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    Cosmo

    3.5 (38 reviews)
    InexpensiveBuffets
    Closed 12:00 pm - 3:00 PM, 5:30 PM - 10:30 PM

    Cosmo Photos

    COSMO ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

    Recommended Reviews - Cosmo

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    Reviews With Photos

    Linda V.

    We saw that this restaurant always had a line to get in; before we even wiggled up to the front and asked how long a wait and it was 45-60 minutes-so we passed . Tonight we got there before 6:30 pm on a Tuesday and were able to get right in! We THOUGHT this was an Asian restaurant and it was but also others... it is a buffet restaurant of Indian, Thai, Chinese, Teriyaki station, Italian and little American food (hamburgers, fries but fries are popular here). (I'm sure I missed some other nationality) Then a row of fruits and little desserts! I noticed there was a lot of nice shrimp... really everything seemed to be a cut above! We don't usually go the buffets but this one tasted good! They even had s chocolate fountain if one wanted it. Cost was 14.99£ including a soda drink.

    Entrance
    B L.

    Despite being turned away last time, I had faith in the Edinburgh branch of Cosmo and decided to go on to see if I could bag a table. Unsurprisingly, the place was packed and there was a huge queue to get your name on the waiting list. As we were in a party of four, we didn't have to wait long and within 20 minutes, we were at our table ready to eat. I had a Diet Pepsi to drink and it was just as you would expect it to be - sweet with no calories. I ended up going to refill my plate three or four times with their korma, rice, chips, pizza, chicken satays and sushi. I disliked the sushi, so I only ate half a piece. It is a bit too chewy for me. The korma was lovely. Creamy, and not too spicy. Just the way I like it. The pizza wasn't really too great but it seemed popular because the chefs were constantly refilling it. The chicken satays were a bit chewy as well, so I probably wouldn't have them again. For dessert, I tried the chocolate mousse with vanilla ice cream and the toffee apple cake with profiteroles. I was a little bit annoyed because the chocolate fountain was not turned on but it was quite near the end of lunch when we visited, so I guess they were getting ready to pack up. The toilets were a bit gross. The floor in the gents was really sticky. I would come back here - there was a good atmosphere. I just hope that they turn the chocolate fountain on and clean up the toilets. And I will be avoiding the sushi and chicken satays.

    Cosmo Bufets!
    Deryck W.

    Just coming up for air! Food overload from Italy, Japan, China and India. Incredible selection for all buffets and very reasonably priced. Very busy so not the best for an intimate dinner, but an experience to be sure. Only draw back is you're not going to get threw everything in one visit.

    nice looking buffet area
    Rex J.

    I want to start off my saying its one of the most aesthetically pleasing buffets I've been too. Service was fine, pretty irrelevant since it's a buffet. I'd say no particular choices were super impressive. A lot of the meats have sat out a bit (it could depend on the time of day since we went late on a Monday night). My favorite was the hibachi grill since food obviously is most fresh and is served to order. Something about the high temperatures of the grill gives meats and noodles a nice char flavor (the best). I'm a big lamb guy, and the lamb is just so so. Once again, it was a bit dry having sat out for awhile. (I attached a picture) Finally, dessert was probably the best. The banoffee cake was unlike anything I've ever had being from America. I really enjoyed this. I'm sure you could find it better at a fresh bakery, still good tho. Overall, not quite as nice as it looks. Slightly pricy for dinner but lunch is a bargain. I think it's worth a try since this is my own personal account. I attached a few photos to help you make your decision.

    Best variety of foods for everyone at good prices. One tip get there early you want a seat.

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    8 years ago

    Great place for a family. Everyone can find food they would like among different cuisines. Great tasting food and good service.

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    8 years ago

    Great price for tourist to have an all you can eat meal. Food is buffet food so you get what you pay for. It fills the tummy.

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    Review Highlights - Cosmo

    Try the Indian food for sure and don't forget about the chocolate fountain.

