Mera Lahore, Edinburgh

26/27 Haddington Pl, Edinburgh EH7 4AF
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جس لاہور نہیں ویکھیا او جمیا ہی نہیں
“He who hasn’t seen Lahore, hasn’t been born.”
I arrived with Mrs Foodwala and Noma at Coco’s Den, in the Lahore Fort, just as the sun began to slip behind the pastel ochre-hued rooftops of old walled Lahore. The air was thick with the scent of history, mystery and woodsmoke, and then, as if on cue from the set of Wes Anderson, the Maghrib azaan drifted from a nearby Badshai Mosque, lonely at first, then answered one by one in a haunting cascade of calls from the city’s minarets.
Time slowed. The rickshaws paused. Even the crows bowed their heads to God’s majesty and seemed to hold their breath. The last rays of sunlight clung to the tips of the domes and minarets like reluctant devotees, unwilling to let go. For a moment, it felt as if Lahore wasn’t a city, but a memory you were somehow still living inside.
That memory flickered again at Mera Lahore in Edinburgh.
This eatery describes itself as a homage to the beautiful city of Lahore…shall we see if it lives up to it?

£7.95
8 out of 10
Flat, fierce, and unapologetically proud of its NWFP origins. But here at Mera Lahore, the chapli kebab was seasoned with confidence, cooked with care, and blessedly moist. Loved it. Originally, the chapli kebab is over-seasoned to mask the questionable quality of the lamb or beef, not the case here.

£ 5.95 7 out of 10
Moist chicken in a well-seasoned batter. But the portion? Stingy. A pakora should arrive like a generous, well-endowed Lahori, not like a tight Karachi walla.

£5.95 4 out of 10
Sadly, the chaat brought nothing to the party. Over-reliant on potatoes, with chickpeas that felt like reluctant guests and just a whisper of store-bought chaat masala, just filler.

£14.95
4 out of 10
Like Frank Pentageli said in The Godfather.. Your father did business with Hyman Roth; he respected Hyman Roth… but he never *trusted* Hyman Roth!
The Butt Karahi bubbled like a street-side argument in Anarkali—oily, masala-fused, and theatrical. But the flavour? Flat. A generic bhoona pretending to be a Butt Karahi. None of the ginger-snap or tomato tang you’d expect. A missed opportunity. So disappointed

£14.95
4 out of 10
Butter chicken? ….really?…More like a chasni. Sweet, creamy, and criminally off-mark. A curry in borrowed robes. Trading Standards should be alerted.

£40.00
5 out of 10
Like dad used to say…fur coat and no Knickers!!….
The Mix Grill was visually regal, like something carried into a Mughal court. But the substance didn’t match the style. Dry lamb seekh, leathery tikka, chicken wings straight out of a freezer aisle. Only the chicken kebab and tikka showed a spark. and all marinated in a very generic masala and only the kebabs felt fresh rest was reheated….way off
In Conclusion
The Mera Lahore is dirty, the toilets are filthy, the dining area is filthy, and the staff put cutlery on the chairs!! I am not being mean and vindictive, but the hygiene is seriously lacking
The food has had a flavour bypass; however, the chapli kebab was delicious, so all is not lost.
The service was very hit and miss, the young lady was accommodating in our requests and polite and with a smile so top marks with that, however her coulegues was grumpy, unkept and to be honest a wee bit sarcasticic. so the young lady’s hard work was undone by the young mans shurliness.
Star of the Meal
That accolade goes to in my humble opinion, to the Chapli Kebab, tasty, moist and well seasoned, desi style.
Honourable Mention
Since Mera Lahore is a Lahori/Pakistani canteen. So it has an enviable niche position, which it does not leverage
In the Food stakes, we have Yadgar, in Govanhill and Kebab Mahal in Edinburgh offering Desi home-style cooking. Further afield, we have Tayabbs in London and even Butt Karahi in Lahore
Halal Rating
Lamb and Chicken is HALAL
No Alcohol is served
100% impartial Guarantee
Alfie Foodwala visits all restaurants anonymously and pays for the bill like any other customer. Alfie Foodwala does not accept free meals in return for reviews.