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    National Portrait Gallery Cafe

    4.1 (14 reviews)
    InexpensiveArt Galleries, Cafes

    National Portrait Gallery Cafe Photos

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    Sweets
    Jimmy H.

    Good quality cafe with food selection. There's an Afternoon Tea service though I didn't try it. Apparently, it's rather nice. Had mainly the salad and some tea and a scone. Counter service. Tasty food, and good and efficient service at the counter. What really makes this great are the tall ceilings and windows that give it a nice airy feel. Acoustically, the space feels quiet; when I was here the cafe was about half full but people talked a little like they were in a library. Bathrooms: Exit cafe to use the museum toilets but those are very close. Clean, functional, modern, and spacious.

    A small selection of the cakes on offer
    Casey M.

    I thought this cafe would be extortion but it was pretty decent especially for what you get which was chicken and sweet corn soup with big chunks of chicken. Expect lots of health food recipes in this cafe, butternut squash, kale, quinoa but also a great selection of delicious cakes. Expect an abrupt cashier but apart from said cashier this place is pretty decent, its busy, big but a good place to eat before or after taking in the sights of the gallery which I highly recommend.

    Sweet treats in all flavors ;)

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    18 years ago

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    17 years ago

    Great place to go for a coffee/tea and snack! A real find and soem very tasty homemade cakes!

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    Review Highlights - National Portrait Gallery Cafe

    A splendid place to drop-in to enjoy a cup of tea and one of their excellent homemade scones or flapjacks (try the date oat flapjack).

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    The Edinburgh Larder - Scottish Breakfast

    The Edinburgh Larder

    4.5(347 reviews)
    0.5 miRoyal Mile, Old Town, Newington
    ££

    Wow... this was one of the best breakfast spots on our 2-month trip! We were there in early…read moreSeptember and had to wait only about 5-10 minutes for a table. The food was absolutely delicious! My porridge was so hearty and yummy, I wanted to lick the bowl. My spouse's eggs benedict dish was also fantastic, and you can tell they use very fresh, high quality ingredients. The way they serve the meals in little stainless steel lunch boxes is adorable. My chai tea latte with oat milk was fantastically spicy and not too sweet. The server was friendly, knowledgeable, helpful, and always nearby, so it was easy to ask for our check when we were ready. And the inside of the restaurant had a warm, cozy feel. I would gladly eat every breakfast here the next time we're in Edinburgh!

    This place seems to be very popular and know it. At first glance, it's a cute, cozy, and humble…read morecafe. Everyone there was very nice; service was good. When it came to ordering, I got an Iced Latte and a Buttery Bap. The menu is a bit difficult to decipher, as it was confusing how much or how little can be added to it and at what cost. The menu said I could only pick one filling, but when I asked I was informed that I could pick an unlimited amount. I'm glad I trusted my instinct and went with just two: Veggie Haggis and Tattie Scones. Both of these were truly delicious. However, there was an extra charge for the second filling. Prices for additions are listed at the bottom of the menu as if they were sides you could order separately. On the receipt, I also saw that I was charged 0.50 extra for ice. I don't understand why places charge extra to make an iced drink when overall you're actually getting less of the drink. Overall, everything tasted good and I'm glad I was able to try numerous Scottish classics.

    Photos
    The Edinburgh Larder - Table service

    Table service

    The Edinburgh Larder
    The Edinburgh Larder - Latte and a husband

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    Latte and a husband

    The Garden Cafe - O restaurante é muito bonito, Domo é maravilhoso.

    The Garden Cafe

    3.7(7 reviews)
    0.2 miNew Town
    ££

    Had to visit this place for a drink, after passing it on a tour and the tour guide highly…read morerecommended it. It is amazing to see! Beautifully decorated, very expertly run and very welcoming. Sampled a 14 year old Oban, the Honey had a glass of wine and we shared a cheese plate. An excellent experience! The server who took our order was very knowledgeable, efficient and courteous., as was the server who brought us the drinks. The entire experience was very satisfying. Must stop here when possible!

    The Dome is made up of three different restaurants, and they're all so different I thought the…read moreGarden Café definitely deserved its own review. Slotted in on Rose Street, at the back of the huge and imposing columned Dome buiding, this gorgeous little city-centre oasis is the perfect place to rest your shopping-weary feet and have a tasty lunch. It's only open from april to early september, and although it's tucked down a narrow street this place is a great little suntrap. You can get wraps, salads, soups, burgers, that sort of thing here - not a full á la carte lunch, but the portions are fairly generous so you'll only need one course. The service was ok, but our waiter didn't even bother to bring us our change back. We had been planning to leave it as a tip for him, but we thought it was a bit cheeky of him just to assume, especially when service is already included in the prices. For a salad and a soft drink you'll spend just over £10 a head, which makes it slightly pricier than a lot of other lunchtime cafés nearby, but this setting is just so gorgeous I'd happily pay the difference.

    Photos
    The Garden Cafe
    The Garden Cafe - O nome diz tudo!