    Mentioned in 6 reviews

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    China Red

    China Red

    4.1(17 reviews)
    1.0 miOld Town
    ££

    China Red is quite the blessing in a city like Edinburgh. The price, quality, and variety make this…read moreplace absolutely worth it, especially for lunch time. I came on a Saturday afternoon with two friends for £10.99 per person. For this price, we were able to eat to our hearts' content from all the noodles, meats, veggies. The food ranges from Chinese dishes to Western fried goods to Japanese sushi. There is even a crepe station where they make chinese savory crepes or chocolate banana crepes right in front of you! It is safe to say that I was very pleased with the selection. The only thing is that there was not much seafood items and the sushi rolls were pretty cheaply made with minimal fillings. Nonetheless, it was still satisfactory due to all the other options available. I was pleasantly surprised by the peking duck wraps as well, which is quite the treat in Chinese culture. There are a few cakes, fruits, and ice cream for dessert although I do think this could be improved. I even saw a waffle bubble wrap station, but no one was there to make them unfortunately. Overall, this is the place for your Asian cravings or when you're feeling really hungry. As someone who grew up eating Asian food all of my life, China Red does a good job with the Chinese food and more. Come here for lunch to really make it worthwhile.

    Why you dont expect luxury fine dining food quality this place exceeded expectations even of my…read moreJapanese wife! Probably largest selection of meats of any Chinese buffet we've been to globally Not as greasy as we are used to Very cool modern classy atmosphere Huge election of fresh salads Very reasonable price- just 10 pounds for lunch all u can eat

    Photos
    China Red
    China Red
    China Red

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    Makars Gourmet Mash Bar - Crown Of Slow Cooked Beef Shoulder With A Rich Horseradish Infused Gravy

    Makars Gourmet Mash Bar

    4.8(536 reviews)
    0.6 miOld Town, Royal Mile
    ££

    Fabulous and generous portions. Our party tried multiple dishes and all loved them. I had the…read morechicken with smoked cheddar potatoes and it was amazing. Great service and we were in and out without feeling rushed. Definitely recommend a reservation

    We were very excited to be lucky enough to get in. Malays is very busy and reservations are…read morestrongly recommended. We were visiting the area and decided to try to stop in. The first try was in the evening by and the wait was full. The second time was at lunch and with luck we got in. It is a pleasure! There are two places a few doors apart. One for reservations and one for the walk-ins. The place is modern and rustic, fits the vibe of the city. The staff are friendly and efficient with lots of knowledge about the food. The meal was outstanding. For a casual dining experience. This is a wonderful option. The haggis was a great version and the mash is lovely. Slightly creamy with the added flavors make it more than basic mash. The bacon and onion was not overpowering and complimented the haggis wonderfully. The lamb was perfect, fell off the bone with a deep rich sauce. The scotch bonnet added flavor without a lot of heat. The broccoli was perfectly steamed and still crispy. Everything was fresh and bright and balanced. We fully loved the entire experience!

    Photos
    Makars Gourmet Mash Bar - Downstairs inside the restaurant

    Downstairs inside the restaurant

    Makars Gourmet Mash Bar - Homemade Free Range Gourmet Scotch Egg

    Homemade Free Range Gourmet Scotch Egg

    Makars Gourmet Mash Bar - Makars Wild Boar Sausage With Beef Dripping Gravy

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    Makars Wild Boar Sausage With Beef Dripping Gravy

    Red Fort

    Red Fort

    3.9(38 reviews)
    0.7 miNewington
    ££

    In previous reviews I have mentioned my predisposition to buffet restaurants, given my gargantuan…read moreappetite. Well here it is playing a part again. So many buffets are greasy, salty, cheapest meat, bland options. This can turn off even me. Indian restaurant Red Fort isn't like this. The food at Red Fort isn't maybe connoisseur curry but it's still pretty good and not the cheap quality I was expecting. Needless to say this makes their lunch time buffet an even more attractive option. For students this will only cost you £6, otherwise £6.85 or £3.50 for children under ten. One of the strengths of Indian restaurants for me is there usually better than average vegetarian selection. Indeed Red Fort's buffet offers a very good vegetarian selection. The only draw back I can see from Red Fort might be that it can get a bit busy, at least during term time or festival weekends. For some reason it attracts quite large groups. So you might want to avoid these busiest times.

