Edinburgh is either a tourist's MECCA or nightmare, depending on your preference. The "high street" on both new and old town literally has the same handful of stores every other block or so (I'm not joking - imagine seeing an Apple store on the left side of this block, and then on the next block there's a second store on the right). Long story short, it's expensive and a tourist trap. We were REALLY happy to have found this little shop because it was not only really affordable, it wasn't a trap and it was high-quality food. And when you see a steady stream of work-a-day Scots wandering in for their daily coffee or breakfast, you'll be even happier with your choice. For lunch we both got a panini and soup - the tomato chutney, pesto, olive, mozzerella and salami panini, and the lentil soup. The sandwich was pretty huge and delicious (real mozz), and the soup was a huge bowl of lovely homemade lentil. Each meal was the equivalent of $8.50 and well worth it. HIGHLY recommend if you need a break from the tourist vacuum. read more

Treated like a transaction not a customer. Out of all the people and businesses we've encountered in Scotland, this one is the least friendly. First, we did not receive the usual welcome; instead, as we placed our backpacks down at a table and began to choose cold drinks from the cooler, we received a concerned inquiry from the staff about our status as paying customers. After we purchased a few items, we sat down to enjoy them. The staff asked us to pay the difference of £3.85 for staying instead of leaving. Honestly, this seemed a little petty. I'm not sure if this is everywhere or just a here thing, but the way in which it was handled was off putting. read more

After hiking up to Colton hill in the cold rain we stopped here for a spot to rest for a bit. They have sandwiches, soups, coffee, and pastries. We ordered the leek and potato soup with bread. Chicken and bacon panini, flat white, mocha, and a chocolate twist croissant. The soup was fresh and hot. Bread was fresh and nicely sliced with softened butter. Paninis are premade and you can have it warned up. I personally would pass on it since the chicken and bacon was scarce. Too much bread for our liking. The chocolate twist was amazing! Chocolate chips twisted up in the croissant. Went really well with our coffees. Mocha and flat white was really good and strong. Cute latte art. The ladies working the counter were nice and friendly and the tables were cleaned up quickly. Overall a good spot to stop for breakfast or lunch or to enjoy a nice warm latte. read more

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Good tasting cafe food that is reasonably priced for its location, ample seating inside as well as outdoors

Sweet little cafe in the heart of Edinburgh. Delicious coffee served in Carraro cups.

Youd think being flat next to a hotel youd learn some hospitality and grace towards tourists. But no, if ya dont order one of their bland menu items you cant sit at their abandoned tables outside. Good to know. Get why the place is a ghost town. Tell Gollum Hi and to reconsider his job if he doesn't wanna wait on tables. read more

My hostel food was shit so I embarked on a journey to find some decent food for breakfast. I found Pep & Fodder quite close to my hostel and gave it a go. Had a SCONE and COFFEE which was all I really needed. It was the perfect amount of food for my first full day exploring Edinburgh. Lot's of locals so you don't really need to deal with annoying tourists. ENJOY! read more

The porridge here is incredible. It's extremely well cooked and the portion is large. They have a a good amount of seating as well and wasn't that busy on a Sunday morning around 8:30am. The staff are also extremely nice here! read more

Pep & Fodder - Cafes Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Wanted to catch my friend before he left the city to head to the Glasgow so we went to this place for tea and cake. The cafe is pretty close to Waverley station but away from the crazy foot traffic in the area. It's a cute cafe that offers the typical coffee drinks and an assortment of sweets and scones. I really wanted cake and luckily they had a carrot cake but gluten free. I was a bit hesitant to try it but the girl said it was really good so I got a slice. Let me tell you...the carrot cake was AMAZING! It was moist and the icing went perfectly well, not too sweet like most icing. My friend who was also skeptical about eating the cake tried it and surprisingly liked it as well. Truthfully, I'd come back to this place just for the cake! Ha! My friend got the million pound shortbread square...(or whatever it's called) you know the ones with three layers- chocolate, caramel, and short bread. It was decent, nothing amazing about it. The staff were pretty nice and the facility is clean. It's a good spot just to chill from the hustle and bustle of that part of city centre... If anything just go to try their carrot cake! Mmmmm read more

