Edinburgh Cafes: Incredible Cafes & Coffee Shops In Edinburgh
Searching for the best Edinburgh cafes? Then look no further. My guide to cafes in the capital is a round-up of my favourites, including coffee shops and cake stops; each personally visited and highly recommended.
One of the most difficult things about visiting the Scottish capital is choosing from the plethora of really excellent cafes and coffee shops. So, to make your life easier and shorten the list a little, I’m sharing the best Edinburgh cafes for your next visit.
Each independent, personally visited, and serving exceptional coffee, these cafes and coffee shops are all within easy reach of the city centre.
We were seeking two things: shelter from the Scottish rain and a brilliant coffee and cake combo.
Thankfully, there’s no shortage of genuinely incredible cafes in Edinburgh.
What makes Edinburgh’s cafe scene so special is the number of independents, which reminded me of the equally booming Skye cafe scene and Dundee coffee culture: coffee shops brewing artisan roasts, cafes showcasing boujee homemade bakes, and small spots serving up delicious brunch/lunch options.
I’m an Edinburgh native, and in the last ten years, the cafe scene has exploded in the best possible way.
Gone are the obligatory chains, and very much in are aesthetically pleasing, locally owned, excellent daytime eateries.
On that particular rainy day, we found ourselves in a bougie pastry shop in Stockbridge. But I’ve also enjoyed coffee in a sunny window box in the Royal Mile, seen the best views from a cafe on world-famous Victoria Street, and enjoyed speciality coffee in Leith.
All that is to say, after many years of coffee shopping and eating my way around Edinburgh’s cafes, I have a list of firm favourites.
Hopefully, this guide to Edinburgh’s cafes should make things less overwhelming for you, giving you inspiration and the necessary information to choose the best venue for your next coffee, break from the crowds, or very delicious brunch, lunch, or cake stop.
This is my guide to Edinburgh’s best cafes and coffee shops.
Edinburgh Coffee Shop: Quick Guide
Santu Coffee (Royal Mile) and Santu Coffee Roastery (Nr Leith Walk): best for speciality coffee
Mr Eoin (Stockbridge): best for speciality coffee
Cappuccino (Old Town): best for flat whites and pastries:
Williams & Johnson Coffee Co. (Leith): best for speciality coffee
Loudens (Old Town): best for brunch
Hata (Canonmills): best for coffee, bakes, and porridge bowls
Fortitude (Stockbridge): best for speciality coffee
Cairngorm Coffee (West End): best for coffee and casual lunch
Cafēn (New Town): best for speciality coffee
Oh Deer (Leith Walk): best for coffee, bagels, and sandwiches
Lannan Pantry (New Town): best for artisan sandwiches and deli
Pastry Section (Stockbridge): best for patisseries
Disposition (Roseburn): best for coffee, porridge, and sourdough sandwiches
Bonnie Barista (Central): best for coffee and focaccia sandwiches
Project Canelé (New Town): best for speciality coffee and caneles
Kuna Cafe & Bakery (Leith Walk): best for lunch, toasties, and bakes
The Cobbled Roastery (Central): best for speciality coffee
Little Havana Coffee Store (Leith Walk): best for speciality coffee
La Barantine (Old Town): best for French-style filled baguettes
Edinburgh Cafes and Coffee Shops
There are wonderful cafes scattered throughout the city and its many parts, but this guide focuses specifically on those easily walkable from the city centre.
Also, unlike some guides you’ll find online, I’ve personally visited and carefully chosen every venue on this list; that means I genuinely love each spot below and recommend it based on the (a) quality of their coffee and bakes, (b) vibe, and (c) friendly staff and good service.
That means some popular cafes haven’t made the list. We didn’t enjoy them for whatever reason, usually because we found them overhyped or the food or service was below par.
So, ready to find the best Edinburgh cafes and coffee shops? Let’s go!
Santu Coffee
With two very different Edinburgh locations, Santu Coffee has quietly become one of our go-to coffee stops in the city. The tiny Royal Mile takeaway is perfect for grabbing a genuinely excellent flat white while exploring the Old Town, but if you have time, it’s absolutely worth making a point of visiting their roastery café in the New Town too.
The latter has much more space to slow down and properly enjoy the experience, with beautifully roasted coffee, a calm atmosphere, and a real sense of craftsmanship behind every cup. We’ve loved every visit to both.
42a Broughton St, Edinburgh, EH1 3SB and 21 Jeffrey St, Edinburgh, EH1 1DR
Order | A flat white and whichever beans the team are currently showcasing.
Where | The Broughton Street roastery is the one to properly visit, but the Royal Mile takeaway is ideal while sightseeing.
