I love this 1950's diner with its chequered tiled floor and red cushioned booths and the jukebox blasting out Elvis. I love the shakes and the chilli dog and waffles and pancakes. It's such a vibe! read more

The City Cafe - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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They already start off with a decent rating by me because they are one of the few places in the area that serve breakfast past 11:45. The cafe itself is going for a rundown 50s era American dinner look. To be honest, a bit cliché, but it is what it is. However, the reason we go to a restaurant is the food and to be honest, the food isn't all that great. Just look at my picture of the eggs Benedict. It tastes like it looks. But again, at least they offer it all day. read more

The City Cafe - Eggs Benedict - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

We went to The City Center cafe for a quick bite to eat on Halloween not expecting good food and it was even worse than we thought. I ordered nachos in hopes to start my night out on a happy note and all they did was poison me. The sour cream on those nachos is the picture you get when you Google search "old cottage cheese." It prevented me from getting shlocked on Halloween which I was really looking forward to. My friend ordered a vegan hot dog and she will pretty much eat anything but the hot dog tasted like dirt and the salsa was just inedible. The waitress herself said the other plant-based hot dog is bad. In general the staff seemed very nonchalant. I regret paying for and eating this food. If you want to come to Edinburgh only to be fighting for your life on the toilet please eat here. read more

This 50's style American diner offers all day breakfast. Staff were efficient and friendly. Food and coffee were great (waffles). Casual atmosphere which like most places in Edinburgh is also fully licensed. Great experience. read more

The aesthetic is 1950s American diner with chrome finishing, Elvis records, and sock hop checkered floors. We went for a morning and ordered the large breakfast with coffee and ginger ale. The portion was very large, and enough to share! Even though it's an 'American' themed diner, they had a good mix of Scottish comfort food favorites like baked beans, black pudding, and haggis. I loved the runny eggs and the hash browns. The joe was pretty good and comes with free refills. The waitresses were really nice and knew we needed a lot of coffee to trek through rainy Edinburgh. Definitely recommend if you want a hearty warm breakfast to start your day in Edinburgh. read more

The City Cafe - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The city cafe has a wonderful atmosphere and great food. The kitschy American diner theme is delightful and the girls that were working when I was there were attentive and pleasant. Coming in as someone who's been traveling for 3 days and had not eaten in as much time, it was a much needed stop and I'm glad I did. read more

The City Cafe - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Ever been so hungry you will eat whatever they put in front of you? That was me and here is my review: better than fast food. Chips were not chunky as menu described. Guacamole on nachos was worse than average. Not fresh but premade mush. Chicken piri piri on nachos was weird and sweet. Hamburger was yummy and hit the spot. Service: please bring app before main course. Please bring fixings for food: salt, pepper ketchup and mustard. Please don't spray and clean table next to me while eating. Check back to see if I would like more beer or water. Music was great, atmosphere has a fun vibe as sun went down. Beer was great! Love my paper straw in my water. read more

Favorite place in Scotland to eat late night Scottish vegan breakfast. The staff are wonderful, Leon and Toby had a wealth of recommendations of what to do on my visit to Edinburgh! The beer and drinks were great, cool atmosphere and a fun crowd of fellow eaters. read more

The City Cafe - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I love lots of things about the City Cafe. I love its sort of run down but still clean and shiny feel. The chrome and cushioning says it all. I love the hat tip to the American diners of old. It feels transplanted from the 1950s mid-west right into the heart of the Old Town. I love its menu, with a solid breakfast section and plenty of other options. I can highly recommend the stack of five pancakes, which arrive absolutely swimming in maple syrup. No stingy portions here. I love its burger challenge, which contains so much food it's beyond understanding how anyone - let alone 20 odd people - have managed to finish the plate. I love its booths and pool table, where you can chill out with a couple of friends, enjoy a drink and catch up. So, basically. I pretty much love it here. The only thing keeping the fifth star off the place is the loos, which are awkwardly downstairs, a bit cold and need some TLC. But other than that, we're onto a winner here. read more

The City Cafe - Pancakes swimming in maple syrup! - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