Pep & Fodder - Cafes Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Despite working nearly opposite Pep & Fodder for the first 4 months of its existence, I had never noticed it before. Oops! And since moving jobs I've not been up Waterloo Place way for a while, or at least not in search of food. But, this Saturday, after a stroll up Calton Hill and in desire of some lunch and a cup of tea my boyfriend and I strolled past and thought "Yep, that place looks nice", and it was. The decor's lovely, the lime green tiles particularly, and they were playing a Beatles best-of (FAB). The chap who seemed to be in charge was very friendly, to everyone and not just us, which really makes you feel appreciated as a customer (I was asked twice how my soup was). I had a breakfast tea and their soup of the day, carrot and corriander which was served in a mug with a slice of bread. I've been trying to cut down on starchy carbs but couldn't resist the bread, mmm. My boyfriend ordered a mocha which was served in a little glass cup. Sweet. Price wise it came to less than £7, which wasn't too bad. I'd agree with previous reviews that comment on the selection available (or lack thereof), only one soup, and teas listed as "Breakfast" and "Herbals" (I assume if you enquire further they have several, as I spotted an Eteaket sign, but it's not obvious). Oh, and whilst the breakfast menu looks decent it was strangely lacking in eggs. But, it's a nice cafe, and perfectly located for a quick pick-me-up after visiting Calton Hill and if I'm in the area again I'll pop by for a brew. read more

Pep & Fodder - Carrot and coriander soup. - Cafes Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Really am a fan of this place. I especially like their visual depiction of the different types of coffee. A very friendly staff and some good pastries as well. Nice location on the Royal Mile. read more

Filling porridge. Lots of seating. No Wi-Fi. Super close to calton. Amazing natural light.

Super great service with variety options for delicious breakfast. I highly recommend their coffee as well

A non-touristy cafe; perfect for a getting a taste of local food. I had no idea what a Scottish breakfast was, but I wanted to try it. I yelped "Scottish breakfast" and Pep & Fodder came up so I found my way here. I'm not a fan of porridge to begin with, but it was not bad. I didn't expect porridge to go well with honey and bananas, so I was pleasantly surprised. The cafe latte was also very good. -- taste / 4 aesthetics / 3 vibe / 3 service / 3 price for quality / 4 OVERALL / 3.4 read more

Pep & Fodder - latte - Cafes Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Excellent cafe. Came here for breakfast and they have a variety of drinks and sandwiches. You can pick your own sandwich and they will toast it for you and serve it with an amazing salad. I got the salami sandwich and it was delicious. Very aesthetic presentation as well. I tried my friend's veggie sandwich and latte as well and both were great. They also have fresh water in a big jug that you can drink. Outlets by every table and free WiFi. The staff were quick and nice. The place is very clean and in a central location. read more

Pep & Fodder - Cafes Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Pep & Fodder has fast, friendly service and delicious food in a casual atmosphere. The paninis are amazing.

From the second we walked in I instantly fell in love with the decor and cosiness of this cafe and loved the diagrams of what makes each different type of coffee above their menu board. I originally ordered the porridge with compote but they were out and so had to settle for porridge with honey (~£2.50) instead. It was not a tough decision as the cold weather outside called for a warm and filling breakfast dish. To go with my porridge I ordered a tea (~£1.80) and choose the 'Scottish Breakfast' option from their tea selection. It tasted similar to many other teas I have tried and I cannot say that any flavour stood out to me. I ended up needing some help to finish the porridge as it was quite a dense and filling portion, however it was very delicious and S my travel companion for my Scottish road trip enjoyed it also. S for his breakfast had a latte (~£2.55) and pain au chocolate (~£1.50) to go with it, he liked both and had no complaints about either. The staff at the counter were friendly and easy to chat with, even with the constant stream of customers coming into the cafe. The cafe was pretty much filled the entire time we were there along with a stream of people doing take away orders showing that it is a popular cafe in the area. Overall I enjoyed my meal and would happily recommend it to anyone in Edinburgh and looking for a friendly, delicious and very reasonably priced meal for breakfast. read more

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A fun place to grab some breakfast and coffee. we had never tried porridge until this place. It was very good! Very friendly staff and quality food and drink. read more

Pep & Fodder - Porridge with honey, nuts and cinnamon and espresso - Cafes Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Very sweet barista. Made me the fruit salad with yogurt and honey, tasted very good. Freshened it up a bit and gave me the remaining extra! Also got a coffee and it was so necessary after traveling all day I ordered a second. read more

Pep & Fodder - Cafes Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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Sadly can't review any of their salads, sandwiches or soups since when we got there at 1:00pm they were sold out of most everything. Had a slice of carrot cake and tea. Cake had very little flavor except being overwhelmingly sweet. read more

Pleasant little cafe with nice atmosphere and great prices. They have a few tables but excellent sandwiches and coffee

Delicious sandwiches, yummy coffee and friendly staff! Great place to stop in before taking a train from Waverly.

One of my favourite places to pop into for a bite to eat and a nice pot of tea. The food is great, they make delicious cakes and the staff are always warm and friendly. Don / edinburghphotowalks.com read more

My wife and I saw this place on yelp the first morning we woke up in Edinburgh. This is a great quick breakfast place on your way to explore Edinburgh. I had a great bowl of porridge with honey and bananas, and a great latte. Small spot with a lot of seating.... we loved it! read more

Very nice staff and delicious food that won't break the bank! Got the BLT and it was great.

