare Meal
[This review is based on one posted on Tripadvisor in March 2013]

You Might Also Like

No Comments

  • Reply
    James
    March 28, 2014 at 10:49 am

    Hi Chris, glad to see you blogging about a subject close to both our hearts. And yes, perhaps we just chose badly. But the baked aubergine came as two pieces, each the size of a cork from a wine bottle.

    I actually don't know of anywhere Middle Eastern per se that I'd recommend, although for mezze the dreadfully-named My Big Fat Greek Kitchen is excellent.

  • Reply
    Chris Berry
    March 28, 2014 at 10:49 am

    Hi James, and thanks for your comment. On the two occasions I've eaten at Pomegranate, I've certainly left pretty full, so thought the mezze portions were fine for my appetite. The mezze menu is quite extensive, so maybe we just were lucky in our choices, but I didn't think the food we sampled was dull. I'm keen to go back and try something else, other than Pomegranate's mezze, though.

    Or maybe you might like to recommend another Middle Eastern restaurant that's worth a visit and review?

  • Reply
    James
    March 28, 2014 at 10:49 am

    The service was lovely when I was in a few weeks ago, but I thought the mezze was pretty dull and unadventurous. Oh, and tiny even by mezze standards..

  • Leave a Reply

    Subscribe to receive email updates from Scrumptious Scran