Nearby | Pair with a wander around the New Town, Calton Hill, or the Royal Mile.
Mr Eoin
Mr Eion in Stockbridge is one of our absolute favourite coffee spots in Edinburgh. Small, understated, and mainly geared towards takeaway, it’s the kind of place serious coffee lovers seek out, with exceptional beans roasted in-house and a loyal local following.
There are a handful of counter seats by the window if you manage to grab one, but we usually leave with a flat white in hand and at least one bag of beans to take home. Tiny, simple, and consistently brilliant.
7 Dean Park St, Edinburgh, EH4 1JN
Order | A flat white and a bag of beans to take home.
Where | Stockbridge.
Plan | Mostly takeaway, with a few counter seats inside.
Nearby | Ideal before exploring Stockbridge Market, Dean Village, or the Water of Leith.
Cappuccino
Tucked away in the Old Town, Cappuccino is one of those cosy little cafés that instantly make you want to linger longer. We stopped by for breakfast and genuinely loved everything about it; buttery croissants, excellent flat whites, and that relaxed early-morning atmosphere that’s hard to beat in Edinburgh.
It feels properly local, wonderfully unfussy, and exactly the sort of coffee shop you hope to stumble across while wandering the city. A must for a slower start to the day.
41 Cockburn St, Edinburgh, EH1 1BS
Order | A flat white and one of the fresh croissants for breakfast.
Where | Right in the heart of the Old Town, just off the Royal Mile.
Plan | Small sit-in café with takeaway available. Best visited earlier in the morning.
Nearby | Perfect before exploring the bottom section of the Royal Mile, Holyrood Palace, or Edinburgh Gin Distillery.
Fortitude
Tucked away in Stockbridge, Fortitude is a speciality coffee at its absolute best. The passion behind the coffee is immediately obvious, from the carefully sourced beans to the attention poured into every cup, and Trev was particularly fascinated by the sleek Modbar setup behind the counter.
Alongside some exceptional flat whites, there’s also a small range of genuinely brilliant bakes that pair perfectly with the coffee. Compact, independent, and deeply serious about quality in the best possible way.
3C Raeburn Pl, Edinburgh, EH4 1HU
Order | A flat white and one of the rotating pastries or cakes.
Where | Stockbridge.
Plan | Small café with limited seating. Arrive earlier for the best pastry selection.
Nearby | Combine with a wander around Stockbridge or Dean Village.
The Cobbled Roastery
The Cobbled Roastery feels like one of Edinburgh’s hidden little gems. Small, cosy, and seriously tucked away on Thistle Street, this independent roastery serves some incredibly fresh coffee, with brilliant espressos and silky flat whites that really let the beans shine.
A true roastery, this is a great spot to buy bags of beans.
There’s something wonderfully understated about the whole place, and it’s ideal if you appreciate carefully roasted speciality coffee without any fuss.
48 Thistle St, Edinburgh EH2 1EN
Order | An espresso or flat white to properly appreciate the freshly roasted beans.
Where | Between Princes Street and Queen Street.
Plan | Small independent roastery café with limited seating.
Nearby | Visit on your way to or from Stockbridge and the New Town.
Oh Deer
Oh Deer is easily one of our favourite coffee spots on Leith Walk. Set inside a beautifully restored former cigar shop, the interiors are full of character, with a cool, laid-back atmosphere that makes it very easy to stay longer than planned.
The coffee is consistently brilliant, the staff are always genuinely lovely, and the bagels are absolutely worth ordering alongside your flat white. One of those neighbourhood cafés, Edinburgh does so well.
154a Leith Walk, Edinburgh, EH6 5DX
Order | A flat white and one of the bagels.
Where | Leith Walk.
Plan | Sit-in café with takeaway available.
Nearby | Great before exploring Leith, Pilrig Park, or the Shore.
Cafēn
Cafēn feels like a speciality coffee shop in the truest sense of the term. Small, beautifully aesthetic, and entirely focused on the coffee, it’s somewhere that immediately stands out for its impressive range of beans and brews.
There are only a few seats inside, but that’s part of the charm. Every cup feels carefully crafted, the interiors are effortlessly stylish, and the whole experience feels distinctly Edinburgh.
108 Raeburn Pl, Edinburgh, EH4 1HH
Order | A carefully brewed filter coffee, pour over, or flat white.
Where | Near Stockbridge.
Plan | Small café with limited seating and takeaway available.
Lannan Pantry
We’ve yet to make it into the bakery proper at Lannan (the queues are legendary), but we have managed pre-orders and pantry collections next door, and can confidently say Lannan Pantry is one of the best cafes in Edinburgh.
