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    Southern Cross Cafe

    4.3 (124 reviews)
    ModerateCoffee & Tea, British, Cafes
    Open 8:00 am - 5:00 pm

    Southern Cross Cafe Photos

    SOUTHERN CROSS CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Dogs allowed

    Recommended Reviews - Southern Cross Cafe

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    Cappuccinos
    Clau R.

    This cafe is just steps away from the Milkman and the royal mile. It has lots of seating options: outdoor tables perfect for people watching, and 3 floors of indoor tables. The three of us chose a table outside, since the weather was nice. Service was attentive and friendly. As we were there, another party left but forgot one of their bags. An employee ran out after them and returned it. So nice of them! We ordered 2 cappuccinos and 1 latte. I wasn't able to finish my cappuccino because it was quite large and got cold a little quickly. Nevertheless, it was good while I was drinking it. We could see plenty of pastries in the window which looked like they could be tasty, but we didn't try any of them. Finally, there were several individual bathrooms that were clean downstairs and upstairs.

    Club sandwich
    Bernadette G.

    We were on a walking tour and this was one of our tour guide suggestions. Our waitress was friendly and prompt. I ordered a club sandwich which was just sooo good. Also my latte was delicious. I wish I could have stayed longer and enjoyed one of the yummy looking treats in the window of this cozy cafe.

    Brie, cranberry, and rocket panini (bottom), BBQ chicken wrap (top)
    Fiona C.

    Accidentally found this place while we were starving and looking for somewhere to grab lunch. We loved the area, it was so nice sitting outside. Food was delicious! Our server was so friendly. We were very happy with our meal.

    Menu
    Christina H.

    Do not miss this cafe, it is so cozy and cute!! Inside it is two stories with a cute overlook for the second floor. All the freshly baked pastries in the window look so decadent! We got the yogurt and granola and a chai latte. The yogurt and granola was so good! It came topped with fresh fruit and plenty of honey. The yogurt itself was light and creamy. The chai latte was a bit light on the chai spice flavors but it was still good. A sweet milky treat with hits of chai. The service staff was friendly and the food came out quick! Loved the chill and cozy atmosphere.

    J L.

    Delicious food, friendly service and a cute little place on my favorite street... Had breakfast here three days in the week and was great every time!

    Vegetarian breakfast
    Ranjini S.

    The cafe is located in the heart of town close to the castle. They have a wide array of options, plus some very tempting pastries. I wound up getting the vegetarian breakfast which includes eggs, toast, baked beans, mushrooms, roasted tomato, potato scone and hash brown. Very filling to keep you going on a long day of sightseeing.

    Menu
    Rick P.

    Loved it! First time having a traditional Scottish breakfast and trying haggis. Yum!!

    Cappuccino
    Beth Ann P.

    Super cute Cafe!! We went for breakfast early enough so we could start our day of walking adventures. When we arrived we were promptly greeted and asked to go upstairs for seating. Once upstairs we were seated immediately. We ordered water and cappuccino's right away. We had to flag down our waitress to put in our food order. She was definitely very busy but remained polite. We received our cappuccino's after about 10-15 minutes and our food approximately 15 minutes after that. The food was hot, but bland. We never received our waters. The seating area was tight and they seated 5 people at a 4 person table next to us which made it even tighter. The guests at the table next to us were playing music videos obnoxiously loud and the staff never asked them to turn it down. Would go back in a pinch but after being here for a week we found other lovely establishments.

    Halloumi salad and Haggis Spring Rolls
    Bridget H.

    This is one of my favorite cafes I stopped at during my time in Edinburgh. They have indoor and outdoor seating. I sat outside since it was a beautiful day. They have beer and wine here as well. They have a nice lunch menu. I had the haggis spring rolls and the halloumi salad. Both were excellent and reasonably priced. The server was friendly, and it was fun talking with her. This is a great location by many great shops. I ran into several people I'd met during my time in Edinburgh while I sat and had lunch. They have many different homemade baked goods. I tried the carrot cake which was great! It was not at all too sweet and paired nicely with a flat white. I highly recommend coming here if you're in Edinburgh. Next time I am in town, I will be sure to go here!

