10 Cafes In Edinburgh To Visit For Your Daily Caffeine Fix
Who doesn’t love a coffee to start off their morning or fuel them throughout the day? We sure do! If you’re in Edinburgh, you need to try these 10 cafes…you won’t regret it!
After all, there’s a coffeeshop on every corner in the Scottish capital, so it can be hard to find the top places to get your daily caffeine fix.
It’s cuppa time, baby!
1. The Milkman
If anyone knows how to make the perfect cuppa, its these guys. The Milkman has been wowing locals and students alike since its opening in 2015, but it has since grown in popularity from going viral on TikTok and Instagram.
From what started as one coffeeshop in the heart of Edinburgh’s old town, on Cockburn Street, has since expanded into another café – two is always better than one! Their spaces may be smaller than most, but their coffee is unreal.
Choose from a range of iced coffees, mochas, chai lattes, americanos, and cappuccinos to name a few. They also offer yummy pastries like fruit tarts and cinnamon buns. This place has a great aesthetic and offers the best Instagram pictures!
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Address: 7 Cockburn Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1BP.
52 Cockburn street, Edinburgh, EH1 1PB.
2. Fortitude Coffee
Fortitude Coffee is one of the best specialty coffeeshops in Edinburgh, not only are their drinks delicious but their atmosphere is super relaxing and offers the best vibes to sit down and chill.
If you’re looking for a place to go and have a much-needed brew after a busy day of walking round the city centre, then head to one of their three coffeeshops. Although, our fave is their original café on York Place. Choose from a variety of different caffeine drinks at each of their cafes, so no matter how you like your coffee, it will be well-made and nicely presented!
They even offer coffee beans to take away so you can bring Fortitude to your home. The staff here are really helpful and will gladly explain the coffee section so you can find what you want!
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Address: 3C York Place, Edinburgh, EH1 3EB
66 Hamilton Place, Edinburgh, EH3 5AZ
72 Newington Road, Edinburgh, EH9 1QN
3. LOWDOWN
We can’t get enough of speciality coffeeshops in Edinburgh! Lowdown is in the New Town centre of the city tucked away in an urban basement on George Street.
Take a seat on a table indoors or outdoors and enjoy their weekly menu of light savouries, yummy food and quality coffees including espresso and filter coffees. We recommend trying their banana bread with your drink of choice (ours is a cappuccino)– its looovely!
The interior is minimalistic and offers a hip vibe and it’s great for grabbing a coffee with friends or better yet, having your caffeine fix whilst eating lunch. The best part of all though, is that they are dog friendly so you can meet some fury friends whilst getting fuelled up – aww!
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Address: 40 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2LE
4. The Edinburgh Coffee Lounge
The Edinburgh Coffee Lounge is an independent coffeeshop located on St Patrick St just across the road from the University of Edinburgh Campus.
It’s the ideal place to go for a coffee after a busy day of lectures, or whatever the day of the week it is! They’re open 7 days a week from 9-5 so no matter when you want a coffee, they’ve got you sorted. We’re sure this will quickly become your daily go-to coffee spot whilst you’re a student here.
Why not sit inside and make the most of the cosy vibes whilst sipping on a wee rose latte? Or try one of their new iced teas like the passion fruit lemon flavour (super refreshing in summer).
They even do a deal for coffee and a cake for £5.50 – not bad really is it?! Choose from an array of tasty foods like Nutella waffles, bad boy bagels and vegan blood orange cake.
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Address: 9 St Patrick St, Newington, Edinburgh EH8 9HB
5. Zebra Coffee Company
Zebra Coffee Company is an espresso bar and café located in the Old Town of Edinburgh. You’ll find them on Bank St, so if you’re doing some sightseeing at the St. Giles’ Cathedral or the Scottish National Gallery they’re right nearby.
Despite being a fairly small space, the folks at Zebra Coffee Co offer a range of tasty coffees like their oat latte, and if you want vegan milk, they’re able to cater for any dietary requirements whilst still providing fantastic coffees.
