This cafe opened recently in the bustling Tollcross area of Edinburgh. I ate here on Sunday when…read moreTwo Thin Laddies was too packed to find a table. The fact that the Laddies was packed and this place right around the corner was only about 1/3 full should have been a clear enough warning for us not to eat here -- we weren't thinking to the best of our ability, clearly. Visually, the cafe is charming. It's nicely appointed and colorfully painted. We sat down and noticed a waitress so figured it was table service. We waited and waited until eventually we assumed she simply brought the food out and went to make our order at the counter. The man who I'm assuming was the owner took our order - actually WROTE IT DOWN - didn't take our money (we were standing there with our wallets out, just take our cash and save an extra step in the end!), and instructed us to take a seat and our food and drinks would be brought to us. About 10 minutes later we were still waiting for our coffee and the waitress came up to take our order. We informed her we'd ordered at the counter and she asked if we were waiting for drinks. Yes indeed we were - so she went to make them. It is important to note that there was one waitress, one guy making food behind the bar and TWO employees hiding downstairs. There were about 6 tables of 2-3 and the two staff should have been plenty to handle the "rush" (as the waitress called it) but no, they lost the plot and called people up to help. The girls next to us placed order after order and every time the waitress came back several minutes later to inform them they were out of whatever it was they ordered. Eventually she started avoiding their table alltogether until they hunted her down and forced her to take their order. When our food finally arrived it was wrong - completely wrong. The guy actually had the gall to bring it back to us and ask three times if it was what we ordered. He wasn't terriby impressed with the fact that we wouldn't just eat what had been brought. When what we'd actualy orderd arrived, the "side salad" was raw onion and iceberg lettuce and the cheese on my panini (brought on ciabatta) was fake - like american "cheese" singles or something. Need I go on?

This cafe is wonderful! It has a real atmosphere and none of your chain coffee shop rubbish. The…read morebest hot chocolate in Edinburgh - proper thick creamy stuff perfect for a cold day. There's relaxing jazz music or the like being played in the background, a piano available for anyone to play (they turn off the music at your request, but please be kind if you don't really play piano!), books, and a really friendly and helpful owner. The cafe is open till quite late I think but isn't really a place for dinner - though there are homemade lasagnas and cannelloni available. Only criticism might be that it can be a little cold - high ceiling and all. But don't worry, that hot chocolate will warm you right up...

Below average Italian, but maybe better given the location in Fallkirk…read more We came here because it was near where we were staying to see the Fallkirk Wheel, the Kelpies and then head out to the Edinburgh airport the next morning. Given the past reviews and how much our kids love Italian food, we had high expectations. The food and experience was just all odd and not that great. First, the service was just a bit strange at first, we got seated, but somehow felt like we were doing things wrong the whole time. They seemed confused about what we'd ordered, took and changed our silverware a few times I think trying to make sure they were right for the the meals we ordered, but it was all just odd. As part of that I felt a bit like I was pressured into ordering more food than I wanted. Nearer then end, the waiter seemed to take a shine to my daughter, which helped, but still it was just odd. The food was only OK. My wife had a steak and I had gnocchi and a mushroom pizza. The mushroom pizza was just not good. It was a mediocre cheese pizza with 1-2 dry slices of mushroom on each slice. I wound up eating only a slice and leaving the rest there. The gnocchi was better, but uninspiring. My wife said here steak was similar. The kids seemed to enjoy their simple pasta, burger and french fries. Probably the best part was the location very close the AirBnB we rented and a relatively nice walk along the canal to the Kelpies.

Please bear with me while I attempt to put into words how glad I am that we found this restaurant…read more Driving past it looks quite pretty from the roadside, the big glass front on the canal bank, but yes the entrance around the back and the carpark don't quite meet the otherwise beautiful standard the restaurant aspires to. The internal decor made me feel like we were in a luxuriously renovated farm house in Italia, just beautiful. It was a Tuesday night, and a booking wasn't required, although this may be different on weekends. The waiter was very attentive, but not overly so. For starters we ordered garlic bread, mozzarella sticks and Bruschetta. The Bruschetta was a little tomato heavy for me but still delicious non-the-less. The tomato was the right level of sweet with the perfect amount of oil. For mains my partner had Carbonara Linguini and he described it as a "spiritual experience" plus they were generous with his need for parmesan. I ordered the Parma Ham Pizza with Black olives, and I feel confident in saying that it was perhaps the best pizza I have ever eaten, I only wish I could have finished it. They did box up the remains for me though. For the same quantity of meals and drinks the price didn't differ that much from say Frankie and Bennies, but the quality just blew me away. The staff were truly lovely. Our waiter explained they are endeavouring to recruit a more cohesive cocktail menu, to add to their already well stocked bar. They open for a couple of hours over lunch during the week, then again on the evenings, and open all day on weekends. I would urge anyone within reasonable travelling distance to Falkirk, to pay them a visit. The atmosphere, food and staff all scored very highly in my view, including the reasonable bill delivered at the end.

Has Beans is a cute wee tea and coffee house on Canongate that serves up generous helpings of…read moresandwiches, soup and salads. It's designed like a wee tea emporium much in the style of old tea rooms. Its old fashioned, demure decor is very fitting with the polite, welcoming service you receive. The food in here is kept simple, but is done very well. The soup is homemade and although their menu isn't the biggest this side of Edinburgh, quality over quantity prevails. The fillings for sandwiches, such as coronation chicken and even the simple cheddar cheese are very more-ish. It's a nice place for lunch, but a must if you're stopping for a quick brew. They have a selection of fine teas, including ceylon, and their Kenyan blend coffee is award winning! You can see why if you get a cup. For tip top customer service, lovely ,Victorian inspired surroundings and a delicious high tea experience, Has Beans is simply delightful, and a treat for tourists and locals alike!

