David Bann

In the time just after I moved to the U.K. in 2014, husband and I made a list of restaurants we’d like to scope out together in Edinburgh. As long-​time vegheads, David Bann naturally made our list, but it was only last night that we finally got to give ‘er a whirl thanks to some vouchers from hub’s work.
David Bann features a cozy interior of small, candle-​lit wooden tables with nice darkened ambiance. Unfortunately for us, despite the fact that we got there at around 7 PM and the place was mostly empty, we were still seated just in front of the serving station where waitresses came and went collecting and dispensing food. It was a bit distracting to be sat there to be completely honest – S.O. and I agreed that perhaps that space would be better served being an empty spot, after all, there is quite a bit of space inside for seating. (The place did end up filling up very quickly, so perhaps it’s understandable them using the space!)
Despite that, we were served and in quick progression beers and starters were presented. I had a polenta dish with goat curd and pesto, whereas my partner had a veggie tart that seemed fully loaded with cheese. Both were on point, and the mains that followed – mine a dense meal featuring aduki beans, his a delicious rendition of kofta. Not to be outdone though (afterall, when else will we get to treat ourselves with vouchers?!) we finished it all off with a sharing platter of desserts, consisting of little chocolates filled with sambuca, whisky and vanilla pannacotta, pineapple sorbet, and more. It was seriously DELICIOUS. (Be warned: if you try to run to catch your bus after a meal like this, you will feel like you are either about to give birth or hurl, so be advised NOT to do this.)
On leaving, partner and I agreed that David Bann was an excellent meal that we’d be more than willing to return to treat ourselves to later. Our only qualms with the place would be the rather brusque service from the night as well as our seating – nothing major, except after drinks arrived we were greeted with a, «Well, whatdya want??» from our waitress. Perhaps a little bit more friendliness woulnd’t be amiss – despite that, not enough to detract from the overall experience! As a higher-​end restaurant, the prices were still pretty reasonable, especially if you aren’t planning on pulling out all the stops like we did. The food offers plenty of variety as well as excellent portion sizes. This is the sort of thing we enjoy seeing going out to eat, too often gifted with tiny portions at restaurants that only offer one or two veggie options to begin with. (Seriously guys – veggies are cheap, and when you see your friends tucking into a whole steak and a huge portion of chips alongside, you don’t want a mere thimblefull of risotto for yourself!)

I gotta say I was a little disappointed with my meal. I suppose I came into it with high expectations since the restaurant specializes in vegetarian food… so I thought hey of course it is going to be good. But eh… judging off what I ordered, I wouldn’t make a point to come back.
My boyfriend and I decided to order two main dishes and split them. We ordered the vegetable stir fry udon noodles with smoked tofu and the
Chilli pancake with grilled sweet potato, courgette and chocolate sauce. In my opinion the stir fry’s flavoring was off. I can pinpoint what it was, but I didn’t care for it. The chili pancake was pretty good but the chocolate sauce killed it for me. I’m not sure if they were going for a mole’ taste, but the chocolate sauce tasted like melted hersheys. It didn’t make sense in the dish and I would have liked it a lot more if it was left out.
However, my friend ordered the risotto of roasted red pepper with kale and kohlrabi — I tried a bite and it was delicious.
Also, our waitress was an absolute joy. She was attentive, sweet and charming. I can also say the double gin and tonic was potent — which is always a plus.
All in all, I say this place is ok. Id stay away from the stir fry and chili pancake.

Absolutely a-​ma-​zing! Definitely on my top 10 for best vegetarian restaurants!
Everything we tried was top noch, I asked my risotto to be made without celery and it was accommodated with no problem.
Thai fritters and banana chutney were to die for! Mushroom strudel with mash and vegetable ragout was just divine!!! Can’t wait to come back!
Two out of 3 in our table were not vegetarian and both completely loved their meals too we shared a bit of everything between the 3 of us!
Staff was really kind and food came out quickly and fresh, awesome place!!!

This place has got me looking at vegetables in a whole new light! The food is brilliant, different and excellent value for money. The restaurant is quite big but yet feels cosy and the staff very chatty, friendly and helpful. Starter homemade basil ravioli was presented gorgeously and tasted lovely, mains were inventive and inspiring — chilli bean pancake with dark chocolate sauce was a taste sensation! The mushroom strudel very good and aubergine and chick pea koftas bursting with flavour and taste. Every dish was served hot and on warm plates:) Happy days! We shared a vegan desert of raspberry jelly with coconut sorbet which was the perfect end to a perfect meal. Well done David Bann. £117 total bill for 3 starters, 3 mains, 1 desert, 1 bottle house champagne and water. Excellent value for money. Can’t wait to go back.

