Sabzi: Home‑Style Punjabi Cooking on Ferry Road

Sabzi is a genuinely unique Indian restaurant. Sitting on Ferry Road in a former Blockbuster Video, the family‑run spot began life as a COVID pop‑up — and the rest, as they say, is history.

Acid‑bright rainbow colours and a bold, chubby font define the branding, which frontman Stevie Singh tells me was the result of a bit of bootstrap creativity in 2021. The family were twiddling their thumbs during lockdown, but Stevie’s dad had once owned The Far Pavilions restaurant and later a café at 162 Ferry Road. At the restaurant, he served Indian cuisine on linen tablecloths, but in the kitchen the staff were eating home‑cooked Punjabi curries — so that’s what the family decided to cook for the pop‑up.

It worked. There were queues down the road for their mum’s home‑cooked food.

The entrance — a seventies‑leaning shade of purple — opens into a bustling café‑style space with a Bollywood poster wall, a rack of colourful branded sweatshirts, and a small counter stacked with bottles of masala ketchup and jars of golden turmeric latte mix.

We take our seats and look up at the wall where a cinema‑style lightbox lists the dishes. Four starters, three sides, five mains. The simplicity belies the difficulty of choosing; we want everything. Sabzi has recently shifted from a weekly to a monthly menu, which means with repeat visits you can eventually try it all.

We start with Pineapple Puchka, their take on Pani Puri. We spoon chickpeas with pineapple and mint into the crisp shells, add chutney and tamarind water, and eat these flavour bombs whole.

Next comes Mutton Malai, Crisp Chilli Paneer, and House Black Dahl — all arriving quickly and all at once. The mutton (from MacDuff in Wishaw) has melded harmoniously with its sauce, each tasting of the other.

Stevie explains that while many restaurants rely on base gravies and add protein to order, Sabzi cooks everything homestyle, one pot at a time, ready to serve. The food is as fresh and colourful as the branding. The paneer is generous and deeply satisfying — curd‑tight, cheesy, and coated in a fruity sauce with gentle heat. Mr Bite and I agree that Sabzi’s cooking is defined by warm, fresh flavours rather than fire. A garlic naan on the side helps mop up the creamy, simmered dahl, and I ask for a doggy bag to take the rest home; it’s just as good the next day.

We’ve forgotten about dessert, but Stevie appears with complimentary Pani Puri filled with strawberry syrup, Nutella, and condensed milk. It’s a Neapolitan ice-cream flavour of explosion — playful, nostalgic, and unexpectedly delightful. A final touch of Mukhwaas — sugar‑coated fennel seeds — sweetens and freshens after the meal.

Sabzi isn’t licensed, but we enjoy seasoned lemonade and turmeric lattes from an extensive ‘softies’ menu including zero-alcohol beers. I also clock the breakfast offering, which looks phenomenal.

And that name: Sabzi simply means vegetables — or a vegetable dish — in Hindi and Punjabi, a homely word that speaks to everyday cooking and the food families make for themselves. We’re lucky to have a restaurant sharing that culture with such generosity — their strapline says it best: good food for good people.

Related: More Indian Restaurant reviews here.

Sabzi - 162 Ferry Road, Edinburgh EH6 4NX - +44131 378 8361

Opening hours: Monday-Tuesday closed, Wednesday-Sunday 5pm-9pm

Collection hours

Wednesday-Thursday 5pm-9pm, Friday 12 noon-9pm, Saturday - Sunday 10 am- 9pm