    Everyone I know raves about this place, so I didn't mind at all when I heard we were heading there…read morefor a meal before a recent night out. When we got there though, the place was full of Uni sports teams filling themselves up on as much curry and beer as was humanly possibly, and they were making sure that the whole restaurant knew it! The food wasn't bad, although with it being a Saturday night they were quite busy, and so service wasn't the best or the fastest. When the food came, it had obviously been waiting under a heat lamp because my curry had formed a skin on the top of it. That said, I've done my fair share of part-time waitressing jobs so I know how horrible it can be when you have so many big groups in, and when i'd scraped that off the underneath part was gorgeous. The spice level was just right, and unlike lamb dishes in a lot of cheaper curry places the meat wasn't at all chewy or fatty. Everyone tells me I just had a rare one-off bad experience. I'm going to go back and try their lunch buffet and see if that's true. Watch this space...

    Photos
    Red Fort
    Red Fort - Image courtesy of http://www.redfortedinburgh.co.uk/

    Image courtesy of http://www.redfortedinburgh.co.uk/

    Red Fort

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    Mr Basrai's World Cuisines Edinburgh - Food

    Mr Basrai's World Cuisines Edinburgh

    3.3(12 reviews)
    1.6 mi
    ££

    I really enjoy this place. Used to always go as a child, so it brings good memories. Really nice…read morefood for a buffet at a good price. Place looked good but unfortunately they have had renovations and got rid of the lovely view they had. Such a shame. And I can't rate it five because you serve yourself. Also we didn't get the full 1 hour 45 promised as we only got an hour.

    I am writing this on Christmas day night watching my wife vomit in a bowl which I think tells you…read morehow terrible this place is and praying I am not going to have to ring a ambulance for food poisoning We booked months ago for our family of four with a 50% cash deposit and got a written receipt for Christmas day but on arrival we where told we had only paid a £10 deposit each and shown a machine receipt for £40 we had never receive, not the £80 cash receipt we paid. The new receipt was obviously put in the till after the fact later and wrong but because I didnt have written receipt with me we where screwed. It gets better on checking the new food & drink receipt at the table we where charged for FIVE drinks not the four we ordered, after a very long argument with the waiter we got the extra drink we never received refunded but told it will take 7-10 days for the refund. If it was not Christmas day and I was not with my wife and family I would have demanded a full refund there and then but obviously if I did that theres not Christmas Dinner on Christmas day for my family. It continued with my wife's parma violet gin coming wrong and being given something disgusting she couldn't drink, at this point we had gave up complaining because they simply didn't care. I personally didn't eat one thing because of the bad taste in my mouth from the experience and couldn't wait to leave. On leaving my wife went to order a taxi onside with my kids whilst I spoke to the owner. To my surprise all I got was an aggressive agourgant little man who sproated ruddish about how he had a million pound turn over binssnes and didnt need my money he did noticed I hadn't eaten a thing and offerd a 1 person refund that ultimately I didn't receive and he clearly just wanted rid of me and in fairness I just wanted to leave completely frustrated and annoyed with the whole situation. On leaving to get the taxi home I found my wife vomiting on the street outside which she is still doing nearly 4 hours later. My best advice would be to avoid this place and if you do go check your receipt and definitely do not book months in advance with cash. At this moment none of that helps with our Christmas ruined watching my wife vomiting time and time again, it's not even food coming up now its just foam fluid bit of freindly advice Mr Basrai's yours customers should always come first and when someone doesn't eat a thing in protest on Christmas day which you noticed theres clearly an issue and playing billy big balls with bravado is not the answer. I and all my family and associates will never step foot in your establishment ever again but I know who will! You should be very careful who you try to rip off and serve bad food to. Avoid this place like the plague, in fact the plague would better than Mr Basrai's. This is the most unprofessional, rude corrupt restaurant that serves food that can put you in hospital where it looking like my wife is heading soon if she doesn't stop being sick soon.

    Photos
    Mr Basrai's World Cuisines Edinburgh - Salad bar restaurant edinburgh

    Salad bar restaurant edinburgh

    Mr Basrai's World Cuisines Edinburgh - Mr basrai bar

    Mr basrai bar

    Mr Basrai's World Cuisines Edinburgh - Sushi

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    Sushi

    Cosmo - buffets - Updated July 2026

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