All my research said that IJ Mellis was a must and I understand why. This tiny cheese shop located…read moreon Victoria Street is booming with business. Likely for the cheese, but also for the service! Even though crowded and busy, the staff was so delightful and friendly! They let us sample some cheeses before we made our selections. We went with all Scottish cheeses, because when in Scotland. They were fabulous!! We got a mix of cheddar, Gouda and blue that we can't wait to enjoy on our upcoming train ride. Prices are fair and by weight. Yum!

Fantastic! If you're a cheese lover, you must stop by. The staff member was so unbelievably kind…read moreand knowledgeable. I got an aged Scottish cheddar and it was amazing. They even suggested the proper cracker to go nicely with it. They'll give you a sample, so just ask! It's a small place but so cozy and welcoming.

I visited and fell in love with their food hall at Elm Row. I'd walked past what had initially felt…read morelike a mediocre street only to discover the most impressive deli I've seen in Edinburgh! They had all sorts of cheeses, olive oil, cold cut meats, pasta, sauces, and many more deliciously delectable things. I had great hopes for this Valvona and Crolla, situated in THE department store of the city centre, Jenners. I was sadly disappointed to find it has much less character than the rustic and homey store on Elm Row. You will still find great food that I was impressed by the other store, and perhaps even more as they have an American Food section, with the popular staples such as Pop Tarts and Aunt Jemima mixes and syrups. There is an adjoining restaurant with fantastic views over and beyond Princes Street, and two smaller cafes, one in the food hall, and another on a lower floor by the men's clothes section. The food here is a little pricier than going to a supermarket as would be expected, but for a foodie like me, it's well worth it. Just go to the Elm Row one instead. Nuff said.

Not bad at all, which I guess means good to more optimistic folk…read more Had a coffee, a delicious but slightly over-salty quiche and a slice of Baileys cheesecake for my breakfast (cheesecake is so a breakfast food! Shutup!) We sat in the cafe overlooking Princes Street and I must say it is a nice place to have some food when the sun is shining but the wind is blowing. Lovely view of Scott's Monument and the surrounding area, with the hustle and bustle of the main street while you sit above it all! The service was a bit slow, which I am a tad unforgiving about as there was two people serving and they were slowed down by chatting to a third employee. It's a pet peeve of mine. Apart from that the staff were smiley and cheerful. The price was ok, about £7.50 for what I ordered, which I can live with. A lovely place for a tea or coffee and a quick bite while you shop in the lavishness that is Jenners.

The ideal spot to grab a meal's worth of vegetables…read more PRICE: Inexpensive. SERVICE: Not unhelpful. QUALITY: Pretty standard for a greengrocer. CHOICE: Plenty. Fruit and vegetables outside, and plenty more inside. Argyll Place is probably one of my favourite shopping streets in Edinburgh. Odd, I know, but it contains three of my most frequented shops: the Bike Works, Al Haj's and Nadia's Fruit and Vegetables. This place is smaller than its next door neighbour, but has a much wider vegetables selection at a much lower price. It is perfect (indeed, this is what I do nine out of ten times) for nipping to on the bike, grabbing a few different vegetables and then heading back to cook dinner, having spent perhaps a quid without the prospect of vegetables then going to waste at the bottom of the fridge. It is open until an ideal time too: 8pm everyday (usually), and this of course means that even a late night dinner can be created using vegetables from here. Their wide selection caters for most, if not all, meal types, and are never in too bad shape. Of course, unlike supermarkets, fruit from here tends to be ripe and ready to eat... Overall a winner then? Definitely. Though not as smart as its next door neighbour, Nadia's is the perfect greengrocers.

Fresh veg and inexpensive with some hard to find items. This is one of my day to day places to pick…read moreup vegetables. Service is functional and the place is well kept. Not sure what else to say on this as it is a veg shop other than thumbs up from me. Tip: They have reduced items in bags outside which is normally 8 - 10 peppers for 79 pence or on occassion bags for 49 pence of items that need used that day. If you are making soup or similiar that day its ideal.

I'm not sure if I'm in awe, or just a little disturbed by what I saw at this food store…read more I wouldn't quite call it a deli, although a lot of the food is quite fresh and especially "unique". Outside, there're fruits and vegetables, and anything else that's on sale at the moment. When I was there last, there were actual pots of curry (just the sauce ofcourse!) going for £1. Everything else out there looked pretty tempting, but it was quite a hot day so I'm a bit worried the food will have that sun baked taste, which sounds nicer than it tastes as I write it. Inside, however, was the BIGGEST surprise is inside the store on the shelves. They're ready made meals, in jars, including duck confit and most bizarrely wild boar. This may be normal to some of you, but I've never seen a wild boar let alone eaten one, so...I stared at it for a little while before I left.

