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    The Thistle Stop Cafe

    3.9 (17 reviews)
    InexpensiveCafes
    Open 8:00 am - 6:00 pm

    The Thistle Stop Cafe Cafes Restaurant Photos

    THE THISTLE STOP CAFE ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Good for kids
    Good for groups

    Recommended Reviews - The Thistle Stop Cafe

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    Menu
    Chloe W.

    Tucked away down a close off the Royal Mile is this small café serving soup, sandwiches, and the traditional Scottish breakfast. When we visited, the small café was full of people and service was slow. Our group all ordered variations of a Scottish breakfast, and portions were big and very filling! If you are looking for an inexpensive place to eat near Edinburgh Castle, this is a good option.

    Full English breakfast.

    Down an alley & down the stairs in the basement. Nothing fancy, just the best breakfast I've ever had outside my home.

    Toasties...
    Mishka B.

    Not a bad place for a quick bite while walking through Old Town Edinburgh. We stopped here before heading to Camera Obscura. The place is a bit cozy and located in a narrow alley that leads to a quaint courtyard. The brie and bacon toastie was the best, but can you beat those two between bread?

    Full breakfast
    Anneke D.

    The Thistle Stop Cafe does a fine quick breakfast with smiling staff and good lattes. It's quaint, tucked underground off an alley behind the Royal Mile, and is sparsely decorated with off-white walls in greyish plaid print and minimal art that looks like it came right off the shelves of T.K. Maxx. I had a cheese and onion toastie and my partner a full breakfast with a sunny side up egg, toast, beans, mushrooms, thick round bacon, a hash brown, sausage, and half a tomato that could have been grilled a lot longer. My toastie was grilled to perfection (the cheese was perfectly melty and hot to the touch), and it came with a side of corn chips that I could have done without. They were a bit too hard and a bit too dry, and might have been rounded out by a bit of tomato salsa or a touch of guacamole. Or maybe the other half of my fiancé's tomato, appropriately grilled! I'd come again in a pinch.

    Scottish breakfast
    Josh S.

    Very little place, kind of hard to find. I am not an expert on Scottish food, but my wife and I both thought it was great. The service was very fast, we had out meals less than five minutes after we ordered.

    Scottish pie with haggis and baked beans
    Komal K.

    This review is from the perspective of someone who had not tried haggis, neeps and tatties before so I don't know what to compare it against. We came here on a Sunday afternoon. It's a small place with less than 10 tables but service is good. You can see the kitchen and see them cook stuff there so good job with cleanliness. About the food, I found it strictly average. Everything except Scottish pie was very average and we ended up with a lot of leftovers. Maybe it was just how scottish food is but I found the experience quite average. Prices are reasonable and service is good so try the cafe for a quick bite to eat.

    Absolutely the best meal I've had! First time trying Haggis, scotch pie and baked beans amazing!

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    3 months ago

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    4 years ago

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    6 years ago

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    2 years ago

    Tucked in the Royal Mile ! Good for a quick bite / coffee/ cake and go! Very small space like most cafe's in the area! Quick service too!

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    7 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    4 years ago

    it was a cute little spot tucked away in the streets of Edinburgh! i would go back again!

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    10 years ago

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    Review Highlights - The Thistle Stop Cafe

    While cruising through Old Town Edinburgh, my friends and I needed a pick me up.

    Mentioned in 2 reviews

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    The Edinburgh Larder - Full Scottish breakfast

    The Edinburgh Larder

    4.5(348 reviews)
    0.3 miRoyal Mile, Old Town, Newington
    ££

    Looking for breakfast in Edinburgh and we found this gem…read more It was a short walk from the hotel and even though the hotel had breakfast we were not impressed with it so decided to venture out. The Edinburgh Larder was the answer. We arrived right at opening. We were seated immediately and the place is casual clean and welcoming. The service was excellent and I got the traditional Scottish breakfast. Haggis and all and it was excellent, filing and worth walking in the light mist. The Mushroom Toast was very tasty according to my wife. The place is small and part of the larger establishment next door but still the same great food. You want authentic Scottish breakfast hot up the Edinburgh Larder and you will not be disappointed!

    I made a reservation the night before to try their full Scottish breakfast…read more I arrived a little early, the larder has two store fronts on the same address! Once one area is full they will sit u to the other area! I was sitting right by the window and it was lovely. The decor is cozy and homie! The server is very friendly and I ordered full Scottish breakfast to try out everything and chai latte. It came fairly fast and it was a very full dish. I tried all the food and they are all yummy. The blood pudding is not quite my favorite. And the bean with the red sauce is a little too spicy for me. But overall it is very good. Chai latte is super yummy and not overly sweet!

    Photos
    The Edinburgh Larder - Table service

    Table service

    The Edinburgh Larder - Scottish Breakfast

    Scottish Breakfast

    The Edinburgh Larder - Chai latte

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    Chai latte

    The Garden Cafe - O restaurante é muito bonito, Domo é maravilhoso.

    The Garden Cafe

    3.7(7 reviews)
    0.3 miNew Town
    ££

    Had to visit this place for a drink, after passing it on a tour and the tour guide highly…read morerecommended it. It is amazing to see! Beautifully decorated, very expertly run and very welcoming. Sampled a 14 year old Oban, the Honey had a glass of wine and we shared a cheese plate. An excellent experience! The server who took our order was very knowledgeable, efficient and courteous., as was the server who brought us the drinks. The entire experience was very satisfying. Must stop here when possible!