As Marj has already mentioned, Has Beans is a very cute cafe located at the bottom end of the Royal…read moreMile. It's always busy whenever I've been in and whenever I pass by and with the good quality beverages, light bites and cakes on offer, it isn't surprising. They have a great selection on their menu and everything is very reasonably priced, given that so many cafes and bistros on the Royal Mile are complete tourist trap places with prices to match. Has Beans offers excellent surroundings and it's a great place to while away an afternoon over a pot of tea.

What an awesome wee find?! Thanks to fellow Yelper Martyn M. for seeking out this wee gem located…read morein Hamilton. I jumped on the train to Hamilton West and strolled up to just opposite the Hamilton Sheriff Court and next to the new Italian Eatalianos. It's a quick wee walk and you're there before you know it. Before I entered in they had some seating outside, so clocked, that was were I was parking my bahookie for the next wee while. Inside there's no seating, so purely designed for take away only. The staff were really pleasant and I had a great wee chat with them. They had a fantastic selection on the menu, especially for Hamilton. Hehe! I opted for a Ploughman's wrap and it was delicious. It was so lovingly made and wrapped with a little bit string around it in a bow. They also had a slow roast option, which I believe changes every day, I think I'll check it out the next time I'm in. I had a lovely tasty lunch while basking in the, not to often seen, Scottish sunshine. Bonus! For any foreigners to our land who are not fluent in our garble of slang and the Scots language, Mibbies Aye is Scots for maybe yes. So then is it a Mibbies Aye or mibbies naw for here? It's definitely an aye fae me.

Finally, a decent deli opens up in Hamilton! I've only been waiting on this my entire life…read more Recently noticed when driving past that this deli, Mibbies Aye, had opened next to Eatalianos and decided to pop in to try it! It's a tiny takeaway place that only offers one table, but the contemporary decor is lovely. They do daily specials, from slow roast brisket to a selection of other just as delicious sounding things, bagels, baguettes and sandwiches, all made on site. The coffee is delicious (must make a mental note of what kind it is), and they also make smoothies on site which are absolutely glorious. Fab staff who are keen to chat, efficient, and happy to help in any way. Great wee place!

This is little more than just a corner shop, but that shouldn't go against it because it's one of…read morethe best corner shops I've seen. At most corner shops you expect to pay high prices and you come in and leave disappointed because you've been priced out of a purchase. The deals here, however, are outstanding and some of the offers can compete with some of the big chains. It might be little more than just a corner shop, but still a very good place to buy your groceries.

Great little newsagent which manages to make use of its space very well. lots of interesting items…read morethat arent found in every store such as Mrs Unis Nan/pakora, Indian pickles etc. Not the cheapest but the staff are friendly and the place is well laid out.

When I was a kid I always refused to go into this place because I hated the smell of raw meat…read more Nowadays, I always go in with my wee mum to pick out a few things for my dinner. I'm still not too enamoured with the sight of bloody pork, but I make an exception for here. The selection in here is pretty wide. It's a butchers, so obviously the main line is meat;mince steak, chicken and veal, but they also do a mean steak pie and really fab ready made stir frys and kebabs with peppers. My family butcher and a pretty good one at that.

Best Steak Pie I've ever tasted, Black pudding is amazing, Haggis is second to none, and the square…read moresausages cannot be beat. Just wish you guys could ship to Canada... :)

thought it was a shame when the butcher closed in this shop, but it was replaced by this nifty wee…read morefishmongers. Like most local shops the range of produce is not vast but they do have a nice range of select fresh fish. Have had some nice tuna and swordfish from this place. Have also had some of the nicest mussels in the city. At a very reasonable price as well. Generally the prices charged here are a bit better than you would find in many city centre shops.

You want fish? Real fish not the stuff that comes in frozen food packets! Then visit Welchs' fish…read moreshop in Leith! Here you will find an excellent variety of fish white fish, dressed and undressed fish full of healthy oils, crabs, pickled herring, smoked fish they are all here and many others. You can even buy your eggs here! The staff, Mandy and John, are friendly and really brighten up your day with their cheery smiles. Highly recommended :-)

We had an incredibly enjoyable time with Neil! Thank you so much for the informative, thoughtful,…read moreand fun time. We 10/10 recommend this experience, even if you're not a gin fanatic it is worth the learning opportunity as well as a great local experience.

My friend and I had such a good time at Gary's new gin tasting session, we got a gin and tonic on…read morearrival and then got to taste a large selection of gins of different categories (which meant there was something for everyone) that Gary makes himself, with his own recipes on bespoke copper stills! At the end you even get to choose between loads of different gins he's made as a wee extra. I tasted the chilli chocolate orange gin, as well as the raspberry and ginger one. They were both fab!! All the gins we tasted were Gary's, but all around the room were lots of other scottish gins on display, and Gary would answer any questions we had about them. Gary was so informative and friendly and made the whole experience so much more enjoyable, and it felt so much more personal as it was a nice small group in a small distillery that is there to provide a fun experience rather than just make money! Overall it was a fantastic experience and I would love to come back again and try the other experiences such as the one where i can make my own gin and take it away with me at the Sip Antics Gin School!! Thanks Gary, would 100% recommend.