International Starters

Love this place. Been twice adn the service ahs been exemplary.
Went with my husband who has a gluten intoelrance adn they ahve a separate menu!!!
They took extra care to ensureanything we had was not contaminated and ensured we knew which dishes were gluten-​free and which were not. Even offered tomake up a special dessert for my husband.
The food is always good. The coconut chicken and quesadillas stood out the most. But everything was good.
Highly recommend, especially if you are gluten-​free

International Starters for lunch? Why, yes, and not that terrible an option. While it is never going to ascent to the gastronomic heights, whilst stalking Leith for a vegetarian ‘light’ breakfast, that I realised that it’s actually really hard work… and it wasn’t til we got to International Starters that I found something that was going to work for what I craved. Which was Greek mezze and salad. And the strangest tamales I have seen, but eh, they tasted just fine. 3 plates, and I was stuffed as stuffed could be, and that was with the boy dipping into mezze and the salad along the way. This was a lunch deal for ten quid and kept me going for the rest of the day. While I don’t think I would rush back to IS soon, as looking at the rest of the menu did not particularly inspire me, it fit the requirements on a lazy Saturday afternoon.

I had read the previous review before heading along to International Starters but, as my friend had booked the meal, I was heading along there anyway. As Alice said, I think the principle of what is effectively international tapas is a great idea and, yes it was not the cheapest meal I’ve ever been for, but I had a really good meal and left feeling perfectly stuffed! There are a wide variety of different cuisines and the larger tables have lazy susan type things in them, making for easy sharing with groups. I tasted: haggis balls (very nice, I’d had something like this elsewhere and was really looking forward to trying them again!); meatballs — v. good and spicy; curly fries with bacon and cheese — normally I’m not a cheese on chips fan but these were really good; haggis, black pudding and a wee mushroom on a mini potato scone — not as good as the haggis balls actually but still tasty; wings of fire — these were ok, very spicy; I also ordered an indian-​y thing that I cant really recall what it was called! Overall the food was excellent and I enjoyed being able to taste a variety of different things in the one meal.
The restaurant itself had a nice atmosphere inside, service was sometimes a bit slow but the waitress remarked herself that she hadn’t been expecting it to be that busy on a Sunday night (’twas the night after the marathon).

International Starters seems like a good idea at the time; tapas but with food from all around the world. For the extortionate price each dish costs, you really don’t get much at all. The idea is that you get lots of things and share with your friends, and at roughly £6 per dish you would be expecting more than maybe two pieces of falafel, or brie, or haggis etc. The portion sizes are tiny, and it’s bloody expensive. It’s the sort of place you leave and have to swing by the chippie on the way out despite spending roughly £25 on 3 dishes and a glass of wine. The food isn’t that great quality either, it’s distinctly average and to be honest I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of it comes from the freezer section in Tesco. One to avoid, especially since the excellent Chop Chop is next door and they have an unlimited banquet for roughly the same price.

Don’t get me wrong, it’s a nice idea but, like communism, it’s better in theory than in practice.
Taking starters from all over the world makes it like an incredible international tapas, but which sadly turns out to be more expensive than going out for a four course meal somewhere which is more defined. Tampering with the solid rule of starter-​main-​pudding really does make you feel a little bit cheated and I’ve never walked away full.
The atmosphere in the day time is flat and empty and really is one of these places best suited for evenings and night times.

I think this restaurant is great idea — instead of orderign a main meal you instead select a number of starters from different menus eg Italian, Mexican, Scottish, Chinese or American.
The staff recommend 3 – 4 dishes per person on average £20 per head. The dishes are then brought out to you in stages and in no particular order.
It’s a nice place to go for a chat or catch up with friends. My fave were the coconut prawn.
I would suggest pre booking at the weekends.
Located on the shore in Leith.

International Starters on the Shore is a very clever complex. Similar to tapas you order lots of small dishes that arrive at different times and share them with your table.
There is a huge variety of starters to chose with ranges including Scottish, Indian, Chinese & Tex Mex food. There are so many options it’s a stuggle to decide what to order and you always end up ordering too much.
The food is tasty, but more like pub food than anything particularly fancy. Saying that i particularly enjoyed the haggis balls and fajitas.
Overall, this is a fun place for a group of friends to eat out, and not expensive. I wouldnt recommend it for a quiet meal for two though, as the food isnt up to it.

An old favorite of ours. I haven’t been for a little while but this is a great little restaurant.
As the others mentioned — you choose 2 or 3 or 4 dishes — depending on how hungry you are. Some dishes are very filling like potato skins or the cheesy chips, while others are a bit lighter, scallops, prawn skewers.
They bring the food as it is ready so it is always best to share — chances are that one person’s selections will all come out first.
It is a good place for kids — they can try lots of new things in small quantities. Also good for big groups — they have nice big round tables so you can chat to everyone.
Wine list is ok — quite small and not very exciting but some decent enough reasonably priced wine.
Worth a try I would say.

As the poster below said, it seems like a good idea, but International Starters is well over-​priced. A meal will end up costing you between £14-£20, which if you were to eat at any other restaurant, wouldn’t leave you feeling hungry afterwards.
Obviously, portions aren’t everything and this could have been made up for if the quality was up to scratch, which it wasn’t.
Money down the drain, don’t recommend it at all.
On the plus side all of this enabled me to come up with a new slogan for the place.
«International Starters: We’d Rip You Off in Any Currency»