    Sweet place to eat Eggs Benny!
    Cheryl B.

    Busy and vibrant with lots of tight comfy places to sit. Our waitress was sweet and we were seated and had our orders in befor you could say, Scottish Breakfast. Lovely and a great place for breakfast!

    Erin M.

    Fantastic breakfast spot. Came at 9 am and was seated right away. Ordered a blueberry stack with a flat white and both were delicious. Waitress was attentive and friendly. Ambiance was nice as well. Do yourself a favor and try this place!

    Kirk B.

    From the street, it doesn't appear to be a very roomy place but there are two levels and loads of seating. The staff are very friendly, and make you feel welcome to stay as long as you'd like. I had the Eggs Royal (smoked Scottish salmon and poached eggs atop a split English muffin), which was fantastic. Their coffee is also incredibly good. I highly recommend this place if you're in the Royal Mile area, and I'll be back!

    Hong T.

    Not sure if It's due to the rain but this place was packed. I ordered the flat white and chicken quesadilla. Both were mediocre. The chicken Qes was overwhelmed with chicken and a bit bland. It barely had any cheddar cheese in it. The chicken was a bit dry too. Service and vibe were great though. I came alone and was seated at the corner which is perfect for a solo traveler. Not a lot of places are attentive enough to seat solo travelers at the "right" comfortable table.

    Updated menu

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    11 months ago

    Had the full Scottish breakfast and was not disappointed. The food was delicious, served hot, and with excellent service.

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    2 years ago

    Wonderful and fun cafe with great food. Our server was friendly, efficient and on top of a quite busy cafe. Highly recommend.

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    4 years ago

    Absolutely delicious. Friendly and accommodating staff. Quick service. Fantastic location. A winner all around.

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    8 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Nice atmosphere + good food! Large baked goods selection, new slices of cake every day.

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    Page 1 of 4

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    The Outsider

    The Outsider

    4.1(278 reviews)
    0.2 miGrassmarket, Old Town
    ££

    Such a cute place. And the view of the castle from here was amazing…read more Super helpful staff! I am a member of a flight crew and as I was eating dinner I was asked to get catering for a flight literally the next morning. I asked the manager if he could make me some take away (to-go) steaks cooked rare to be cooked further on the plane. (I'm a private flight attendant and we cook and plate everything onboard). He went out of his way to make sure I recieved all the items cooked perfectly. Passengers left raving about the food!!! And these are passengers that definitely eat the best steaks. The manager even talked me through a playing game plan and I ran my thoughts of the dishes with him and wow, perfect outcome. I personally got the coley fish dish and started with some cheese. I am a big bleu cheese/stilton girl and it was all amazing. Everything was so good I used the bread from my cheese to mop up every ounce of juice left from coley plate. Great service, great views, and incredible food. All local and ever changing menu to fit what's in market. You'll see handwritten additions to each menu like the cheese and fish. The steaks were the 35 day dry hung flat iron steaks.

    Three of us stumbled upon The Outsider while out looking for a place for dinner. It was so good we…read morewent back with 2 more friends a few nights later. Nice pleasant room with good size tables and very helpful, friendly courteous wait persons. Very good steaks, and fish, and affogato for dessert. Go to read the creative food descriptions on the menu!