    O nome diz tudo!

    The Garden Cafe

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    Tasty Buns Bakery - We had toasties and soup.

    Tasty Buns Bakery

    4.9(13 reviews)
    0.7 miOld Town
    £

    Oh my goodness! Everything looks amazing from the happy…read morecolorful window to the amazing baked goods. I love that Tasty Buns is a bakery on Bread Street. I adored the lime, poppyseed, and blueberry roulade! It was gone before the soup and toastie sandwich arrived. Crispy on the outside and so very soft and tasty on the inside. The cookie pie was impressive, but I honestly liked the roulade so much better. The soup today was broccoli and it was delicious! I had a ham and cheese sandwich lightly grilled in a panini press. Mom had a chorizo sandwich. The ladies at the bakery were lovely! Friendly happy folk always make food taste better! The bakery was quiet and not busy at 12:30 pm. It wasn't empty, just not busy. We got a table for 3! It was funny (and also a sad commentary on humans) that the still water available said "Please turn the tap off." Silly people. Thank you so much for a wonderful lunch! Mom said very good! Very different!

    I was walking along the street and happened to past Tasty Buns. I thought it looked really cute and…read moremade it a point to return. They had a glass display case loaded with yummy goods. My very first time I came I tried a vegan cinnamon bun. It was warm, soft, and had that sweet caramelization from the sugar on the bun. It was soooo good. After that, I kept coming back about once a week to grab a treat and sometimes a drink. Everything I've tried has been so delicious and the staff is always very kind. If you follow them on Instagram they even sometimes release what goods are in the shop since they switch it up! Tasty Buns definitely became a go to of mine and I think there is truly something for anyone with a sweet tooth!

    Photos
    Tasty Buns Bakery - Beautiful and colorful window!

    Beautiful and colorful window!

    Tasty Buns Bakery - The cookie pie is in the center left.

    The cookie pie is in the center left.

    Tasty Buns Bakery - Pastry and tea

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    Pastry and tea

    The Elephant House

    The Elephant House

    3.2(308 reviews)
    0.6 miOld Town
    ££

    The original cafe on George IV Bridge, which has been shut since the tragic fire on 24th August…read more2021, is now open at Victoria Street. Again, that's alleged, but it's everywhere- Author J.K. Rowling had her first book published while she was writing in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle, making The Elephant House the "birthplace" of the series of Harry Potter novels. The Elephant House Cafe proudly calls itself the 'birthplace' of Harry Potter above the front door. This claim is slightly controversial, as the sign alludes to the birthplace of parts of the books, not necessarily the beginning. The Elephant House in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a pilgrimage site for any Potterhead. From the outside, and honestly from the inside as well, it seems like your average cafe. However, this cafe is one of the cafes that provided space for J.K. Rowling to create not only a book series, but an entire magical world. The

    When in Edinburgh, it is one of those centrally located tourist attractions that you might want to…read morecheck out for fun. We took pictures outside and ventured inside wanting to sit down for a coffee/pastry. Unfortunately, the wait was so long that we selected not to stay. We looked around the small gift shop area and selected some souvenirs. It was challenging to get someone to ring our purchase but managed to after some time. Love my new lunch bag!

    Photos
    The Elephant House
    The Elephant House
    The Elephant House - Mallow delight hot chocolate

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    Mallow delight hot chocolate

    Lowdown Coffee - Maple granola with apricot compote, Greek yogurt & lemon verbena.

    Lowdown Coffee

    4.7(18 reviews)
    0.2 miNew Town
    ££

    LMGOSH the banana cake is amazing!!! Please try the banana cake. It is different from what you…read morenormally get at Starbucks or any other cafes.

    Four out of seven on the Disloyal 7 Challenge. We were running out of time in Edinburgh, and the…read morecoffee shops left on our list closed up really early in the evenings. But, we were determined to get all those stamps (and the satisfaction of having accomplished something that was specific to Edinburgh), so this was the first of two coffee shops visited in the space of an hour. Crazy? Yes, indeed. I really liked the feel of this shop. It's open, clean and bright. It's about on par, size-wise, as some of the other shops we visited, but it wasn't as busy. There were two guys working the counter when we arrived, and they had several tables open, which we took advantage of. We ordered our drinks and sat down to wait. They came out quickly, and they were delicious. The guy who brought our coffee to the table was very friendly, checking to make sure that we were set, that we had everything we needed, and that we knew they had fresh-baked pastries at the counter. I was interested in the pastries but knew that we had one more coffee shop to visit before really starting our day, so I had to abstain. The coffee was delicious - well brewed and served piping hot. I could see making this place into a normal haunt, if we were in the area more often.

    Photos
    Lowdown Coffee - Menu, as of 18/10/22.

    Menu, as of 18/10/22.

    Lowdown Coffee
    Lowdown Coffee - Exterior

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    Exterior

    National Portrait Gallery Cafe - galleries - Updated May 2026

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