So American and the Milkshakes! I really like this place. It reminds me of the America's in the 50's from the Grease movie. The seats could be more comfy, but overall its a nice place to have breakfast or lunch. Dinner time is more of a drinking time. Lots of people there on a FRI night, drinking and celebrating. Very loud, and you can't really get a table nor a chair. In the back there is a pool table. That's cool! They serve all sorts of Milkshakes (Choco, Strawberry, Vanilla, Toffee....) and they taste really nice. If you try to loose weight then the Shakes are not a good choice :-) I like American Pancakes and they got them. Yummy: Pancakes with Maple Syrup. Here I come again.....Soon! read more

We stumbled upon this place whilst finding somewhere to eat close to our hotel. We wanted something that was going to fill our tummies but not break the bank - this place fit the bill. We both ordered variations of burger and chips, great portion sizes and the food was bang on. We accompanied this with a beer each - the bill came to £23 odd and we left feeling satisfied. The menu was really good. My only complaint is the service. Nobody acknowledged that we had entered the restaurant and nobody came to our table to take orders. I wasn't (and still am not) sure whether you are supposed to order at the till - but this is what I did cause I was hungry and not wanting to wait around. read more

The City Cafe - Burger meals - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The City Cafe has hipster written all over it, and it's not a bad thing. It looks like a typical 50s diner from the outside, and you can imagine girls swinging in their big skirts while guys lean over the jukebox looking smouldering with a James Dean quiff. Not that any of these attributes are bad - I love that sort of thing. There's seating outside and lounging smokers are posted there on a sunny day. If you choose to go over the threshold you can expect a functional amount of booze, some food offerings and a variety of people socialising of all ages. During the day you can nab yourself some grub (including spicy burgers which always go down well), and have some quiet drinks accompanied by house music playing unobtrusively in the background. During the evening, The City Cafe is transformed into a different animal. It's a gig venue, and popular with local bands. During the Fringe it particularly comes alive and ususally hosts a number of in-house comedy and dramatic artists for the duration of August. My friends and I envisaged the worst comedy act I've ever seen in the City Cafe, but not even that deterred from my otherwise great impression of the place. With its checkered floors and low-fi appeal, I love that it looks a bit left of the dial and is laid back enough to trawl in wearing some baggies for a few beers. One of the better bars in Edinburgh. read more

The City Cafe - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

I have been here a few times and I found that the service tended to be a bit slow. This occasion we did not have any problems, although it was quite quiet. I ordered a whopper of a Bloody Mary. It was £10.50 and it included a skewer stick of smoked salmon, 2 large prawns, a stick of celery and cucumber. It was also damn spicy. So all in- a bloody good, Bloody Mary! I also had the 3 stack of pancakes at £4 and added bacon for a £1. This was good. I was pleased and I was filled up. What was great is that it is a breakfast dish, but I was eating it late at night. They do lots of breakfast items all day and night. Which was perfect for us lot. Good music, dark lighting, a pool table and breakfast at night. Wonderful! read more

The City Cafe - A Bloody Mary with celery, prawns, cucumber and smoked salmon! Yum - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Have only been here for breakfast, which has been consistently great on the half dozen visits made. Interesting eclectic room in that inimitable UK-interpretation-of-an-american-diner style. Good tunes, with a varied playlist. Staff is friendly and helpful and the service is good. Decent coffee with free refills. Food is quite good and prices are reasonable especially considering the portions. The 'small' cooked breakfast is plenty big, I can only imagine the large size would be truly substantial. Gluten free options available. Scrambled eggs on toast very good, even better with salmon! Recommended. read more

Came here for breakfast as they serve it all day. Walking into here was like walking back in time to the 80's. I couldn't believe how much character this place shown and it was amazing. Every where you look there is so much history and detail you could spend all day staring at their walls. Even their menu exploded this restaurants personality with quirky names and images. They also can provide a vegan/gf menu if needed. I went for the Castro - named after Fidel Castro, which was poached eggs with smoked salmon and hollandaise sauce served on a toasted muffin. This was £8 which is amazing value! The food came pretty quickly and tasted good. The salmon wasn't very fresh - it was one of the saltiest I've ever had but wasn't bad. The coffee was also really yummy and strong. It was a great spot overall and couldn't have been happier. read more