Excellent family run shop selling some fancy bits and bobs. Like the previous reviewer I cant quite…read morecall this a deli. They sell some really interesting foods you don't see around the area. The guys that run the shop are great - always chatty and friendly. My main draw for here is the lunch time rolls for a little over a pound. Considering the chain places and coops etc can charge almost three pounds for a disappointing dry sandwich, this is a bargain. Nothing fancy just white rolls salad and whatever tempts you. They have bargain bins outside the shop which are always worth a browse. If you are passing pop in for a browse and a chat, you wont be disappointed.

Love shopping at Jordan's, great for all my needs, love herbal tea( chamomile and elderflower…read moreloose), spices and herbs abundant and always good to try something i have never tried, the owner and staff always freindly and helpful. Only issue i have is the phone number contact details are no longer valid, need to be updated as i would like to know in advance if the shop has items in stock before i travel ! Thank you Jordan's your awesome

On my sister's last day in Edinburgh and on her way to the airport, I took her to visit this tea…read morestore this morning at 10:00 sharp. Since it seemed to be not open yet (although the working hours are from 10:00) we lightly knocked on the door to attract the attention of the people inside. What happened next was a very young man with a long hair, obviously a worker of this place, opening the door, blocking our way inside and yelling at us in a disrespectful and unfriendly manner. He screamed something along the lines of "don't you dare touch the door again, we are not open yet" and when we asked when will the store be open because we were on our way to the airport and wanted to buy a lot of tea gifts for our friends and family, he started raising his voice again. He continued repeating "you can go inside only when I tell you to go inside, don't touch the door yourselves", nudging us to leave the store's door front, which we eventually did. We don't usually leave negative reviews but this was a really unpleasant and embarrassing situation, especially because she was my guest in Edinburgh and her experience was an amazing one before this morning. Prior to this situation I was a very loyal buyer at the Jordan Valley tea shop and I had enjoyed many times the hospitality of an elderly and a very friendly person working there. However, the young man's behavior this morning was odd to say the least and this is definitely not the way people should be treated where they want to spend their money. For all the reasons mentioned above, I will not buy tea in this store anymore. The purpose of this review was to warn others of how disrespectful unfortunately they are and suggest you go to some other tea shop.

THE BEST PULLED PORK! Deek spent his lifetime trying to make perfection and he's as close to it as…read morehumanly possible. You will NOT be disappointed stopping by here for lunch! Highly recommended!

The absolute BEST pulled pork I've ever eaten, great prices, great flavors, really friendly…read morewaitstaff. I had the pulled pork with a fork a little BBQ sause, mixed with Piri Piri sause amazing flavor, just the right amount of heat and sweet all together..

Such an awesome store if you like fudge or want to buy it as a gift. They check with you to make…read moresure you don't have any allergies and they give you free samples. To me it tastes the same as Mackinaw fudge so I'd rather buy in Michigan - my home state!!

A great way to treat yourself after hiking Arthur's Seat. The shop is small and fills up as soon as…read morea few groups walk in, however the staff is very efficient and can get through the line quickly. Although the fudge is expensive, they have a wide variety of flavors, all of which are absolutely delicious. Would recommend going for some of the more unique flavors that you can't get at any other candy shop.

Tattie Shaws has fruit spilling out of it into its wee stalls outside the store. Their peppers and…read moretomatoes look so delicious you can't help but wander in! I'm a big fan of independent greengrocers. Sadly, there aren't many of them about these days, but that is what makes places like Tattie Shaws so special. With a great range of fruit and veg from all across the world, Tattie's supplies look full of flavour and ripe like they've just been picked off a plant. It's very reasonably priced and they also stock a variety of herbs and other such cooking ingredients. The staff are pretty alert and keen to help if you need anything. But most of all, I was so impressed with the quality of the produce. With the vibrant colours and fresh appearances, Tattie Shaw's stocks both homegrown and international fruit and veg. It's great that they represent local farmers and suppliers, but their more exotic offerings look equally as fresh - they've definitely been shipped in recently. As it's still the Scottish strawberry season, I'd recommend trying Tattie's for some of Fife's best berries!

