Empires Cafe Bistro interior with hand-painted çini tiles and brass lanterns

Closed until Friday, September 4

Small Plates. Long Evenings.One Table off the Royal Mile.

Nineteen mezes, hot and cold. Pick three, pick five, or let the party menu keep coming. Warm bread, fresh salad, baklava and Turkish coffee to finish. Alcohol-free — bring your own bottle.

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Hoş Geldiniz · Welcome

A small house on the Royal Mile with a long memory of the Bosphorus.

Just steps from Edinburgh's Royal Mile, we cook the way our grandmothers did — with patience, with butter, beneath the same blue-and-burgundy tiles that watched empires come and go. Twenty seats. One open kitchen. Choose your mezes, share the bread, and stay for the coffee.

The Sofra

Mezes

All platters served with warm bread & a fresh herb salad

3 Meze Platter

£17.90

Three meze of your choice with warm bread & a fresh green salad.

Special 5 Meze Platter

£21.90

Five meze of your choice with warm bread & a fresh herb salad.

Special Party Menu

£28.90

4 or more people. An “all you can eat” selection of 12 hot & cold meze with warm bread & green salad, includes dessert.

Humus

GFVG

Classic dip of chickpeas, garlic, lemon & tahini

Cacik

GFV

Strained yoghurt with cucumber, garlic, virgin olive oil & mint

Acili

Toasted walnuts crushed with tomato, chilli, garlic & spices

Haydari

GFV

Dip of chargrilled aubergines combined with garlic, virgin olive oil & yoghurt

Zeytin

GFVG

Black & green olives, matured in an herb & lemon dressing

Ezme

GFVG

Delicious vine tomatoes with garlic, toasted cumin, chilli & parsley

Enginar

GFVG

Artichoke hearts in a light vinegar, oregano & olive oil

Fasulye

GFVG

Green beans cooked tomato in lemon, dill, onion & olive oil

Dolma

GFVG

Vine leaves stuffed with spice, rice & everything nice

Falafel

GFVG

Chickpeas, white beans, garlic, celery & sesame seed patties

Feta Peppers

GFV

Sliced bell peppers grilled with feta cheese, herb & spice filling

Patlican

GFVG

Aubergine cooked in tomato sauce with onion & hint of cinnamon

Muska Borek

Spinach, feta & onion in lightly baked filo pastry

Grilled Hellim

GFV

Slow grilled real Cypriot goat's milk halloumi cheese

Musakka

Succulent layers of aubergine, courgette, tomato & potato; in a creamy white sauce, sprinkled with cheese

Sucuk

Delicious air-dried Turkish garlic sausage

Chicken Shish

Cubes of special marinated & grilled chicken in lemon & olive oil

Kiremit Kofte

Sumptuous beef meatballs; oven-baked in a rich tomato sauce

Lamb Musakka

Succulent layers of aubergine, courgette, tomato & potato, with lamb mince covered in a creamy white sauce; sprinkled with cheese

GF Gluten free V Vegetarian VG Vegan
Before placing your order, please inform your server if a person in your party has any allergies or special dietary requirements.

To Finish · Refreshment

Desserts, Coffee & Drinks

Desserts

Baklava

£4.95

A selection of traditional Turkish sweets made with layers of filo pastry, nuts and syrup

Lokum

£4.00

Delicious cubes of mixed Turkish Delight

Coffee & Tea

Kahve

£4.00

Traditional Turkish coffee served black

Mint Tea

£4.00

Pot of freshly brewed mint leaves

Apple Tea

£4.00

With cinnamon and hibiscus brewed tea

Herbal Teas

£4.00

Camomile, peppermint, lemon ginger

Drinks

Fruit Juice

£4.50

Pomegranate, peach, sour cherry, apple juices

Soft Drinks

£3.50

Coke, Coke Zero, Sprite, Fanta

Still or Sparkling Water

£2.50

BYOB Policy

Bring Your Own Bottle

While we are an alcohol-free establishment, we invite you to complement your meal with your own favorite drinks. A small corkage fee applies: £4 per bottle of wine & £0.50 per beer (bottle or can).

Opening Hours