Excellent breakfast of smashed avocado on sourdough, two poached eggs, and a rocket salad with a…read moreflat white. A real treat and just what I was looking for on a grey Thursday morning. Service was prompt, helpful, and upbeat too. A+++.

Whenever we visit Edinburgh, from the US, we always make a point to have breakfast at Birchwood…read more The vegetarian enjoys Eggs Benedict with mushrooms. Another of us loves Eggs Benedict with smoked bacon. And I look forward to the glWholesome plate -- granola with berries, toasted bagel, and smoked salmon. With various coffees. It's all very delicious and satisfying. Just went there this week. We'll be back next visit!​

A wee, cozy coffee shop just about a mile down from the Royal Mile. It's a bit more of a…read moreneighborhood feel in this side. It was a good pre-stop to Arthur's Seat hike on the difficult trail. Fabulous tea, since there wasn't a table when I arrived around noon, I took an Edinburgh Frost to go. Good strong, milky, gingerbready sweet.

What a gorgeous café! I can't believe it took me so long to visit despite living so close (it feels…read morelike I say that a lot). As I arrived, I saw the lovely "People love us on Yelp" sticker- always a good sign! And there is a lot to love! There is space for about 15 people inside, so it's not very large, and we were lucky to get a cute table for two near the door. We were immediately welcomed by a smiling server, who was very nice indeed. The cakes were on display in a cabinet and in the window area, and there was a nice selection. I ended up having a piece of Victoria Sponge, and Mary a chocolate cake. We also had a pot of tea for two. The tea came in a super cute tea cosy and with two fine china cups. The cake followed soon after, and they were both tasty. Clearly fresh, moist, and sweet. We both enjoyed them immensely. The place also has a nice menu of breakfast food, soup, scones etc. so there is a lot of choice. I'll be back.

Hyped place but lowkey worth it. We went in the afternoon and it wasn't too busy which was nice…read more The small snacks are the real hero here, had the earl grey pound cake which was fab.

The Milkman is a very overrated coffee shop. It is recommended in almost every social media video…read moreabout Edinburgh, but I feel like choosing this over some other options was a waste. The iced latte is standard; okay. Their almond croissant was crazy sweet, the type that makes your stomach a bit sick. I didn't appreciate that half of their pastries were laid out/stacked in the open air. When you're ordering, you're having to speak over them (doesn't seem sanitary).

Needing a quick lunch we ended up at August_21. Nice vibe, nice and interesting sandwiches…read more(although a small selection) and a great hot chocolate. A great find and well worth coming back to.

Simple, good food, excellent coffee, friendly people. Went multiple times and quality was always…read morethe same.

I only came in for a breakfast roll, but ended up having eggs on toast…read more The coffee's also not bad. Cheery service and reasonable prices, and they're open early on a Sunday morning - that'll do nicely.

I give Thistles a 5 star rating as the cafe is lovely, bright and modern inside, the staff are…read morepolite and friendly, the breakfast rolls hit the spot and its all cheap as chips. I would highly reccommend.

A great place to start your day with a fantastic breakfast. Open early and located conveniently in…read moreOld Town Edinburgh. Excellent pastries and sandwiches. Very friendly staff and spotless cleanliness.

Great little place in Edinburgh for coffee, pastries and breakfast selections. Had a croissant and…read morecoffee here with my friend while we were visiting the city. Absolutely delicious and will keep it on our list next time we head out that way!

I've been to the Fat Cat Cafe on a few occasions, mainly to see really pretentious university…read morepoetry readings, or on my way into the Bedlam Theatre to see a show. The decoration is actually pretty cool, with loads of vintage posters of shows that have been performed in the past in the theatre. This year is Bedlam's thirtieth year at the Fringe, so I'm guessing the cafe has almost aged with it, though probably not fully. They serve coffees (only filter) and teas, as well as beer, wine and spirits at night, during the Festival. It's pretty cheap to drink there, surprisingly, at 2 quid a beer. They also make soups and toasties, and have fresh sandwiches made on site (together with their cakes and brownies) and there's a selection of pastries et al from Stromboli delicatessen, but only during the festival. The only reason I'm not giving this place 5 stars is because even though the space is really cool and everything's fairly cheap, it's also replete with pretentious actors, who seem to think they'll be the next Marlon Brandos.