There aren't enough good old fashioned green grocers in the world anymore. Tattie Shaws however is…read morea wonderful example of a lovely, well stocked, locally owned business. The guy who runs this place (whose name i'm always forgetting) is a lovely but no nonsense chap, who knows his produce. He sells pretty much any fresh produce that you could care to buy. He seems to have a lot of everything all year round so he must be getting some of it from abroad but I know he also does seasonal stuff too. Ask him what's good and he'll suggest something! It's also handily on my walk home from work (assuming i get out in time before he closes!)

Such a cute mom n pop candy shop. The owner was so nice and offered us free samples of home made…read moretablet (made by his wife) They also carry assorted Irn Bru (Scotland's national soda) flavored candy! I got a few bags to bring back as souvenirs. Delicious and unique! We also picked up strawberry belts and cola gummies. They ship worldwide too!

My niece and I love visiting Bains sweet shop for obvious reasons, its so colourful and inviting…read morefrom the outside and the inside, its like stepping into Willy Wonka's chocolate factory. Bains sweet shop isn't expensive and the owner John is such a lovely man, he is so charismatic, passionate and takes the time to chat and pass on his knowledge of making Tablet. He even went the extra mile and sent me the recipe which is amazing! I plan to make it with my niece and hope it turns out half as good as Bains tablet. The kids love it, I love it and I will be stocking up on treats for xmas or buying gift vouchers for a later date. I highly recommend visiting and don't worry if you can't get to the shop you can always order online and buy some of those old favourites from your childhood as a gift for yourself or for someone else you know who has a sweet tooth. Bains literally has all sweets and treats imaginable!

HOT HOT HOT CHOCOLATE for ALL chocolate LOVERS! The…read morechocolate tree is located on a busy road and still it's easy to find car parking nearby, especially on a Sunday. Also conveniently accessible by bus. There is not much sitting space, such best to book in advance. We got a lovely table at the front window (which by the way is the only table in the front of the shop). I believe there is a very small sitting area in the back. You can find lots of chocolate variations on display on cupboard shelves. At the moment they offer 10% off chocolate bars before a certain time of the day. There are also macaroons, ice cream a (not gelato), pralines and little "cakes". Above the main entrance you see the drink menu written on huge chalk boards: Traditional chocolate, one for kids and one for adults, white chocolate, milky chocolate, dark chocolate and much more. They do coffee too. I ordered salted caramel ice cream and milk chocolate, which was the best hot milk chocolate in Edinburgh so far, and not to mention I got served plenty of it in a big mug. Definitely worth the money. Must confess, my eyes were bigger than my stomach and next time a hot chocolate will be plenty :-) They are also present with stalls at various Edinburgh markets, like Stockbridge. Its an ideal place to take away and enjoy the "pleasures" somewhere else.

For those 'in the know', the chocolate tree has been an online business for quite some time, but…read moredecided to open up their own shop in our very own city, Edinburgh. If you like chocolate, you will LOVE The Chocolate Tree. Located in the trendy Bruntsfield area, it is in the perfect position to sit in and gorge or sit out and gorge. Their chocolates are all organic (so at least your conscious feels good about eating copious amounts of chocolate...) The decor is very chic, trendy and indulgent. Indeed, I think Indulgence is a theme in the cafe. My first visit was under sad circumstances - recently single and feeling vulnerable, my friend took me and ordered me the 'Spanish Hot Chocolate' (see picture). Oh My God. Where I was feeling despairing, distraught and dismayed I was overcome with delight, deliriousness and felt thoroughly delectable!! It was perfect...perhaps a bit rich, but the first few sips were to die for. It even came with a little dough cake-thing to dip into the thick, gloopy chocolate, like fondue! It would have been ideal for two to share. To be honest, I'm not what you would call a choc-a-holic - especially now that Cadbury's is no longer considered 'chocolate'. But there is something for everyone to enjoy, whether its a slice of their GLORIOUS chocolate cake (it was delicious, after a while I felt I should find a mirror to check if my pupils had dilated) or one of their mini chocolate bites. If you can't make it to the shop they sell online and they're much cheaper than their competition ( it's one of their ethical principles, woohoo!). It really is worth visiting, on a warm summer day to lounge and indulge yourself, or on a cold winter evening to keep yourself warm. It's the sort of place I imagine Harry Potter would sit in...