The City Cafe - The Castro - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

Surprised I've not reviewed this place before, having been a customer over a number of years. Probably best to be writing it up now though as since its takeover (& small makeover) last year the food has thankfully returned to the level of quality I'd come to expect so if you are in the market for a good burger this is a good choice. The eggs benedict is decent too. There's now a single pool table upstairs after a few months of there being none. By the looks of things it allows for better cue positioning than the two tables that were here in the past but I've yet to play on it myself. read more

The City Cafe - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

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I really like what they've done with the place. The new menu is fantastic bar food we got two platters, one veggie and one meaty (see pics) and it was all cooked to perfection and well presented. We sat next to the Wurlitzer jukebox which was free to use and had some cracking golden oldies on it. Unlike TGI's or the Filling Station the new 'theme' didn't cross the line into parody or feel contrived. The City Caff is the City Caff after all. Although, I have to say, sitting in the booth listening to 50's music with a burger defo made me bagsy Fonzie, there's no way I'm being Ritchie Cunningham. read more

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My partner and I had been going to the city cafe for years but it has gone down hill post pandemic. Poor service and unprofessional staff/manager that became rude when noting missing food or dirty cutlery. Dirt all over the drinks. Just sad as the service was amazing before 5/5. Now 0/5. read more

Went for dinner. Companion had chicken sandwich. Done nicely but bland. Needed something. Chicken was good though. Fries were great. My son got a burger that was ok but his strawberry milkshake was fantastic. I had a sausage on a roll with onions,etc... we call them buzz dogs. Delicious. Overall 3-4. Ambiance was fun read more

There is a chill in the air, and a sharp wind blowing through my overcoat. I duck in an alley and try to light up a smoke. Damn. Out of matches. I keep walking, when I see it out of the corner of my eye. My own personal miracle, a beaten up book of matches. Fast as a saint in confession I tear one off, strike it and breathe deeply. The dry smoke fills my cold lungs. First cigarette of the day. My head spins and I lean on the wall for support. Just before thrusting the book in my pocket I catch a glimpse of the cover, City Café... Why did that name seem so familiar? I couldn't think on in too long, I had to get to work before the Chief had my hide. I walk in with a ding and the Chief calls me into his office before he even sees me. This is bad. This has to be bad. I prepare my ears for the raging timpani of aggression. But it never comes. He just looks at me and smiles a little. He cracks his dry lips and says gently, "You do remember what day it is, don't ya ace?" I go from thinking I was about to clear my desk to, 'ace'? Something wasn't right. "No," I begin slowly, "... am I missing something boss?" He laughs low and loud, "Today's... Challenge day!" he exclaims. 'Challenge day'... of course. It all comes flooding to the front of my mind. The matches. I'd thrown them there after staggering home last night. After I'd drunkenly challenged the Chief to the Burger Challenge. The day passes without a hitch. The Chief slaps me on the back, "Let's get to it then." He barks, "You talked a pretty good game last night. But that was last night." We walk between the pools of yellow streetlight, and slowly we approach the City Café in all its chromed glory. The place is stacked. Pretty dames and smilin' fellas from wall to wall. Milkshakes and bourbon, salads and pancakes. I even see one girl drinkin' a cosmopolitan. This joint has it all. We pass through the doors and I'm instantly stopped by a beautiful gal with a red shirt and a tight apron, "You those two boys silly enough to try the Burger Challenge?" She says quietly in a southern drawl. We both nod sheepishly. "Well the chef's got em' ready ahead of time, I'll take you to your seats." I sit across from the Chief and we both pour over the description of the behemoths we're about to eat. "Three hamburgers?" The Chief starts, "Two chicken breasts?" his voice raises in pitch, "Two bean burg..." He peters off as the twin pair of culinary planets hit the table. "Forty five minutes to go boys," says the waitress as she skips back to the bar. Time slows. My heart slows. I look to the Chief. I look at the herculean trial below me. I look to the sky. I swallow calmly and begin. * * * I'm forty minutes in. Sweating from every pore in my body and slipping in and out of consciousness. The hamburgers were gone. The chicken, devoured. The bean burgers, annihilated. All that is between me and the end of this damned thing was a bowl of fries. I eat one. I eat another. As I attempt the third, a crippling wave grips me. I can't eat anymore. I... I just can't. I look across the booth to see the Chief, just over half finished and as immobile as me. "Why?" He gurgled, "Why would we do this?" I pay and crawl out the door avoiding eye contact at all costs. I leave with my pride shattered, but in awe of the little Café with the big boast. I look back one last time and light the last smoke of the night. "Maybe next time ace." The boss says. "Yeah," I reply, "Maybe next time." - Based on a true story. Some elements fabricated. Account of burger true. Atmosphere and service tippy top. read more