A bit pricey, but very good food and atmosphere.
So I’ve enjoyed my first David Bann experience tonight and I have to say that despite the overall priciness of the food and wine, it was excellent food as well as service. I, along with two others, had an evening reservation for Saturday evening. Upon arrival, we were escorted to our table and brought water and bread.
Our orders were all different, but mine was the risotto of asparagus, with celery and lemon. It tasted really fresh and delicious overall, with the broth being one of my favourite parts of the actual dish. The wine we ordered was a Chilean cabernet sauvignon from 2013, which was also quite good and went well with our food.
For dessert, I opted for the ice cream (chocolate and vanilla). Besides being delicious, it was also well-​presented and it came with fruit. Overall, I am very pleased with my entire meal at David Bann and the service was much better than places I’ve been at in Edinburgh. I am not a vegetarian either, but even I can appreciate the food and atmosphere here.
In the end, I would consider coming back with my vegetarian friends or with anyone who wanted to try something different than the normal meat-​centered meal.

Summary based on one dinner:
–ok, better than average food, but not quite up to the hype
–relatively inexpensive
–service seemed ok
–ok décor

Lovely place! I was met with a smile and the waiter was straight over. He was charming, patient and efficient. I chose things I’d never tried before including a pudding with parsnips and blue cheese. Everything was beautifully cooked and tasty. My red wine arrived at room temperature which was perfect. When it came time to leave I found I had no cash for a tip so I emptied my purse. Sorry Mr Waiter, it was everything I had! Next time I’ll come prepared :-)

Who would have thought that you could get a world class brilliantly conjured vegetarian restaurant in the middle of Edinburgh!
The starters were definitely the best part about the menu. The caramelised onio tartlet with smoked cheese and slow dried tomato was delicious. The ravioli parcel was sublime with an elegantly blended mix of artichoke and chickpeas.
The mains were very moderately priced between £10−12 (moderate wrt London restaurant pricing). We tried the red pepper risotto, stir fried vegetables with udon noodles and smoked tofu and the Mushroom strudel with mash and Mediterranean vegetables. Everything was very flavourful, especially given that it was all vegetarian cooking.
We skipped dessert, and short of came back another time to try the remaining items on the menu. Highly recommended for vegetarians. The idea behind going to David Bann, especially for me who can’t finish a meal without animal protein, was to take a set of elderly vegetarian Indians, a rather tough audience because of their seasoned and stubborn taste buds; and they loved everything on their plate.
The super friendly service (they did take some time to get us our food though), along with a tastefully modern décor gave us something of a warm welcome in Edinburgh.

Niemals hätte ich gedacht, dass vegetarische Küche so vielfältig ist und so exklusiv hergerichtet werden kann. Alles hat einfach fabelhaft geschmeckt! Der Service war erstklassig, überaus freundich und sehr aufmerksam. Trotz der gehobenen Klasse und es des exlusiven und stylishen Interieurs ein dazu noch sehr angenehmes Publikum. Ein Restaurant, in dem man unter anderem gut entspannen kann und keinerlei Hektik (weder vom Personal noch von der Straße) mitbekommt, auch muss man hier nicht seine Abengarderobe rausgraben. Unbedingt vorreservieren und auch als Fleischliebhaber probieren!

Without doubt, the best vegetarian/​vegan restaurant I’ve been to in the UK. The only one I’ve been to that is better was in Melbourne.
Anyhoo, I have been here four or more times and on every occasion I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the food. The service, food and staff are all outstanding. I love taking omnivorous friends here to allow them to sample just how good a meal can be that doesn’t contain animal parts.
If I had any comment for improvement it would be that I would completely veganise the menu. I know that they will endeavour to make vegan a vegetarian choice if you ask, but I think this would be a perfect vegan place to dine if they veganised the whole menu. With the options available to cook vegan now it wouldn’t be too difficult.
Regardless of this minor point though, I greatly look forward to eating here any time I am in Edinburgh. I love the fact that you can’t book during the festival, as I like to spontaneity of eating out that this accommodates.
I always recommend this restaurant to people if I know they will be visiting Edinburgh, and I also feel that a visit to Edinburgh without eating here is not a proper visit.