    The Dome is made up of three different restaurants, and they're all so different I thought the…read moreGarden Café definitely deserved its own review. Slotted in on Rose Street, at the back of the huge and imposing columned Dome buiding, this gorgeous little city-centre oasis is the perfect place to rest your shopping-weary feet and have a tasty lunch. It's only open from april to early september, and although it's tucked down a narrow street this place is a great little suntrap. You can get wraps, salads, soups, burgers, that sort of thing here - not a full á la carte lunch, but the portions are fairly generous so you'll only need one course. The service was ok, but our waiter didn't even bother to bring us our change back. We had been planning to leave it as a tip for him, but we thought it was a bit cheeky of him just to assume, especially when service is already included in the prices. For a salad and a soft drink you'll spend just over £10 a head, which makes it slightly pricier than a lot of other lunchtime cafés nearby, but this setting is just so gorgeous I'd happily pay the difference.

    Photos
    The Garden Cafe
    The Garden Cafe - O nome diz tudo!

    O nome diz tudo!

    The Garden Cafe

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    Tasty Buns Bakery - We had toasties and soup.

    Tasty Buns Bakery

    4.9(13 reviews)
    0.4 miOld Town
    £

    Oh my goodness! Everything looks amazing from the happy…read morecolorful window to the amazing baked goods. I love that Tasty Buns is a bakery on Bread Street. I adored the lime, poppyseed, and blueberry roulade! It was gone before the soup and toastie sandwich arrived. Crispy on the outside and so very soft and tasty on the inside. The cookie pie was impressive, but I honestly liked the roulade so much better. The soup today was broccoli and it was delicious! I had a ham and cheese sandwich lightly grilled in a panini press. Mom had a chorizo sandwich. The ladies at the bakery were lovely! Friendly happy folk always make food taste better! The bakery was quiet and not busy at 12:30 pm. It wasn't empty, just not busy. We got a table for 3! It was funny (and also a sad commentary on humans) that the still water available said "Please turn the tap off." Silly people. Thank you so much for a wonderful lunch! Mom said very good! Very different!

    I was walking along the street and happened to past Tasty Buns. I thought it looked really cute and…read moremade it a point to return. They had a glass display case loaded with yummy goods. My very first time I came I tried a vegan cinnamon bun. It was warm, soft, and had that sweet caramelization from the sugar on the bun. It was soooo good. After that, I kept coming back about once a week to grab a treat and sometimes a drink. Everything I've tried has been so delicious and the staff is always very kind. If you follow them on Instagram they even sometimes release what goods are in the shop since they switch it up! Tasty Buns definitely became a go to of mine and I think there is truly something for anyone with a sweet tooth!

    Photos
    Tasty Buns Bakery - Beautiful and colorful window!

    Beautiful and colorful window!

    Tasty Buns Bakery - The cookie pie is in the center left.

    The cookie pie is in the center left.

    Tasty Buns Bakery - Pastry and tea

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    Pastry and tea

    The Elephant House

    The Elephant House

    3.2(308 reviews)
    0.1 miOld Town
    ££

    The original cafe on George IV Bridge, which has been shut since the tragic fire on 24th August…read more2021, is now open at Victoria Street. Again, that's alleged, but it's everywhere- Author J.K. Rowling had her first book published while she was writing in the back room overlooking Edinburgh Castle, making The Elephant House the "birthplace" of the series of Harry Potter novels. The Elephant House Cafe proudly calls itself the 'birthplace' of Harry Potter above the front door. This claim is slightly controversial, as the sign alludes to the birthplace of parts of the books, not necessarily the beginning. The Elephant House in Edinburgh, Scotland, is a pilgrimage site for any Potterhead. From the outside, and honestly from the inside as well, it seems like your average cafe. However, this cafe is one of the cafes that provided space for J.K. Rowling to create not only a book series, but an entire magical world. The

    When in Edinburgh, it is one of those centrally located tourist attractions that you might want to…read morecheck out for fun. We took pictures outside and ventured inside wanting to sit down for a coffee/pastry. Unfortunately, the wait was so long that we selected not to stay. We looked around the small gift shop area and selected some souvenirs. It was challenging to get someone to ring our purchase but managed to after some time. Love my new lunch bag!

    Photos
    The Elephant House
    The Elephant House
    The Elephant House - Mallow delight hot chocolate

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    Mallow delight hot chocolate

    Lowdown Coffee - Maple granola with apricot compote, Greek yogurt & lemon verbena.

    Lowdown Coffee

    4.7(18 reviews)
    0.3 miNew Town
    ££

    LMGOSH the banana cake is amazing!!! Please try the banana cake. It is different from what you…read morenormally get at Starbucks or any other cafes.

    Four out of seven on the Disloyal 7 Challenge. We were running out of time in Edinburgh, and the…read morecoffee shops left on our list closed up really early in the evenings. But, we were determined to get all those stamps (and the satisfaction of having accomplished something that was specific to Edinburgh), so this was the first of two coffee shops visited in the space of an hour. Crazy? Yes, indeed. I really liked the feel of this shop. It's open, clean and bright. It's about on par, size-wise, as some of the other shops we visited, but it wasn't as busy. There were two guys working the counter when we arrived, and they had several tables open, which we took advantage of. We ordered our drinks and sat down to wait. They came out quickly, and they were delicious. The guy who brought our coffee to the table was very friendly, checking to make sure that we were set, that we had everything we needed, and that we knew they had fresh-baked pastries at the counter. I was interested in the pastries but knew that we had one more coffee shop to visit before really starting our day, so I had to abstain. The coffee was delicious - well brewed and served piping hot. I could see making this place into a normal haunt, if we were in the area more often.

    Photos
    Lowdown Coffee - Menu, as of 18/10/22.

    Menu, as of 18/10/22.

    Lowdown Coffee
    Lowdown Coffee - Exterior

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    Exterior

    The Thistle Stop Cafe - cafes - Updated May 2026

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