Its possible to spend a whole day here. Proper chill, proper milkshakes, reasonably priced food and drinks. Service can be a tad slow, but totally fits the laid back attitude of the place. Where I feel city cafe shines though is at nighttime. Its always full to the rafters, with a great pre club vibe. Plus slightly tipsy pool is always a winner. read more

Like Natalie Imbruglia I'm torn. I've been in the City Cafe a couple of times in the past and I love the vibe of the place, the retro/Americana feel, and it's always busy. The last time I was here with a group of friends we spent several hours playing pool, whilst the rain fell outside. Thankfully there was no rain on Saturday and despite being busy, Kirsty, Clare and I managed to get a wee booth in the corner. I've had a breakfast here in the past but never anything from the evening menu, on first glance it's nothing out of the ordinary but there are some intriguing items, most notably the meatloaf, served with mash and creamed corn. It's not clear if it's table service or not, some people seemed to have people taking their orders, but as we hadn't even had a hello I wandered up to the bar and ordered, after some deliberation, the Hawaiian Burger for me, Clare ordered the Mac Cheese and Kirsty opted for the meatloaf. The food arrived pretty quickly and first impressions were mixed. The Mac Cheese looked a bit anaemic (and quite a small portion), my burger looked ok, and the meatloaf looked a bit amateurish. Whilst I wasn't expecting beautifully presented food they could at least have made a bit more of an effort I think. We were all hungry so dived in sharpish! My burger came with some chunky, fluffy chips which may, or may not, have been reheated rather than cooked fresh, the bacon on the burger was pretty flavourless, the patty thin and on the dry side with the grilled pineapple the start of the show. Disappointing and so unappealing I didn't finish my meal (which is largely unheard of!). Tellingly no-one else finished their food either. I got to try both the other dishes, the Mac Cheese wasn't up to much, and the meatloaf was an odd, dry, yet familiar flavour... had the cooked it on the same grill as my burger perhaps? The creamed corn and mash weren't anything special either. Not massively impressed. It wasn't inedible by any means and perhaps it was just a bad night in the kitchen. However, between that, the oddly removed staff who were all really busy yet despite being the only person at the bar at one point it still took about 5 minutes for any of the 4 people behind it to notice and serve me. I love the interior, I love the Americana vibe and from memory the breakfasts are pretty damn good! But I don't think I'll be rushing back for food any time soon. I'm all out of faith. I'm torn. read more

John Travolta to Uma Thurman, Pulp Ficition: 'Did you just order a $5 shake?....that's a shake, that's milk and ice-cream, that's $5?' Shake arrives....'I gotta know what a $5 shake tastes like....God damn that's a pretty f*****g good milkshake..I don't know if it was worth $5 dollars but it was pretty f*****g good!' The milkshakes at The City Cafe cost roughly from £5 and come with or without alcohol and can be plain flavoured or a delightful concoction, for e.g. forerro rocher milkshake - god damn and even cocktail milkshakes, I said god damn! These shakes are yummy and worth every penny! Also at The City Cafe I have enjoyed a brunch of stacked pancakes with berries, cream and maple syrup - mmmmmmmmm, and a pretty good burger too! The service here is great. I love that from the outside, the cafe looks like any other cafe but as soon as you walk through the door, you are transported to another era with this American Diner theme and can it be a warm welcome from the grey streets of Edinburgh. The events put on sound pretty good too and I hope to attend one some time. I'm just missing James Dean or Marlon Brando when I look around the place :) read more