Newly opened on Waterloo Place, Pep and Fodder, from the team that brought you the Bon Vivant, is a smart and stylish city centre cafe. The cous cous salad I sampled was beautifully seasoned, packed with flavour and a complete riot of palette pleasing joy. Overall, we said: "So I was very pleased with Pep and Fodder. It certainly merits a return visit, once they've had a chance to bed-in a little more, and once they have their soup on the go. It has a nice array of cakes and pastries, too, so it may well be worthy of a visit from our Cake Questing friends soon, too. I'd heartily recommend you pop in, next time you find yourself at the east end of Princes Street." read more

This place has been on my ever expanding list and I'm pleased to say I've now ticked this baby off. It's lunch time on a dreary afternoon in Edinburgh and I'm in need of something to eat. I'm quite happy with the chicken pesto panini. It's tasty, toasted and filling. They stock my fav ginger beer - bunderburg, so all happy here. On a plus they even serve up dear green coffee - fab flat white too! Shame no room for cake as they all looked pretty tasty! read more

Very cozy and welcoming. Super friendly staff. Had a delicious panini and flat white to start off the day. Good lil pop in place for breakfast or lunch. read more

It would be easy to walk past this place but come inside and its bright counter and interior make you want to stay. It was busy during the lunch time rush but the queue and efficient staff moved things along quickly. I ordered a cheese and tomato toasted croissant which was delightful and toasted well enough for the cheese to melt (a must for me)....happy days! It was deliciously buttery and the sweet and savoury kick went well with my flat white coffee. A great location and find in the city centre with a good selection of lunch time sandwiches and decent coffee served with a smile. Definitely worth a stop after my gym session today but hopefully not undoing my workout completely... I'm into balance! read more

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This place is small and subtle in the bustling heart of Edinburgh, but it's definitely worth a visit. I popped in for a quick lunch one day, and had a delicious soup with a big chunk of bread. There is of course an excellent selection of sandwiches and cakes as well, and all with friendly, helpful staff. Unfortunately, the small size means seating is limited, and we had to sit outside on a chilly afternoon. However, I'm sure this is an excellent takeaway option if you live/work nearby. :) read more

Stopped in to try their porridge and let me tell you, it was delish! I had the berry compote and honey with a latte. Adorable cafe playing sim fun music! Bright and sunny with a friendly staff, I will be back again for sure! read more

found this place while stumbling around in the snow after a very chilly walk up calton hill-- definitely one to come back to! the interior was cosy and friendly and the bay window seats are extremely instagram-worthy. We had their bagels toasted with a side of salad and it was just perfect for a warm mid morning spent inside. read more

I stopped in for a vanilla latte & scone. The scone was served cold but did include butter & jam. The vanilla latte tasted more like sweet syrup than coffee. read more

This is our favorite breakfast place in Edinburgh! Our Airbnb is just a short walk away, so this little spot became our daily routine. The food is excellent and healthy, real food. The staff are very pleasant. The location is right on Princess Street. We grabbed paninis from here for lunch too and they were so good! This place has it all!! read more

Very, very friendly, good lattes, nice croissants and pastries. We stopped back im after a few days and the staff remembered us and asked how our trip has been. Very charming atmosphere, kind folks, good teas and great vibe. read more

Almost too regular to review. This is my local cafe of choice when at work. Helpful that local workers get a cheeky wee discount. The basics are essentially right: decent coffee, wholesome food, friendly staff. WiFi and accommodating if you want to hang. Its beginning to suffer as against some of the more interesting cafes in Edinburgh - it's more functional than some offering nothing terribly distinctive. Still if you're in the area, check it. read more

great addition to the central cafe scene. I work nearby and despair of Starbucks etc. P&F provides a nice relaxed space with great food and coffee, and friendly service. I feel strongly about the need to support such places but this is a place that I would come to anyway because its great. I thought the pastries were fresh. The paninis were interesting and packed with flavour. Above all for me, the benchmark, great flat white. read more

Small cozy clean cafe, free wifi, nice seating arrangement, and great staff! A good place to pick up a nice quick lunch or snack, if your on the go or want to sit in and relax for a bit. Nice unusual choice of sandwich fillings, but good combinations, the staff are kind enough to make changes if you want to swap out a filling or even try to make your sandwich. Would definitely pop by again! read more

Great value sandwich & soup deal. Good service in a nice atmosphere. Good place to drop in for lunch - nice, cozy, & affordable.

This coffee shop has a great set up, staff are welcoming however I was really disappointed with their coffee. Very, very bitter.