    Photos
    The Outsider
    The Outsider - Flat iron steak

    Flat iron steak

    The Outsider

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    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh - Toast

    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh

    4.3(71 reviews)
    0.3 miNew Town

    Was looking for high tea while in Edinburgh and was very glad I picked The Ivy on the Square. It's…read morea bit past the National Gallery and in New Town (as opposed to Old Town). Ambiance was super cute and upstairs even cuter I think (we were seated downstairs) and service was excellent. - Afternoon tea - 5/5 and I've been to had 50 or more high teas in my life in places such as London, Hong Kong, NYC, San Francisco, Honolulu... What was great about this high teas was the unlimited tea and coffee and they had many dairy milk alternatives: soy, oat, almond which is very unusual and appreciated! I had: - iced vanilla turmeric lychee matcha - 5/5 so delicious! And so unusual! - The Ivy English breakfast tea - 4/5 solid tea offering - truffle chicken salad sandwich on small roll - 5/5 - egg salad on wheat bread - 5/5 - smoked salmon on cream cheese on top of pastry puff pastry - gave this to my husband who downed it in a second so must have been good! - two raisin scones - 5/5 delicious! With clotted cream and strawberry jam - lemon poppyseed muffin - 4/5, husband ate it, was a little too sweet for me but super cute with bee on top - raspberry crème brulee - 4/5, solid offering - chocolate mousse in a pot - 5/5 super adorable presentation of the dessert in a little flower pot with chocolate cookie crumble "dirt" and mint leaves as the "plant" I almost didn't want to eat it! For all of this the price was very reasonable and my husband who does not appreciate high teas could order his beer and some smoked salmon off the à la carte menu. I highly recommend The Ivy on The Square for high teas!

    A couple of our traveling companions tried the Ivy in Dublin. The Edinburgh location was close to…read moreour hotel. Service from hostess to chef was excellent. I have to say that at least every restaurant we ate in the first question from servers are there any allergies? Every restaurant was super accommodating with an unusual allergy. Food was excellent and the drinks were on point. Great experience and highly recommend The Ivy.

    Photos
    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh
    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh - The Ivy Full Scottish Breakfast

    The Ivy Full Scottish Breakfast

    The Ivy On The Square Edinburgh - Storefront

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    Storefront

    The Cellar Door

    The Cellar Door

    3.9(28 reviews)
    0.2 miOld Town
    £££

    Had 7 pm reservation. Showed up on time. Plenty of seats. They put us at the table by the door…read morewhere everyone would bump into us passing by us getting to their table. I said for the size of our group can we get the other tables towards the back. There were other tables available and all right behind us. The hostess said no absolutely not guests were to be assigned to their tables. There were people behind us but they were after us; plus they were of smaller size than ours, clearly our skin color is the main issue. They sat us down, and quite a few minutes pass, others trickle in and promptly everyone bumps into me. At which point I told the hostess this is not acceptable. They sat 2 people at a table for 4, in the back while this table of 4 is really too small for 4 people. One thing stood out to me, we were the only non whites. When the last group again bumped into me, I asked to be moved; she then said due to short of staff they cannot change the seating but seeing seriously everyone is bumping into me, she begrudgingly moved us to a corner table with no lights - and not surprisingly no service. I understand the importance of trying to make the white people feel comfortable about not being seen with non whites - the best way is tuck the non whites away - but this is 2022. I am from California and no, this is absolutely unacceptable. Like MLK junior or Rosa Parks, we protected, first by requesting to be moved away from the hallway, then by my two teens and I walking out of the restaurant and finding more tolerant non racist restaurant to eat, and we spent a lot of money on the other restaurant. You too can make a decision to either eat or not eat at this place. The choice is entirely up to you. And this will define who you are.

    Made a reservation via Fork. Evening started well drinks…read morewere excellent Order sparkling water never came to the table neither did a pitcher of tap water. We stared at empty water glasses all night. I order the carrot risotto d arrived so under cooked it had to be sent back It took more than 20 minutes to clear our table ams another 15 minutes to produces dessert menus All in all a very disappointing evening The bottom line-go somewhere else!

    Photos
    The Cellar Door
    The Cellar Door - Great restaurant

    Great restaurant

    The Cellar Door - Very nice and open

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    Very nice and open

    Southern Cross Cafe - coffee - Updated August 2026

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