Amidst the panic-writing of my final year report, I almost forgot that it was pancake day today. Almost. At midday I called my sister and arranged to go for a pancake date later that afternoon. A quick Google search of 'pancakes in Edinburgh' yielded numerous matches, but the most convenient meet-up place for us both was City Cafe, just off the Royal Mile in town. I had heard of this place before, mostly because of the burger challenge that it has (if you can eat the mega burger, you get it for free, but if you're defeated then you have to cough up 30 quid). Sure enough, the menu online showed there was a pancake option and so the deal was sealed. The interior is a bit faded, it's trying to be All-American diner style but just is a bit more A9 than Route 66. Our table was also a bit dirty but that's being picky. The waitress was very attentive at the start, collecting drinks orders and promising to come back 'in a few minutes' for our food order. That turned into maybe ten minutes, which is excessive considering this was a Tuesday afternoon and the place wasn't jumping. Anyways, I opted for the pancakes with Nutella while my sis went for the Belgian waffle equivalent. It might be down to a lack of reading the menu properly on our behalf, but I was a bit surprised when both desserts came out in a sea of maple syrup as well as having Nutella in wee pots at the side. It was enough sugar to induce early onset Diabetes, and I struggled to finish it (admittedly, I did finish it, so it wasn't *that* bad). It wasn't particularly cheap, 14 quid for the two dishes and a coke and OJ. It satisfied my Pancake Day craving, but I'm not sure I'll be rushing back for the burger challenge. read more

Just to give you the heads up, this review tackles the mid-morning service and food on a week day during Festival time (August). The place was full but with no queues or waiting lines and it was fully staffed. I met my friends at 10 am sharp for a coffee and a stack of pancakes with maple syrup. On the other hand, they order from the all-day breakfast menu The Castro (softly poached eggs with smoked salmon & hollandaise sauce on a toasted muffin) plus a couple of cappuccini. Unfortunately for me, the (5 stack) Vanilla Pancakes American style with maple syrup & Nutella were a massive disappointment as were not made on the premises but bought from a chain supermarket (The Coop, Tesco, Lidl... who knows) and microwaved... Anyway, to open a gastro-bar business and buy microwave ready meals to be reheated and resold... that's called corporate cheating... needless to say that their quality was down south decadent as you can expect from a product bought from a discount chain supermarket... Paragraph apart for the service or shall I say the lack of it: On the plus side: I was promptly seated and the random front of house person was a friendly dude. On the negative side: Friendly dude pulled the Harry Houdini disappearance routine and left us to rot with no menus on the table. My friend volunteered and started menu hunting, bringing 3 menus to the table. The young lady who took our order looked all doom & gloom. Again, the same friend went to chase and get a waitress so we can place the order. As cutlery/napkins/brown sugar had been used, we didn't get any replacements. When the third comrade joined us, friend number 1 repeated the Chasing the Waitress routine, passing the order update to her on the other side of the restaurant. I forgot to tip my friend who was far more efficient than all the floor staff put together. And that's why I give it 2 stars. Must clarify that if you are just stopping by for a couple of drinks with your mates at the bar everything changes for the better, as bartenders here are pretty cool... as long as you don't order pancakes... read more