Their coffees are available to take away, or if you’d rather sit in then they do a great lunch menu with soups, sandwiches, as well as banging desserts. It would be rude not to try their kinder bueno stuffed cookies or biscoff blondie too!
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Address: 16 Bank St, Edinburgh EH1 2LN
6. Black Medicine Coffee Co
Black Medicine is a coffeeshop that has been bringing customers in and out their doors since 1998. Situated in the Old Town of Edinburgh on Nicolson St, they take their name from the fact that native peoples of America once called coffee, Black Medicine.
Looking for an ideal place to grab a hot drink? Here you can choose from an espresso, macchiato, americano, latte cappucino, cortado or a flat white. If none of that floats your boat, then they have teas on offer too as well as paninis, soups, cakes, bakes and sweet snacks.
If you’re in need of a study session, then fear not, they have power outlets and free wi-fi so you can get any outstanding work done (whilst enjoying a coffee). Despite being on the pricier side, this place is a great place to go with friends or alone!
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Address: 2 Nicolson St, Edinburgh EH8 9DH
7. The Wall Coffee And Design House
After walking around the Old Town of Edinburgh, perch yourself on a table at The Wall Coffee and Design House and enjoy their retro interior, calming atmosphere and most of all, their excellent coffee.
The Wall is a great place to grab a coffee and something to eat, they do a range of coffees as well as tea, which are served in a traditional china cup and saucer – how cute! Personally, we’d order their New Lavender Syrup Latte, but that’s just us.
If you’re feeling hungry, then order something good of their menu like a Caesar salad or a home-made brownie – mmm! This is for sure a lovely quaint place to visit and its reasonably priced for its central location too.
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Address: 45 Cockburn St, Edinburgh EH1 1BS
8. Deacon’s House Café
If you’re wanting to visit a oldie worldie coffee shop in Edinburgh, Deacon’s House Café is the place to go. This gem of a place has a great heritage being the home of Deacon Brodie, with artwork around the walls conveying his life story – you history students will love it!
In terms of their drinks, they offer a variety of coffees such as espresso’s, macchiato’s, black coffee, latte, flat white, cappuccino and mochas. As well as offering hot chocolates, teas, alcoholic drinks and soft drinks if they tickle ya’ fancy. Personally, we’d go for the hot chocolate with whiskey.
If you’re after good coffee in a traditional and quaint environment, then Deacon’s will certainly suffice. They’re located close to the train station and Edinburgh Castle too!
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Address: 304 Lawnmarket, Edinburgh EH1 2PS
9. Burr & Co. Edinburgh
Burr & Co is a coffee shop and deli located on Edinburgh’s George Street inside the InterContinental Hotel.
It’s the perfect place to go after mooching around the city centre, whether you’re planning to meet up with friends or kick back and relax with a coffee and a cake by yourself.
Their menu is super extensive with coffees like cortado, macchiato, long black, mocha, latte and flat white to name a few. If you enjoy a rich coffee this is the place for you! You can also enjoy their yummy array of foods like cakes, pastries, sandwiches, salads and soups.
The best part is, they’re open from 7am-5pm Monday-Friday so if you’re an early riser keen to get your caffeine fix to start the day, this is the place to go.
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Address: 20 George St, Edinburgh EH2 2PB
10. Thomas J Walls Coffee
Thomas J Walls is a vintage coffeeshop which is housed in a repurposed optician’s and is located just a 2-minute walk from the University of Edinburgh campus.
The coffee here is excellent quality, and their iced lattes are just to die for. Feeling hungry? There are tons of dishes to choose from, go for an all-day breakfast with your course mates after being at uni!
With a traditional interior and a spacious setting, if you want to whip out your laptop and work on uni tasks, then you’ll be more than welcome to. Although, they do have music playing and it does tend to get busy, so be aware of that!
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Address: Forrest Rd, Edinburgh EH1 2QN
There we have it everyone, our guide to cafes in Edinburgh to visit to get your daily caffeine fix, and some peng scran. We hope we’ve introduced you to some new places to visit whilst you’re living in the Scottish city, or if you’re planning a visit up.
Want to know about student life in Edinburgh? We have just the blog for you to read here.
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