Kurdish and Middle Eastern food
Hanam’s is the only Kurdish restaurant in Edinburgh and represents Middle Eastern food well. I also love their dry bar and the balcony area where you can smoke some shisha and dream of far away places or re-live Middle Eastern experiences.
Hanam's Interior
The interior is as you would expect, with the large open dining room buzzing in the evenings with atmospheric music and dimmed lighting. Jamal the owner welcomes diners in the evening and the service is friendly and efficient.
I have eaten here twice in the evenings, once as part of a family meal and once in a larger group. This review covers a lunch time visit, where the service was adequate, but not particularly friendly as we tried to repeat the experiences of a recent Middle Eastern holiday. The waiter barely spoke to us and it was at the start of a lunch service, so not particularly busy.
It’s BYOB policy with no corkage fee at Hanams, but this didn’t concern us this visit as I opted for my favourite peach beer (non alcoholic). The falafel sandwich and salad was part of the lunch time deal that is offered, but is good representation of the quality of food served at Hanam’s. I managed to do without hummus (after eating it every day, 3 times a day for my whole holiday) but have tasted Hanam’s version on previous visits and it is fantastic, as is the Baba Ghanoush.
Falafel and salad
I love all the dips and bread that feature in Middle Eastern cuisine and tucked into the above as well as trying out my dining partners’ chicken kebab with flat bread and sauces.
Chicken Kebab
The evening portions are larger that those pictured and there is something on the menu catering for every taste as well as a good vegetarian selection of dishes. Time on this visit did not allow for dessert (or a smoke of the shisha) but there is a good selection of sweets on offer and Rosewater cupcakes supplied by Cupcakes and Ribbons. You can finish off your meal with Kurdish Cha or Arabian coffee and after feasting like an Arabian King from Hanam’s menu, you may just want to do that. You can also follow Hanam’s on twitter.
Verdict? Excellent food and service in wonderful surroundings, it must just have been an ‘off day’ when we visited for lunch and we all have them!
Suitable for disabled? Yes, with accessible bathrooms as well.
Unfortunately, I don’t think your experince was just an off day. My family loves Middle Eastern food & shisha. As we planned our holiday in Edinburgh, we discovered Hanam’s and couldn’t wait to try it. Well, we never got past the initial ‘welcome’. Our reception was so cold it made my daughter very uncomfortable, so we ended up leaving. After living in Jordan for a stint and eating at many ME restaurants, this was a first. We were SO looking forward to Hanams, but were disappointed. We are returning over the summer and plan on giving it another try. From your review, it seems evening might be a better option. Thanks for your site, we love it.
I am sure the owner of Hanam’s would be mortified to hear of your experience. It was a Jordan trip (Amman) we were trying to re create, but no where serves food as good as Hashim’s followed by dessert at Habiba!
The summer I spent in Jordan was amazing! Fell in love with the culture, the land, and most of all the people.
Looking forward to our return to Edinburgh and giving Hanam’s another try!
Have a wonderful day and thanks again for your site.
~Mark
Dear Mark,
We are so sorry about your experience, I take personal pride in ensuring that every customer is welcomed and enjoys not only fantastic food, but a warm and memorable dining experience. I can only apologise that you didn’t find this when you visited us. Please be assured that we read all customer feedback, and we act accordingly, holding staff meetings etc. We really hope you do come back to visit us, and that this time you will have the kind of dining experience I strive to provide to everyone.
Kind regards
Jamal
OK…just recently returned from a visit to Edinburgh.
All I can say is WOW…this was a a completely different experience than my first. The food was incredible, the hookah/shisha on the balcony was amazing…but even better was the service.
Thanks Hanam’s for being the best restaurant experience I had on my trip. Special thanks to Jamal, I really enjoyed the personal service and the great conversation.
When we move to Edinburgh in 2011, I will be a regular!
~Mark
Mark