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I remember when City Cafe was much more utilitarian, starker, all metal, and allegedly a favourite of 'cool' types... and then it had a makeover and was transformed into an homage to American diners (without going quite the full hog into a full-on theme). I liked that you used to get a sundae glass of popcorn when you ordered, alas this detail has gone by the wayside. I've eaten here a few times, and always been happy - burgers good, fajitas good etc. I would criticise the children's menu though - I came during the Fringe last year with a friend and her two young children aged 18 months and 5. Despite doing a children's menu (and the website having an example of a colouring in sheet you are supposed to be supplied with, we weren't) they didn't have any highchairs so the toddler was climbing up and fidgeting the whole time at our booth. And the kid portioned burger is tiny - one little slider sized patty, which definitely wouldn't fill up a 5 year old... Most recently I was here last night with two friends who are up from London. Their journey up had been delayed so we didn't arrive til half 9 and were glad the kitchen was still open (the same couldn't be said for The Tron, where we'd gone first). One had nachos, which were fine - although a very small serving, and the other had the Apache burger. The chips that came with this were lovely - big, chunky, crispy and floury. So it's fine, and I'll almost definitely be back, if only because it's one of the nicer pubs in the area (they also serve Stowford Press, a plus), but the portion sizes are small and my (admittedly rare) experience of coming here with children was a real disappointment. read more

MaHOOsive breakfasts (served all day) make this spot a gem. The place is decked out like a 50s diner and the staff dress to match. The menu has a really wide selection and ranges from the aforementioned breakfasts and main meal dinners to milkshakes and a full bar list. Morning/afternoon the clientele is usually some of the Hunter Square kids shooting pool and some families. Evening and onwards this place seems to become a cross between a 'girls night with chats' and people lining their tummys before a big night, which may or may not involve actually leaving The City Cafe. Sometimes they have Groupon deals for the breakfasts, of which I wholeheartedly approve! read more

I had an alcoholic shake and it was warm and watery. Exactly the opposite of what a milkshake should be. It was potent but that hardly makes up for it. The three-stack of waffles practically melted my teeth it was so sweet and I put sugar on my Frosties in the mornings. The waffles were pretty tough as well. Not soft and fluffy like a syrup drenched kitten as good waffles should be. So in summary....Meh. read more

My boyfriend and I came here on Saturday lunch time, on a quick Edinburgh stop over on our way to Glasgow from London. Edinburgh is where I have spent the past eight years, but I still hadn't got round to checking out the revamped City Cafe before I moved away, so since it's pretty close to Waverley we decided to come here for some lunch. I loved the kitsch 1950s diner style, and the variety of food on the menu, which made choosing my lunch quite difficult. The girls serving us were very sweet and friendly. I went for the chilli chicken burger and my boyfriend went for the apache burger. To be honest, having ate in City Cafe before (but waaaay back when), I wasn't expecting great things, but I was very pleasantly surprised. My chicken burger was real chicken breast, salad, pickles (oh pickles!), shredded beetroot, grilled pineapple and some chilli sauce, which actually did provide a great kick. It also came with thick cut chunky "home fries" which were piping hot and delicious. My boyfriend was equally pleased with his choice, and the burger was definitely home made. I didn't try it because I don't eat pig, but it looked good. I thought that £8.50 for a burger of that quality was very fairly priced, and it more than filled us up - we both struggled to finish (I left the bun, the cheats way to eating burgers!) My boyfriend was GUTTED because he LOVES milkshakes, and he didn't realise that they had any on the menu because it was on the very back page. I am sure that he will be requesting that we come back here so that he can try them out the next time we are in Edinburgh. read more

In a former life I used to visit this establishment from time to time, I worked around the corner and there were few more welcoming sites than the stylised facade onto Blair Street. Back in those days there were sweets for sale over the bar (true) and fish tanks near the door (I think that's true). They both seem to have gone, replaced by alcoholic milkshakes - this is the debauched age we live in people, where the innocent pleasures of old just done cut it. They also did a nice line in free postcards. Not the sort advertising another club night, or a brand name from some faceless multinational, these were postcards for the sheer hell of it. Pieces of art; items of cultural; cartoons of note and photographs of integrity. Maybe they're still there? Maybe I tried too much milkshake from my neighbour at this morning's brunch. What else has changed... well it's refreshing to be able to see through the windows at the back - there's a whole world out there, though to be honest it's better looking from the other side: between the flats of Tron Square* you can peer through into the warm and cosy glow of this establishment. *That's not the square outside the Tron pub, for that is Hunter Square at the top of Blair Street. The one with the gold double postbox to celebrate Chris Hoy's Olympic success. But you knew that. There's just the one pool table now, but it's probably still over priced and doubly popular. For all I know the downstairs bar could probably still do with a bit of a facelift, but this morning the glass doors were covered over to shield unsuspecting eyes from whatever the ladies on the other side were getting up to and making lots of noise in the process. A dance class perhaps? It's certainly part of the community. I had a very nice plate of scrambled eggs (tasty, colourful and not in the slightest bit runny), salmon (fresh and succulent) and toast (toast). Followed it up with a Malteser milkshake (non-alcoholic, tasty). It was really nice to be back in this place. The City Cafe has a different feel depending on the time of day, so try it at your leisure and see what gives. If you see them selling sweets from behind the bar you will let me know, aye? read more