From the owner: We serve tasty snacks along with hot, soft and alcoholic drinks throughout the day. Boasting free…read moreWiFi, comfy sofas and a welcoming atmosphere. Our café has been a favourite Fringe hangout over the years.

We were looking for a place to get coffee and a bite which would fit two buggies. A tall order! My…read morefriend spotted Cobbs and a quick glance in the door revealed a spacious and charmingly decorated cafe which even sports a kid-sized easel, indicating to us that our buggies wouldn't be looked at with disdain. We were right. It seemed that Cobbs' main clientele are students (parked with laptops and coffee) and mums (with buggies, coffee and cake). Sandwiches are displayed pre-heating which makes them come very quickly once ordered and is great. We also passed gorgeous scones and drooled over a huge selection of tray bake type sweets. Presentation of everything was gorgeous. We both really enjoyed every aspect of our visit bar one niggle: the toilets. In a place which sets such a high design standard I was surprised to find the toilets dingy, cold and overall pretty neglected. A new floor and a lick of paint would do wonders! But overall, a great wee place.

Occupying the space that was once Freemans, Cobbs is comfortable, spacious and inviting…read more The prices are on the lower side of typical Edinburgh cafes but I feel this is reflected in the portion size. Not necessarily a bad thing, but something to keep in mind. My coffee was ok and my pancakes were tasty but definitely left me wanting something more. It's an order at the counter system and there's a station for water & cutlery where you help yourself. There's free wifi and they seem quite happy to let you sit and chat or work. It's not a bad option if you're in the areas but not worthy of trekking across town for.

We ended up at Southpour by happy accident, after the place we were planning on eating down the…read morestreet could not accommodate us due to a large party. It worked out though! The decor and vibe was beautiful, the drinks were good, and the food was outstanding. We tried the Aubergine Schnitzel, Fried Burrata, and Sourdough appetizer and all of it was delicious. I would definitely go back if lucky enough to return to Edinburgh.

We have been quite a few times to Southpour, but were quite disappointed this time. The atmosphere…read morewas still fine, the issue was the brunch. The menu is much less exciting than it used to be, the amount quite small for the price and the execution relatively poor. We hope that it recovers, but, otherwise, we'll give it a miss.

This is a hidden gem, in an excellent location between Lothian Road and the Meadows. Angelo (not…read moresure if Marcella is a surname, or somebody else's name) runs the place by himself, so you might be waiting a while for your order, depending on how busy it is, but you won't be disappointed. The food is authentic, delicious, and extremely good value! We visited for a meal before a concert on Lothian Road, and were one of only two couples at the place initially. (A much larger group arrived just as we finished, so I'm glad that timing worked out!) I wanted pasta, so ordered a simple spaghetti bolognese. Mary ordered a pizza with a variety of vegetables. We brought our own bottle of wine, after reading previous reviews that suggested free corkage. BYOB is absolutely fine, but the corkage is NOT free. It cost £2 for the bottle of wine. However, it's fine, because the rest of the meal was very good value. That said, I am a little confused about the corkage cost, because I did not see any alcohol for sale on the menu... The food, when it arrived, was excellent. The portions were generous, everything tasted great. We also had garlic bread as a starter and apple pie for dessert. The decor of the place is very simple, nothing fancy here. There are nice pictures from Italy (mostly Sicily), and some AC Milan decor. Angelo certainly isn't very talkative, but he's welcoming, and makes good food. Recommended.

This is something of a hidden gem. It wouldn't fare well if you were to judge on looks alone. It is…read morerun by a slightly grumpy Italian man who I assume is Marcella, he is never to be rushed so if you are eating in it may seem he has forgotten your order but he hasn't! The interior is decorated in plastic flowers, plastic fruit and blue tiling. However, I urge you to look past this as it all adds to the unique experience of Marcella and, if you are anything like me, you will learn to love the quirks of this establishment. Serving big plates of hot, tasty, filling food at budget prices is my go to place after a long, cold, grey Edinburgh day. A huge plate of pasta, garlic bread and a drink will set you back £5. If you want to splash out on a three course feast you won't be out of pocket by more than around £12. As well as great pizza and pasta you should also try one of the many sweet pies and pastries he erves. Rather than going to one of the many coffee shop chains around, head to Marcella and get yourself a pie and cappucino for the same price as a skinny latte in a certan multi national coffee chain that shall remain nameless!