It might seem kind of strange to just go to the Scottish Parliament's Cafe, without going to the Scottish Parliament, but it's doable. And they have GOOD cake. Today I had orange and chocolate cake with orange icing and a latte. The latte was pretty decent as far as lattes go. They're coffee is Costa Coffee, and as far as chain coffee goes, I think they're pretty good and definitely way better than Starbucks.
Though I wouldn't totally recommend going there without visiting the parliament itself, which is well worth the experience, you can still go into the cafe and check out some of the funky architecture. Their food is also hilarious as all the sandwiches are labelled "Scottish" chicken or "Scottish" (insert here dead animal/vegetable). I think they're proud. I might be making assumptions, though.
I had to flip a coin to choose the cake, but they also head this pretty delicious looking apple toffee muffin. So, if you're running from the rain, or just can't decide where to go in Holyrood, then check out the parliament and eat some cake. read more