This establishment is a great place for lunch and the decor is set up like an American Diner. I ordered the milkshake and the ribs for my main. They have by far the best rack of ribs I have ever eaten in Edinburgh. Tender, fall of the bone and I have yet to see such good ribs in Edinburgh yet. They also provide extra sauce to go together with your ribs. I am also a fan of their milkshake which is thick in texture compared to other establishment which is slightly on the runnier side. read more

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brunch is quickly becoming my favourite meal of the day! the options of eggs and toast or a burger with chips for the first food consumed of the day is a foodie's dream and it was for this meal that i headed to the city cafe with some other lovely yelpers to start my saturday! the city cafe portrays itself as an american diner, with chrome and red leather detailing and the stereotypical black and white tiled floor. on entering i was given a warm welcome and pointed in the direction of a large table reserved for us partaking in brunch. i have to say the seating area was my first let down of the day as it was in the middle of the restaurant which was rather dark and didn't allow too much natural light from the windows at the front or back. not overly pleasant when dining on a rare sunny day in edinburgh. seat taken and chatting commenced, i looked over the menu and decided it was a breakfast brunch and opted for the eggs florentine along with a ferrero rocher milkshare that i shared with the lovely Lou V. the milkshake arrived shortly with a mound of whipped cream and a ferrero rocher chocolate adoring the side. i was very kindly given the chocolate to eat and we both took a sip of the milkshake. it was very very good, thick but not so thick you couldn't drink it through a straw and tasted exactly like the chocolate it was named after. however, the milkshake was most definitely the high point as food started to arrive and my dish was one of the first out. it looked very nice (i've posted a picture) and i was very much looking forward to it. but after everyone had received their dishes and i finally dug into mine it was more on the luke warm side. i don't know if this was from sitting for a few minutes while everyone got their food or if it had come out of the kitchen this way. i don't know if you've ever eaten luke warm poached eggs, but it's not really the best way to eat them. the wilted spinach lacked its promise of having been wilted in butter and the toasted muffin was just that....a dry toasted muffin. the only thing that really saved this dish was the hollandaise sauce which was really tasty (probably full of the butter my spinach lacked!) and i wish there had been more of it. so overall city cafe was really just A-OK, the milkshake was great, the actual meal was sort of lacking and i didn't leave feeling as excited about brunch as when i had walked in... will i be back, maybe for a milkshake but i'll probably get my food from somewhere else. read more

The City Cafe - Eggs florentine yum! - Bars Near Me - Edinburgh, EDH

The City Cafe is great fun with a 50s diner theme throughout, the space is split into booths, the bar looks straight out of Greese with the bar chrome shined up, a Wurlitzer juke box is at the front too and the venue downstairs is hire-only. I went to the Elite event here and really enjoyed it so when we were caught in a sudden down pour on the Royal Mile this weekend we dashed in for some shelter. A couple of Bloody Mary's and we felt a lot better. They did have capers in which I wasn't overly keen on, the bacon vodka option was interesting and tasty plus the spice level and flavor were good too. We ordered nachos with chilli beef which were nice but not as good as good as they could have been. I think I will stick to the burgers next time though not the Ultimate burger challenge which I fear would be the end of me. read more

