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The Thistle Stop Cafe

3.9 (17 reviews)
InexpensiveCafes
Open 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

The Thistle Stop Cafe Photos

THE THISTLE STOP CAFE ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Good for groups
Good for kids

Recommended Reviews - The Thistle Stop Cafe

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Chloe W.

Tucked away down a close off the Royal Mile is this small café serving soup, sandwiches, and the traditional Scottish breakfast. When we visited, the small café was full of people and service was slow. Our group all ordered variations of a Scottish breakfast, and portions were big and very filling! If you are looking for an inexpensive place to eat near Edinburgh Castle, this is a good option.

Full English breakfast.

Down an alley & down the stairs in the basement. Nothing fancy, just the best breakfast I've ever had outside my home.

Toasties...
Mishka B.

Not a bad place for a quick bite while walking through Old Town Edinburgh. We stopped here before heading to Camera Obscura. The place is a bit cozy and located in a narrow alley that leads to a quaint courtyard. The brie and bacon toastie was the best, but can you beat those two between bread?

Full breakfast
Anneke D.

The Thistle Stop Cafe does a fine quick breakfast with smiling staff and good lattes. It's quaint, tucked underground off an alley behind the Royal Mile, and is sparsely decorated with off-white walls in greyish plaid print and minimal art that looks like it came right off the shelves of T.K. Maxx. I had a cheese and onion toastie and my partner a full breakfast with a sunny side up egg, toast, beans, mushrooms, thick round bacon, a hash brown, sausage, and half a tomato that could have been grilled a lot longer. My toastie was grilled to perfection (the cheese was perfectly melty and hot to the touch), and it came with a side of corn chips that I could have done without. They were a bit too hard and a bit too dry, and might have been rounded out by a bit of tomato salsa or a touch of guacamole. Or maybe the other half of my fiancé's tomato, appropriately grilled! I'd come again in a pinch.

Scottish breakfast
Josh S.

Very little place, kind of hard to find. I am not an expert on Scottish food, but my wife and I both thought it was great. The service was very fast, we had out meals less than five minutes after we ordered.

Scottish pie with haggis and baked beans
Komal K.

This review is from the perspective of someone who had not tried haggis, neeps and tatties before so I don't know what to compare it against. We came here on a Sunday afternoon. It's a small place with less than 10 tables but service is good. You can see the kitchen and see them cook stuff there so good job with cleanliness. About the food, I found it strictly average. Everything except Scottish pie was very average and we ended up with a lot of leftovers. Maybe it was just how scottish food is but I found the experience quite average. Prices are reasonable and service is good so try the cafe for a quick bite to eat.

Absolutely the best meal I've had! First time trying Haggis, scotch pie and baked beans amazing!

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3 months ago

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1 year ago

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3 years ago

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3 years ago

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4 years ago

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2 years ago

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2 years ago

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6 years ago

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2 years ago

Tucked in the Royal Mile ! Good for a quick bite / coffee/ cake and go! Very small space like most cafe's in the area! Quick service too!

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7 years ago

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4 years ago

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9 years ago

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4 years ago

it was a cute little spot tucked away in the streets of Edinburgh! i would go back again!

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10 years ago

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Review Highlights - The Thistle Stop Cafe

While cruising through Old Town Edinburgh, my friends and I needed a pick me up.

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The Edinburgh Larder - Scottish Breakfast

The Edinburgh Larder

(347 reviews)

££

Royal 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.

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

The Garden Cafe

(7 reviews)

££

New 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.

Tasty Buns Bakery - We had toasties and soup.

Tasty Buns Bakery

(13 reviews)

£

Old 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!

The Thistle Stop Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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