Though best known for its viennoiserie, Lannan’s country-style pantry offers deli bites and artisan focaccia sandwiches, and though you’ll need to take them away, they are absolutely delicious. We chose a classic BLT and Scandi-inspired smoked trout with gherkins; beautifully made, with bags of flavour.
The terrine and pâté en croute are equally noteworthy. What surprised us most, though, was just how good the coffee was too. While most people come for the famous pastries, the rather bougie lunchtime offerings and flat whites more than hold their own.
29-35 Hamilton Pl, Edinburgh, EH3 5BA
Order | The focaccia sandwiches, terrine, seasonal pastries, and a flat white.
Where | Stockbridge.
Plan | Collect a few bits, and head to nearby Water of Leith or Inverleith Park for a picnic.
Pastry Section
Flying the flag for standout bakeries, Pastry Section feels like stepping into a proper patisserie in the heart of Stockbridge. The front window alone is enough to stop you in your tracks, filled with immaculate French-inspired pastries and beautifully crafted sweet treats that somehow look almost too perfect to eat.
The coffee is very good, but realistically, you’re visiting here for the pastries. And rightly so. Everything we tried was delicate, delicious, and expertly made.
147 Raeburn Pl, Edinburgh, EH4 1JG
Order | One of the seasonal French pastries and a coffee on the side.
Where | Stockbridge.
Plan | Ideal for takeaway pastries, though there are a few seats inside.
Nearby | Combine with a wander around Stockbridge and the Water of Leith.
Hata
Hata quickly became one of our favourite brunch and coffee spots in Edinburgh. The coffee comes from our long-time favourites at Unorthodox Roasters, which already had us sold, but the excellent bakes and phenomenal porridge bowls make this somewhere worth properly settling into for breakfast.
The space itself feels calm, modern, and welcoming, with beautifully presented food and genuinely lovely coffee. One of those places where everything just feels thoughtfully done.
3 Brandon Terrace, Edinburgh, EH3 5EA
Order | A flat white, seasonal bake, and one of the mighty porridge bowls.
Where | Canonmills.
Plan | Sit-in café with a brunch-style menu and takeaway coffee available.
Nearby | Great before a walk along the Water of Leith or through the New Town.
Williams & Johnson Coffee Co.
Tucked away in Leith, Williams & Johnson Coffee Co. is a small independent coffee shop serving up brilliant brews. We first discovered them at Tarmachan Cafe in the Cairngorms, before eventually visiting their Edinburgh space ourselves.
The café itself is compact and often filled with people working on laptops, but the coffee more than speaks for itself. The flat whites were excellent, the bakes solid, and it’s exactly the sort of neighbourhood roastery we always love seeking out.
6-8 Custom House Ln, Edinburgh, EH6 6BH
Order | A flat white and a bag of their house beans.
Where | Leith Shore.
Plan | Small sit-in roastery café with limited seating. Popular with laptop workers.
Nearby | Perfect before exploring the Shore area or visiting Leith’s bars and restaurants.
Cairngorm Coffee
Something of an institution in Edinburgh’s speciality coffee scene, Cairngorm Coffee remains one of the best spots in the West End for a reliably excellent cup. The space has a relaxed neighbourhood feel, with consistently great coffee, friendly staff, and a steady stream of locals and visitors alike.
It’s the sort of place we’ve returned to time and time again over the years, whether for a quick takeaway flat white or a slower morning catching up over coffee.
1 Melville Pl, Edinburgh, EH3 7PR
Order | A flat white and one of the house pastries.
Where | West End.
Plan | Sit-in and takeaway available. Usually busy at weekends.
Nearby | Perfect before walking to Dean Village or Princes Street Gardens.
Bonnie Barista
The Bonnie Barista is a real gem of an Edinburgh café. Tucked away down the bottom of Castle Street in the New Town, the interior is beautifully minimalist, the coffee exceptional, and the vibe always friendly.
Visit for breakfast and choose from a selection of flaky, fresh pastries, such as croissants, alongside freshly brewed coffee. Or later in the day for their mouth-wateringly good (and huge) focaccia sandwiches, giant sausage rolls, and delicious, sweet treats.
Opened by a local Edinburgh couple, this independent cafe is my top city centre pick.
67 N Castle St, Edinburgh, EH2 3LJ
Order | A flat white, cinnamon bun, and the caprese & salami focaccia.
Where | Various spots, but the Castle Street cafe is the best city centre option.
Plan | Dog-friendly, no pre-booking, sit-in, out, or takeaway.