I was missing some good ole American breakfast so I looked for places that served American type breakfast meals. After a quick yelp search... I found this place so grabbed my friend and went! I was excited to see some of the typical breakfast you can find in the US- I was extremely excited to see they had pancakes. Of course I had to get the pancakes! I mean don't get me wrong, I love crepes, but sometimes this boy just need a big round fluffy soft American style pancakes drenched with warm maple syrup and topped with melted butter. I was so excited to get my pancakes, but when I got it...I was like WTF is this? Hahaha...the 3 pancakes were not as big as the 9" round plate, more like the size of a mini tea plate...totally destroyed my grand expectation to satisfy my cravings. To be fair it was soft and was good with with the syrup, but still....if you're going to advertise it as American pancakes, it better come in American servings, just saying. What I will say I do like about this place is their milkshakes. If you have cravings for milk shakes and cat be bothered making em yourself, then come to this place cause they a long list of different types. On another occasion I went to this place just to try out their milkshake, I got a Ferrerro Rocher milkshake and it was YUM. A bit steep with the pricing, but was well worth every calories for it. On Friday nights they also have a live band playing so that was a cool treat. It can get a bit busy on a Friday and probably Saturday night, but pretty good atmosphere. If you're looking for an American type diner, this place is ok... and they definitely don't serve American servings. read more

Great for brunch or lunch... American style diner... Huge burger challenge! read more

The good things about City Cafe: their breakfasts, their pool table, their beer pitchers (which save you a few quid), their nice atmosphere which has the American diner feel down. Their big burger challenge, though it is painful to watch let alone attempt. Their chips which come in their own little wire fry baskets. The bad things: their cocktail pitchers are very, very weak. You could drink from them all evening and only get mildly buzzed (this was my experience with their elderflower one, their long island iced tea, and their Pimms). Their food is odd. Their nachos would be OK, except that their guacamole tastes exactly like mayonnaise. I once had their veggie burger as well, and something in the way the cheese on top of the patty stuck to the upper bun made said bun go extremely soggy and frothy in an extremely unappetising way. It was liquid bun by the time I neared the end. This burger inspired me to make a yelp account. That being said, I go there a lot and will probably continue to do so. But I will stick to pints and chips. read more

Great spot for breakfast. Fast service, good food for the price. Started hear on our way to the Castle and glad we did. Waffles, porridge & coffee were what was ordered. Eclectic setting but easily accessible by foot. read more

Every time I'm in Edinburgh I end up here at some point. The food's great and the staff are a pretty cool-but-nice bunch. Whilst its changed over the years, now got the whole American Diner thing going on, it's still a bar so you'll feel just at home coming for a few beers or a meal. But don't expect intimate dining, particularly at the weekend or during the festival in August. Get a couple of craft beer taps on the go and I'd never leave the City Cafe! read more

So far so average. First time in here. The 50's diner decor has been done very well. I felt like Marty McFly entering the Hill Valley diner in 1955. They don't have Tab or Pepsi Free either. They may have Pepsi Max, but I didn't ask. Nothing really special on the food and drink front though. There is the usual selection of fizzy amber on draught, Heini, Carlsy, Kronny and, er, Tennantsy. The food isn't expensive, but it's still not cheap enough or good enough to make it cheap and cheerful. I wasn't impressed by the Apache Burger (smoked bacon, cheese and BBQ sauce), with bland, home cut fries for £8.50. There was nothing happening in that burger. I've tasted much better at BK, and I hate saying things like that. Maybe I picked the wrong thing, but a 50's style American diner should have outstanding burgers. It was supporting the recent Oxjam Takeover by hosting some excellent acts, this earns it the 3rd star up there. read more

City Cafe has got that kind of underground, we are not part of the mainstream atmosphere to it, having long been established on the scene as a prior to going clubbing venue for dance aficionados and other alternative genre lovers. It's pretty no frills in here, with the relative simplicity of the interior giving the bar a no nonsense, get a drink down you and don't make a fuss edge to it. The drinks here are always pretty cheap as far as I can recall, obviously a bonus when you're about to go to a club and pay club prices, and you can also play pool, also a bonus if that's your activity of choice, and also great if you're in an awkward, banterless situation, where you can substitute physical activity for chat. read more