Nearby | Visit on your way to the Portrait Gallery, Dean Village, or the city centre.
Kuna Cafe & Bakery
We stumbled upon Kuna Cafe on a particularly rainy day and found a warm, welcoming little oasis inside. Of all the Edinburgh cafes on our list, this one is a strong contender for the friendliest.
The server made us fresh toasties (despite there being none on the shelf), cut everything in half so we could share, and didn’t mind us dripping water all over the floor.
Quiches, tarts, and toasties are utterly delicious for lunch, with moreish flavours like goat's cheese, fig jam, and candied pecans. Though the oozy tart and toastie combo ultimately won, we’ll return to try the enormous sausage rolls in homemade pastry and an impressive cake selection.
Opened by a local couple, Kuna is easily one of my favourite Edinburgh cafes. Highly recommend.
Order | Speciality tea, the beetroot, goat's cheese & fig jam tart, and the mature cheddar toastie.
Where | Near the Playhouse, in the New Town.
Address | 1 Elm Row, Edinburgh, EH7 4AA (here)
Plan | No pre-booking, sit-in or takeaway.
Nearby | The Edinburgh Playhouse, Leith Walk, Calton Hill, St James Centre, and New Town.
La Barantine
Another cafe I love, La Barantine, is an artisanal French bakery in the historic Old Town. Serving authentic French café vibes, everything in this cosy little spot is handmade by the French chef pâtissiers and the owner/master Boulanger.
Early risers should order a croissant or a pain au chocolat; flaky and freshly baked, these pastries, paired with freshly brewed coffee, make for the perfect breakfast. Or, later in the day, stop for a flat white and sweet treat - you’ll find a selection of patisseries in the window (good luck choosing just one), including Paris-Brest, lemon tarts, and eclairs.
For lunch, there’s a small but delicious selection of baguettes; I recommend ‘Le Savoie’, served with Bayonne ham, sun-blush tomatoes, raclette cheese, and French mustard. Yum.
Order | An espresso, croissant, or plate full of artisan patisseries. Also French baguettes for lunch.
Where | Various spots, but Victoria Street for those exploring the Old Town.
Address | 89 West Bow, Edinburgh, EH1 2JP (here)
Plan | No pre-booking, sit or takeaway.
Nearby | Visit historic Victoria Street, plus nearby Royal Mile, The Vennel, Grassmarket, or National Museum.
Edinburgh Press Club
A casual eatery on Cockburn Street, the Edinburgh Press Club is an oasis in the often chaotic thoroughfare. Though less aesthetically orientated than others on our list, this Edinburgh cafe delivers with its plentiful tables, friendly staff, and solid hot drink options.
They’ve recently expanded their food menu and offer salads, sandwiches, and pastries from award-winning Manna House Bakery. A reliable option for a quiet break, you can also use your laptop.
Order | Coffee, hot chocolates, and hearty farmhouse-style sandwiches.
Where | In the Old Town, near the Royal Mile.
Address | Chambers St, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF (here)
Plan | A casual option for days exploring the Royal Mile, laptop-friendly.
Nearby | The Royal Mile, Old Town, and Princes Street.
Thomas J Walls Coffee
I’ll be honest: I almost didn’t include Thomas J. Walls. The service left a lot to be desired, something that’s often noted in reviews. However, you will find excellent coffee here, and for that, it is worth a visit.
The owner is a former barista champion, and his dedication to excellent coffee shows, with carefully poured flat whites and excellent espressos as standard.
There is a brunch menu and pastries, though we didn’t have the opportunity to sample either (in all honesty, there are better eateries on this list). But the vibe did make for a good break from walking around the old town, with dark wooden panelling, little nooks to hide away in, and a steady stream of customers keeping the atmosphere buzzy.
Order | An espresso is the house speciality, but flat whites are equally good.
Where | Over George IV Bridge in the Old Town.
Address | Forrest Rd, Edinburgh, EH1 2QN (here)
Plan | No pre-booking, sit-in or takeaway, laptop friendly.
Nearby | National Museum and the Meadows, the Royal Mile is also a close stroll.
More Edinburgh cafes…
Of course, we haven’t eaten in every cafe in the city - but we’re trying! Stay tuned; we’ll add them (and others) to the list soon. These days, I’m based in the Scottish Highlands - but I frequently visit the capital for my speciality coffee fix!
Have a cafe you’d like to see added to this post? Then get in touch and let me know what makes it so good here.
Edinburgh is one of those glorious cities I never tire of, and the food scene is a big reason for that. Use my Scotland planning tools and itineraries to find what awaits you in the capital and beyond.
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